Major funding interventions to meet the strategic needs of the collegiate University have been part of the Isaac Newton Trust’s activities since its foundation in 1988. Up to 2000, major grants were mostly funded through exceptional Special Donations from Trinity for defined purposes. After that, occasional grants were made from the Trust’s unspent income. However, in 2015, the Trustees decided that accumulated unspent income had exceeded what could reasonably be held within the Trust’s terms as a charitable funding body and agreed to offer strategic awards through a defined annual funding competition for as long as the resources were available.
The flavour of our Strategic Grant activity can be gained from the following outline:
2021-22
Extending Borysiewicz Fellowships to Arts & Humanities
Applicant: Mrs Karina Prasad, Postdoc Academy & Pro Vice Chancellor Prof Eilis Ferran
Grant Title: The Borysiewicz Fellowships Programme
Department: Postdoctoral Academy
Award: Salary support for five post-doctoral salaries
PDRA positions on UKRI funded AION project
Applicant: Professors Val Gibson and Ulrike Schneider
Project Title: AION - An Atom Interferometric Observatory and Network
Department: Physics & School of Physical Sciences
Award: Salary support for provision of Research Associate staff to fulfil project commitments
Seed funding for fellowship programme with Rosetrees Trust
Applicant: Dr Heike Laman & Chair of School of Biological Sciences
Project Title: Transition to Independence Fellowship
Department: School of Biological Sciences
Award: Salary support for one fellowship as seed-funding for a new early career fellowship programme
‘Supporting at-risk academics’ – Cara programme
Applicant: Prof Kamal Munir, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University Community and Engagement
Project Title: CARA: Supporting at-risk Academics
Award: A renewal of support for at-risk academics supported by the CARA programme by four years 2022-2026.
Joint Schools INT/Schools of Physical Sciences & Technology: Professors John Dennis and Nigel Peake
Contribution towards costs for 2022-23
Joint Schools Cambridge Humanities Research Grants (CHRG): Professors Chris Young & Tim Harper
Contribution to CHRG for 2022-23
2020-21
Fitzwilliam Museum and University of Cambridge Museums: Mr Luke Syson (Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum)
Research and Engagement Fellow: Legacies of Slavery
Two years’ salary support for a Research Associate for a project aligned with, and responding to, the University’s enquiry into the Legacy of Slavery.
Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies: Professor Barak Kushner
Cambridge University Japan and the World Covid Bridging Research Associate, 2021-2022
Contribution to salary costs of one twelve month research associate award for teaching and research in the Japanese Studies Section
Joint Schools INT/Biomedical/Wellcome ISSF: Schools of Biological Sciences and Clinical Medicine: Professor Paul Lehner
Contribution towards final year of the ISSF fund
Joint Schools INT/Schools of Physical Sciences & Technology: Professors John Dennis and Nigel Peake
Contribution towards costs for 2021-22
Joint Schools Cambridge Humanities Research Grants (CHRG): Professors Chris Young & Tim Harper
Contribution to CHRG for 2021-22
2019-20
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology: Professor Nicholas Thomas
Supporting the move of the Museum’s collections to the Centre for Material Culture Conservation
Three-year grant for the salary costs of a research associate in conservation.
Pro-Vice-Chancellors’ Office: Dr Emily Shuckburgh
A grant towards a framework for research facilitation.
2016-19
CRASSH: post-doc Fellowships
MaxCam: matched post-doc Fellowships in new Centre with the Max Planck Institute
Academy of Therapeutic Sciences: set-up funding
Cosmology and Astrophysics: matched post-doc Fellowships with Kavli Foundation
IRCs: research activity grants for the University’s interdisciplinary Research Centres
Millennium Maths Project: bridging staff costs
British School at Rome: joint fellowships
PdA: support for development of training for post-docs at Cambridge
Centre for the Study of Existential Risk: post-doc Fellows
From Climate Conflict to Climate Justice Project
Cambridge Brain Regenerative Therapy Centre: research staff set-up costs
Cambridge Confidence in Concept: doctoral research grants for clinicians
AHRC DTP: matching funds for doctoral training studentships on behalf of the University
Cambridge Digital Humanities: post-doc Fellowships
Engineering: equipment grant and senior Research Fellowship
2000-15
Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities (CRASSH) (three awards)
Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships: match-funding on behalf of the University began 2006
Joint Schools Grants with the Humanities & Social Sciences began 2009
1988-99
Building projects: Mathematics, Divinity, Criminology, the Raised Faculty Buildings, Biochemistry, Genetics, Plant Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, Computer Lab, DAMTP.
Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences: two awards
University Library extension
Interdisciplinary Research Centres
University new appointments
Undergraduate Bursaries set up with Colleges
Graduate Bursary scheme
A programme of Grants to Faculties for new appointments began