MSD Bridging Salary Scheme

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Researchers must apply for their own bridging salary. It is expected this will give some early career researchers the opportunity to hold their first award in their own name.

Eligible applicants must:

1. Hold a Chancellors, Masters and Scholars (CMS) contract of employment with the University of Oxford, with an affiliation with a Department within the Medical Sciences Division, where the majority of their time is spent on research
2. Hold an externally funded contract (either fixed term or open-ended) where funding is due to end within 9 months of the call deadline. (See FAQs for what constitutes an external source of funding)
3. Be no higher than Researcher Grade 08S-11 or the equivalent clinical academic grade based on Total Employer Cost. Clinical academics should contact the Fund Manager before the deadline to confirm their eligibility
4. Have been continuously employed by the University of Oxford for at least two years before the end of their current contract 
5. Have submitted an external funding application by the Bridging Scheme round’s deadline for an award that will fund at least two years’ salary after the bridging period.

Additional notes on eligibility

• Periods of employment by a College of the University of Oxford will be accepted towards the two-year minimum period of continuous service in Eligibility Criterion 4 above. However current College employees are not eligible to apply for bridging.
• Current DPhil students looking for bridging salary to their first post-doctoral position are not eligible to apply. The fund is only open to current employees of the University.
• It is a PI’s responsibility to manage their grants and ensure that funding is in place to support their team. The Bridging Salary Scheme is intended to bridge short gaps in funding, particularly those arising due to unforeseen circumstances. It is not a replacement for good financial management of a PI’s grants portfolio.
• Depending on the demands on the scheme’s budget, MSD may refuse to fund multiple applications received from staff under the same Unit or Group Leader

Eligible costs

In Pilot Year 1 the demand for support from the scheme greatly outpaced the available budget. Departments are therefore asked to contribute 50% of the total cost of the employee’s salary for the bridging period as match funding, enabling more researchers to benefit from the scheme. Further information on how to present this contribution in the application is available on the How to Apply Page.

In exceptional circumstances the percentage of the departmental match funding to be committed may be reduced. To request a reduction, the department’s Head of Administration and Finance (HAF) or their delegate must contact research@medsci.ox.ac.uk on behalf of a potential applicant at least one week before the round’s deadline.

Where the bridging period is less than 6 months, or where the applicant works less than 1 FTE, the MSD Bridging Salary Scheme will fund the amount required to cover the bridging period based on the end and start dates of the applicant’s confirmed funding and the FTE in the applicant’s current contract.

If some or all of a bridging award is not required the unspent budget will be reclaimed to the fund and recycled for another award. Budget cannot be repurposed by the applicant. Non-staff costs are not eligible.

applying in irams

You must submit your application online via the Internal Research Award Management System (IRAMS).

Guidance on using IRAMS for applicants, departmental approvers, and administrators can be found on the Research Support pages.

The below supporting documents must be submitted with your application:

• X5 Admin Output equalling the ‘Total Project Cost’ entered in IRAMS
• Short CV (maximum two pages)

Please complete the application form which can be downloaded from IRAMS (under Case For Support) and upload this combined with the other documents requested above to IRAMS as a single PDF.

How to present Matched funding in irams

• 'Amount requested from the Fund' should be the amount that the Bridging Scheme is asked to fund.
• 'Contribution From Department/Faculty/Division' should be the remaining percentage that is provided as departmental match funding.
• Total Project Cost' (automatically calculated) will be the Total Employer Cost for the Bridging Period and should match the X5 Admin Output.

Departmental approval 

Applicants must discuss an application with their line manager and department well before the deadline. The department (e.g. Head of Department/Head of Admin & Finance, or other member of senior management) must commit to providing 50% of the salary for the bridged period (if applicable). The applicant must tick the box on the Case for Support to confirm that the department has been notified and agrees to providing the match funding.

Applications must also have received Departmental Approval through IRAMS before the advertised deadline. Only applications that are supported by the host department will be considered for funding.

Departments may set an internal deadline for review of these applications which is earlier than the advertised call deadline. Please check with your local grants team and prepare your application well in advance of the advertised deadline. 

Resubmissions

Unsuccessful applicants may resubmit applications to later rounds of the fund provided that they are still eligible. The chance of a resubmitted application being funded is no greater than that of a first-time applicant.

Successful applicants may not reapply to the fund for a further period of bridging salary support until at least 2 years has elapsed since the end of their previous bridging period.

If more high- or mid-scoring candidates apply than can be funded from the round’s budget, funding will be allocated through a randomised selection process. The random selection will be done using Microsoft Excel which uses the Mersenne Twister algorithm (MT19937) to generate random numbers. Each application will be assigned an integer number and then the formula =INT(RAND()*(b-a)+a) will return a random integer number between a and b, where a is 1 and b is the number of applications +1.

This randomised selection process will be completed and witnessed by members of the MSD Research Strategy and Funding Team, and the process and results for each round will be documented.

There will be four application rounds per calendar year with deadlines in March/April, June, September and December. Budget will be allocated evenly between the four rounds.

Application deadlines in Pilot Year 2 are expected to be:

• 12 noon on Wednesday 2nd April 2025
• 12 noon on Wednesday 25th June 2025
• 12 noon on Wednesday 17th September 2025
• 12 noon on Wednesday 10th December 2025

Please note that these dates are subject to change. To check for the next deadline and to apply to the Scheme, please log in to the Internal Research Award Management System (IRAMS) and scroll down to the MSD Bridging Salary Scheme. Future rounds will be advertised through the Division's usual communications channels and will be visible in IRAMS.

DO I HAVE TO APPLY FOR MY OWN SALARY? CAN SOMEONE ELSE APPLY FOR ME?

Applicants to the Bridging Salary Scheme should apply for their own salary. It is hoped that this will give some early career applicants the opportunity to hold their first grant in their own name. If it is not possible for the staff member to apply for their own salary, e.g. because they are on caring leave at the time of a round's deadline, a colleague can submit the application on their behalf by clicking 'Apply for PI' in IRAMS and entering the SSO of the person to be bridged.

CAN SEVERAL PEOPLE’S SALARIES BE INCLUDED ON ONE APPLICATION? CAN A PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR SUBMIT A SINGLE APPLICATION FOR SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THEIR GROUP WHO ALL NEED SALARY BRIDGING?

No, each application submitted in IRAMS must be for a single member of staff. The Lead Applicant on each application must be the person whose salary is to be bridged. 

MY CONTRACT IS WITH A DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES OR MPLS DIVISIONS, OR WITH A COLLEGE, OR WITH GLAM – AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

The scheme is being funding and administered by the Medical Sciences Division and is only open to employees of departments within MSD. Also the funding sources for this scheme are restricted to supporting medical research. If you conduct research that would be considered medical research but your contract is with a department, college or institution outside of the Medical Science Division, you are not eligible to apply. 

WHY ARE ONLY RESEARCHERS WORKING IN THE MEDICAL SCIENCES DIVISION ELIGIBLE FOR BRIDGING SALARY SUPPORT?

The source of funding for bridging awards in Pilot Year 2 are the Medical Research Fund which funds medical research, and the Talent and Research Stabilisation Fund (TRSF) allocation to the Medical Sciences Division. Each funding source has its own eligibility criteria for funding and therefore only researchers who fulfil those criteria can be funded through the bridging scheme. Researchers working outside the Medical Sciences Division are not eligible.

WHAT IS THE TALENT AND RESEARCH STABILISATION FUND (TRSF)?

The University of Oxford received £1.5m of funding from the UKRI Talent & Research Stabilisation Fund (TRSF) in 2022-23. This funding has the following specified purpose: “to support the UK’s research sector to retain and attract talent in an environment of ongoing uncertainty… with potential areas for investment by institutions including… Support for principal investigators at the stage at which they are starting their own independent research team“.

MSD was allocated £375,000 of TRSF budget to support the MSD Bridging Salary Scheme, to be split between Years 2 and 3 of the scheme and matched with divisional funding. Funding from the TRSF is ring-fenced for applicants who have applied for independent funding.

I AM A POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER - AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Yes post-doctoral researchers who are on fixed term or open-ended externally funded contracts are eligible to apply if they are employed at Researcher 8.11 or below.

I AM GRADE 9 OR ABOVE (OR EQUIVALENT) - AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

No you are not eligible to apply. Applications will be considered from applicants who are up to Researcher Grade 8.11 or equivalent. Members of staff with a contract for Grade 9.1 or above are not eligible for an award from this scheme.

I AM A CLINICAL ACADEMIC – AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Yes clinical academics holding contracts for both research and clinical time are eligible to apply for bridging salary support if the Total Employer Cost of their salary is equivalent to Researcher Grade 8.11. Clinical academics can only apply for the cost of their University-contracted time for research. Applicants should contact the Fund Managers for advice if they are unsure about their eligibility.

I AM A Dphil student receiving a stipend – AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Current DPhil students looking for bridging salary to their first post-doctoral position are not eligible to apply. The fund is only open to current employees of the University holding a Chancellors, Masters and Scholars (CMS) contract of employment with the University of Oxford, with an affiliation with a Department within the Medical Sciences Division, where the majority of their time is spent on research.

I am a member of research staff but i don't have a Phd/DPhil – AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Externally-funded research staff (e.g. Research Assistants) who do not have a PhD/DPhil but who have a CMS contract of employment with the University where the majority of their time is spent on research are eligible to apply.

I AM A DPHIL STUDENT AND ALSO A SALARIED EMPLOYEE – AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

DPhil students who are also employees of the University holding a Chancellors, Masters and Scholars (CMS) contract of employment may be eligible to apply. Please contact the Fund Managers to discuss your case.

HOW MUCH FUNDING CAN I APPLY FOR?

The exact amount you can apply for will depend on your Grade, Spine Point and the dates of the bridging period to allow for annual increments. You must ask your Departmental Grants or Finance team for an X5 costing to confirm how much you should apply for.

I WORK PART-TIME – CAN I APPLY FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF BRIDGING SALARY UP TO THE EQUIVALENT COST OF 1.0 FTE?

No, you can only apply for your regular part-time salary for up to six months.

CAN I APPLY FOR MORE OR LESS THAN SIX MONTHS’ OF SALARY SUPPORT?

The maximum length of time that can be bridged through this scheme is six months. If you need less than six months of salary support you should apply for the length of time that you need, up to a maximum of six months.

CAN I APPLY FOR COSTS OTHER THAN MY OWN SALARY?

No, this scheme will only provide salary. For other research costs you could consider applying to the John Fell Fund or the Medical Sciences Internal Fund: Pump Priming scheme.

I AM AN EMPLOYEE BASED OVERSEAS - CAN I APPLY FOR MY OVERSEAS ALLOWANCE AS WELL AS MY SALARY?

If you are based at one of the University's overseas units you can apply to the Scheme for your salary plus your overseas allowance for the bridging period.

DO I NEED TO SUBMIT AN X5 COSTING?

Your department’s Grants or Finance team must calculate the application amount using X5. Please submit a PDF of the X5 Admin Output with your application. The 'Total Requested From This Fund' in IRAMS should reflect the 'Oxford Total' amount in the Price or Total Grant column on the X5 output, and must exclude any Directly Allocated, Estates, Infrastructure or Indirect Costs.

does THE APPLICANT need to be externally funded at the end of their current contract?

The source of the applicant's salary at the end of their current contract is expected to be an externally funded research grant (or contract with industry) that qualifies as research income. Staff contracts funded from philanthropic donations, departmental Trust Funds or departmental discretionary funds (even where these have an external source) are unlikely to be eligible.

Externally funded Department/Centre/Institute core awards that are ending and not being renewed by the funder are eligible as an external source of funding.

Internally funded awards (e.g. from the John Fell Fund or Medical and Life Sciences Translational Fund (MLSTF)) are eligible sources of funding to be bridged from, but are not eligible as a future funding source for the other end of the bridge.

DO I NEED TO HAVE FUTURE FUNDING IN PLACE BEFORE APPLYING?

To be eligible for a round of the Bridging Scheme, by the round’s deadline an application must have been submitted to an external funder that will fund the applicant’s salary for at least two years after the end of the bridging period. The application must include details of the scheme, application status, application deadline and expected start date of the award(s) that you have applied for that will cover the salary after the bridging period.

MUST THE FUTURE FUNDING BE EXTERNAL?

Typically the future funding source will be external, e.g. an externally funded fellowship, or an externally funded project grant, or a research contract with industry, on to which the applicant’s salary has been fully costed. If the other end of the bridge could be considered an internal funding source, contact the Fund Coordinators before submitting your application to discuss your eligibility. 

Internally funded awards (e.g. from the John Fell Fund or Medical and Life Sciences Translational Fund (MLSTF)) are not eligible as a future funding source for the other end of the bridge.

I have already secured part of my salary for after the end of my current contract. can I apply for the remainder of my salary?

Yes, if you have secured a percentage of your future salary for after your current contract has ended, you can apply to the bridging scheme for the remaining percentage of your salary (up to your currently contracted FTE) while you await the outcomes of external applications to cover the remainder.

HOW LONG MUST THE FUTURE FUNDING COVER MY SALARY FOR?

The other end of the bridge should provide your salary for at least two years after the end of the bridging period.

HOW WILL APPLICATIONS BE SELECTED FOR FUNDING?

After any Returning Carers have been identified, applications will be sent to a review panel of at least three senior leaders within the Medical Sciences Division. Reviewers will be asked to score each application based on:

1. Research track record of the candidate (for their role type and career stage)
2. Strength of the strategic case for bridging funding

The reviewers’ scores will be averaged and applicants will be grouped by mean score. High-scoring candidates will be funded up to the budget available for the round, with budget from Talent & Research Stabilisation Fund (TRSF) ringfenced for candidates who have applied for independent funding. If more high-scoring candidates have been identified than can be funded from the round’s budget, funding will be allocated to the high-scoring applicants through a randomised selection process (see below) up to the budget available for the round. Budget from TRSF will be ringfenced for candidates who have applied for independent funding.

If budget remains once the high-scoring candidates have been funded, mid-scoring candidates will be selected through a randomised selection process until the term’s budget is fully allocated. If budget remains available once the high- and mid-scoring candidates have been funded, unallocated budget will be rolled over to the next term’s call.

HOW IS THE RANDOMISED SELECTION PROCESS BEING MANAGED?

Random selection will be done using the random number generator in Microsoft Excel which uses the Mersenne Twister algorithm (MT19937). Each application will be assigned an integer number and then the formula =INT(RAND()*(b-a)+a) will return a random integer number between a and b, where a is 1 and b is the number of applications +1.

This random allocation will be conducted and witnessed by at least two members of the MSD Research Strategy and Funding Team, and the process and results for each round will be documented.

WHY ARE THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS BEING SELECTED AT RANDOM?

A panel of at least three senior leaders within the Medical Sciences Division will first review and score the applications, and scores will be averaged and applicants will be grouped by mean score. Demand for the scheme is expected to be greater than the available budget. Therefore if there are more high scoring applicants than can be funded, applicants will be selected at random from within the high-scoring group. This is felt to be fairer than selecting candidates based on potentially very small differences in reviewer scores.

WHEN WILL I HEAR IF MY APPLICATION IS SUCCESSFUL?

The Bridging Scheme administrators aim to notify applicants of the outcome of their application within 6 weeks of each call deadline.

WHEN CAN MY BRIDGING AWARD START?

Bridging awards can start from six weeks after the application deadline. If your current source of external funding will end within six weeks of the application deadline, please contact the Fund Managers for advice on the feasibility of starting the bridging award sooner (if your application is successful).

WILL I BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR A COSTED OR NO-COST EXTENSION TO MY BRIDGING AWARD?

Requests for costed extensions to awards beyond 6 months’ duration will not be granted. Requests to extend an award that was initially shorter than 6 months up to 6 months' duration will be considered if budget is available.

No-cost extensions to awards and/or deferment of the start of the award may be possible if your circumstances change. Contact the Fund Managers to enquire in the first instance.

DO I NEED MY LINE MANAGER’S/DEPARTMENT’S SUPPORT TO APPLY?

Yes you will need the support of your line manager and leaders of your department who can commit to providing the necessary match funding. Your department must also provide you with an X5 costing and Departmental Approval for your application in IRAMS.

HOW MANY AWARDS WILL BE MADE?

Depending on the application amounts, the budget for Pilot Year 2 of the Bridging Salary Scheme (2025) is expected to fund approximately 20 – 25 awards in total.

IF I RECEIVE A BRIDGING AWARD BUT ULTIMATELY DON’T NEED TO USE THE MONEY TO BRIDGE MY SALARY, CAN I REPURPOSE THE AWARD?

You cannot repurpose the award for non-salary research costs or for another member of staff’s salary costs. Any unused budget will be reclaimed to the central budget for reallocation to another researcher in MSD.

WHAT ARE THE FUNDING SOURCES FOR THIS BRIDGING SALARY SCHEME?

The sources of funding for bridging awards made from this scheme in Pilot Year 2 are the Medical Research Fund and the Talent & Research Stabilisation Fund (TRSF).

WHO WILL BE PRIORITISED FOR BRIDGING SALARY SUPPORT?

Applicants will be prioritised for funding if they have taken a period of any type of leave for caring responsibilities (‘Returning Carers’) where they have been away from work for at least 6 calendar months and have returned to work within 12 months of the bridging scheme round deadline, or are still on caring leave at the deadline. The MSD Fund Managers may confirm the applicant's eligibility for prioritisation due to caring leave with Divisional HR or the applicant's departmental administration team.

In cases of shared parental leave there may be gaps in the period of caring leave where the applicant was back at work, provided that the applicant has taken a cumulative period of at least 6 months’ of caring leave and has returned to work within 12 months of the bridging scheme round deadline, or is still on caring leave at the deadline.

It is the Scheme’s intention to fund as a priority people whose work has been severely impacted through being away from work due to caring responsibilities, i.e. have not been working at all for a period of at least 6 months. Researchers who work part-time or have been working intermittently due to caring responsibilities are not eligible to be considered for priority funding (except researchers who have taken shared parental leave as described above).

WHY ARE RETURNING CARERS BEING PRIORITISED FOR BRIDGING OVER OTHER RESEARCHERS?

There is evidence from peer reviewed research and from the University’s own experience of administering the Returning Carers Fund that there are specific impacts on research careers of taking leave for caring responsibilities. Specifically external funders may either not extend grants, or will award only a no-cost extension leading to a shortfall in salary, and/or researchers find themselves needing to apply for continuation funding having lost productive time relative to their peers who have not been away from work for caring responsibilities. These researchers are significantly disadvantaged when seeking further external funding after returning from a period of caring leave.

HOW MUCH MATCH FUNDING DO DEPARTMENTS NEED TO PROVIDE?

Since the third round in Pilot Year 1 (deadline 11 September 2024) departments have been asked to contribute 50% of the total cost of the employee’s salary for the bridging period as match funding, enabling more researchers to benefit from the scheme.

In exceptional circumstances the percentage of the departmental match funding to be committed may be reduced. To request a reduction, the department’s Head of Administration and Finance (HAF) or their deputy must contact research@medsci.ox.ac.uk on behalf of a potential applicant at least one week before the round’s deadline.

WHY DO DEPARTMENTS NEED TO PROVIDE MATCH FUNDING OF 50%?

Departments are asked to provide 50% of the match funding (except in exceptional circumstances) to demonstrate a strong commitment to the staff member and in order that the scheme can provide bridging salary to more researchers. Provision of 50% match funding on each award will allow the scheme to make approximately 5-7 additional bridging awards to researchers per year (depending on value).

WHAT CONSTITUTES EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WILL BE GRANTED A reduction FOR THE DEPARTMENTAL MATCH FUNDING?

Exceptional circumstances will be judged by the Fund Coordinators and members of the senior leadership team in the Medical Sciences Division on a case-by-case basis. If the Department believes that they have exceptional circumstances meaning that they should be granted a reduction for the 50% match funding, the department’s Head of Administration and Finance (HAF) or their deputy must contact the fund coordinators at least one week prior to the deadline. They must describe the exceptional circumstances which mean that they cannot provide the 50% departmental contribution.

WHAT ARE THE LONGER TERM PLANS FOR THE BRIDGING SALARY SCHEME?

This is Year 2 of the pilot Bridging Scheme which will run for 12 months (four rounds) in the first instance between March 2025 and December 2025. The processes and outputs of the scheme will be monitored regularly throughout the pilot. If the scheme as launched is found at any point to be unworkable or not to be capable of fulfilling its purpose, the Medical Sciences Division may revise or withdraw the scheme (before or after the end of the pilot) and reconsider the best way of supporting its researchers.

If the revised scheme as piloted in Year 2 is agreed to be a success, further deadlines will be announced in 2026 subject to the Medical Sciences Division securing additional funding.

WILL applicants HAVE TO COMPLETE ANY REPORTING?

All applicants to the MSD Bridging Salary Scheme may be asked to provide brief anonymous feedback about the scheme, how they found the application process or their feelings about randomised selection.

Successful applicants will be required to submit a brief final report at the end of their award. For example they may be asked to describe their activity during the bridging period and their current position and source of funding following the bridging award.

Please send questions about the MSD Bridging Salary Scheme to the Fund Managers in the Medical Sciences Division Research Strategy & Funding Team.