Research Operations Office Bulletin - Issue 346

Salary scales in X5 and Worktribe were updated on 31st October 2024 to include the new University Payscales. Further adjustments were made to them within Worktribe on 12th November.

ROO are currently reviewing and updating projects impacted by this to reflect the new salary scales. This will be completed by the end of this week. If you notice a variance in your costing, please check the comments tab where the amendment will be recorded; no action needs to be taken by users of Worktribe. For staff using X5, if you have not done so since the payscales were updated on 31st October, you will need to select the “apply all updated files now” option to add in the new payscales.

The Cambridge supplement (a 2.5% payment to staff at or below point 48) is separate from the national pay award which has not been included in the pay scales and therefore not applied to X5 or Worktribe. We recommend that when costing your project which includes staff up to point 48, you move them up two pay points to reflect the increased costs. This is an interim measure pending the outcome of the University’s pay review.  

Visa and NHS Surcharge fees

Following the announcement from Professor Kamal Munir that from 1st October 2024, the pay and benefits package includes payment of visa and NHS surcharge fees for all new starters who are employed on a Skilled Worker or Global Talent Visa, research grant applications need to include these costs where funder terms allow. When costing your project, check the funder terms and conditions to see if these costs are eligible. If they are, they should be included as an item in ‘other costs’.

All new staff on the grant should have these potential visa, NHS surcharges and any associated fast track fees included. Note that the NHS surcharge is usually £1,035 per year.  The visa fee (dependant on circumstances) and fast track fee (at departmental discretion) are currently a single fee each.

As an example of varying funder terms, UKRI currently allows visa fees and NHS surcharge costs to be charged to the grant for all directly incurred staff employed on the grant for 50% or more of their time. Whereas the British Heart Foundation do not generally allow these types of costs on a grant. Where a funder does not pay for visa and NHS surcharge fees, these costs must be met from Departmental sources. 

The University of Cambridge is undergoing a review carried out by the Wellcome Trust from November 2024 through mid-January 2025. The review will cover the period from 1st October 2019 to 30th September 2024 and will assess the design and operating effectiveness of the University's key controls to support the delivery of Wellcome Trust funded research and to ensure the research is conducted to the highest relevant standards and in compliance with grant conditions and policies.

A sample of 12 active grants and 4 closed grants from the School of Biological Science and Clinical School have been selected for review. The Compliance team within ROO has already notified the relevant departments and Principal Investigators whose grants have been sampled in this audit.

Within the next 2 weeks, the Compliance team will be contacting those departments regarding the specific evidence that is required as part of this review process.

On 25th October, Worktribe launched in the School of Physical Sciences and Non-School Institutions (University Library, Fitzwilliam Museum, Postdoc Academy and Kettle's Yard). These Schools are now using Worktribe along with the School of Technology. 

 The latest figures show professional services staff and academics are embracing the new system. 

 In October:

• 400 people logged onto Worktribe, 250 did several times 

• 726 projects have been created (including migrated projects)

• 898 contracts have been created (including migrated contracts)

Bruce Daniels, Assistant Director for the School of Physical Sciences, comments: 'Thank you to the Transforming Research Support Programme team and colleagues across the Research Office and departments for all the hard work to get us here. It is very much appreciated. I know the SPS pre-award and contracts teams have enjoyed getting to grips with Worktribe and so far feedback is positive.'  

Read about what the first users in the School of Technology are saying about the contracts module and the pre-award module. 

Preparations are underway for the rollout to the remaining Schools with the Worktribe Readiness Groups which include representatives from the departments. Learn when your School is going live. Visit the 'Get Worktribe Ready' section of the TRS Programme Sharepoint page to read information bulletins relevant to your School.