Research Grants & Contracts Office

ASM briefingResearch Funding & Full Economic Costing

February 2010

Agenda

Brief intro on research projects and the Research Grants & Contracts Office

Research Funders Full Economic Costing

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

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

Research Grants & Contracts Office structure

Peter WestleyDirector of Finance

Liz FrancisHead of RGCO

Craig BryceDeputy Head

Sharon BellResearch Accounts Officer

Rassi PelpolaResearch Accounts Assistant

George EyreResearch Support

Officer

Marion BarthramResearch Grants

Assistant

Theresa BallCosting &

PricingAccountant

Research Grants & Contracts Office structure

Liz FrancisHead of RGCO

Craig BryceDeputy Head

Sharon BellResearch Accounts Officer

Rassi PelpolaResearch Accounts Assistant Marion Barthram

Research Grants Assistant

Funding Information

Theresa BallCosting &

PricingAccountantGeorge Eyre

Research Support Officer

Research Grants & Contracts Office structure

Liz FrancisHead of RGCO

Craig BryceDeputy Head

Sharon BellResearch Accounts Officer

Rassi PelpolaResearch Accounts Assistant

George EyreResearch Support

Officer

Marion BarthramResearch Grants

Assistant

Theresa BallCosting &

PricingAccountant

Applications

Research Grants & Contracts Office structure

Liz FrancisHead of RGCO

Craig BryceDeputy Head

Sharon BellResearch Accounts Officer

Rassi PelpolaResearch Accounts Assistant Marion Barthram

Research Grants Assistant

Project Accounting

Theresa BallCosting &

PricingAccountantGeorge Eyre

Research Support Officer

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.

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

RESEARCH INCOME 08/09

Charities19%

Govt/Health23%

Industry2%

Research Councils44%

Overseas4%

EU gov + other8%

Research Income by Funder

-

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

£000

's

OST Research Councils UK Based Charities UK Central Govt/Local Auth

UK Industry, Commerce EU Bodies Overseas & Other source

w ithout Sure Start

RESEARCH INCOME BY SCHOOL

 2004/

05  2005/

06  2006/

07  2007/

08  2008/

09  

FACULTY £000s % £000s % £000s % £000s % £000s %

SCIENCE                    

Biological & Chemical Sciences 455 5.0 339 3.4 250 2.4 207 1.9 127 1.2

Crystallography 2,764 30.5 3,006 30.0 2,903 27.5 3,397 31.5 4,054 37.6

Earth Sciences 53 0.6 45 0.4 98 0.9 203 1.9 168 1.6

Psychology 4,166 45.9 4,235 42.3 4,446 42.1 4,648 43.1 3,832 35.6

SOCIAL SCIENCE                    

Computer Sci & Info Systems 208 2.3 360 3.6 454 4.3 489 4.5 509 4.7

Economics, Maths & Statistics 116 1.3 169 1.7 200 1.9 224 2.1 291 2.7

Mgt & Org. Psychology 49 0.5 123 1.2 166 1.6 126 1.2 81 0.8

Geography 241 2.7 297 3.0 323 3.1 66 0.6 13 0.1

ARTS                    

English & Humanities 34 0.4 145 1.4 123 1.2 285 2.6 204 1.9

History, Classics & Arch’logy 524 5.8 586 5.9 739 7.0 532 4.9 424 3.9

Hist. of Art, Film & Visual Media 209 2.3 123 1.2 196 1.9 126 1.2 155 1.4

Langs, Linguistics & Culture 50 0.5 20 0.2 32 0.3 23 0.2 185 1.7

Law 80 0.9 136 1.4 42 0.4 11 0.1 18 0.2

Philosophy 44 0.5 52 0.5 117 1.1 39 0.4 29 0.3

Politics & Sociology 19 0.2 53 0.5 142 1.3 156 1.4 130 1.2

Psychosocial Studies                 219 2.0

CONTINUING EDUCATION 62 0.7 316 3.2 333 3.2 253 2.3 336 3.1

9,071 100 10,005 100 10,563 100 10,784 100 10,775 100

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

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

Cost vs Price

Cost (100% FEC) £389,176

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

What makes up FEC?

1. Directly Incurred (DI) costs 2. Directly Allocated (DA) costs3. Indirect costs4. Exceptional items

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

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

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 

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 staff time*, 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

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

4. Exceptions

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

EXAMPLE:

36m, 1 FT RA, 10% PI’s time, £10k cons, £5k travel, 1 PhD – lab based

FEC

DirectlyIncurred (DI)

ResearchAssistant

133,597

Consumables 10,000

Travel 5,000

Total DI 148,597

DirectlyAllocated (DA)

PrincipalInvestigator

27,704

Estates 39,015

Total DA 66,719

Indirect Costs 114,099

Exceptional Items

PGR Fees &Stipend

59,761

Total 389,176

EXAMPLE:

36m, 1 FT RA, 10% PI’s time, £10k cons, £5k travel , 1 PhD – lab based

FEC ResearchCouncil80% FEC

DirectlyIncurred (DI)

ResearchAssistant

133,597 106,878

Consumables 10,000 8,000

Travel 5,000 4,000

Total DI 148,597 118,878

DirectlyAllocated (DA)

PrincipalInvestigator

27,704 22,163

Estates 39,015 31,212

Total DA 66,719 53,375

Indirect Costs 114,099 91,279

Exceptional Items

PGR Fees &Stipend

59,761 59,761

Total 389,176 323,293

EXAMPLE:

36m, 1 FT RA, 10% PI’s time, £10k cons, £5k travel , 1 PhD – lab based

FEC ResearchCouncil80% FEC

EU -DA + PI + 20% overhead

DirectlyIncurred (DI)

ResearchAssistant

133,597 106,878 133,597

Consumables 10,000 8,000 10,000

Travel 5,000 4,000 5,000

Total DI 148,597 118,878 148,597

DirectlyAllocated (DA)

PrincipalInvestigator

27,704 22,163 27,704

Estates 39,015 31,212 0

Total DA 66,719 53,375 27,704

Indirect Costs 114,099 91,279 45,214

Exceptional Items

PGR Fees &Stipend

59,761 59,761 49,771

Total 389,176 323,293 271,286

EXAMPLE:

36m, 1 FT RA, 10% PI’s time, £10k cons, £5k travel, 1 PhD – lab based

FEC ResearchCouncil80% FEC

EU -DA + PI + 20% overhead

CharityDA costsonly

DirectlyIncurred (DI)

ResearchAssistant

133,597 106,878 133,597 133,597

Consumables 10,000 8,000 10,000 10,000

Travel 5,000 4,000 5,000 5,000

Total DI 148,597 118,878 148,597 148,597

DirectlyAllocated (DA)

PrincipalInvestigator

27,704 22,163 27,704 0

Estates 39,015 31,212 0 0

Total DA 66,719 53,375 27,704 0

Indirect Costs 114,099 91,279 45,214 0

Exceptional Items

PGR Fees 59,761 59,761 49,771 59,761

Total 389,176 323,293 271,286 208,358

EXAMPLE:

36m, 1 FT RA, 10% PI’s time, £10k cons, £5k travel, 1 PhD – lab based

FEC ResearchCouncil80% FEC

EU -DA + PI + 20% overhead

CharityDA costsonly

DirectlyIncurred (DI)

ResearchAssistant

133,597 106,878 133,597 133,597

Consumables 10,000 8,000 10,000 10,000

Travel 5,000 4,000 5,000 5,000

Total DI 148,597 118,878 148,597 148,597

DirectlyAllocated (DA)

PrincipalInvestigator

27,704 22,163 27,704 0

Estates 39,015 31,212 0 0

Total DA 66,719 53,375 27,704 0

Indirect Costs 114,099 91,279 45,214 0

Exceptional Items

PGR Fees 59,761 59,761 49,771 59,761

Total 389,176 323,293 271,286 208,358

Further information

www.bbk.ac.uk/rgco Finance Dept Handbook for School

Administrators Funders’ websites Contact us!