The work of Departments/Divisions is enhanced by the involvement and collaboration of non-employees in the Department/Division’s activities. To recognise the association, the College may confer a honorary or visiting title on a non-employee during the period of their association.
The title to be conferred will depend on the level of distinction and qualification of the candidate.
Honorary academic associations
Guidance
- Honorary academic titles for non employees
- Visiting Researcher associations
- Requesting Honorary Associations
- Extension of Honorary Association
- Ending an Honorary Association
- Senior Research Investigators
The work of Departments/Divisions is enhanced by the involvement and collaboration of non-employees in the Department/Division’s activities. To recognise the association, the College may confer an honorary title on a non-employee during the period of their association. An honorary title may not be conferred on an employee of the College.
The title to be conferred will depend on the level of distinction and qualification of the candidate.
Applications should come from the Head of Department/Division with:
- a copy of the person’s CV
- a citation that should include:
- a description of contributions to teaching
- research being undertaken with academic staff as evidenced by joint publications/research projects and research grants or contracts being held jointly or a significant involvement in industry/academic joint activities within the College
- rationale for offering the association
- the start date and end date of the association
Honorary titles are intended to recognise on going attachments and are awarded for a fixed term, normally up to five years in the first instance. For Visiting Professors and Readers the initial association is normally for up to three years.
The following table details the criteria for using honorary titles.
Any requests for honorary titles other than those set out within the table below must be discussed and agreed with the Faculty Dean/Director or Deputy Director of HR for academic and professional roles.
The Academic Visitor title may be used for informal arrangements for a limited period (up to one year) defined at the start of the visit. These are managed by the Host Department using the associated Contingent Worker record type. Please use the internal Departmental guidance on setup.
| Approved Honorary Title | Criteria | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Honorary Senior Lecturer | Must continue in teaching, research or joint industry/academic activity | Awarded to those not employed by the College (including retired academic staff) |
| Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer | Must continue in teaching, research or joint industry/academic activity to an appropriately high level, usually at a University Hospital or hub GP practice. Will normally hold a consultant post within a Trust | Awarded to those not employed by the College (including retired academic staff) |
| Honorary Lecturer | Must continue in teaching, research or joint industry/academic activity to an appropriately high level | Awarded to those not employed by the College (including retired academic staff) |
| Honorary Clinical Lecturer | Must continue in teaching, research or joint industry/academic activity to an appropriately high level, usually at a University Hospital. They will normally hold a Specialist Registrar post within a Trust | Awarded to those not employed by the College (including retired academic staff) |
| Honorary Teaching Fellow | NHS consultants involved in teaching including those at outlying hospitals | The honorary academic title for NHS consultants whose participation in academic activity is only of intermittent or limited nature |
| Honorary GP Teaching Fellow | The honorary academic title for GPs whose participation in academic activity is being assessed for possible award of the title of Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer | |
| Honorary Practice Fellow | May be conferred on executives, entrepreneurs, innovators or experts whose connection to the College is considered appropriate. | Awarded to those who contribute to the Business School (primarily) by sharing their significant knowledge of the practice of management, innovation and entrepreneurship, or finance. Typical contributions may include teaching single sessions or entire modules, supervision and coaching of student projects, membership in advisory boards or any other type of advisory role, or facilitation of research projects. The position is non-remunerated, and awarded for a period of three years (renewable). |
| Visiting Professor | Person of distinction, whose connection to the College is considered appropriate. Will usually be a Professor who works at another institution | Duties will include teaching and/or research |
| Visiting Reader | Person of distinction, whose connection to the College is considered appropriate. Will usually be a Reader who works at another institution | Duties will include teaching and/or research |
| Emeritus Professor / Reader | May be awarded on retirement from the College and is given in recognition and appreciation of past service to the College and to the specialist subject area | No remuneration is attached to the award and there is no expectation on the College's part for the delivery of specific tasks or objectives |
| Distinguished Research Fellow | Must be a retired member of the senior academic staff. The title is reserved for those who continue to undertake a degree of research-related activities on behalf of the Department/Division or will continue to contribute to research. |
No remuneration is attached. This title may be given in addition to titles of Emeritus Professor or Reader, but NOT in addition to Senior Research Investigator or Visiting Professor or Reader. |
| Honorary Senior Research Officer | Evidence of outstanding ability and a high level of responsibility evidenced by publication, design and other appropriate means, size of research project/facility, significant independence of action. | |
| Honorary Research Officer | The career grade, with degree or equivalent qualification; responsible for major research facility , the operation of which requires a knowledge at academic level | |
| Honorary Clinical Research Fellow | Clinicians taking a period of research where not employed by IC. Would normally hold a Specialist Registrar post within a Trust. | Normally below Consultant level |
| Honorary Principal Research Fellow | Will have made an outstanding contribution to teaching and research | Equivalent to Professorial status |
| Honorary Senior Research Fellow | Extensive research experience required, the quality of which is determined by refereed publications, invitation to speak at conferences, hold an established national reputation and a known or developing international reputation. Have the ability to attract significant external research funding. Will usually lead a team of other research staff, possible drawn from several disciplines | Broadly equivalent to Senior Lecturer/Reader |
| Honorary Research Fellow | Proven ability of high quality research, evidenced by authorship of a range of publications. Capable of attracting external research funding. May be required to undertake project management and/or supervise teams and other research staff; expected to provide expert advice and guidance to others | Broadly equivalent to Lecturer |
| Honorary Research Associate | The career grade for research staff. Required to produce independent original research and to take initiatives in planning of research. May direct a small team and advise staff and students | Normally post-doctoral level |
| Honorary Clinical Research Associate | A clinical honorary association which recognises and facilitates the College activities of Academic Clinical Fellows who work within Faculty departments as part of their clinical academic training and who hold a doctoral degree. | |
| Honorary Clinical Research Assistant | A clinical honorary association which recognises and facilitates the College activities of Academic Foundation Trainees and Academic Clinical Fellows who work within Faculty departments as part of their clinical academic training. | |
| Requests for honorary titles other than those set out within this table below must be discussed and agreed with the Faculty Dean/Director or Deputy Director of HR for academic and professional roles. | ||
A Visiting Researcher is usually someone who has requested, or is asked to come to the College, to observe projects the College are undertaking that are relevant to their field of study or research. They are not employees of the College and are not afforded the same rights and privileges as employees or other visiting academics.
A Visiting Researcher should never receive any form of remuneration. As they are not undertaking any form of paid work they do not require a work permit for the period they are in the College.
A Visiting Researcher association can be granted from anything up to maximum of 12 months. Any further extension requests or requests for a longer period than 12 months should be considered under the honorary and visiting association procedures.
A request to grant an individual Visiting Researcher status should come from the Division with the Request for a Visiting Researcher completed and a copy of the individual's CV attached.
This request should be sent honoraryassociations@imperial.ac.uk. HR will confirm the association in writing to the Visiting Researcher.
Visiting Researchers do not need to be health cleared but can be provided with the clinical services by Occupational Health if required i.e. if undertaking duties in a laboratory environment. A risk assessment should be carried out to determine the need for inoculation against Hepatitis B, or any other immunisation that may be needed. If this is the case, they should attend Occupational Health for vaccination or if they need access to Biological Services Unit they will come to the South Kensington.
Request for an Honorary Association
Form to use to action the request
- Email and associated documents from HoD
Information to include in your request
From Head of Department/Division, and should include:
- a copy of the person’s CV and
- a copy of the person's passport and visa
- a completed Request for an Honorary Association (Detailing DoB of the person, Start and end date of the association, etc)
- a citation
- rationale for offering the association
- ATAS information: the assessment for ATAS requirement is enclosed in the request form and must be completed.
Please be aware that the section labelled "For Faculty of Medicine Clinical Association use only" can be left blank if not applicable to the requested association or faculty.
How you will know the work has been completed
- Offer sent to individual, copy to requesters.
Submit your request
- All relevant request and additional forms should be emailed to honoraryassociations@imperial.ac.uk
To extend an existing honorary association you should use the online Extension of Honorary Association form on the HR Portal. Please note that access to this online form is limited to nominated Trusted Requesters from each academic department. The list of Trusted Requesters is managed by the HR Systems team, please contact them at hricisinfo@imperial.ac.uk if you would like to add or remove a Trusted Requester.
To formally end an honorary association with the College, academic departments should use the online End of Honorary Association form on the HR Portal. Please note that access to this online form is limited to nominated Trusted Requesters from each academic department. The list of Trusted Requesters is managed by the HR Systems team, please contact them at hricisinfo@imperial.ac.uk if you would like to add or remove a Trusted Requester.
The title of Senior Research Investigator (SRI) is available to senior academic staff who are interested in continuing an association with the College following full retirement from the College or another Higher Education Institution and with whom the College wishes to retain a collaborative relationship. The SRI will be research active with their research being of sufficient quality and quantity to be returned in the Research Excellence Framework (REF).
Staff guidance
- You will be able to apply for research grants and contracts as a named principal investigator subject to the regulations specified by the Research Councils, or other sponsors, and College procedures.
- With the agreement of the Head of Department/Division you will be able to supervise research students, again subject to the normal College procedures governing the appointment of supervisors.
- You will provide expert advice internally and externally
- You will publish research and receive support for your research at the College. This support may take the form of access to equipment, facilities and resources that will be agreed in advance with the Head of Department/Division.
- You will be employed for one day per week (0.2 FTE) on a day of your choice. With effect from the 1 August 2019 local pay award, the annual rate of pay will be annually adjusted.
- You are able to apply for advertised roles at the College or another HEI on the basis that, if you are in a College pension scheme, you meet the short break in service requirement (normally one month) required by the scheme prior to re-employment. Please see the College’s for further information.
- You are entitled to receive College benefits in line with other College staff. This includes an annual leave entitlement of five holiday days and three mandatory days.
Managers guidance
- Appointment of a Senior Research Investigator (SRI) may only be made following full retirement from the College or another Higher Education Institution. However, they may be employed elsewhere provided their current employer has given permission for them to undertake research with the College.
- Whilst employed as a SRI, individuals are able to apply for advertised roles at the College or another HEI on the basis that, if the individual is a member of a College pension scheme, they meet the short break in service requirement (normally one month) as required by the scheme prior to re-employment.
- Contracts are normally issued on an annual basis, as a one year fixed-term appointment. Appointments made for two years or longer will incur statutory redundancy pay costs at the end of appointment. There must be a seven-day break in service (Sunday - Saturday) between the end of an individual’s current employment and the start of the new SRI contract. Additionally, where the current employment ends in retirement (and the member of staff is in a College pension scheme), the one calendar month break in service mentioned above will apply.
- Employment will be for one day per week (0.2 FTE) on a day of the SRI’s choice or by a mutually agreed, flexible arrangement. If an SRI is not being returned in the REF, the stipulation around 0.2 FTE will not apply.
- With effect from the 1 August 2019 local pay award, the rate of pay will be adjusted annually.
- To ensure compliance with the pay rate, the salaries of all SRI’s will be reviewed annually.
- SRIs are included as part of the College’s annual pay relativity exercise and your department will be required to review the SRI’s contribution along with other staff in the normal manner.
- SRIs may be given an Emeritus title but may not be offered association as a Distinguished Research Fellow or Visiting Professor/Reader
What are the roles and responsibilities of a Senior Research Investigator?
- They will be able to apply for research grants and contracts as a named principal investigator subject to the regulations specified by the Research Councils, or other sponsors, and College procedures.
- With the agreement of the Head of Department/Division they will be able to supervise research students, again subject to the normal College procedures governing the appointment of supervisors.
- They will provide expert advice internally and externally.
- They will publish research and receive support for their research at the College. This may be in the form of access to equipment, facilities and resources and will be as agreed in advance with the Head of Department/Division.
How does my department appoint an SRI?
Before an offer of appointment is made, the Head of Department should agree with the individual:
- whether they will be able to take leave during their working time or whether this is not possible and instead they will be paid an additional amount in respect of this
- What research-related activities will be undertaken
- What support in terms of access to equipment, facilities and resources will be provided
The last two bullet points set out above should be to confirm:
To request an appointment, the Head of Department should contact their local HR team and provide them with
- an up-to-date copy of the individual’s curriculum vitae
- a list of publications
- a supporting statement giving their justifications for the appointment
- the dates of appointment
- the preferred annual leave option
- evidence of eligibility to work (where the individual is not a current College employee or has a restricted entitlement to work in the UK)
Please note that there must be a seven-day break in service (Sunday - Saturday) between the end of an individual’s current employment and the start of the new SRI contract. Additionally, where the current employment ends in retirement (and the member of staff is in a College pension scheme), a short break in service (usually one calendar month) will be required.
Accessibility
If you have any usability or accessibility issues, please contact our team at honoraryassociations@imperial.com.
Request forms for associations
Please review all guidance and policies before making a request.
Request forms and additional documentation should be emailed to the Honorary and Visiting Researcher inbox.