STFC PATT Travel Claim for Competitively Awarded Observation Time

STFC PATT Travel Claim

Supports United Kingdom astronomers at eligible institutions by reimbursing travel and subsistence costs for approved telescope access.

The STFC Programme Access to Large Telescopes (PATT) Travel Claim scheme is a continuously open, rolling reimbursement mechanism that covers 100% of full economic cost travel and subsistence expenses incurred by UK-based astronomers visiting STFC-funded or PATT-approved telescope facilities. The scheme is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council and has no fixed application windows — claims can be submitted at any time throughout the year.

Eligibility requires that the applicant is a permanent member of staff or an academic at a UK institution eligible for STFC funding, and that the observation time being claimed for was won through a competitive peer-reviewed allocation process. Postdoctoral researchers and students are not eligible to claim directly. A key threshold governs the route of access: if a research group's combined annual PATT travel costs are expected to exceed £7,500 in a given year, the group must apply for a formal PATT Travel Grant rather than using the rolling claim mechanism. Individual claims below that threshold can be submitted directly and are reimbursed at 100% fEC.

The PATT Travel Claim scheme provides a low-friction route for UK astronomy groups to recover the cost of competitive telescope observing runs without requiring a full grant application. Claimants should retain documentation of the competitive time allocation decision before submitting, and groups approaching the £7,500 annual threshold should plan the switch to a PATT Travel Grant application early to avoid a gap in funding coverage. The scheme covers visits to a wide range of internationally sited facilities where STFC or PATT recognition applies.