Image of Department of Chemistry courtesy Nathan Pitt
Applications are now open for the eighth round of the Returning Carers Scheme.
The scheme supports academics, researchers and employees whose primary role is undertaking research, following a break in their career or a period of leave for caring responsibilities.
The scheme assists these returning carers to build up their research profiles or other academic activity after a period away from work.
The seventh round of the scheme led to the successful award of grants to 24 memers of staff. In total, grants have been awarded to over 150 staff since the scheme was launched in 2013.
Examples of activities that have been funded include:
- Attendance at conferences in the UK and overseas (where there is no other source of funding)
- Secondments or short term research assignments (for example to an external laboratory)
- Short-term research support, for example to generate preliminary data to support research grant applications
- Teaching 'buy-outs' for college or departmental teaching
- Support for assistance in grant writing
- Travel and accommodation costs of research collaborators coming to Cambridge (to reduce the need for the returning carer to travel and to support work-life balance)
- Equipment purchase to support independent research
- Indirect childcare expenses, for example, the travel and accommodation expenses of the person looking after an accompanying child while the researcher/academic attends a conference overseas.
- Training to support career development
This list is not exhaustive and staff are encouraged to made requests for items of funding that will help them build their research profile that are not included in the above examples. The panel reviewing the applications considers each case individually depending on the specific circumstances and needs of the individual.
Deadline for applications is 30 September 2016. The updated guidance and application forms are available on the University of Cambridge HR Division website.