Staff Development funding is available to support applications from all Professional Services staff in FST for developmental activities including attendance at courses and conferences. We can support applications with up to a maximum £500 of a contribution for attendance at UK and overseas events.
Applications should make a case for funding and demonstrate how the activity contributes to your work needs or career progression. A contribution of up to 50% of the cost of an activity may be available. Before submitting your application, you must have the agreement of your department to make an equal contribution to the cost of the activity.
Research staff can apply for funding towards professional development activities that will contribute to their ability to develop in the role but not integral to the delivery of the project(s) on which they are working. A good example could be attendance at a workshop on new statistical techniques that would not be applicable to research datasets from current projects.
Research conference attendance should be costed into grants.
Calls for applications to the Staff Development Fund are made at the beginning of each term and are publicised through the Faculty Professional Services Newsletter and Faculty Bulletin.
The Staff Development Fund will routinely cover the costs of the following:
- Travel (at second-class public transport rates)
- Conference/course registration fees
- Examination fees
- Expenses related to other forms of development such as mentoring or work shadowing
Funding is not available for the following:
- Purchase of course books (unless the course in question is conducted through distance learning)
- Subsistence and accommodation
- Higher degrees which are not directly work-related
- External courses or activities where a similar provision can be made within the institution
- Departmental away days.
Please note
We will not support applications from individuals applying for annual events in consecutive years.
If more than one individual wishes to attend the same event, a case will need to be made to explain the benefit of this. In such cases, individuals will be asked to share their experience with other interested parties after the event has taken place.
For courses that take place over more than one year, estimates for each year of the course should be given. Fees for future years may change; therefore, adjustments to the funding will be made where this is the case.
If an individual applies for funding for a course for personal professional development, a contribution of one third will be expected from the individual.
Follow-up report
Before funds can be paid, recipients of funding must submit receipts of travel and a brief report on the activity within one month of the activity undertaken. The three areas the report must address are:
- How did this activity contribute to your continuing professional development?
- How did this activity contribute to the achievement of the Department, School and/or institutional aims and objectives?
- How do you plan to disseminate learning from this activity?
Applications
Once you have the approval of your Line Manager to undertake the activity planned, please complete the application below:
Within one month of the activity finishing, please complete the online report:
If you are uncertain about the eligibility of your application, please contact the FST Staff Resources Team