Astor Travel Fund

Details of the three schemes are outlined below.

The Astor Travel Fund provides grants towards the cost of visits by members of the University's academic and academic-related staff to laboratories, hospitals, libraries and similar institutions within the USA, which will enhance their teaching and research.  Grants may cover internal travel and subsistence within the USA, but can not be used for transatlantic travel.  Grants may not be used to cover the cost of conference attendance but may be used to facilitate other travel and subsistence in the USA on the occasion of a conference visit.  Grants are usually awarded to help fund short visits, but applications for funds towards longer visits are not excluded.  The maximum award is £1,500.

 

Applications may be made by members of the University's academic and academic-related staff (including Post Doctoral Research Assistants and Junior Research Fellows).  Applications are considered in open competition.  

 

Priority will be given to applicants who are:

  • employees of the University, related institutions, or colleges and/or eligible to be members of a faculty of the University, and
  • have not received grants from the fund within the two years preceding their application 

Retrospective grants will only be made in exceptional circumstances.

 

It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that one referee (a senior member of the applicant's department or faculty currently in post) writes in confidence to the Secretary of the Board of Management by the closing date for applications.

 

Download an application form here.

 

 

Grants may be provided to enable distinguished scholars and scientists from the USA to visit the University to lecture and carry out research.  It is normally expected that such visitors should contribute to established research programmes.  Applications should be made by member's of the University's academic staff and are considered on a competitive basis.

 

Grants for such visits may be used for internal travel and subsistence/accommodation within the UK, but can not be used for transatlantic travel.  Visitors are usually expected to be accommodation within the University at academic rates.  The maximum award is £1,500.  The responsibility for arranging visits, including the fulfilment of any legal obligations such as visa requirements, lies with the host department in all cases.

 

Download an application form here. 

 

Astor Visiting Lectureships provide funding for visits by distinguished academics from the United States for up to one week.  Funding covers reasonable transatlantic airfares (ie. economy or standard), internal travel, accommodation, subsistence and an honorarium of £1,000, subject to a maximum of £3,000 (including honorarium).

 

Heads of Division are invited once a year during Michaelmas Term to apply for lectureships taking place the following calendar years.  Applications are accepted only from Heads of Division.

 

The responsibility for arranging visits, including the fulfilment of any legal obligations such as visa requirements, lies with the host department in all cases.

The Astor Lectureship provides an honorarium of £500 for distinguised academics from the United States to engage in a series of virtual events, to include: a lecture and time spent closely interacting with the hosting department, in a remote capacity, for up to one week.

 

Heads of Division are invited once a year during Michaelmas Term to apply for lectureships taking place the following calendar years.  Applications are accepted only from Heads of Division.

 

The responsibility for arranging visits, including the fulfilment of any legal obligations such as visa requirements, lies with the host department in all cases.

 

Grants for schemes (i) and (ii) above are offered once a term and once in the Long Vacation.  A completed application form (and for scheme (i), a supporting reference) should be sent to the Secretary to the Board of Management by email, by the Friday of Week 3 of each term or by the last Friday in July. 

 

The closing dates for 2022-23 are:

 

Michaelmas Term Friday 28 October 2022
Hilary Term Friday 3 February 2023
Trinity Term Friday 12 May 2023
Long Vacation Friday 28 July 2023

 

 

The closing date for applications for Astor Visiting Lectureships and Astor Lectureships from Heads of Division is the Friday of Week 3 of Michaelmas term - Friday 29 October 2021.

 

 

Contact us


Secretary to the Board of Management

Trusts Administration Team

University Offices

Wellington Square

Oxford

trusts@admin.ox.ac.uk