Project Completion Grants for Mid-Career Researchers in Humanities

Subject: Grants are offered for support of mid-career researchers in the School of Arts and Humanities and School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Mid-career researchers: are those who, at the point of application, have been more than five years in their current post or nine years since the submission of their PhD for examination (and to include those who may have come to Cambridge after a teaching post elsewhere), whichever is the earlier, and who have not yet attained professorial status (Grade 12) or the equivalent. 

Sabbatical leave: it is expected that the researcher will have accrued at least one term’s sabbatical leave to benefit optimally from the additional term of teaching/administrative relief to be funded by this scheme, but this is not a requirement if a project is feasible nonetheless. 

Costs that may be claimed: Grants are payable to the Department/ Faculty and/or College of the applicant, for teaching and administrative buyout, as follows:

• For UTOs without college duties: £12,000, payable to the Department/Faculty
• For CTOs: £12,000, payable to the College
• For UTOs with college duties: £12,000 to the Department/Faculty plus £3,000 to the college.

There is one round per annum, in Lent Term. The INT committee may exceptionally agree to consider applications between annual rounds providing there is still funding available within the academic year in question.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 09 January 2026 for applications for leave in the next academic year (from Lent Term 2027.)

Applications will normally be made 18 months in advance of the term in which the grant is required in order to allow for the Department to make preparations for the replacement teaching and administrative duties.

Researchers seeking a grant should discuss their research plans with their Head of Department or Director of Research and/or Senior Tutor. Planning for replacement teaching needs to be done well in advance, so researchers are encouraged to begin this process 18 months before the term in which they wish to complete the research.

The application should be made by the Head of the Department/Faculty in the case of a UTO seeking research leave, or by the Senior Tutor of the College in the case of a CTO. A UTO with college duties will additionally require a letter of support from the Senior Tutor of their College if a payment to the College is also sought (see below).  

Applications will consist of:

• INT’s Mid-Career Researcher Study Leave in the Humanities Application Coversheet
• a short letter of support from the researcher’s Head of Department/Director of Research, as appropriate, confirming: 

1. the significance of the researcher’s work for REF submission, 

2. the researcher has a realistic chance of completing a second book or equivalent project with a term’s buyout of their teaching and administrative duties, and 

3. the researcher has already accrued at least a term’s sabbatical leave. (Further justification is needed for a researcher who has not accrued sabbatical leave.)

• A statement by the researcher (no more than 2 sides of A4) explaining how the grant will help them to complete a monograph or a major piece of work.

• The researcher’s CV, including their teaching and administrative duties to date (no more than 2 sides of A4) 

• UTOs with college duties will additionally require a letter of support from the Senior Tutor of the college confirming that they will be relieved of their college duties. 

These items should be submitted in this order in a single pdf to the Trust Administrator.

Heads of Department may submit up to three applications per Department.  Applications need to be ranked where a Head submits more than one. 

Previous applicants can re-apply in the future but need to include an update on progress and change. 

The grant will be paid to the Department/Faculty and/or College and will be valid for 24 months from the date of the offer. 

A final report is required on completion of the Term of leave. This will comprise a short report by the researcher of the work completed, accompanied by a brief note from the Head of Department or Director of Research to confirm completion (e.g. submission to a publisher) of the project and whether the project will be eligible for the REF.

Any unspent portion of the grant must be returned to the Isaac Newton Trust at the end of the grant period. 

The Isaac Newton Trust and Trinity College should be acknowledged in all ensuing publication(s).