Faculty Start-Up Funds: Policies, Expectations, and Extension Guidance

Start-up funds are provided to support faculty as they establish their research programs and develop their tenure dossiers. Faculty are expected to use these funds strategically and in accordance with the terms of their employment contract and start-up agreement.

As we begin the academic year, we wanted to take a moment to share some reminders about the appropriate use of start-up funds and the process for requesting an extension.

Appropriate Use of Start-Up Funds

Start-up funds should be used for research-related expenses that support the faculty member’s research program and are consistent with the terms of the start-up award.

Examples may include:

• Research equipment and specialized research technology
• Research-related travel (see “Non-allowable Expenses” for exceptions)
• Research materials, supplies, and services
• Wages for graduate or undergraduate research assistants
• Summer salary, when appropriately justified and permitted under the start-up agreement
• Other research expenses specifically identified or justified as part of the faculty member’s start-up plan

Important: When student research assistant funding is specifically budgeted in a start-up plan, unused funds in that

HEETF Equipment

• Higher Education Equipment Trust Fund (HEETF) funding may be available as part of a start-up award when a faculty member’s equipment needs meet applicable HEETF guidelines.
• Unspent HEETF funds may not be reallocated to other start-up expense categories.

Computers, Tablets, and Other Technology

• The CAS Dean’s Office provides one computer for each faculty member. Start-up funds may be used to upgrade that computer when there is a legitimate research-related justification.
• Start-up funds may also support an additional computer when it is necessary for research. For example, a specialized computer required to operate research instrumentation or other specialized equipment.
• iPads and Tablets: A faculty member may use start-up funds to purchase one iPad or comparable tablet during the start-up funding period when the device has a substantive and specific connection to the faculty member’s teaching and/or research activities.

Examples of appropriate justifications may include:

• Creating or annotating mathematical, scientific, artistic, or other specialized figures
• Developing course materials or research materials that require handwritten or graphical input
• Participating in research collaborations where digital annotation, figures, or sketches are integral to the work
• Delivering research presentations or seminars where a tablet is necessary to create or annotate figures in real time
• Other research or teaching activities for which a tablet provides a meaningful functional advantage over the faculty member’s existing computer

Requests will be considered in light of the faculty member’s specific teaching and research needs and the ways in which the device would support their academic work. A tablet should not be used as a routine replacement for a university-provided computer or as an additional general-purpose device without a clear justification. Multiple requests for computers, tablets, or other personal technology during the start-up period may receive additional scrutiny to ensure that the purchases are necessary and consistent with the intended use of start-up funds.

Non-Allowable Expenses

Start-up funds are not intended to provide basic office infrastructure or routine departmental operating expenses.

• Office supplies: Routine office supplies should be provided through department funds. Departments are responsible for providing basic office supplies for all faculty.
• Standard office furniture: Start-up funds may not be used for standard desks, chairs, bookshelves, filing cabinets, or other basic office furniture. Departments are responsible for providing basic office furniture and infrastructure. An exception may be considered for lab-specific furniture or fixtures that are necessary for research activities, such as specialized laboratory cabinets, lab tables, or similar research-specific infrastructure.
• Multi-year memberships: Start-up funds may not be used for multi-year memberships or subscriptions, particularly when the commitment extends beyond the faculty member’s approved start-up funding period.
• Travel expenses other than the Faculty Member’s: Travel reimbursement is limited to the faculty member’s direct expenses and does not include collaborator expenses. Student travel expenses are only allowed when conducting/presenting the faculty member’s research.

Planning and Questions

Faculty should work with their Chair/Director and department administrator to monitor their start-up balance and plan expenditures throughout the funding period.

Questions regarding whether a proposed expense is an appropriate use of start-up funds should be addressed before the purchase is made. When an expense is unusual, particularly costly, or not clearly addressed by this guidance, faculty should work with their department administrator to seek approval from the Dean’s Office in advance.

The Dean’s Office will evaluate start-up expenditure requests based on the terms of the individual start-up award, the purpose of start-up funding, and the circumstances of the request.

Start-Up Funding Period and Expectations

• Start-up allocations generally provide three academic years of support for junior faculty research and related activities intended to support the development of the faculty member’s tenure dossier.
• Faculty should plan their expenditures with this three-year funding period in mind. A fourth year of access to start-up funds is an exception and should not be assumed or planned for as part of the initial start-up award.
• Faculty are encouraged to review their remaining balances regularly with their department administrator and plan purchases and research activities accordingly. Delaying appropriate expenditures in anticipation of receiving an extension is not an appropriate use of start-up funds or a basis for requesting an extension.

Extension Requests

• With appropriate justification and approval, start-up funds may be extended through the end of a faculty member’s fourth academic year.
• Requests for a fourth-year extension should generally be submitted in the spring of the third academic year, when the faculty member and Dean’s Office have a clearer understanding of the remaining balance and anticipated research needs.
• Requests submitted prior to the end of the third year, particularly requests made a year or more before the current funding period expires, generally will not be considered absent unusual circumstances.

A request for an extension should include:

• The remaining start-up balance and anticipated expenditures
• A clear explanation of why the funds could not reasonably be expended within the original three-year period
• A description of the research activities or expenses that will require additional time
• A proposed spending plan for the extension period

Please note: an extension is not automatic. Approval will depend on the circumstances of the request, the remaining balance, the terms of the faculty member’s start-up agreement, and the extent to which the proposed expenditures are consistent with the purpose of start-up funding.

Any extension beyond the fourth academic year requires additional Dean’s Office approval in consultation with the Senior Associate Dean of Finance & Administration.

Under no circumstances can start-up support be extended beyond the date on which a faculty member’s tenure dossier is submitted for review.

Questions and Support

Your department administrator is your first point of contact for questions regarding start-up funds and expenditures. Please continue to work with your department administrator to monitor your start-up balance, plan expenditures, and determine whether Dean’s Office guidance or approval is needed. Your department administrator will work with the Dean’s Office Fiscal Operations team as needed to address questions and provide additional guidance.