Research Grants & Contracts Office

1. Research Grants & Contracts Office ASM briefing Research Funding & Full Economic Costing February 2010

2. Agenda • Brief intro on research projects and the Research Grants & Contracts Office • Research Funders • Full Economic Costing

3. Characteristics of Research Projects • Specific objectives and aims; to carry out a piece or programme of research • Fixed or maximum budget • Defined time period • Linked to research outputs or deliverables • Grants vs Contracts

4. Research Grants & Contracts Office (RGCO) • The RGCO, part of Finance Dept, provides administrative, financial and support services related to externally funded research projects • Pre award: funding information, help with applications, approval, contract negotiation • Post award: project accounting, approval of posts, allocation of overheads, financial reporting, contracts with partners • Policy development • Management information • Training and events

5. Research Grants & Contracts Office structure Peter Westley Director of Finance Liz Francis Head of RGCO Theresa Ball Costing & Pricing Accountant Craig Bryce Deputy Head Sharon Bell Research Accounts Officer George Eyre Research Support Officer Rassi Pelpola Research Accounts Assistant Marion Barthram Research Grants Assistant

6. Research Grants & Contracts Office structure Liz Francis Head of RGCO Theresa Ball Costing & Pricing Accountant Craig Bryce Deputy Head Sharon Bell Research Accounts Officer George Eyre Research Support Officer Rassi Pelpola Research Accounts Assistant Marion Barthram Research Grants Assistant Funding Information

7. Research Grants & Contracts Office structure Liz Francis Head of RGCO Theresa Ball Costing & Pricing Accountant Craig Bryce Deputy Head Sharon Bell Research Accounts Officer George Eyre Research Support Officer Applications Rassi Pelpola Research Accounts Assistant Marion Barthram Research Grants Assistant

8. Research Grants & Contracts Office structure Liz Francis Head of RGCO Project Accounting Theresa Ball Costing & Pricing Accountant Craig Bryce Deputy Head Sharon Bell Research Accounts Officer George Eyre Research Support Officer Rassi Pelpola Research Accounts Assistant Marion Barthram Research Grants Assistant

9. Research Funding in Universities & The Dual Support System • The division of Government funding of research through Funding Councils (HEFCE), and Research Councils. • HEFCE provides core funding as block grants for infrastructure and research priorities – quality-related (QR) as informed by the RAE. • Research Councils provide grants to meet the costs of specific projects and programmes of research. • Other types of funders also provide project-based funding.

10. Research Funders • Funder types: • Research Councils: MRC, ESRC, AHRC etc. • UK Charities: Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme Trust • Other Government Departments, e.g. DCSF • Industrial / commercial clients: Cancer Research Technology Ltd • EU Govt & EU-based funders • Overseas & other

14. Typical types of awards • Project Grants – up to 3 years, project staff and research expenses • Programme awards – typically 5 years • Fellowship awards for applicant’s salary and research costs • Fellowship awards for replacement salary and research costs • Awards for certain types of costs only, most commonly research expenses

15. Full Economic Costing (FEC) • Introduced by the Government in Sept 2005 • Used as basis to cost research projects, but very few funders will pay 100% of FEC • Research Councils pay 80% of FEC • A lot of the terminology and rules on FEC are quoted using Research Council / HEFCE rules • Other funders pay according to their own terms and conditions

16. Cost (100% FEC)£389,176 Cost vs Price 36m Project: 1 FT Postdoc RA, 10% of Prof PI’s time, £10k consumables, £5k travel plus 1 PhD studentship. Based in a laboratory Price • Govt Dept / Industry • Research Council • EU • Charity £389,176 £323,293 £271,286 £208,358

17. What makes up FEC? • Directly Incurred (DI) costs • Directly Allocated (DA) costs • Indirect costs • Exceptional items

18. 1. Directly Incurred costs These are actual costs • Project dedicated staff: e.g. Research Assistants • Travel and subsistence • Consumables • New equipment, up to £50,000 *Research Councils allow virement between headings

19. DI Costs - Salary costs • Salary costs are the payroll cost to the College, inc. employers NI and pension, e.g. RES2 pt 31: • Annual Salary £30,747 • London Allow £2,922 • National Insurance £2,516 • Pension scheme £5,387 • TOTAL annual cost £41,572

20. DI costs - Non-salary costs • Travel and subsistence for fieldwork, visiting colleagues, other premises, conferences • Project workshops, meetings, dissemination • Office consumables (stationery etc) • Photocopying and printing • Post, phone, fax • Specialist books and journals • Computer software and consumables • Laboratory consumables/materials • Subscriptions • Equipment and any special adaptations needed for its use • Insurance and maintenance for special equipment • Advertising and recruitment of new posts • Casual/agency assistance – e.g. for data entry, transcription, translation • Consultants' fees or bought in services 

21. 2. Directly Allocated costs • PI costs*: based on max 1650hrs/yr • Estates costs: Premises costs, cost per FTE of academic and research staff, • Examples of current rates Feb ‘10; • Office - £5,449 • Laboratory – £10,069 • Hi-Spec Laboratory - £16,249 • Shared stafftime*, e.g. support staff who work across more than one project • Research Council’s do not allow DA costs to be vired *based on estimated costs, not actual

22. 3. Indirect Costs • Costs that are incurred by the College in providing the necessary infrastructure and support for the project. This includes central services such as recruitment, personnel, financial accounting and payroll services; central provision of libraries; computing services; committees; and departmental support. • cost per FTE of academic and research staff, currently £32,740

23. 4. Exceptions • Directly Incurred Costs that Research Councils fund at 100% of FEC • Student fees/Stipend • Equipment over £50k

30. Further information • www.bbk.ac.uk/rgco • Finance Dept Handbook for School Administrators • Funders’ websites • Contact us!