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Startup packages and research funding for tenure-track positions?

In our newest "how can we help you?" thread, a reader writes:

Would people hired into a TT position in the last few cycles be willing to anonymously share the details of their initial start-up packages/research funds along with the type of institution they are employed at (e.g., tiny SLAC, highly ranked R1, and so on?). It would be helpful to post what level of research funds (if any) are available to faculty on a yearly basis as well as the details of the startup funds in particular.

I ask because we are approaching job negotiating season for the lucky few, and I think it would be useful for new hires to have some sense of the range of packages currently being offered to philosophers since there might be room for negotiation around these numbers. I don't actually know what my own institution is currently offering new hires, let alone what other institutions are offering, and this makes it challenging for me to be a good advocate for them.

I recognize that such a thread might lead to envy or pain, especially for those who haven't yet secured a TT position, or have a tenure-stream position with no research funds or start-up packages. But I think the downsides of such a thread may be outweighed by the good of giving more people insight into what various types of institutions are currently offering TT philosophers.

For what it's worth (though maybe I'm wrong), I suspect start-up packages and research funds may only really "be a thing" at research institutions. But I'm curious to hear from readers.

If you were recently hired TT, did you get a start-up package? Do you have research funds? If so (or if not!), what kind of institution do you work at? And if you do have a start-up package and/or research funds, what are they like?

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19 responses to “Startup packages and research funding for tenure-track positions?”

  1. Lucky Ducky

    “For what it’s worth (though maybe I’m wrong), I suspect start-up packages and research funds may only really “be a thing” at research institutions.”
    You’re wrong Marcus! My (well-to-do, highly ranked) SLAC has a standard research account for all TT faculty (2.5k per year) and people definitely negotiate additional start-up funds (a one time 10k bump for a humanities person is not unheard of).

    Reply
  2. Nick Byrd

    Here’s a form to anonymously submit information like salary and startup: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNjbozEO6aAIPv1Oc1Sk1BDvSROjK2feV1pvpzUYc6h2ZHeA/viewform?usp=sf_link
    I just added the startup fields (initial and accepted amounts). I also added an initial salary offer question.
    You can see the data from about 190 submissions (so far) after you complete the form.

    Reply
  3. Junior fac

    Negotiations began at 15k for startup, reasonable conference travel covered, 2 course releases that could be used during the same semester (middle of the pack R1)

    Reply
  4. Anonymous

    Canadian equivalent of R1. Got $15k start up.

    Reply
  5. doctopus

    I work at a regional comprehensive that would very much be considered a “teaching school.” Faculty here normally teach a 4/4 and get $500/year for conference travel. For startup I negotiated a 3/3 and $2,000/year travel for the first three years.

    Reply
  6. R2

    R2 with only an undergraduate program: no research funds, 1.5k per year for conference travel, and 1k start-up funds but only for conference travel (so basically a little extra money for travel in my first two years).

    Reply
  7. Humanati

    Private University, R1, tenured position, 1 course release first year on the job, salary 120k, research start-up 20k, yearly research funds ~4k (only come into play after 20k start-up is used up).

    Reply
  8. also lucky!

    I’m also at a well off, highly ranked SLAC. I was only able to negotiate up 1k on the base salary, but negotiated about 12k in startup funds. I feel very fortunate and I hope this info helps others with the negotiation process!

    Reply
  9. Tenured now

    Private R1, $5,000 in start up funds (not including computer or moving expenses, which were on top of this – I mention this because in my previous job at a public R2 I got $5k in startup funds, but my computer had to come out of this and I had the option of using it for moving costs), $5k per year in travel funds.

    Reply
  10. ED

    Middle of the pack R1 state school:
    8% salary bump, 18k extra in start-up funds, and 3 course releases for the first year.

    Reply
  11. 2022 SLAC

    Decently regarded SLAC in NY state:
    standard relocation allowance: $2000
    standard yearly research funds: $2000
    negotiated 4% salary bump for first year (had postdoc) and course release for second year (first year course release was already included in initial proposal). Turns out that had I pushed a little more, I could have negotiated a course release for third year too AND some further initial start-up funds.

    Reply
  12. public R1

    Top public R1, starting this year: 30k research account that is supposed to cover all research and travel expenses until tenure. Nothing promised for when this runs out, will have to be renegotiated at tenure.
    Course releases or junior sabbaticals weren’t on the table, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

    Reply
  13. UK Grad Student

    Nick Byrd – thanks for sending that form! Is it possible to gain access to the results without completing the form? (I am a doctoral student with no salary to report).

    Reply
  14. wow

    Thanks to those who have provided information. This largely explains why people at SLACs and R1s break away from the pack with respect to research productivity, relative to those hired by state colleges or forced to spend time in contingent positions. After 5 years of contingent positions, I landed my first TT at a four year state college. We generally got about $600 per year for travel, no re-location money, no course reductions, no pre-tenure sabbatical (no sabbitical until year 7, even if you came up for tenure early).
    Oddly, I managed to be productive. My work is cited 2500+ times, more than at least one endowed chair at an elite university.

    Reply
  15. sahpa

    Nick Byrd, may I ask the rationale for the ‘transparency’ project to only allow people to view the data who themselves have already secured a position and concluded negotiations? I would have thought that one of the main values of such a project is that it demystifies what’s askable, gettable, etc., especially for people who lack networks or personal experience. But with this setup, the data cannot help anyone with negotiating their first position, where it would presumably be most valuable.

    Reply
  16. New hire

    Just out of curiosity, what do people do with bigger startup packages? There are only so many interesting conferences to go to in a year, and if other big expenses (computer, relocation, budgets for on-campus speakers and events) are covered separately, I’m not sure what can most usefully be done with the rest.

    Reply
  17. old hire

    New hire
    you can sometimes buy books – I mean a lot of books. In principle, I think you could organize a workshop/mini-conference

    Reply
  18. Asst Prof

    Recently hired at a private R1 in the US with a PhD program. Every faculty member receives 5k per year in research funds. I also received a 40k startup fund, parceled out over 5 years.

    Reply
  19. Nick Byrd

    Hi again.
    1. Re: my “form to anonymously submit information like salary and startup”
    People who have not secured a faculty position (and therefore cannot contribute to our shared knowledge of Academic Salary information) can still find a copy of the dataset here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1F1_JnaGm-UcaEqP1HkjXSF_njURfDFSPdjKbOUeu-TE/edit?usp=sharing
    Once you land a faculty position, do return the favor by adding your information:
    2. For more information about startup ranges in other fields, here is a similarly-sized dataset just for Psychology faculty: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XWxDTIs6Ab2EjNb1AF9F79149_99DkJorSfiWLNvIFI/edit#gid=0 — the current maximum seems to be $1,200,000
    3. Someone asked, “what do people do with bigger startup packages?”
    Most faculty I know with larger startups use them to pay undergrads., grad. students, and/or postdocs., develop software for research and/or teaching, and pay for the costs associated with empirical work (e.g., paying participants, translators, etc.
    I wish you all well.

    Reply

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