ACIT Hub Event Travel and Expenses
Funding is available for attendees from UKRI-eligible institutions who need help with travel costs. This page explains when the ACIT Hub will cover travel and accommodation for people attending our in-person events, and when it will not.
All booking and claims must follow the rules of the University of Surrey Travel and Expenses Procedure.
Training and Hackathon Events
For approved ACIT Hub in-person training and hackathon events:
- You can claim travel (e.g. eligible mileage, standard rail and other reasonable public transport).
- You can claim accommodation where an overnight stay is genuinely needed.
- Where needed to enable attendance, we can contribute towards caring costs (e.g. childcare or other dependent care) where these are a barrier to engagement.
RIE Community and Co-design Days
As the ACIT Hub hosts an annual series of RIE community and co-design days across the UK with the intention to lessen the burden of travel for attendees, we do not cover travel or accommodation for these events.
If you are a speaker at a RIE community and co-design event, we can cover your travel and accommodation if required.
Attendees should arrange and pay for their own travel and any overnight stays if required. Expenses for RIE community and co-design days (except approved speaker costs) should not be claimed through the University system.
Mentoring Programme
The ACIT Hub provides funding for mentoring pairs from UKRI-eligible institutions of up to £1,000 per pair.
This can be used for:
- Travel, accommodation and reasonable subsistence (meals and incidentals, e.g. lunch) to visit each other’s institutions or to attend other relevant events, where you will meet as a mentoring pair for knowledge exchange.
- Caring costs (e.g. childcare or other dependent care) where these are a barrier to engagement.
Ideally, mentors and mentees should agree together how to use their shared £1,000 budget across visits and events. Claims must stay within the £1,000 per pair limit and be clearly linked to mentoring activities.
Note: Reasonable registration, travel and accommodation costs to attend CIUK as conference buddies, including our “day‑zero” networking lunch, are funded separately by the ACIT Hub and do not count towards the £1,000 budget limit.
How to Claim
- Visitors may claim expenses via the University of Surrey Visitor Expense Claim Form and email the completed form and photos of itemised receipts to the ACIT Hub (acit@surrey.ac.uk). Please ensure your claim clearly states the event type (training, co-design, mentoring).
- The ACIT Hub may be able to arrange travel and accommodation directly instead of reimbursing expenses. This option is available if you do not have funds to pay costs up front; we will request some additional information to register you in the University travel booking system if this option is used.
Claims are submitted through the usual University expenses system. This system normally processes claims after events have taken place and aims to complete processing and payment within four weeks of receiving your claim.
For additional information on what types of travel, accommodation and other costs are allowed, and how to claim, please see the University of Surrey Travel and Expenses Procedure.
ACIT Hub Version 1, 22-09-2026