Career development allowance
In 2018, the School of Social Sciences introduced new funding for the purposes of career development – in particular, the development of an independent research agenda and profile – for staff on fixed-term research contracts.
Please read the information below, and apply via the link at the bottom of this page.
Who is eligible for the Career Development Allowance?
Most fixed-term contract research staff within the School of Social Sciences are awarded a training allowance.
NB: Staff on British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships, Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships, and Simon and Hallsworth Fellowships are not eligible.
How much is available?
The training allowance is currently £1,000/year – this is calculated on a pro-rata basis, taking into account FTE and length of contract.
What can I spend the funds on?
The purpose of the allowance is to enable you to develop your personal career and research agenda. This may include, for example:
- Attending or presenting papers at conferences and workshops,
- Attending training courses,
- Organising or attending research networking events aimed at future collaboration/grant applications,
- Books (subject to a maximum spend of £200 on books).
The Career Development Allowance (CDA) must not be spent on any activity related in any way to a project you are working on. It must be spent only on career development opportunities which are not related to a project.
For example, the CDA must not be spent on the following:
- Training required to assist with work on a project (must be paid for out of project funds),
- Attendance at a conference to discuss the project or outcomes (must be paid for out of project funds),
- Laptops, PCs, or other IT equipment.
The CDA can be spent on:
- Training on new methods which will not be used in the project,
- Language courses to further professional development,
- Association memberships.
The University's financial year runs from 1 August to 31 July. The Career Development Allowance must be spent each year by 31 July; any funds remaining at that point will be returned to the School. Unspent funds cannot roll over into the next financial year, and all activities undertaken using the funds (e.g. travel and conference attendance) must be completed by 31st July in the same financial year in which they are booked.
Should you need to book in advance for an event after 31st July you may do so, but the spend will come from the financial year in which the event takes place.
How can I apply for the Career Development Allowance?
Please complete and return the Application for Career Development Allowance funds form to the SoSS Research Operations team. Once you have completed the form, it will be forwarded to the Principal Investigator of the project(s) you are working on. They can then email soss-research-operations@manchester.ac.uk with a statement confirming that your planned spend does not in any way relate to the project.
How do I use the funds?
All financial claims must be made prior to the end of your contract, or the end of the financial year (31 July), whichever is sooner.
Travel: Any travel must be booked by you, through Key Travel, after it has been approved. Travel must be completed by 31 July in that year. The SoSS Research Ops team will supply you with the finance code. Please email travel-helpdesk@manchester.ac.uk with your Staff ID number to request booking access for Key Travel.
Other costs (e.g. training, memberships, etc.): Where the supplier has an established relationship with the University of Manchester they may already be on our finance system. If that is the case, the SoSS Research Ops team will be able to raise a Purchase Order for you.
Credit card: If the supplier will only accept credit card payments, please speak to the SoSS Research Ops team who will be able to arrange this for you. A credit card use form must be completed and approved prior to purchase.
Miscellaneous sums under £50: Miscellaneous sums under £50 should be claimed back via the MyView expenses system. The SoSS Research Ops team will supply you with the finance code. Refunds for amounts over £50 will not be made where the expenses system is used in place of a Purchase Order for a UoM-registered supplier (e.g. Blackwells for books).
Please send any queries regarding eligibility for the CDA to the SoSS Research Ops team.