Enhanced funding for researcher development activities for PhD students is available to Departments and Faculties by application to support high-cost events and any activities involving external speakers or specialists.
Examples of activities funded in the past include workshops on the topics of communication and managing difficult conversations, translating research into practice, unconscious bias, self-confidence, etc.
- Funding and eligible costs
- Timelines
- Application process
- Management of funds
- Evaluation of activities
- Contacts
- [Application questions]
- [Payment process]
Funding and eligible costs
The budget for Enhanced Funding is £60k per annum. There is no specific funding envelope per round; decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposals received. Expenditure and available funds will be kept under review by the central RD team and Schools will be kept informed of progress.
Applications must be fully costed. Where external speakers or specialists are proposed, this must be justified separately. Eligible costs might include speaker fees, printing, workshop materials, etc.
The following are not eligible costs:
- Travel or accommodation (please note that fees for external speakers are eligible)
- Venue hire
- Catering
- Salaries
Please see our examples page for illustrations of what can and can't be covered by this fund.
Timelines
Apply for the Enhanced Funding Scheme
| Term | Application deadline | Decisions announced | Funds to be spent by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michaelmas | 16 October '23 | w/c 30 October '23 | 31 October '24 |
| Lent | 11 December '23 | w/c 8 January '24 | 31 January '25 |
| Easter | 8 April '24 | w/c 22 April '24 | 30 April '25 |
The above timelines are likely to entail funds being carried forward across financial year-end. There is no need to seek separate approval for this, provided that the funds remain committed to the activity for which they were originally awarded.
Application process
A copy of the application questions can be viewed in advance.
Applications will be assessed by the central RD team against the following criteria:
| Criterion | Prompt questions |
|---|---|
| Training need |
|
| Distinctiveness |
|
| Inclusivity |
|
| Digital legacy |
|
| External speakers |
|
Following assessment of applications, there are three possible outcomes:
- Approval - the application is accepted as submitted
- Minor revision - the application is approved on condition of specified revisions
- Resubmission - the application is ineligible or requires substantial amendments
Feedback will be given on all unsuccessful applications, and a member of the central RD team will be available to offer advice on subsequent applications in later rounds of the scheme.
Management of funds
Successful applicants should, on receiving notification of the award of funds, raise an invoice for the agreed amount. Please see the full details of the payment process.
Evaluation of activities
We ask all recipients of funding to complete a short evaluation form which asks you to provide some highlights from the feedback you gather from the activity and your reflections on how it went. We do not anticipate the completed form being longer than one page.
Your evaluation form should be completed and sent to the Researcher Development team at researcher.development@admin.cam.ac.uk after the activity takes place; at the latest we expect to receive it by 12 months following confirmation that you will receive funding.
Contacts
If you have any questions about the Scheme or when preparing your submission, please get in touch with Dr Sonja Tomašković at st560@cam.ac.uk.