Event organisation

For a detailed breakdown of all required steps for your event organization, please download the checklist [German]

Inclusion in the FSGS

Please send an outline of your event to all doctoral students and postdocs at FSGS. Ask for feedback from people interested in the event, and whether they would like to participate or actively help organize the event.

Request to the board

Members of FSGS submit a request to the board (PDF [German]) and request funding through the FSGS for their event. Please stop by our office for advice before submitting your request in digital form.

Calculation / settlement of travel and lodging expenses

In order to simplify the calculation of travel and lodging expenses, we’ve put together a leaflet for the reimbursement of travel expenses (PDF [German]) as well as lump sums (PDF [German]) .

Anyone receiving money from us to cover their travel and lodging expenses has to sign the guest payment form (PDF [German]). Please ensure that the form is signed and that both the IBAN and BIC (for international banks, the SWIFT code) are provided. Prepare the form so that on the day of the event you only need to have it signed by the guests. Expenses can only be reimbursed retroactively via bank transfer. As the event organizer, you are responsible for all communication with the guests. We will provide the director of the FSGS's signature (at the end of the form) for you. You then just need to hand in the completed and signed form at our office. Please inform your guests that all payments are processed centrally through Freie Universität Berlin, which may take up to six weeks. The FSGS cannot speed up this process.

Calculation of expenses for hospitality

For an event taking place at the Graduate School, management assumes the cost for beverages (water, juice, tea, coffee) to be consumed during the conference or during breaks. We’d be happy to offer cookies as well. If the event is taking place on a weekday on the Graduate School’s premises, we can provide a student assistant to help with the conference. Please contact us as soon as possible for better coordination and planning.

Expenses for catering, restaurant visits, or receptions need to be requested from the board. In order to simplify the calculation, we’ve also put together a leaflet for financing events (PDF [German]). The calculation rates specified in the leaflet also apply to food or beverages that you have purchased yourself. Please take note that the rates stated in the leaflet are maximum rates, and are rarely approved by the board. In order to settle any reimbursement, we need receipts, a participant list, and possibly a reimbursement request.

If you take your guests out for a meal, our office must send a cost coverage to the restaurant in advance and place an order through the FU ordering system. Please note that any expenses can only be charged or reimbursed according to the rates given. Tips and expenses for alcohol cannot be reimbursed under any circumstance. Therefore, they must not be included in the bill and have to be paid separately by you and your guests. Please ask for an invoice that states the restaurant's address and bank details. This invoice, along with the guest list, is to be handed in at our office.

Calculation of advertising costs

In cooperation with the organizers, management can design and print posters (DIN A2) with the FSGS’s and the Freie Universität Berlin’s corporate design (check here for a sample poster). Please contact the student colleagues herefore at least eight weeks before the event. Management will cover the costs for 10 posters. Putting up the posters is the responsibility of the event organizers.

All FSGS events are announced on the FSGS website, in our newsletter, on Twitter (X), Instagram, Facebook, and our blog. Please send the corresponding announcement texts to the student colleagues. Announcements on the Freie Universität Berlin websites are only possible for very large events or those involving public figures. For announcements through specific institute mailing lists, please contact the institutes’ offices directly.

Follow-up on the event

We provide a camera to FSGS members for any photo documentation of the event. If you would like a longer audio/video recording of your event at Freie Universität Berlin, please get in touch with us early. Expenses for such a recording may be covered by the management. Photos will be used on our website and our blog.

Apart from photo documentation, funding through FSGS also requires a conference report. We ask you to send this as a WORD document to our office as soon as possible after the event has concluded. The report will also be published on our website and our blog.

For expenses reimbursements, please bring the signed guest payment forms to the office. For reimbursement of restaurant bills, please submit them (including the corresponding bank statement in case of card payment) and a list of participants to the office. The information about the event (title, date, location, organizers) must be given. Please submit the receipts, guest lists, guest forms, and expense reimbursement requests (PDF [German]) together to our office.