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Is there funding for STEP?

 

Each university and college in Scotland will receive £3000 of funding to support engagement with STEP in session 2024-25. QAA Scotland has contracted with a key quality contact in each institution.

Each institution will determine how this funding can best be used to support engagement with STEP, but here are some indicative uses:

  • To cover travel and subsistence for attendance of STEP Network members, or alternative institutional representatives, at Discovery Days or other in-person STEP events (excluding in-person meetings of the other governance groups)
  • To support the creation and implementation of internal mechanisms to embed STEP institutionally, such as an institutional STEP Team
  • To recognise student contribution in engaging with STEP work, such as working on project proposal development outside of Discovery Days
  • To run internal events to raise awareness of STEP and the STEP topic, such as staff and student conferences or workshops
  • To support institutional work relating to the STEP topic.

An additional £100 is to be paid to each student member of the STEP Network for attendance at each of the Discovery Days (totalling £400 per student member over the first year). This will be paid to the institution along with the £3000, and it is the responsibility of each institution to pay their student STEP Network members directly (recognising that there may be different mechanisms for doing this in different institutions). If this level of funding is insufficient, you can use some of your £3000 to provide additional support.

 

Claiming the funds

QAA has issued a contract to each institution for £3,400. £2,000 of funds was paid upon receipt of a copy of this contract signed by Principal/VC or equivalent, and submission of an invoice to QAA. A further £1,400 will be paid on receipt of a completed evaluation report, outlining institutional engagement with STEP in year 1. A template for this report has been made available, and the completed template should be returned to QAA by 30 June 2025.