Fellowship funding
The Nuffield Medical Fellowship will cover the full salary of the Fellow for the duration of the award. The Fellows will be employees of the University of Oxford, and their salary will align with the appropriate University of Oxford pay scales for non-clinical and clinical (consultant) researchers.
The Fellowship will also fund a generous package of research expenses including, but not limited to, research assistant salaries, postgraduate (DPhil) studentships, consumables, equipment, facilities access charges, visa and relocation costs, training, travel and conference attendance. The Fellowship will also provide departmental overheads at 80% of the Full Economic Cost (FEC) of the research programme.
The maximum funding available to each Fellow is approximately £500,000 per year of direct costs (including the Fellow's salary but excluding overheads), plus an annual inflationary measure. The funding distribution may vary across the years, but is expected to average £500,000 per year over the course of the Fellowship.
There is flexibility to reallocate budget between cost categories to meet the evolving needs of the Fellowship programme, provided that the original research objectives of the Fellowship remain unchanged. If a Fellow wishes to significantly revise their vision for the Fellowship, this must be reviewed and approved by the Trustees and department during the annual review process.
If a Fellow has previous research grants that will be ongoing at the time of starting the Fellowship, their host department can support with transferring these grants to Oxford wherever possible and appropriate.
Fellows are expected to apply for additional external funding to expand their research programme at Oxford during the course of the Fellowship.
A sample list of approximate costs for staff and students at the University of Oxford has been prepared for reference.
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At Stage 1 of the application process, applicants are not required to prepare a costing. However they should refer to this list of costs when developing their research vision for the Fellowship, to inform the scale of what will be affordable under the Fellowship within £500,000 per year of direct costs.
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At Stage 2 of the application process, the applicant's host department will support them to develop a detailed costing for the first five years of the Fellowship.
Additional information on some categories of direct costs is below. If you have questions about the eligibility of specific costs, please refer to the FAQs on the Homepage in the first instance. To seek additional information please contact nuffieldmedicalfellowships@medsci.ox.ac.uk.
Nuffield Medical Fellow’s salary
The salary package will cover basic pay, the University's contributions to tax and pension as the employer, the UK Apprenticeship Levy, annual incremental pay progression (if applicable), and any locally recognised allowances including Oxford University weighting. See the sample list of approximate costs for staff and students linked above for details of Fellows' salary.
Visa/work permit costs
The cost of visa application and work permits required for the Fellow to take up their post at the University of Oxford can be requested as part of Year 1 costs of the Fellowship. Costs associated with visas for the Fellow’s partner and dependent children (if they will be in the UK for more than 6 months) and the Immigration Health Surcharge may also be requested.
- If a Fellow wishes to recruit staff from overseas whose salaries will be funded by their Fellowship, they can include visa or work permit costs for these staff to enable them take up their post in Oxford.
Relocation
Costs associated with the Fellow's relocation to Oxford may be requested in-line with University policy for new starters, as part of Year 1 costs of the Fellowship. Expenses can include removal of household effects (non-work related), travelling expenses and professional expenses (such as the sale or purchase of a property).
Salary costs for support staff
Fellows can ask for full salary costs for staff to support them in completing their Fellowship project. Staff members will typically be research assistants or technicians, however administrative or project management staff will also be considered. Staff salaries can be funded in collaborating partners (within or outside the Commonwealth partner institution) where this is essential to deliver the research programme. See the sample list of approximate costs for staff and students linked above for details of salaries for support staff who are based in Oxford.
PhD studentships
Postgraduate student costs (including course fees, College fees and stipend) can be requested for up to two students to complete an Oxford DPhil project lasting three years. See the sample list of approximate costs for staff and students linked above for details of estimated costs of DPhil studentships in Oxford
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Studentships will start in October (start of the University academic year) and must be planned to complete within the initial 5 year term of the Fellowship.
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If the Fellow successfully applies in Year 4 to extend their Fellowship to 8 years, they may request an additional one or two studentships provided that the students can complete a 3-year project before the end of the extended Fellowship.
Travel
Costs associated with travel and subsistence may be requested where they are related to delivering the goals of the Fellowship, e.g. visits to collaborators, meeting or conference attendance, etc. for the Fellow and their team.
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Fellows are expected to be based in or around Oxford for the duration of the Fellowship. Costs for commuting or travel that is not essential for delivery of the Fellowship cannot be funded.
Disability-related adjustment support
If the Fellow or a member of staff working on the Fellowship is disabled or has a long-term health condition, they can ask for costs related to reasonable adjustments to carry out the project.