Promoting Equality & Diversity

As a funder of scientific research, STFC is committed to:

• Ensuring that people from the protected groups are not discriminated against by our polices, strategies or procedures in the consideration of applications for funding.
   
• Monitoring annually the outcomes of funding applications for evidence of bias.
   
• Consulting on measures to remove barriers to the participation of women in STFC activities, including: involvement in advisory bodies; applying for and being in receipt of funding; and, hence support the retention and career progression of women working in STFC areas of science.
   
• Working proactively with our partners – the universities where we fund research and the international organisations to which the UK subscribes through STFC – to embed there the same equality and diversity principles enshrined in STFC’s Equality Scheme.

Research Councils UK have issued a statement of Expectations for Equality and Diversity for organisations in receipt of Research Council Funding.

STFC receives input from the Women in SET Focus Group on the issues that affect the retention and career development of women working in STFC's areas of science.

Disabled students’ allowances

Students funded from a training grant are eligible for additional support where, because of disability, they are obliged to incur additional expenditure in undertaking their training. Further information on disabled students' allowances.

Family friendly features of STFC funding

Funding for returners to research

STFC provides support for people seeking to return to research after a career break in the following ways:

• Returner Fellowships – these are additional fellowships on top of the normal awards that can be awarded to outstanding candidates returning from a career break or from working outside academic research. For further information see the Ernest Rutherford Fellowship guidance.
   
• Return to Research Bursary – Up to six bursaries a year are available to support the development of a proposal suitable for submission to the STFC Fellowship scheme. For more information see 'Return to Research' support bursary.
   
• Daphne Jackson Fellowships – STFC sponsors one new award each year for these part-time flexible fellowships that are awarded for up to two years. For more information visit the Daphne Jackson Trust website.

Part-time working

Studentships and fellowships can be held on either a full-time or part-time basis.

• Postgraduate studentship rules and regulations
• See point 11.1 of the Ernest Rutherford Fellowships guidance

Maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave

• Fellows are entitled to take maternity, paternity, adoption or parental leave in accordance with the terms and conditions of the fellow’s employment and the duration of the grant extended accordingly. For further information see the Ernest Rutherford Fellowship guidance.
   
• For research grants the research organisation will be compensated at the end of the grant to cover any additional net costs of the paid maternity, paternity, adoption or parental leave of staff within the Directly Incurred and Exceptions fund headings (excluding the principal and co-investigators, unless they are also research fellows or research assistants funded by the grant) if they fulfil the relevant qualifying conditions of the employing Research Organisation. Grant funds, within the announced limit, may be used to meet the costs of making a substitute appointment and/or extending the grant to cover a period of maternity, paternity, adoption or parental leave. Research grants may be extended by up to a total of 12 months to cover periods of maternity, paternity or adoption leave of staff. See the Research Councils’ Terms and Conditions of Grants for further information.
   
• All Research Council funded students are entitled to take 6 months of maternity leave or up to 6 months of additional paternity leave on full stipend and a further 6 months of unpaid maternity leave.