Sabbatical leave normally runs for a period of six months, either from:

• 1 August to 31 January
• 1 February to 31 July

Shorter sabbatical leave arrangements can be agreed at the discretion of the Head of Department.

In exceptional cases, a period of 12 months sabbatical leave may be granted. This will only be considered for sabbaticals starting in August. In your application, you must demonstrate why 12 months is necessary and how it would provide added value.

The proposed work and outputs must match the duration of the leave applied for.

Submission deadline

You must discuss your intention to apply for the research sabbatical leave scheme with your Head of Department or Division in advance.

Your Head of Department or Division will communicate a departmental submission deadline to ensure there is time for their review. The final deadline for Deans to submit applications is on 11 December 2026.

Up to 25 awards of six-month leave periods are available each academic year. If there are no applications of sufficient quality in a particular Faculty or School, no sabbatical will be awarded.

Allocation of departmental sabbaticals

Each Department is allocated a maximum number of sabbaticals per year that they are able to submit for consideration by the Sabbatical Committee. This allocation is based on the full-time equivalent (FTE) of the Department.

The Head of Department and Dean are sent an up-to-date allocation when the scheme launches each year.

The maximum number that can be sent to the Committee is higher than the total number that can be awarded, therefore those submitted for consideration will not necessarily be funded.

Staff eligible for the scheme must:

• be an academic member of staff (lecturer, senior lecturer, reader, or professor)
• have a permanent contract
• have three years continuous service at the sabbatical’s start date

The qualifying period of eligibility normally begins after the completion of probation, and eligibility is counted from the proposed start of the sabbatical leave, not from the time of application.

Entitlement to sabbatical leave is not automatic but is based on the merits of the proposal and the strategic needs of the University, Faculty, and Department.

All awards will be made based on the merit of the applicant, the proposed programme of work, and its alignment with the Faculty or School's research strategy.

Planned outputs and outcomes from the sabbatical leave should be defined and measurable. All research outputs and outcomes are expected to be of high quality and should be realistic.

Sabbaticals to recognise wider academic and institutional contributions (such as a term of service to a leadership role) are now approved at the discretion of the Dean. These are separate from the University research sabbatical scheme. Please contact your Dean for further information.

The Returning Parents Support Fund can help to those returning from all forms of parental leave with the transition back into work.