This policy provides guidelines and expectations for faculty members applying for external fellowships. It also delineates the types of support that UO and CAS will provide to fellowship recipients.

The UO encourages faculty to seek external fellowships. Prestigious fellowships confer recognition upon our faculty and advance the faculty member’s research and creative activity, enhancing the profile of the entire university.

For guidance on applying for externally funded fellowships contact Research Development Services at RDS@uoregon.edu.

FELLOWSHIP EXPECTATIONS AND COMPENSATION

The terms of external fellowships vary substantially. Many fellowships obligate the recipient to devote full time to scholarship work away from the UO while not providing full salary and benefits. It is important for faculty members to have a clear understanding of a fellowship’s expectations, policies, and financial ramifications before applying for or accepting an award.

Faculty may want to time applications for such fellowships so that they occur during a sabbatical year (i.e., apply the year before your sabbatical eligibility) or during the summer. A fellowship award can then supplement sabbatical or summer salary.

Planning before applying for fellowships

Faculty must consult their department heads and department managers when applying for fellowships, so departments can plan for faculty absences. Approval by the department head must take into account the needs of the department.

ELIGIBILITY FOR SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT FROM THE UO

Peer-reviewed fellowship time may be eligible for supplemental support.

Faculty who wish to be eligible for supplementary support for awards must work with the CAS Center for Research Services at casgrants@uoregon.edu, to create an Electronic Proposal Clearance System (E-PCS) record with the UO Sponsored Projects Services (SPS). This should be done prior to proposal submission. See the Faculty Checklist at the end of this document for step-by-step instructions. An E-PCS record is required in order to be eligible for supplementary support but does not guarantee it.

If a fellowship is required to be paid through a home institution, the proposal must be added to the E-PCS system regardless of supplemental salary request.

During sabbatical leave, the fellowship is expected to cover the portion of a faculty member's salary not provided by the UO. Therefore, requests for supplemental salary on fellowships during sabbatical periods are not permitted. UO will provide 100% of fringe benefits (also known as OPE) during the faculty member's sabbatical leave.

SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT DURING ACADEMIC YEARS THAT ARE NOT SABBATICAL YEARS

Many fellowships do not provide enough financial support to compensate the loss of pay from the UO. Recipients have two options:

1. Take the fellowship funding as summer salary with no impact on duties or salary during the academic year.
2. Use the fellowship to support research leave during the academic year.

UO and CAS may provide partial salary and uninterrupted health insurance coverage for the faculty member who uses an eligible fellowship to support research during a non-sabbatical academic year (option 2 above). The UO and CAS may provide partial salary and OPE under the terms described on HR’s website: https://hr.uoregon.edu/hr-operations/faculty-specific-topics/faculty-awards.

Policy for supplemental support during non-sabbatical year

Faculty with at least a .5 FTE appointment are potentially eligible for up to 30% of their base salary and associated OPE as supplements to a fellowship (not to exceed 100% of base salary in the nine-month academic-year calendar), if the following conditions apply.

1. Fellowship must be awarded through a peer-reviewed competition and be intended for appropriate research, scholarship, creative work, or teaching enhancement related to the recipient’s job duties
2. Fellowship amount must be, at minimum, 30% of the recipient’s base salary at UO, making the salary top off from CAS a “matching grant."
3. CAS will not fund fellowships that require the UO to top off the recipient’s salary to 100% of their base salary.
4. Applicant must have created an E-PCS record
5. Fellowship must be paid through the UO payroll system
6. Supplemental support of this sort may be offered up to two times between sabbaticals
7. A fellowship year may follow a sabbatical, but it does not count as the year owed to the university following a sabbatical.

FACULTY CHECKLIST

In order for you to be successful in your application for supplemental support, please follow these steps:

• Consult with your department head and department manager before applying for a fellowship.
• Consult with the Dean's Office to determine any reduction in teaching load.
• Prior to applying, contact the CAS Center for Research Services (CCSR) at casgrants@uoregon.edu ) to create an application within UO’s grant proposal system. This step is required if you wish to be eligible for supplemental support from the UO or if the award terms require institutional submission or post-award administration.
• If awarded a fellowship, notify your department immediately. At that time, you may apply for a salary/OPE top off if all of the conditions listed below are met. To apply, work with CCSR and your department manager to complete the Faculty Award Recipient form.
  
  1. The fellowship is peer-reviewed and awarded through a competitive process
  2. The fellowship amount is at least 30% of your base salary
  3. The fellowship does not require a top off of your salary to 100% of your base salary
  4. The fellowship covers at least one full academic quarter
  5. The fellowship supports your position at UO
  6. You have not already received two supplemental support packages from UO for a fellowship since your last sabbatical (or date of hire)

If you receive two fellowships for the same period, you may elect to take one during the academic year with the supplemental support if eligible and the second during the summer as summer salary.