FHSS - Victoria University of Wellington

FACULTY of HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (FHSS), TE WĀHANGA ARONUI
FACULTY of EDUCATION (FoE), TE WHĀNAU O AKO PAI
NEW ZEALAND SCHOOL OF MUSIC (NZSM), TE KŌKĪ
JOINT LEAVE COMMITTEE
Research and Study Leave: Guidelines for Applicants 2015
The Joint Leave Committee (JLC) considers applications from members of staff from the
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS), Faculty of Education (FoE) and the New
Zealand School of Music (NZSM) for Conference Leave (NZ and Overseas) and Research and
Study Leave.
For the current membership of the JLC, see www.victoria.ac.nz/fhss/about/committees-
boards/joint-leave-committee
Oracle Grants Management System (GMS)
All applications for Research and Study Leave must be made on-line via the Oracle Grants
Management System (GMS). An Oracle Access Form can be downloaded from
www.victoria.ac.nz/fhss/about/committees-boards/joint-leave-committee. Please direct any
enquiries about access to [email protected].
Deadline 2015
Monday 8 June 2015: Closing date for applications for Research and Study Leave
commencing 1 December 2015 – 31 December 2016.
Eligibility and Funding
The provisions for academic leave, including Research and Study Leave, are set out in the
Collective Agreements for academic staff; see particularly Schedule 5
(https://www.victoria.ac.nz/staff/human-resources/agreements). Applicants should
familiarise themselves with these provisions, which guide the Joint Leave Committee in all
decision-making. To check your RSL eligibility, please contact the JLC Administrator.
Application Process
Applicants must present a coherent and academically suitable research programme in their
applications. The application should specify objectives for the leave and proposed outputs,
in terms of publications or equivalent, and should indicate the number of months that the
applicant proposes to spend in NZ versus overseas.
Note that the JLC uses a shepherding process: this means that each applicant will be
assigned a member of the JLC as the “shepherd” for their application. The shepherd will
discuss your application with you and advise you regarding further information that the
Leave Committee may need.
RSL Funding
RSL is granted with full pay.
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When overseas travel of 30 days or more is involved, a travel and sustenance allowance may
be paid. This is currently $5,500 for the first month away, with a per mensem of $1,458 paid
for each month thereafter spent overseas.
When RSL involves travel within NZ only, an allowance may be paid depending on the
circumstances of the individual case.
Dates of leave
Applicants are expected to make the maximum possible use of non-teaching time for RSL,
and leave should normally include the months of December and January. RSL should
normally commence on 1 December, 1 January or 1 July, and end at the end of a month.
Split leave
Staff who have accrued 12 months eligibility may, with the approval of their Head of School,
apply for a split leave. The funding associated with a split leave which includes a grant for
travel is calculated in a manner as if the leave is being taken as a whole. (i.e. the first
monthly allowance is paid only once)
Ethics Committee approval
All applicants who are planning to work with human subjects or animals must obtain
approval from the relevant Ethics Committee before your leave can be approved. Ethics
Committee guidelines and instructions about the online application process can be accessed
from the Research Office website: www.victoria.ac.nz/research/support/researchoffice/ethics-approval
Travel
All applicants applying for a grant for travel must read, understand, and comply with the
Travel Policy documented at https://www.victoria.ac.nz/staff/servicesresources/finance/travel/university-travel.
All air travel including domestic and trans-Tasman airfares must be booked directly via the
University’s preferred supplier (APX) using this address: [email protected]. This
allows access to the pricing offered by the University’s contracts with airlines and enables
APX to record all itineraries and contact details for duty of care purposes.
Please do not pay for your travel before your grant is approved. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL
BE MADE FOR TRAVEL PURCHASED PRIOR TO GRANT APPROVAL.
Staff on fractional appointments
Academic staff on fractional appointments accrue eligibility for RSL on a pro rata basis. For
example, whereas the standard accrual is two months per calendar year, an employee on
0.5 FTE only accrues one month in a calendar year, having only worked the equivalent of six
months in that time. Because the accrual of eligibility is treated in this way, the grant is NOT
subject to a pro rata adjustment.
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Insurance
All University staff members travelling internationally on approved business (this includes
research and study leave) are entitled to University-funded travel insurance. Please see
https://www.victoria.ac.nz/staff/services-resources/finance/insurance/travel. If you are
unsure whether your travel is University authorised, email [email protected] or call
+64-4-463 6505 to arrange insurance cover.
Trans-Tasman travel is considered to be international travel and is covered by the
University’s travel insurance policy. Domestic travel is not covered.
Travel related to research and study leave or a secondment overseas will be fully covered by
travel insurance for the duration of the trip or the contract for the staff member, but not for
any accompanying family.
Annual leave
All applicants are expected to take at least the amount of annual leave accumulated during
the leave. This must be applied for in the HR Kiosk.
Administrative responsibilities
Before going on leave, applicants must ensure that:
• no assignments/extensions are outstanding;
• final grades have been lodged with the school Administrators;
• contact details are provided to the school;
• a copy of any travel booking has been sent to the Leave Committee Administrator
prior to travel.
Disbursement of Grant
No expenses should be incurred prior to grant approval; the University will not make
reimbursement in such cases.
When a grant has been approved and established, airfares may be booked and confirmed
and conference fees may be paid and claimed. Again, all travel should be booked through
APX New Zealand, which bills the University directly using grant information supplied by the
grant holder. Any remaining monies left in the grant require receipts in support of an
expenses claim, which is usually made following your return from the conference. In order
to claim per diem, receipts must be produced as evidence of expenditure.
Please ensure that you quote or note the grant number (sometimes termed the project
number), award and cost centre when completing anything to do with the accounting
process; i.e. when booking travel or making a claim against a grant. Your specific
grant/project number (6 digits) will be set up by the Research Trust (RT) grants
administrator with two other codes: the Award type and the Cost Centre. This information is
included on the grant funding notification sent to applicants when a grant is established.
These numbers allow you to confirm travel payments and make claims against the grant.
You may also track your expenditure in Oracle GMS and you should therefore find it easier
to work within the approved budget for your project.
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When you complete a “Request for Reimbursement of Research Grant Expenses” form, you
need to enter the Award and Grant/Project number from the grant funding notification and
an Expenditure Type. The only expenditure type for RSL grants is Travel and
Accommodation. Your request for reimbursement must be signed off by Joan Harvey,
Finance Advisor.
Financial responsibility
Responsibility for operating within the amount granted lies with the grant holder. Funds
cannot be used for purposes other than those approved by the Committee, without the
prior approval of the Convenor. Payments will be limited to the amount granted. If a grant is
overspent, it will be the responsibility of the staff member to pay back the excess amount.
All original receipts should be kept in order to claim reimbursement. Printouts of internet
transactions or photocopies of credit card statements are not acceptable. Victoria PurchaseCard transactions pertaining to your grant need to be coded for Central Finance at least one
month before your grant closes.
Your grant has a start date and an end date which are determined by the Committee
Administrator. Grants expiring before 31 December must be submitted before the Christmas
closedown to ensure payment.
Victoria Purchase-Card transactions pertaining to your grant need to be coded for Central
Finance at least one month before your grant closes.
Variations to RSL plans
RSL is approved on the basis of the application approved by the Joint Leave Committee, in
respect of dates, arrangements for travel, access to other institutions, publication record,
research programme and anticipated outcomes. Please note that any substantial variation
requires the approval of the Leave Committee; all variations should be notified to the Leave
Committee Administrator and the leave shepherd by email.
With the approval of your Head of School, you may vary the start and finish dates by up to
one week at your own discretion. Variations to start and finish dates of more than one week
must be approved by the Leave Committee. Please notify the Leave Committee
Administrator as early as possible.
With the approval of your Head of School, you may vary your overseas travel by up to one
week at your own discretion. Substantial variations to overseas travel of more than one
week must be approved by the Leave Committee. All variations should be notified in writing.
Note: the leave report you are required to submit on your return from leave is expected to
reflect the content of the approved application and detail any variation to the original. The
calculation of your grant is based on the approved travel proposal. Substantial variation to
leave dates or to overseas travel may require some recalculation of the grant and should be
confirmed by the Leave Committee as soon as the need for a change is known.
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Further information
For more information contact the Convenor or the Administrator of the Joint Leave
Committee.
Convenor:
Sarah Leggott
Deputy PVC
[email protected]
Phone 463 6447
Room 312A, Murphy Building
Administrator:
Phillipa Mulligan
Joint Leave Committee Administrator
[email protected]
Phone 463 5236
Room 309, Murphy Building
Personal security – international travel
The University provides security information via SOS International. Prior to departure,
travellers should view the International SOS (ISOS) website to obtain detailed information
on the countries they are intending to travel to visit:
www.internationalsos.com/members_home/login/login.cfm?CFID=986460&CFTOKEN=7834
3381.
The University login is 25ACPA000013.
ISOS specialise in advice on health and security related issues and provide up to date
information on over 190 countries from their website. They also undertake emergency
evacuations from countries where security issues have become extreme and provide
assistance when urgent medical care may be required. It is also worthwhile registering your
trip with www.safetravel.govt.nz.
Leave Reporting
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On return from leave each staff member is required to provide report to the JLC no later
than three months after the return from leave setting out the way in which the leave has
been spent. A guideline is available to ensure the report conforms to an established plan to
ensure consistency in reporting as approved reports are published in the (M:) Common\
Joint Leave Committee\Approved Leave Reports folder. In the first instance leave reports
should be sent in draft to the leave shepherd and not submitted in Oracle.
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