Dear postgraduate researchers,

We are writing with an important update on various matters related to the coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak and the University’s response to it. Not all sections of this message are relevant to all PGRs, so please read carefully those parts that apply to you, and discuss them with your supervisor or Faculty Graduate School if you need advice. We have also updated the PGR FAQs page( https://coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk/student-advice/postgraduate-researcher-faqs/ ) on the University’s coronavirus website to reflect this new information. Please bear in mind, however, that the University is closed for the Bank Holiday on Friday 8 May, so staff may not be able to respond until we reopen on Monday 11 May.

In recognition of the potential disturbance to the usual timelines for PGR study caused by the current situation, we have agreed to waive the overtime year fee for all PGRs whose overtime year fee would normally be due in October 2020. You do not need to apply for this fee waiver: it will be applied automatically.

We have already indicated that we will treat sympathetically all extension requests from PGRs whose work has been affected by the coronavirus. By this, we mean that no reasonable request for additional time to complete your PhD will be turned down. At Leeds, we normally only accept extension requests within three months of the end of the standard time period for your candidature (as stated on your offer letter). This is still our preferred approach, but if you wish to flag that you anticipate that an extension will be needed, you can do this now via GRAD. Please contact your Faculty Graduate School if you need advice on how to do this.

If you are a final-year PGR with funding from the Wellcome Trust or one of the UK Research Councils, your funder should already have written to you to tell you about its plans to offer funded extensions of up to six months to enable you to complete your research. We will write to you individually within the next week with full details of how to apply. Please look out for this email as the deadlines are quite tight. The criteria for applying for funded extensions are set out below.

If you are a final-year PGR with a University of Leeds scholarship (whether a University scholarship, such as a Leeds Doctoral Scholarship, or a School or Faculty Scholarship) and your work has been significantly affected by the current situation, the University will also give you the opportunity to apply for a funded extension of up to six months to enable you to complete your research. You can apply using the usual extension request process in GRAD, but we will write to you individually within the next week with full details of how to apply.

If you are not a final-year PGR or do not have funding from either the University of Leeds, the Wellcome Trust or one of the UK Research Councils, we can still offer extensions of time (as set out above) but cannot offer funded extensions at the present time, although we are continuing to work with funders to explore what additional support might be available in future. The University has a Hardship Fund( https://coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk/student-advice/student-faqs/#hardship-fund ), to which you can apply if you need to, for help with covering any additional costs incurred due to the coronavirus outbreak.

If you are a first-year PGR approaching Transfer, please note that Transfer meetings will be taking place online until further notice. We are not recommending delaying Transfer unless this is really necessary, but we acknowledge that some flexibility over both timing and the quantity of work submitted will need to be applied. Scholarship-holders whose Transfer is delayed due to the coronavirus will continue to receive their stipend as usual. For more information about adaptations to the Transfer process, see the FAQ about Transfers on the coronavirus website( https://coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk/student-advice/postgraduate-researcher-faqs/#transfer-viva ). For our policy on the video-streaming of Transfer vivas, see the FAQ on final vivas on the coronavirus website( https://coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk/student-advice/postgraduate-researcher-faqs/#final-viva ).

If you are approaching your First Formal Progress Review or other Annual Progress Monitoring meeting, please use this process as an opportunity to register the impact on your work of the current situation and to discuss how the impact might be mitigated with your supervisors and independent assessor or Director of PGR Studies.

Finally, we wanted to let you know that the University is working on its arrangements for the eventual reopening of the campus, once it is safe to do so. See the email sent to staff today (Friday 7 May) for further information( https://coronavirus.leeds.ac.uk/staff-advice/staff-communications/ ).

We hope that the information in this email brings some reassurance that the University is doing all it can to support you to complete your PhD successfully. We continue to be available via supervisors, Directors of PGR Studies, Faculty Graduate Schools and the Leeds Doctoral College to provide support and advice wherever needed. Please don’t hesitate to contact any of us via the usual channels if we can be of any assistance.

With our best wishes,

Professor Lisa Roberts Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation

Professor Claire Honess Dean of the Leeds Doctoral College

Appendix: Applications for funded extensions

Applications for funded extensions (for Research Council, Wellcome Trust and University of Leeds funded PGRs) will be considered against the following criteria:

1. Applications for funded extensions must be evidence based and must be supported by the supervisors and signed off by the Executive Dean of the Faculty.
2. Eligible applications must meet at least one of the following criteria: •the PGR has been redeployed to work on coronavirus-related research or other actions; •critical activities for the research have been significantly postponed, where alternatives are not available and the impact cannot be mitigated; •the PGR has had to take on additional coronavirus-related caring responsibilities.
3. The coronavirus-related impact must have occurred within the funded period of the scholarship (those already in their overtime year may not apply).
4. Applications should normally only be made within three months from the end of the funded period (unless an earlier deadline is imposed by an external funder).
5. Extensions are exclusively intended to allow PGRs to complete their doctoral work (theses should be submitted as soon as they are ready for examination).
6. PGRs should use existing procedures (e.g. for sick leave, compassionate leave and the lack of availability of supervisors) wherever relevant.