We’re sympathetic to those applicants who have caring responsibilities – many members of our own staff also have these same responsibilities and commitments. Delivering a major programme such as the Multi-Year Fund is always a challenge in terms of when it happens and how long it needs to run to ensure both applicants and assessors have the time needed, alongside the fund having the time required to fit in with agreed delivery timescales.
What we’ve tried to do is give all applicants clear information about the timelines, as early as possible, so that they can plan accordingly. In July 2023 we published the overall timeline for the fund delivery – and we’ve upheld all aspects of that timeline. For Stage 2 specifically, we published the supplementary guidance for Stage 2 as scheduled on 17 January 2024, 7 weeks before the Stage 2 fund opened, and 14 weeks before the fund deadline.