Eligibility

Any member of Lancaster University’s [post-doctoral] Academic or Research staff engaged in a contract that extends beyond the lifetime of the proposed project, is eligible to apply.

Only one Joy Welch Grant may be applied for by any one person in each academic year.

Criteria

This call is open to all disciplines and projects must start between 1st April 2025 and 31st March 2026 and may run for up to a maximum of 12 months thereafter.

Funds will be awarded for directly incurred costs only e.g. travel, subsistence, small equipment (less than £10k), staff support, consultancy fees, and sub-contracting fees. Investigator salaries are not eligible for funding.

The Head of Department must provide a statement to confirm the applicant will be supported by the department (this is to be inserted into the JW funding application form).

Only applications submitted on the Joy Welch Post-Doctoral application form will be accepted.

An internal panel of four comprising cross-faculty academic representatives will review all applications and make award decisions.

The outcome will be communicated by email to the address on the application form by 31st March 2025. Feedback for unsuccessful applicants will not be provided.

No one project may apply for funding for more than three consecutive years, whether successful or not.

Proposals do not need to be costed and approved in ACP before submission, but applicants may seek advice on cost eligibility from Research Services - please contact rso-submissions@lancaster.ac.uk.

Note: Grantees of this internal scheme cannot use an award to count towards probationary targets or in a case for promotion.

Conditions of Award

• Funding will only be released following ethical approval.
• Details of successful awards will be published on the Lancaster University internet pages
• Funding is available to staff only while they remain in the employ of Lancaster University.
• All items of small equipment purchased will remain the property of Lancaster University, including laptops or other IT equipment.
• The Associate Director of Research Services must approve any proposed changes to the research or planned expenditure.
• Joy Welch Post-Doctoral Grant awards cannot be used to count towards probationary targets or used for a promotion case.
• Any unspent funds at the end of the award will be returned to the Fund.
• The contribution made by the Joy Welch Post-Doctoral Grant should be acknowledged in any future publications arising from this grant.
• Grantees will be required to provide a one-page final report within one month of their grant end date with details of any project outcomes, e.g. publications, bids submitted, and further funding awarded.