We are in the process of contacting all current award-holders individually. If you haven’t heard from us, first check your “junk mail” folders then if you still can’t see an email from us, do please drop us a line directly if you need to speak with us urgently.
Everyone’s circumstances will be different, and we will discuss with you what you think you will need to support you to complete your project, or, in the rare circumstances where this will simply not be possible, to help you to bring it to an orderly conclusion.
At a more detailed, level, it’s important that we don’t contradict the policies of your employing organisations.
If your salary was covered on the grant originally and you:
- are unwell
- need to self-isolate
- have caring responsibilities for someone affected
we will supplement the grant for the costs your employing organisation incurs paying your salary while you are away, less any recoverable statutory sick pay. (In all cases for costed extensions, we will review the position when the work is complete as there may be under-spend against which any additional costs can be netted off).
If you are “called up” to work on the national COVID-19 response and your salary was covered on the grant originally:
- If you then receive pay from the NHS (or other source) then we will provide an un-costed extension.
- If you are asked to do this work on a voluntary basis and your salary isn’t covered elsewhere, we will pay these costs and extend the grant for the period of time you are away (again, we will review the situation towards the end of the project and net off the additional costs from any under-spend).
Delays for other reasons
For other grants which may be affected (for example, if an organisation such as a care home or other clinical setting which provides the research subjects closes or university-based labs are closed down), we will look to minimise the impact wherever possible. There might be work packages that can be re-ordered or literature reviews that can be done to ensure that at least some part of the work can progress. This might involve providing an extension or supplement to the grant, where the financial impact is not covered by insurance or where a contribution to salaries funded by the grant are not covered by the Government’s furlough arrangements. We strongly encourage you to contact your university HR department and see if you can take advantage of this scheme to reduce the pressure on claims to our funds. If your salary IS able to be covered by the furlough scheme, we will top up the part of your salary not covered. Please note, this is not necessarily the position of all charities whose financial circumstances and policies may be different.
Delay to start of grant
We are content for the start of the grant to be delayed. If this means that salary scales have increased by the time you are ready to recruit, we will adjust the budgeted assumptions and increase the award accordingly.
Part-way through recruitment of fixed term contract staff
If it is feasible to carry on the recruitment process then you should do so but you should delay the formal start date.
Travel, events etc
If you’ve incurred costs which can’t be refunded or are not covered by insurance and you have to re-book or re-purchase when the restrictions are lifted, we will cover the additional costs if they can’t be absorbed by any overall underspend.
Research Training Fellows
Self-isolation
If you are ill, we will use discretion, as we would if you were ill in other circumstances.
If you are not ill, but self-isolating, and your ability to finish your research within the funded period is undermined, we will consider an extension. This would probably be a costed extension, funded in the first instance from any underspend on the grant. Where there is no underspend, we will review at the end and increase the size of the grant accordingly.
In many cases you will be able to work from home even if the activities you are undertaking change. For short periods of self-isolation, even if you cannot work, you may be able to make the time up over the remainder of your doctoral studies.
If you are “called up” to work on the national COVID19 response:
- If you then receive pay from the NHS (or other source) then we will provide an un-costed extension.
- If you are asked to do this work on a voluntary basis and your salary/stipend isn’t covered elsewhere, we will pay these costs and extend the grant for the period of time you are away (again, we will review the situation towards the end of the project and net off the additional costs from any under-spend).