Hello fellow scientists!

I am not quite sure if i fit in well in this forum since i am currently doing a PhD in Greece but will try to justify my presence by adding that i may conduct part of my research in a UK institution in the future. Since i am not a native speaker, i beg you to pardon any written language discrepancies :D

So, i'm days before submitting my annual report to the engineering department of my university and things are starting to get weird, so allow me to explain the situation i am in. Any advices are more than welcome!!!

There is no obligatory provision for funding PhDs here. Labs in general, use to allocate funds for PhD students from the university budget while these students -under the guidance of their supervisor- have the chance to compete for a research program that could fund their research.

A year ago, a professor of mine with whom i have worked with in the past, invited me to start a PhD under his supervision by promising to fund my research. The lab consists of 3 professors +technicians and PhDs. I agreed, enrolled and started the hard work. To cut a long story short, 6 months passed before i received (after my insistance) part of the agreed sum. The other 2 professors do not seem to have any interest in me. Anyway, i had to conduct part of my research in a company/spinoff which cooperates and is co-owned with my department. Results are great and i have stayed sleepless countless night to achieve my goals.

The main problem is that my supervisor has allocated (a year later) only 25% of the agreed amount saying "the country has difficulties". At the same time, i have just learned that they have overpaid another colleague of mine (the only one funded right now) although he's absent. I have filed for a funding in a nationwide research program contest (all paperwork mine), but prof tells me that the contest is rigged. What is left to do now?

This is a difficult one, because here we would say go to your head of school or pastoral staff member and ask for advice, but it sounds the system there may be corrupt and so this may work against you.

Are you able to ask any other students or academic staff there for any confidential advice?

Thank you for your reply!! I can't provide concrete proof on corruption but let's just say i know it's not an academian utopia so i am just cautious and minding "my own" research.

Well, i happened to ran into an exceptional post-doc researcher and another candidate a few months ago whom i know; when we talked about funding (be it from budget or proposals etc) the latter used really strong words while the postdoc implied that things are increasingly weird -until both of them left to find jobs elsewhere. I found it quite alarming back then but i guess i was just turning a blind eye to the situation -a won't-believe-it-until-i-see-it sort of-.