Staff Development Fund

The UCL Medical School (UCLMS) Staff Development Fund supports staff to undertake development opportunities and activities that align with the Medical School's strategic aims), and/or have emerged from appraisal. It is available to all UCLMS staff and PhD students. The Fund can be used to pay for attendance at conferences, training, or event-related activities, including accommodation where necessary, up to a maximum of £750 per staff member, per activity. 

We particularly encourage applications from those who are undertaking a career break, or those who have recently returned from a career break, to support their return to work. 

SDF will be available throughout the year and are considered on a case-by-case basis. All claims are subject to sufficient funds being available at the time of application and for parity, may be deployed preferentially to staff who have not recently accessed the Fund. It is unusual for multiple members form a team to be resourced to attend a single conference or meeting, as there is an expectation that knowledge will be shared.

It is expected that applicants would explore any funding options available to them e.g. NHS. An application to the Fund may meet the difference in funding already received from another source and should clearly outline the funding already received to support the specific activity.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply to the Fund, applicants must be either:

• A UCLMS employee 
• An FMS Education and Student Experience team member with a UCLMS-facing role
• Employed on a contract that is still valid at the point the activity being applied for ends.
• A currently enrolled UCLMS PhD student, and still enrolled at the point the activity being applied for ends.

Non-UCLMS staff with MBBS leadership roles are eligible to apply, however awards will ordinarily be capped at £250 per application. 

Event/Conference/Training-related costs:

The Fund can be used to pay for attendance at conferences, training, or event-related activities, including accommodation where necessary, up to a maximum of £750 per staff member, per activity. 

Where a UCLMS staff member has been invited to present substantive outputs that align with the Divisional strategy, or are REF-aligned, this will typically be funded in full. Advice should be sought prior to application from the Divisional Director, Deputy Director, or Divisional Manager. 

Degree-level Studies:

The Fund can be used to support the costs of a degree-level qualification, with funding being available for a maximum of half of the total fee payable. Candidates applying for Masters level study are encouraged to consider UCL provision, however applications for external courses will be considered.

Awards may be pro-rated for part-time staff, and where a programme of study takes place over multiple years, applications should be submitted per year for the fee payable in that specific year. An individual’s funding will be limited to a maximum of five academic years of part-time study and is dependent upon satisfactory academic progress.

Separate funding arrangements exist for Doctoral study. Advice should be sort from Divisional Manager prior to applying for funding. 

Appraisal & Professional Development Plan-related:

Professional development opportunities discussed and agreed with your line manager will typically be funded in full.

Conditions

• Staff may apply for funds more than once per year, however in the event of competing claims or insufficient funds, priority will be given to first submission and applicants who have made fewer previous applications.
• The Staff Development Fund cannot be used to pay individuals’ professional subscriptions or subsistence whilst attending courses, events or conferences.
• Retrospective applications will not normally be accepted, and candidates are encouraged to apply well in advance of payment being due.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted via the online Cognito form:

• UCL Medical School Staff Development Fund Application Form

Applications will be accepted throughout the academic year until the funds are exhausted, and we encourage you to discuss your application with your line manager in advance of applying where appropriate.

Travel and accommodation costs must be obtained via Clarity, UCL’s Travel provider. Please log in to your Clarity Portal* and search for your rail/flight ticket and/or hotel.  If your search brings up no results, please try again using an earlier date to obtain an estimate of the cost. Where conference organisers provide accommodation at a reduced rate, please provide this cost instead.

• ClarityGo FAQs

Review & Outcomes

The UCLMS leadership team oversees the Staff Development Fund and will review applications on a case-by-case basis. The Divisional Manager or Divisional Director under “Chair's Action” will typically approve applications that meet the requirements of these guidelines, and / or are up to £750 in total. 

Successful applicants will be informed via email and provided with guidance on how the funds will be paid. 

For events/training/conferences, payment should be made using purchase order or via the Departmental purchasing card. Should you require the purchasing card:

• Please arrange a time with the Finance Administrator so that the details can be provided via a Teams call/meeting.
• The departmental purchasing card has a transaction limit of £250. If your payment will exceed £250, an increase to the card limit will be requested with the UCL credit card team. Requests can take 5 working days to be authorised. 

Travel/accommodation should be booked directly with Clarity. All bookings should adhere to UCL policies. 

The Organisation Code to enter will be D20. The Project, Task, Award code would normally be provided to you when you are informed of your successful application.

Reimbursement via expense claims will only be accepted in certain circumstances and this must be agreed in advance with Sunantha Kandasamy and/or Sam Photiades.

Payment towards tuition fees due to UCL will be made internally and funds to support fees will not usually be reimbursed via expense claim.  

Unsuccessful applicants will be given feedback on why their application was not supported. 

Applicants should expect to hear any outcome of their application, or contacted with a request for further information within 5 working days of submitting the application. For applications that need to be reviewed by the Executive Group, response times will be at most within 1 month of the application being received.

Repayment

In the event that an activity is cancelled, or postponed, staff should make reasonable efforts to obtain a refund. 

Staff who are unable to attend an event/activity paid for by the Staff Development Fund should seek to recover the payment where possible. Staff who are unable to attend an activity due to ill health will not normally be asked to repay any funds.

Staff who voluntarily leave UCLMS during the period to which the funding application relates may be required to repay the agreed funds.

Staff who voluntarily leave UCLMS employment (or at fund end date) between starting a degree-level course and 12 months after its completion may be asked to repay as below:

• staff leaving voluntarily during their course will normally be required to repay the full amount received for the current year of study
• staff leaving voluntarily up to 12 months after the completion of the course will normally be required to repay 50% of their final year’s assistance

UCL Policies:

• UCL Travel Policy
• Expenses Policy

Contacts

Queries relating to an application to the Staff Development Fund should be directed to Sunantha Kandasamy or Sam Photiades in the first instance.