Partial Travel Support Scheme (PATSS), Himachal Pradesh

What is the Partial Travel Support Scheme of HIMCOSTE?

Partial Travel Support Scheme (PATSS) is a research support scheme of the Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE), the state science and technology council that functions under the Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change, Government of Himachal Pradesh. PATSS reimburses part of the travel fare of a young scientist or research scholar who has had a paper accepted for presentation at a scientific conference, seminar, symposium or workshop.

According to the scheme's terms and conditions published by HIMCOSTE, the support is deliberately partial. The council pays a share of the fare and expects the applicant's own institution or another funding agency to cover the rest, which is why a commitment letter from the co-funding source is a mandatory attachment.

The reason this scheme exists is specific to a hill state with a thin research base. A research scholar in a college at Hamirpur or Palampur who gets a paper accepted at an international meeting often has no departmental travel budget at all, and the airfare alone can be more than a month's fellowship. PATSS is designed to close exactly that gap, and nothing beyond it.

What PATSS covers

• Travel fare to and from the venue of the conference.

What PATSS does not cover

• Lodging and boarding.
• Maintenance or daily allowance.
• Conference registration fees.
• Taxi fares and other local or ancillary expenses.

How much money does PATSS give?

Both tests apply together and the lower of the two figures is sanctioned. A researcher whose international airfare comes to Rs 80,000 receives 60 per cent, that is Rs 48,000, because that is below the Rs 60,000 ceiling. A researcher whose airfare is Rs 1,20,000 receives Rs 60,000, because the 60 per cent figure of Rs 72,000 crosses the ceiling.

For in-country travel the same arithmetic applies against the Rs 10,000 ceiling. A rail fare of Rs 6,000 to a conference at Bengaluru yields Rs 3,600, not Rs 6,000, because 60 per cent is the binding constraint.

Who is eligible for PATSS?

You can apply if:

• You hold an M.Sc., B.E., B.Tech, MBBS or an equivalent degree.
• You are not above 40 years of age on the date the conference begins.
• You are working in an academic or research institution located in Himachal Pradesh.
• Your paper has been accepted for presentation at the event, and you can produce the acceptance letter.
• You have at least one paper published in a peer-reviewed journal.
• You have not received travel support from HIMCOSTE in the previous three years.
• Your application is forwarded by the head of your institution.

You are not eligible if:

• You are an in-house staff member of HIMCOSTE. Council staff are expressly excluded.
• You are above 40 years on the date the conference starts. The cut-off is measured against the event start date, not the application date.
• Your paper has not been accepted, or you are attending only as a delegate or observer.
• You have no peer-reviewed publication to your name.
• You received HIMCOSTE travel support within the last three years.
• You work at an institution outside Himachal Pradesh, even if you are a Himachali by domicile.
• The event is an annual general meeting of a professional society or association, which the scheme excludes.
• You submit an incomplete application. HIMCOSTE states plainly that incomplete applications are not entertained.

What documents are required for PATSS?

How to apply for the Partial Travel Support Scheme

1. Get your paper accepted first. Secure the written acceptance from the conference organisers, because the acceptance letter is the document the whole application rests on.
2. Check the two hard filters before spending time on the form; your age on the date the conference begins must be 40 years or less, and you must not have taken HIMCOSTE travel support in the last three years.
3. Download and fill the PATSS application form from the HIMCOSTE website at himcoste.hp.gov.in, completing every column. Attach the bio-data, degree certificate, date of birth certificate, acceptance letter, event invitation and the abstract of your paper.
4. Arrange the co-funding commitment letter from your institution or another funding agency, confirming what share of the cost they will bear. PATSS will not fund the whole trip.
5. Route the application through the head of your institution, who signs the forwarding letter. HIMCOSTE does not accept applications sent directly by individuals.
6. Send the complete file to the Member Secretary (EC), HIMCOSTE, Vigyan Bhawan, Shimla-171001, so that it reaches at least one month before the event begins.
7. Wait for the commitment letter. HIMCOSTE reviews the applications and informs selected candidates about a week before the event, issuing a commitment letter that states the amount it will reimburse.
8. Travel, present the paper, and then claim. Within two months of the event, submit a detailed report of your participation along with proof of travel such as the air ticket and boarding passes, and the reimbursement is released.

How is PATSS paid and what must you submit afterwards?

PATSS is a reimbursement, not an advance. The commitment letter issued before the event tells you the maximum HIMCOSTE will pay, but no money moves until the post-event claim is filed. Plan your cash flow accordingly, because you will need to book and pay for the travel yourself.

The post-event claim has a two-month deadline from the date of the event. The claim file consists of:

• A detailed report on the conference and your participation in it.
• Proof of travel, principally the air ticket, along with the fare evidence.
• Reprints of the paper presented.
• Photographs of the presentation, which HIMCOSTE asks recipients to provide.

Missing the two-month window is the most avoidable way to lose a sanctioned grant. Prepare the report on the flight home rather than after you return to the lab.

Why PATSS applications get rejected

• Application received less than one month before the event. This is a timing rule, not a formality, and late files are simply not processed.
• Incomplete form or missing annexure. HIMCOSTE's terms state in capitals that incomplete applications will not be entertained.
• No acceptance letter for the paper, only a registration confirmation.
• Age above 40 years on the event start date.
• Support already drawn within three years.
• No co-funding commitment letter, so the council cannot see how the balance of the trip will be met.
• Event is an annual society meeting rather than a scientific conference with presented papers.
• Applicant is HIMCOSTE staff or is based at an institution outside Himachal Pradesh.

Where to get help

• Member Secretary (EC), HIMCOSTE, Vigyan Bhawan, Shimla-171001, Himachal Pradesh — the addressee for PATSS applications and for queries on the scheme.
• Website: himcoste.hp.gov.in, which hosts the PATSS terms and conditions, the application format and the council's other research and development schemes.
• Your institution's research or R&D cell, which forwards the application and usually holds copies of the current PATSS circular for the year.

HIMCOSTE runs PATSS in phases tied to the financial year, with separate windows for events falling in different parts of the year, so check the current year's circular on himcoste.hp.gov.in before assuming the phase dates from an earlier year still apply. There is no fee to apply, and the scheme is administered entirely through institutional channels rather than through agents.