Internal Research Fund Guidelines
Moving into the 2025-26 financial year, the allocation of the internal faculty research fund (FRF) overseen by the Associate Dean for Research & Innovation (Sarah Sawyer) is going to change. We hope the new system will be lighter touch and reduce academic and PS time in the process.
We are going to pilot a new approach whereby all members of Teaching and Research faculty (those on Education and Research contracts or Research Fellowship contracts) are notionally awarded £500 each in August, to be spent in the coming academic year. Funding will no longer need to be applied for as has been the case previously. This model is used in some other Faculties.
All funds will be held in the MAH research budget, code ME003-01; this is the code that should be used for claims and purchases made on Unit 4.
The £500 allocation from the MAH FRF to individual academics can only be used on business-critical research activity, namely:
i) The creation, significant development or publication of an output (publication, exhibition, performance, film etc.) which is likely to be submitted to the next REF (for example, attending a conference in which you will be presenting a paper that you intend to publish as a journal article or book chapter)
ii) Activity which contributes directly to the development of a fully economically costed external grant bid, such as travel to another university or organization to meet partners/potential partners in the bid
iii) Activity which directly relates to an impact case study for the upcoming REF, unless this can be more appropriately funded through AHRC IAA or HEIF funds (see sections below)
iv) Research-related activity which has significant and demonstrable benefit to the University-wide strategic priorities of Financial Recovery, Brand and Visibility, League Tables or Student Recruitment
See the Guidelines on Research Support Funding for further detail, including which expenses relating to business-critical research activity are elible. *Please note, for example, that we are not able to cover subsistence costs (meals and snacks) except for conference dinners*.
Not everyone will use their funds in the coming year. Funds cannot be rolled over. An opportunity to bid for extra funding will be offered when the budget is reviewed in May/June.
If you have any queries please contact MAH-research@sussex.ac.uk.