As a member of academic staff you are eligible to apply for promotion/progression unless an exclusion or exception applies (see below). 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 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 would normally be expected to have been in your current post for at least 12 months before making an application. Exceptionally, this period may be waived where you are considered ready for promotion by your Head of Institution. Any exceptions require approval from the FC and support by the SC.
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 and 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 evidence in written statements, explaining the reasons for the exemption.
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/scholarship or teaching and research/scholarship 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.
A person 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/scholarship or teaching and research/scholarship, 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 now 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 amount 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 members of staff 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.
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 staff. 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 clinical award scheme which is subject to NHS consultant salary progression pay rules.