Starter grants FAQs

To be able to apply, by the application deadline you must:

• have submitted your thesis
• have completed your viva
• be able to provide written confirmation that only minor corrections are required, if any. 

If your viva date has been delayed for reasons outside your control, we will consider your application if you have submitted your thesis and have a viva date that will take place before the panel date.

In addition, by the date of the panel you must:

• have been awarded your PhD OR
• be able to provide written confirmation from your awarding institution that you have fulfilled all the criteria for the award of your PhD, including the submission and approval of any corrections. 

You do not need to have attended the graduation ceremony.

You must be in post by the date the panel meets to consider your application. The panel meetings occur in December and June each year. 

Please note: for human and dental medicine applicants, 'position' refers to clinical lectureship. For veterinary medicine applicants, 'position' refers to your equivalent post.

You can contact us on [email protected] to discuss your individual circumstances and confirm the date of the panel.

If your previous application to a starter grant was unsuccessful, you can apply once more. 

If this is your second application, you will have received feedback from your first application and you will have the opportunity to explain how your proposal differs from your previous one.

If you have already made two unsuccessful applications, it is not possible to re-apply to the scheme with a different project.

To submit your application, you need to have four declarations confirming that your application is valid. Your head of department, clinical supervisor, academic supervisor, and finance officer will need to sign your application. You will not be able to submit your application without their approvals.

You can invite these people to submit their approvals through our Flexi-Grant grant management system. However, we strongly recommend you contact them yourself before inviting them through Flexi-Grant. If they need further assistance, please ask them to contact us on [email protected].

Yes, someone other than your academic supervisor must sign the declaration and confirm the following points:

1. I confirm that I have read and accept the Data Protection statement above.
2. To the best of my knowledge the information provided in this application is accurate and complete.
3. I have read the Award Terms and Conditions under which grants are awarded and, if a grant offer is made, I agree to abide by them.
4. I confirm that the necessary facilities will be made available to deliver this work and will continue to be available throughout the project.
5. The applicant will be afforded sufficient time and resources to deliver their research plan as described in this application.
6. I confirm that, if the applicant's Certificate of Completion Training (CCT) date is expected to fall before the end of the research period proposed in this application, the appropriate arrangements shall be made so that they continue to have protected research time for the full duration of the starter grant. If the applicant has received an official post-CCT extension to their Clinical Lectureship, I can confirm that the extended post provides sufficient protected research time for the full duration of the starter grant.

If your clinical lectureship ends before your proposed project end date, or you have received an official extension beyond your CCT date, you must provide:

• your lectureship contract and confirmation that your post will cover the full duration of the project OR
• a letter from your supervisor or head of department confirming that your post will cover the full duration of the project.

You must provide this in addition to your application form.

It is important for us to know if any animals will be used in your research project. If you do plan to use animals in your research project, we need to know that this will comply with the our policy on the use of animals in research.

In the application form, you will have the opportunity to explain the use of animals involved in your project proposal and how you will ensure openness about this.

Read our policy on the use of animals in research and our principle of openness on the use of animals on our Before you apply page.

We will inform you of the outcome of your application within two months of the panel meetings. The panel meetings take place in December and June each year. 

We inform all applicants of the outcome of their application and we provide anonymised feedback from the reviewers and the selection panel.

If your application is successful, you will normally receive your award letter within two months of the panel meeting: in August after the June panel, or in February after the December panel. 

The earliest project start date is usually around one month after we inform you of the decision; this depends on how quickly you return the required forms. Your project must start within six months of the grant offer.

You must use the starter grant for the purpose it was awarded. However, we understand that sometimes changes are unavoidable. In these cases, you may apply for changes to your research project, such as host institution, supervisory arrangements, and budget changes. 

Please contact us on [email protected] to discuss any potential changes before they are made, ideally one month before the change occurs. We will consider requests for changes on a case-by-case basis.