Parental, sick or other long-term leave policy for researchers

1. Purpose 

This policy sets out Cancer Research UK’s (CRUK) position on parental (ie shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave), sick or other long-term leave for researchers funded by Cancer Research UK.

2. Scope

This policy covers the leave entitlements and the support Cancer Research UK can provide a researcher funded by Cancer Research UK who needs to take a period of parental, sick or other long-term leave.

3. Key points

3.1. Leave entitlements

Researchers funded by Cancer Research UK are entitled to take the full period of parental and other long-term leave in accordance with their host institution’s standard employment policies and procedures on the issue. In accordance with Cancer Research UK’s Grant Conditions, paid leave entitlements for staff will be borne as follows:

3.1.1. Paid leave costs for staff at CRUK core-funded Institutes

Where a Cancer Research UK grant that funds the individual’s salary or stipend is an Institute Core Grant, the grant may be used to fund the individual’s paid leave entitlements.

3.1.2. Paid sick leave entitlements for staff whose salaries are grant-funded

Paid sick leave entitlements may be charged to the Cancer Research UK grant in accordance with the host institution’s usual policy. Where an individual’s salary is part-funded by the grant, paid sick leave entitlements may be charged to the grant on a pro-rata basis.

3.1.3. Paid leave costs for non-clinical PhDs and MB PhD students

Where:

• the grant funds a doctoral studentship
• the student is not an employee of the host institution and not otherwise entitled to paid parental leave or paid long-term sick leave under the host institution’s policies,
• and the student takes sick leave or parental leave in the course of completing a CRUK-funded doctorate and while in receipt of a CRUK-funded stipend, the grant must be used to fund paid leave entitlements for the doctoral student in accordance with section 3.3 below.

3.1.4. Paid parental leave for grant staff and all other paid leave entitlements

Except as set out above, the host institution may not use the salary allocation for that individual (or any other part of the grant) to fund the individual’s paid leave entitlements and may only use it to pay for cover for the vacant position. The host institution must make sure that the individual receives paid parental or other long-term leave entitlements in accordance with its policies for all employees (including without limitation Clinical Research Training Fellows (CRTFs), and must bear the costs of those paid leave entitlements regardless of the fact that the employee’s salary is paid from the grant.

For non-clinical students and MB-PhD students:

i. Cancer Research UK will bear the costs of:

• a non-clinical student’s parental, sick or long-term leave at the Cancer Research UK stipend rate for a fixed duration according to the type of leave taken.
• a MB-PhD student’s parental, sick or long-term leave whilst the student is undertaking the 3-year PhD training and during which CRUK is paying their stipend. The leave entitlement is at the Cancer Research UK stipend rate for a fixed duration according to the type of leave taken.

For the avoidance of doubt, this provision applies to non-clinical PhD students and MB PhD students while they are completing their doctorate and in receipt of a CRUK-funded stipend. (CRUK will not fund paid leave during the course of a student's undergraduate medical studies)

ii. There is no qualifying period for taking long-term leave.

iii. Students are entitled to paid parental, sick or long-term leave provided that they return to work for a period of time as agreed with their supervisor.

iv. Students must also follow their host institution’s notification requirements.

v. The host institution must keep accurate records and certificates (eg maternity certificate, MATB1 form, sick notes) of leave entitlement as it would for employees.

vi. In the first instance, Cancer Research UK expects the cost of the paid leave to be borne as follows:

• For students on Cancer Research UK response-mode funded grants - through any underspend on the Studentship Grant or its Parent Grant (eg the Programme or Fellowship Grant);
• For students funded at Cancer Research UK centres and institutes - through any available funds (underspend) on the institution’s training account.

vii. As the cost of the paid leave should be borne through underspend where possible, the cost should be charged to the relevant grant or training account in the first instance. CRUK’s expectation is institutions will be able to find funds to cover these costs either from the grant or training account. If, at final reconciliation, that is not the case, for students funded at Cancer Research UK centres and institutes, institutions should discuss with CRUK about using any core funding underspend.

3.2. Support for Cancer Research UK Grantholders and research staff

Where a Cancer Research UK Grantholder or other Cancer Research UK funded researcher (including students) takes parental, sick or other long-term leave, Cancer Research UK will, where appropriate, extend the official end date of the grant through a no-cost extension for the period equivalent to the period of leave taken.

Where a Cancer Research UK funded student on a Programme or Fellowship Grant (the parent grant) takes parental, sick or other long-term leave but a no-cost extension to the parent grant is not required, the studentship may need to be completed after the end date of the parent grant. In such cases, the host institution must make sure the student has appropriate support and supervision to complete the studentship.

3.3. Support for Cancer Research UK Fellowship Grantholders

Where the Grantholder is a Cancer Research UK Fellow, Cancer Research UK may also consider the following requests:

3.3.1. Cancer Research UK may suspend the Fellowship during the period of leave.

During this suspension period, no payments will be made to the host institution with respect to that grant. The official end date of the grant may be extended through a no-cost extension for the period equivalent to the period of leave taken.

3.3.2. Cancer Research UK may provide a costed grant extension for the Fellowship up to the period equivalent to the period of leave taken, where the research activities of the Fellowship have continued during the Fellow’s period of leave.

In these circumstances, any remaining underspend should be used in the first instance to fund cost extensions; however, additional cost requests will be considered if the underspend is not sufficient. Requests for costed extensions should be made to Cancer Research UK as early as possible before the end date and within 6 months of the originally scheduled end date. Any additional costs requested must be direct research costs only (eg research related consumables and direct research salaries as per our Costs Guidance).

Requests for such cost extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and the Grantholder must provide assurance that there will be adequate supervision for research staff during this period.

3.4. Part-time or flexible working following parental leave

Cancer Research UK will also consider supporting the continuation of a grant on a part-time, flexible working basis to allow researchers to combine caring responsibilities or any other reason and their academic research. Cancer Research UK will always consider requests as long as they fit in with the needs of the employing host institution. As a general rule, where the Grantholder is a Cancer Research UK Fellow and Cancer Research UK pays their salary, we expect at least 0.5 FTE or 80% of the Fellow’s working hours, whichever is greater, to be spent on academic research by the Fellow.

3.5. Submission of requests

Any of the above requests to change the structure or period of the grant must be made in writing by the host institution and approved by Cancer Research UK in advance of the period of leave commencing.

3.6. Suitability requirements for Cancer Research UK support

Cancer Research UK will take into consideration time spent outside of research such as when reviewing the suitability of applicants. Applicants should clearly detail and explain periods of leave from research or part-time working in their application.

Details of periods of leave or part-time working will be used by Cancer Research UK’s Expert Review Panels and Committees to make appropriate adjustments when assessing an applicant’s record of outputs, research achievements and career progression.

3.7. Occupational benefits as a result of continuous service of employment for Cancer Research UK Clinical Fellows and Clinical Research Training Fellows

CRUK is a signatory to ‘UK clinical academic training in medicine and dentistry: principles and obligations’. In the event of a Cancer Research UK Clinical Fellow or Clinical Research Training Fellow having changed employers to become a new employee of the host institution as a result of taking up a grant in order to pursue their career pathway, certain occupational benefits, which have accrued as a result of continuous service of employment must be recognised and protected by the host institution.

This includes any changes in employer from a NHS trust/board to an academic institution or vice versa. In principle, there should be no detriment to moving in either direction. These include as a minimum all family and care related leave and pay (not limited to gender or sexual orientation) and sick leave and pay (irrespective of disability status or health history).

4. Support & Advice

For any queries about this policy please find a list of useful contacts below:

• Funding Policy & Governance - policies@cancer.org.uk

5. Related documents

For more information, please see the following documents/web pages:

• Cancer Research UK Grant Conditions
• Costs Guidance