Incentives for funding applications

This scheme applies to funding applications being prepared from October 2026.  

 The incentives provided by the scheme are intended to support the Faculty’s academic postholders (Statutory Professors, Senior Research Fellows [RSIV], APTFC, APTFU, APNTFs) when applying for: 

1. Large grants (cost to funder or “Price” of at least £200k); 
2. Fellowships where the primary focus is on fixed-term teaching relief (for example, Fellowships from the Leverhulme Trust and the British Academy). 

• Applicants for funding whose applications have been approved in principle by the Associate Deans(R) or their delegate (normally, the Head of Research) will benefit from a £2,000 one-off Faculty Research Allowance (PIs only; co-Is are not part of this scheme) per application and per financial year.  
• The applicant is free to use the funds (subject only to general Faculty/University rules on  expenditure) in whichever way best supports their research funding application and overall intellectual endeavours, including (but not limited to) hiring research assistants and facilitating teaching buyouts. 
• The allowance is not tied to the specific grant application content. 
• Depending on the timing of grant submission in relation to the financial year end, and the applicant’s preferred deployment of the funds, the allowance will either be received the same financial year as the application has been submitted or the financial year following the submission of the application. In either case, the research allowance must be spent within the financial year it is received. 
• The scheme is not cumulative. For instance, applicants with multiple small grant applications totalling £200k funding are not eligible. 
• Applicants submitting multiple large grant and/or Fellowship applications will only receive one allowance per financial year. 
• Should the applicant not submit the application without reasonable justification, they will return the allowance (or its balance) and will not be able to apply under this scheme for a period of 2 years. 
• The scheme does not apply to internal (Oxford) funding applications. 

The Research Support Team will ensure that all relevant processes/approvals required to set up the allowances are followed. 

This scheme will apply to funding applications being prepared from October 2026. 

PIs (we expect PIs to be Statutory Professors, Senior Research Fellows [RSIV], APTFC, APTFU, APNTFs) whose salary is already paid by the Faculty and does not depend on external funding, nor will it depend on such funding at any point, and who secure an external funding award their salary or part of their salary can be charged to, will receive a proportion of the ensuing Faculty salary saving as a research allowance. The exact proportion will be determined on a case by case basis and will depend on the financial position of the Faculty. At all times, the Faculty will seek parity regarding the size of the allowances. 

The PI is free to use the PI SALARY ALLOWANCE (PISA) generated in any way which supports their work. This may include, but is not limited to: 

• Buying out College Teaching. 
• Buying out Faculty Teaching. 
• Hiring Research Assistants and Post-Doctoral Researchers. 
• Casual (TSS) administrative support. 
• Travel. 
• Organisation of conferences and workshops. 
• Open Access Publication Fees. 
• Software and other consumables. 

Any expenditure of PI Salary Share Research Allowance will be subject to: 

• General University financial rules, expenditure and travel policy. 
• The Vice Dean’s approval and, if relevant, the Centre Director approval where a buy-out of Faculty Teaching is sought. 
• An upper limit of % FTE bought out of postholders’ average Faculty teaching stint across grant duration. 
• All funds must be spent during the lifetime of the corresponding grant. The balance of any PISA remaining at the end of the grant will accrue to the Faculty. 
• PISA cannot be spent on any grant activity/items associated to the grant PISA is generated from. For example, if PISA is used to appoint a Research Assistant, this RA cannot work on the grant PISA is associated to; they can only work on other projects/activities not linked to the grant. 

The Research Support Team, in consultation with the Finance Team, will work with the relevant PIs in determining the size of the PISA allowance, and will make sure that all necessary approvals/processes required to approve and set up the allowance are followed.