Research Grants

1
Research Grants Contracts Office

• Research Funding
• Faculty of Lifelong Learning
• Liz Francis
• George Eyre

2
FLL Research Funding Workshop

• About research projects and the RGCO
• Submitting applications Help from RCGO, pFACT,
  Full Economic Costing
• Administering awards
• Birkbecks research projects

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
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

Applications
Liz Francis Head of RGCO
Craig Bryce Deputy Head
Sharon Bell Research Accounts Officer
George Eyre Research Support Officer
Rassi Pelpola Research Accounts Assistant
Marion Barthram Research Grants Assistant
8
Research Grants Contracts Office structure

Liz Francis Head of RGCO
Project Accounting
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
Funding Information

• Provision of advice and information about funding
  opportunities
• Email bulletin to academic and research staff on
  current funding opportunities
• Forthcoming deadlines and links to schemes on
  RGCO website
• Advice can be provided on an individual basis
• www.ResearchResearch.com
• Funders websites / visits from funding bodies

10
Help with Applications (1)

• Costing salaries and overhead-type costs
  completed on web-based costing system pFACT
• Internal approval done using workflow system on
  pFACT
• Electronic submission may need to set up an
  account, e.g Research Councils Joint Electronic
  Submission Je-S system
• Contractual arrangements, VAT
• Get the finances right contact Research Grants
  well before deadline

11
Help with Applications (2)

• Joint/Collaborative Research Grant Applications
  we can liaise with other institutions to get a
  proper costing for that institutions part in a
  joint grant application. But this does take more
  time than a non-collaborative research grant
  costing so please give the RGCO more time to
  process these types of applications. Proper
  quotes mean it is easier when an award is given
  to then pass on those costs to the collaborating
  institution.
• Outline Grant Applications if a grant
  application has costs written in into - it must
  be approved and approved by the College even if
  they are called outline grant applications. If
  they have no costs written in, they do not need
  to be approved by the College.

12
Full Economic Costing (FEC)

• Introduced by the Government in 2005
• Used as basis to cost research projects, but very
  few funders will pay 100 of FEC
• Research Councils pay 80 of FEC
• Other funders pay according to their own terms
  and conditions

13
What makes up FEC?

• Directly Incurred (DI) costs
• Directly Allocated (DA) costs
• Indirect costs
• Exceptional items e.g. project studentships
• Research Councils will pay 80 of DI, DA and
  Indirect Costs 100 of Exceptional Items

14
Directly Incurred costs

• Project dedicated staff e.g. Research Assistants
• Travel and subsistence
• Consumables
• New equipment, up to 50,000
• These are actual costs, can vire between
  headings

15
Directly Allocated costs

• PI costs based on max 1650hrs/yr
• Estates costs Premises costs, cost per FTE of
  academic and research staff, current rate for
  office-based research is 5,449
• Shared staff time, e.g. support staff who work
  across more than one project
• These are based on estimated costs, not actual
• Directly Allocated costs cannot be vired

16
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 33,208

17
Salary costs (1)

• Salary costs are the payroll cost to the College,
  inc. employers NI and pension, e.g. RES2 pt 31
• Annual Salary 30,594
• London Allow 2,907
• National Insurance 2,527
• Pension scheme 4,690
• TOTAL annual cost 40,718

18
Salary costs (2)

• What is the appropriate salary scale? May need to
  contact HR
• London Allowance?
• Full-time or part-time?
• Start and end dates?
• Incremental date (1 Oct)
• Which funder?
• Inflation?

19
Salary costs (3)

• Principal Co-investigators time
• Research Assistants
• Technical and Admin staff
• Hourly rates may apply for small grants School
  to advise
• Possible need for timesheets, e.g. EU

20
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

22
Approval of Applications

• As laid out in the Financial Regulations, all
  research applications need to go through an
  internal approval process prior to be submitted
  to a funder
• The approval stages are
• RGCO
• Head of School
• College Secretary/Director of Finance
• This is done using the pFACT system

23
Why have an approval system?

• Funders need to know that the project has the
  backing of the College, and that space/facilities
  will be made available should it be funded
• The College needs to know what activities its
  staff are engaging in
• Costs and commitments are properly controlled

24
http//pfact.bbk.ac.uk/login.aspx
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
Result of Application?

• If you are notified directly of the outcome of an
  application, please copy to the RGCO
• Details of all application outcomes kept on RGCO
  database
• All awards checked against the original
  application
• Successful applications an announcement letter
  is issued by RGCO giving details of the account
  code and budget

33
Approval of posts

• All appointments to posts funded by external
  research grants need to be approved by the RGCO,
  to check against award and budget available
• Requests for staff appointments are made by the
  grantholder/School to HR. The HR team then asks
  the RGCO for confirmation that there is
  sufficient funds in place for the appointment
  requested.

34
Project Accounting 1

• Day-to-day management of award is the
  grantholders responsibility
• School Administrators have access to online
  financial reports, must give these to the
  grantholder on a regular basis
• Coding and approving expenditure supplier
  invoices and expense claims
• Expenditure must relate to the project

35
(No Transcript)
36
(No Transcript)
37
Project Accounting 2 RGCO

• Quarterly reconciliation of expenditure on all
  grants
• Preparation on invoices, claims and statements
• Replies to queries about project finances
• Journal charges to account codes and allocation
  of academic staff and overheads to College
  School accounts
• Final reports to funders
• Closing accounts

38
Closing ProceduresFinal Reports

• Most funding bodies require award holders to
  submit final reports on their research projects,
  detailing both the outcomes of the research and
  the funds expended. Towards the end of each
  research grant/contract, the RGCO will issue a
  reminder to the award holder regarding the
  submission of their final report, and copy this
  to the School Administrator.
• Please ensure that award holders in your School
  submit these reports on time, as often there are
  financial penalties for late or missing reports.

39
Closing Procedures Project Accounting

• What happens if an award is under spent?
• Any funds remaining on the grant/contract at the
  end of the award will usually be returned to the
  funding body by RGCO unless the grant/contract is
  fixed price, or the rules of the funding body
  permit under spends to be retained. Where funds
  can be retained the RGCO will request a School
  account code from the School Administrator, to
  transfer the unspent funds to.

40
Closing Procedures Project Accounting

• What happens if an award is over spent?
• Expenditure in excess of awarded funds, or the
  charging of ineligible costs to research account
  codes is not permitted. Any overspends which do
  occur must be paid for from School funds the
  RGCO will request a School account code to
  transfer the overspend to. Note that this also
  applies to expenditure incurred outside the
  period of award.
• Please help us by responding promptly to requests
  for School codes, especially towards the end of
  the financial year.

41
07/08 Research projects

• Research Income 10,784,114
• 230 active research projects, throughout all
  Schools
• 78 of which were joint projects, 35 led by
  Birkbeck
• 60 different funding bodies

42
(No Transcript)
43
(No Transcript)
44
(No Transcript)
45
Research applications
46
(No Transcript)
47
(No Transcript)
48
(No Transcript)
49
(No Transcript)
50
Further information

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