1.    What are the preconditions to become a member of FIRST?

You have to be enrolled as PhD student at DIKU, DTU, ITU or RUC, and your PhD research topic should be within the areas covered by FIRST.

2.    What are the advantages of becoming a member of FIRST?

By becoing a FIRST member, you can and/or will:

·      Propose and organize events funded by FIRST (courses, inviting guests, etc.)

·       Participate in any courses (e.g. mini courses, summer and autumn schools), workshops and seminars with reduced or without fees

·       Participate in network lunches, retreats and any other related events without fee

·       Apply for grants for participating in/travelling to summer schools

·       Receive electronic newsletters about four times per year

·       Be informed about other relevant events taking place at DIKU, DTU, ITU, RUC and beyond.

3.    I would like to become a member of FIRST. What should I do?

You should send an email to FIRST coordinator Anna Sommer (asommer@itu.dk) with the following information:

·         Your full name

·         Name of your affiliation

·         Your enrollment period at the affiliation

·         Full name of your supervisor(s)

·         Your research interest

·         A 100x127 photo for the website

The information will be included on FIRST homepage after FIRST coordinator has confirmed with the local contact person at your respective affiliation.

In order to receive joint FIRST e-mails and send e-mails out to everybody at FIRST, you have to register at https://mailman.itu.dk/mailman/listinfo/first-announce. Your registration will be approved by FIRST coordinator afterwards.

4.    How much do I have to pay to become a member of FIRST?

For 4+4 PhD students, the membership fee, which is valid as from 1 January 2008, is DKK 2,500 for the first 2 years and DKK 5,000 for the last 2 years. For other PhD students, the membership fee is DKK 5,000 per year. The fee is normally covered by your educational grant.
 If you are enrolled at FIRST before 1 January 2008, the old membership fees, which are DKK 5,000 for 4+4 PhD students and DKK 10,000 for other PhD students, will be applied until 31 December 2007.

 

5.    If I want to invite a guest to visit and give a lecture at FIRST, what expenses
     can be covered by FIRST andwhich procedures should I follow?

 

FIRST covers accommodation, transport and subsistence expenses for the invited guest, depending on the specific situation. Beforethe guest is invited, you have to communicate with Thomas Hildebrandt (hilde@itu.dk) for approval. Then you fill in this budget template and send it to FIRST coordinator Anna Sommer (asommer@itu.dk) with cc to Thomas as soon as possible.

It is highly recommended that the guest arranges the purchase of flight/train tickets by him/herself. You can contact the FIRST cordinator for assistance with arranging accommodation and reimbursing the costs that have been laid out by the guest.

6.    Can I invite a FIRST guest out for a meal? What are the reimbursement procedures?

Yes, you can, but make sure that you stick to the representation rules, that you keep the original receipts for reimbursement, and tha you remember to write the names of participants in the meal behind the receipts.

For members affiliated with ITU, you have to fill in and sign the outlay form called “Konteringsbilag for kontante udlæg”, have the FIRST coordinator authorize the form, and hand it in together with the original receipts to either Man Yu Li or Annette Jørgensen at 2D15.

For other members, you have to fill in and sign the Reimbursement Form, and then send it to FIRST coordinator, who will take care of theremaining steps.

7.    What should I do to announce an event?

If you want to submit an event to appear on the FIRST homepage, you should firstly make sure that you are registered with the content management system You will find the options to do this under the “User Menu” on the FIRST homepage. After logging into the system, you will see the option to “Submit Event” under the user menu. If you fill in this form your event will be submitted, and will appear on the homepage after approval from the FIRST secretariat.
NB! When registering an event, it is very important to indicate an 'Enddate' as well as a Date' for the event under the Details section. The end date is used by our program to make the event visible under the events calendar. If an end date is not given for an event, it will therefore not show up under the calendar

Please be aware that COPLAS talks are announced by FIRST Student administrator Renée Michan (dutchgirl@itu.dk). You should send the content of the talk(s) to her for announcement on FIRST homepage.

8.    Whom should I contact to book a location for a meeting, a COPLAS talk, a course, a workshop or a seminar at ITU?

·         Meeting workshop and seminar locations can be booked with Facilities Management (FM) by either sending an email to fm@itu.dk, call 72185000, or communicating directly with an FM staff member at the reception desk on the ground floor.

·         Teaching locations can be booked with Study Administration by sending an email to either John Pretzmann Christensen (jpc@itu.dk) or Hanne Beckwith Lehmann (hble@itu.dk).

You may ask for assistance from the FIRST secretariat by sending an email to FIRST coordinator Anna Sommer (asommer@itu.dk).

9.    How do I register on the FIRST homepage?

In order to view the private intranet and submit events and news items to appear on the FIRST homepage, you are required t register with the content management system. To do this, go to the FIRST homepage and click on the option to register under the user menu. You will be required to enter your name and e-mail address, and then the user details you wish to use on the homepage. Your registration will then be approved by the FIRST secretariat within a reasonable time span, and you will have the ability to view and submit the relevant information.

10.   What should I submit to the FIRST homepage?

It is requested that you send periodic updates on your research that may interest a broader audience and anyinformation or events that you feel may be of use to other members of the FIRST research grup.

11.   I am experiencing a problem with the FIRST homepage not covered here, what
  should I do?

Please send an e-mail to the FIRST Student administrator Renée Michan (dutchgirl@itu.dk), who will look into the problem and get back to you.

12.  What do I have to do to apply for a travel grant?

You have to send Thomas Hildebrandt the following documents:

·         A letter with information about the activit/event you would like to participate in;

·         A budget estimate with details regarding ees, transport and accommodation expenses, and per diem

·        Duration of your stay

·         A signed statement concerning the relevance of your participation in the activity/event from your supervisor

·         Contact information of your supervisor

13.  Is there a template which I can use for Powerpoint presentations?

There is a separate link for each institution. Please follow the links below: 

   ·      IT University of Copenhagen

   ·     Roskilde University 

   ·    Technical University of Denmark

   ·     DIKU, University of Copenhagen

14.  Is there a template which I can use for Poster presentations?

The PLIS group at Roskilde University have this template for posters, in Adobe InDesign format. Members of other institutions should feel free to create their own, and inform the secretariat if they want to make it publicly available.