The HEA has managed two national calls under the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative on behalf of DFHERIS. Following two competitive calls for applications, 20 posts were awarded to successful higher education institutions in 2020 and a further 10 posts were awarded in 2021. An additional seven posts were recommended for a reserve list under the second call in 2021 but were not funded due to government budgetary constraints in light of the COVID19 pandemic.
As per the Call document, funding will be provided by the HEA at the appropriate level for each post, for a period of 10 years after which time the higher education institution must incorporate them into the HEI pay budget. Higher education institutions that were awarded posts utilise their own recruitment and appointment processes so that these posts are subject to the same high standards of any HEI appointment at this level in the institution. The successful candidates recruited by each higher education institution are expected to be permanent employees of the HEI, under its normal terms and conditions. To date 25 of these posts have been recruited by higher education institutions in line with the requirements of the call.
At the request of the Minister, the HEA commissioned an independent evaluation of the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative in 2024. The evaluation report will be published shortly on the HEA website and includes recommendations for next steps and future improvements.
The question of funding is a matter for consideration as part of the wider Budget 2027 deliberations and will be announced in October in line with other budget decisions
