Start-up Projects
| Frequency | once per term |
| Upcoming deadline | 25 September 2025, 5pm |
| Funding Amount | up to £30,000 |
| Funding Duration | up to 12 months |
This funding programme is designed to help support proof-of-concept projects by providing cover for emergent needs and opportunities, specifically aiming to help get promising projects off the ground. This may include, but is not limited to:
- Gathering pilot data
- Gathering additional data to support a larger grant application
- Time and resources to address funder feedback from other funding bodies
- Establishing a new explorative methodology
The named applicant should be a PI or independent researcher. Where an established researcher seeks a contribution to their own salary, the applicant should be the Head of institution.
Please note that the INT does not reconsider unsuccessful applications for the same project unless there has been a substantial material change in circumstances.
The INT strives to be as flexible as possible to ensure the success of your research project. Therefore, if your proposed project costs are not covered by this summary, please ask.
Eligible Costs:
- Consumables
- Facility access costs. Usage should be charged at the 'internal' rate wherever possible and the applicant's Head of Department should specify why the usage cannot be paid for by the Department
- Key equipment essential to project success. It is expected that a quote is provided as part of your application. Other sources of funding should be approached and contribute to the overall cost. If this is not possible, full justification must be provided
- National Insurance, Pension, and Inflation (as set at time of application)
- Postdoctoral Research Associate salary costs up to spine point 044. If project staff members are currently paid at a higher spine point, it is expected that any difference in salary is met using alternative funding
- Staff may work on a part-time or full-time basis. If project staff members are working part-time, this cannot be used as justification to pay salary costs higher than spine point 044 or extend the project further than 12 months
- Travel expenses, in line with the University travel expenditure policy
Ineligible Costs:
- Apprenticeship levy
- ‘Buying out’ PI time or contributions to PI salary
- Conference Hosting
- Overheads and indirect costs
- Publication and open access costs
- Relocation or Visa costs
- Research Assistant salary costs
- Research that falls under the remit of major funders, such as UKRI
- Studentships
- Visitors
Applications must be completed by established PIs from the University, with the assistance of your departmental Research Grants Administrator. Calculating staff costs in a Worktribe standalone budget is recommended.
Applications should be submitted using our online application form. This will be linked here in due course.
You will be asked to upload:
- The project academic case. This should be no longer than 4 sides of A4, including references. All text within your academic case should be no smaller than font size 11, Calibri, Aptos, or Arial. All A4 margins should be set at a minimum of 1 inch
- A completed Financial Summary Table. Please use the temple provided here
- A copy of the applicant CV and the CV of any named staff the application requests costs for. CVs should be no longer than 4 pages
All decisions are made at Trustee meetings, which happen once a term on the dates given below. Please note that the INT will not consider applications made between the advertised funding rounds or by those from outside of the University of Cambridge.
| Michaelmas 2025 | Lent 2026 | Easter 2026 | |
| Submission of draft applications to HoD/Faculty/School | 18 September 2025 | 02 January 2026 | |
| Submission of draft applications to INT | 25 September 2025 | 09 January 2026 | |
| Submission of final applications to INT | 09 October 2025 | 23 January 2026 | |
| Trustees' Award Meeting | 20 November 2025 | 19 March 2026 | |
| Outcome Announced | 27 November 2025 | 26 March 2026 |
