Sabbatical Leave Scheme

Applicants and Heads of Department are asked to ensure that all applications conform to the requirements detailed below.

• Timetable
• Aims of the scheme
• Conditions
• Application process
• Reports following sabbatical leave
• Appendix

Timetable

Aims of the scheme

1. The purpose of sabbatical leave is to advance the pursuit of scholarship and research or teaching in the University, leading to the development of individual members of staff, and to the production of outputs of significant benefit to the University.
2. The sabbatical scheme thus aims to support:

• The recruitment and development of academic staff.
• Raising the profile of the University through our staff spending time at leading international Universities.
• Attracting first rate visitors to Bath as a consequence of our staff visiting their institutions.

Conditions

1. The basic unit is a 6 month period of leave on full pay.  All staff on a permanent academic contract have a right to apply for sabbatical leave on a 1 in 7 basis, i.e. a 6 month period of leave after 3 years of service or a 1 year period of leave after 6 years.  The qualifying period begins after the completion of probation.  Parental leave should be included in any qualifying period.
2. Entitlement to sabbatical leave is not automatic but based on the merits of a proposal and the strategic and teaching needs of the Departments.  Heads of Department are encouraged to identify members of staff who would benefit from a period of sabbatical leave in order to enhance the department's research profile.
3. Sabbaticals will normally run from either 1 February - 31 July or 1 August - 31 January during any academic year, with the precise timing to be agreed with the relevant Head of Department.  Up to 25 awards of 6 month leave periods are available each academic year.
4. Departments with academic staff FTE of 25 or less will not be awarded more than two 6 month leave periods in any academic year.  Departments with academic staff FTE of more than 25 will not be awarded more than three 6 month leave periods in any academic year.
5. Departments will normally be awarded a sum of £5k to be used for teaching cover for each staff member on 6 months leave.  Departments will be responsible for ensuring the appropriate staff development and training is undertaken to guarantee the quality of teaching cover.
6. Sabbatical leave (in full or large part) should normally be spent at another University or a Research Insitution.  However, if this is not possible the reasons should be made clear.
7. The applicant must ensure that their taking a sabbatical does not result in a breach of funding for existing research grants on which they are a named investigator and that, if they intend making research grant applications before the end of the sabbatical, that the sabbatical does not compromise their eligibility.
8. Members of academic staff should apply for sabbatical leave through this scheme.  Applications for sabbatical leave under section 17.16 of the Ordinances will be considered in exceptional circumstances only.

Application process

1. Applications must be made using the appropriate form (attached) which includes a supporting statement from the Head of Department.  Heads of Department should ensure that the scheme is well publicised.  They are also encouraged to identify suitable applicants.
2. A University committee will assess submitted cases twice a year.  the member of this committee is: Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) as Chair; Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching); Deans (who are not eligible to vote on cases from their own Faculty/School).
3. Applications will be considered against the following criteria:
   • Consideration of the departmental prioritisation
   • Assessment of the proposal's ability to advance the pursuit of scholarship/research or teaching in the University
   • Benefit of the proposal of scholarship/research or teaching to the applicant's professional development
   • Fit of the proposal of scholarship/research or teaching objectives to departmental and University strategic goals
   • Consideration of the anticipated outputs and outcomes of the leave for the individual, department and University.  These must be measurable and relate to the proposal objectives.  All research outputs are expected to be of a 3 / 4* quality.
4. Two travel grants of £750 are available annually, one per each round of applications.  The aim of the travel is to support the applicant's ability to visit institutions abroad during their sabbatical and is aimed primarily at those applicants who would otherwise find this difficult. The travel award will be made to the applicant with the best justified case for needing the grant in each round.  The Sabbatical Committee reserves the right not to award the travel grant in every round of applications.
5. The Committee will forward all applications, together with its recommendation, to the Vice-Chancellor for approval. 

Reports following sabbatical leave

Each individual who completes a period of sabbatical leave is required to prepare two formal reports for the Sabbatical Committee, first one 2 months after the end of the period of leave, the second one 12 months after the sabbatical.  The reports must be submitted on the templates provided, available from Dr Maria Wells in the Vice-Chancellor's Office.  The reports will be assessed by the Heads of Department and the Deans agains the original applications.

Maria Wells
Vice-Chancellor's Office
August 2011 

Appendix

Definitions for the purposes of the scheme

1. Sabbatical leave is defined as a continuous period of release from normal academic duties, in order to pursue research, teaching development, knowledge transfer or other activities of benefit to the University. 
2. Research and Scholarship:  the University recognises that research can take a variety of forms according to the academic discipline.  Research outputs include traditional publications such as books, articles, monographs, as well as patents and licences.  The Research and Scholarship category also includes:
   • Entrepreneurial activities involved in knowledge or technology transfer
   • Action research and client-focused research
   • Consultancy
   • Income generation for research
   • Working with external agencies in research-user networks.
3. Teaching, this is defined in a broad way and embraces:
   • All aspects of curriculum development/innovation, instruction, training, guidance, teaching and assessment, including postgraduate supervision; and
   • All activities which assist and support students in their learning, including e-learning and all forms of distance education.