Astor Travel Fund

The fund provides grants towards the costs of visits to the USA, visitors from the USA and visiting lectureships

The Astor Travel Fund was established in 1984 following a generous gift from the Waldorf Astor Foundation. Since then, the fund has encouraged and supported collaboration between the University's academic and academic-related staff with laboratories, hospitals, libraries and similar institutions with the USA, to enhance teaching and research. 

For the academic year 2024/25, the Astor Travel Fund awarded grants of more than £36,000, which supported visits from colleagues in the USA, including:

Reports from the host departments detailing the collaboration and activities undertaken during these visits can be viewed by clicking on the name of the visitor above.

In addition to the colleagues who visited Oxford, the Astor Travel Fund also awarded grants for colleagues from Oxford to visit:

  • NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre;
  • George Washington University;
  • University of South Carolina;
  • University of Texas at Austin;
  • Boston College.

Details of the three schemes supported by the Astor Travel Fund are outlined below.

The Astor Travel Fund provides grants towards the cost of visits by members of the University's academic and academic-related staff to laboratories, hospitals, libraries and similar institutions within the USA, which will enhance their teaching and research.  Grants may cover reasonable transatlantic airfares (economy/standard), internal travel, accommodation and subsistence within the USA.  Grants may not be used to cover the cost of conference attendance but may be used to facilitate other travel and subsistence in the USA on the occasion of a conference visit.  Grants are usually awarded to help fund short visits, but applications for funds towards longer visits are not excluded.  The maximum award is £1,500.

 

Applications may be made by members of the University's academic and academic-related staff (including Post Doctoral Research Assistants and Junior Research Fellows).  Applications are considered in open competition.  

 

Priority will be given to applicants who are:

  • employees of the University, related institutions, or colleges and/or eligible to be members of a faculty of the University, and
  • have not received grants from the fund within the two years preceding their application 

Retrospective grants will only be made in exceptional circumstances.

 

It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that one referee (a senior member of the applicant's department or faculty currently in post) writes in confidence to the Secretary of the Board of Management by the closing date for applications.

 

Download an application form here.

 

 

Grants may be provided to enable distinguished scholars and scientists from the USA to visit the University to lecture and carry out research.  It is normally expected that such visitors should contribute to established research programmes.  Applications should be made by member's of the University's academic staff and are considered on a competitive basis.

 

Grants for such visits may be used for reasonable transatlantic airfare (economy/standard), internal travel and subsistence/accommodation within the UK.  Visitors are usually expected to be accommodation within the University at academic rates.  The maximum award is £1,500.  The responsibility for arranging visits, including the fulfilment of any legal obligations such as visa requirements, lies with the host department in all cases. 

 

Download an application form here. 

 

Astor Visiting Lectureships provide funding for visits by distinguished academics from the United States for up to one week.  Funding covers reasonable transatlantic airfares (ie. economy or standard), internal travel, accommodation, subsistence and an honorarium of £1,000, subject to a maximum of £3,000 (including honorarium).

 

Heads of Division are invited once a year during Michaelmas Term to apply for lectureships taking place the following calendar years.  Applications are accepted only from Heads of Division.

 

The responsibility for arranging visits, including the fulfilment of any legal obligations such as visa requirements, lies with the host department in all cases.

The Astor Lectureship provides an honorarium of £500 for distinguised academics from the United States to engage in a series of virtual events, to include: a lecture and time spent closely interacting with the hosting department, in a remote capacity, for up to one week.

 

Heads of Division are invited once a year during Michaelmas Term to apply for lectureships taking place the following calendar years.  Applications are accepted only from Heads of Division.

 

The responsibility for arranging visits, including the fulfilment of any legal obligations such as visa requirements, lies with the host department in all cases.

 

A completed application form (and for scheme (i), a supporting reference) should be sent to the Secretary to the Board of Management by email. 

The closing date for grants for schemes (i) and (ii) above for the academic year 2026-27 is Friday 30th October 2026. The Astor Travel Fund Board of Management will meet in November 2026 to review applications submitted by the closing date.

For schemes (i) and (ii) please submit your completed application form and reference (scheme (i) only) to trusts@admin.ox.ac.uk by the closing date.

For schemes (iii) and (iv) please liaise with your Head of Administration and Finance who will receive details of the application process in early September.

 

 

Contact us

Secretary to the Board of Management

Trusts Administration Team

University Offices

Wellington Square

Oxford

trusts@admin.ox.ac.uk

Application Forms