Notice

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: supplementary guidance for research organisations

Published 5 June 2020

The Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care page, published 17 April, includes guidance for higher education providers on the use of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for research work.

The government’s objective has been for research to continue or recommence wherever possible, and research settings were included in the guidance on safer working published on 11 May.

However, in some instances research cannot continue and therefore institutions have made use of government coronavirus support schemes, including the CJRS, to retain their research capabilities.

To support final decisions on furloughing staff before the 10 June deadline for notifications (further information below), we are setting out supplementary guidance for the research sector.

This guidance applies to those involved in research, including other research organisations in receipt of public funding:

• institutions could claim support for those research staff on fixed term contracts due to expire during the period of coronavirus disruption, where that research is unable to continue and the funder has offered a no-cost extension
• if furloughed, the institution could extend the researcher’s contract until work on their grant can be completed
• we recognise that research is often funded from a mixture of public and private income streams and that it may be difficult to distinguish between which stream of income directly support research and technical staff. Those staff who are supported by a mixture of commercial contracts, EU and UKRI grants – whose work has been paused are also eligible for CJRS support
• where research work has reduced (for example, where grant holders have requested a no-cost extension to UKRI grants) and therefore institutions have seen a reduction in payments towards staff costs for that period, resulting in a loss of income due to ceased or reduced delivery of research programmes, institutions could access CJRS for research staff providing that they meet the other criteria set by HMRC and, if they are a higher education provider, DfE’s guidance on CJRS access; however those staff costs for that furlough period may not be claimed from the public research funder
• when research staff who are directly supported by a public grant are furloughed, institutions should notify the research funder. Further details on the notification process will be available shortly
• monitoring arrangements will be put in place in order to mitigate the risks of double funding of research

On 29 May, the Chancellor outlined further details on the extension of the furlough scheme. They include:

• from 1 July, employers can bring back to work employees that have previously been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim CJRS grant for their normal hours not worked. Further guidance on this flexible furloughing will be published on 12 June
• the final date by which an employer can furlough an employee for the first time will be 10 June, in order for the 3-week furlough period to be completed by 30 June. From 1 July, the scheme will only be available to employers that have previously used the scheme in respect of employees that have previously furloughed. See further information about the next steps for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.