As an academic employee you are eligible to apply for promotion/progression unless an exclusion or exception applies (see below). If there is any doubt as to your eligibility, the Chair of the Human Resources Committee will rule on the matter on behalf of the GB. Exceptionally other staff may be eligible to apply (see below).
When considering making an application you should seek appropriate mentoring and advice from your Head of Institution or appropriate senior academic colleague. You should discuss whether it is the right time to make an application and how you meet the Assessment Criteria.
You must have been in your current post* for at least 12 months as at 1 October of the year in which you are applying, before making an application. Exceptionally, this period may be waived if you are considered ready for promotion by your Head of Institution. In this situation, your Head of Institution must make a case clearly explaining the reasons for an exception to be made. This must be submitted in writing to the Head of School for approval. Details of the case and the Head of School's decision must be provided to the ACP Team (acp@admin.cam.ac.uk). This must be done before the end of the application window (see Timetable). It is important to note that applicants are also normally expected to have three years' worth of teaching evidence at Cambridge/its Colleges. Applicants with fewer than three years' worth of evidence may not be scored as highly in regard to teaching.
*This includes following promotion to a new office/post.
Reapplications
If you were unsuccessful in an application in one year’s exercise you may reapply in a subsequent exercise, on the basis that each application must be judged on its own merits. A maximum of two applications in any rolling three-year period is permissible. An exemption to this rule may be granted in exceptional circumstances, provided that it has the support of your Head of Institution and Head of School. Such support should be evidenced in written statements, explaining the reasons for the exemption, and provided to the ACP Team (acp@admin.cam.ac.uk).
Those employed on Fixed Term Contracts
Those employed on fixed term contracts are able to apply for promotion/progression, provided they meet the eligibility criteria referred to on this page. Should their application be successful, their promotion will only be actioned if they remain employed on the effective date of promotions made under this scheme, i.e. 1 October following the completion of the exercise. Successful applicants who are on a fixed term contract that ends prior to 1 October will not be promoted, as they will no longer be employed at the point the promotion becomes effective.
If there is any doubt as to the eligibility of a prospective applicant, the Chair of the Human Resources Committee will rule on the matter on behalf of the General Board.
Holders of University offices whose duties are primarily concerned with research or teaching and research are eligible for promotion to these offices. Exceptionally, holders of University offices whose duties are not primarily concerned with either teaching or research or both may be eligible for consideration if they are known to have made a significant contribution to research in addition to fulfilling the duties of the office they currently hold. In these circumstances, advice should be sought from the relevant Head of Institution.
An employee who does not hold an office listed in the Schedule to Special Ordinance C(i) 1 of the Statutes would only be promoted to a personal Professorship on condition that their duties after promotion remain principally those of the office from which they have been promoted.
Holders of University offices whose duties are primarily concerned with research or teaching and research, who also hold an honorary consultant contract (i.e. are registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) with a licence to practice and, if GMC-registered as consultant level, be on the specialist register) are eligible for promotion to a Clinical Professorship. They cannot apply for Professorships (Grade 11 or 12).
Only established Assistant Professors or Associate Professors (Grade 9) may be considered for promotion to established Associate Professorships (Grade 10).
The holders of unestablished posts whose contracts of employment specify the title "Assistant Professor" or "Associate Professor (Grade 9)" may be considered for promotion to the unestablished post of Associate Professor (Grade 10). The period of the appointment would be from the date of the promotion to the end date of their current tenure. Holders of these posts should discuss the matter of their possible promotion with their Head of Institution before deciding whether or not to submit an application for promotion.
In all cases, institutions should ensure that sufficient funding is identified to support applications for promotion and ongoing salary costs. Queries concerned with funding should be raised with the relevant School Finance Manager in the first instance.
Those holding a Grade 9 office or unestablished post with curatorial, conservation and associated responsibilities in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Whipple Museum of the History of Science and the Fitzwilliam Museum are eligible to apply for promotion to Grade 10. Ordinarily, holders of the office of Associate Professor (Grade 10) are required to teach a minimum of 30 hours a year. However, Section 3(d) of Special Ordinance C has been introduced to allow for the Faculty Board or other authority concerned to determine the amounts of teaching to be given by officers undertaking curatorial, conservation and associated responsibilities in that institution.
When submitting an application via the online application portal, curators and associated staff wishing to apply for promotion to Grade 10 should select the option "Associate Professor (Grade 10)". However, should their application for promotion to Grade 10 be successful, their new title would be determined as appropriate by their employing department, i.e., their new title will not be Associate Professor (Grade 10).
For more information on the assessment of applications from staff with curatorial, conservation and associated responsibilities, please refer to the Scoring section of the guidance.
It is acknowledged that those in these roles are more focused on research and service than teaching, and as such, it is expected that applications from these employees will be considered under Option 1, the research-weighted scoring route for applications for this office/position.
For the avoidance of doubt, these individuals are also eligible to apply for promotion to Professor (Grade 11) or Professor (Grade 12).
The normal promotion route is to the post of Principal Research Associate (Grade 11) or Director of Research (Grade 12). Please see the updated Senior Researcher Promotions (SRP) scheme procedure and guidance on the HR Division webpages. Advice in relation to particular cases can be obtained from the relevant HR Schools Team.
The Head of Institution should provide an opportunity for discussing the appropriate way forward with employees whom they consider to have a reasonable prospect of promotion, whether through an application under the ACP R&T scheme or under the SRP scheme. If a member of Research staff wishes to apply for promotion via ACP R&T, they must have written support from their Head of Institution, and approval from their Head of School, prior to applying. Evidence of this written support and approval must be sent to the ACP mailbox (acp@admin.cam.ac.uk) in order for the individual to be granted access to the application portal to prepare their application.
Research staff considering applying for promotion via ACP R&T should note that they can only apply for promotion to either Professor (Grade 11) or Professor (Grade 12), both of which are established offices. As per Chapter XI of Statutes and Ordinances, appointments to University offices are to the retiring age, and as such, applicants for these offices must be able to provide proof of funding to cover the appointment to the retiring age. Applications that cannot demonstrate available funding will be withdrawn.
The University aims to be a leader in driving an inclusive culture of mutual respect and in promoting a positive working environment for all in its community. High standards of conduct are therefore expected from all employees. Formal sanctions may be taken into account when assessing an applicant's suitability for promotion; those with a live disciplinary warning on file may be excluded from applying for promotion.
The ACP R&T - Pay Progression Scheme B does not apply to clinical academics who remain on their current point on the clinical pay scale, which are subject to NHS consultant salary progression pay rules. The promotion will be by title only.