'Successfully Managing a
Research Award'
Managing Budgets and Reporting
27th October 2011
FINANCE RESEARCH TEAM
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Team of 5 looking after approximately
400 live projects.
James Allman – Manager
 Ian Bailey – (ISTM Hartshill)
 Anne Budgen – (EPSAM & ISTM Huxley)
 Carla Vardy - (PCHSc, Humanities)
 Tracy Armstrong - (Soc Sci)
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ADMINISTRATION OF RESEARCH GRANTS
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Pre award stages
Discuss proposed application with RI
manager
 FEC costings prepared on PFACT system
 Salary costings to Finance for approval
 Enter costings onto application form
 Submit application to RI Director
 University submits application to funding
body
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ADMINISTRATION OF RESEARCH GRANTS

Post award stages
Offer letter/notification received by
Research Services
 Research Services generates ERF form
 ERF form received by Finance
 Code notification form sent to PI and RI
Manager
 Project is confirmed for operation
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DISCUSS PROPOSED APPLICATION WITH RI
MANAGER
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Directly Incurred costs
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Staff costs – Research Assistant, Technician,
Fellow, visiting researcher
Travel & subsistence
Equipment (less than £50k)
Consumables
Books
Survey Fees
Publication costs
Licences
Recruitment & Advertising
DICSUSS PROPOSED APPLICATION WITH RI
MANAGER
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Directly Allocated Costs
Principle investigators time
 Co-investigators time
 Estates costs
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DISCUSS PROPOSED APPLICATION WITH RI
MANAGER
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Indirect Costs (Overheads)
General office and laboratory consumables
 Secretarial
 Central and distributed services
 Cost of capital employed
 Note any unfunded balance covered from
Indirect Costs
 Financial benefit to the University
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DISCUSS PROPOSED APPLICATION WITH RI
MANAGER
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Exceptional costs
Project studentships
 Large equipment (more than £50k)
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FINANCE INVOLVEMENT Pre-Award
Check with Finance for VAT implications
 For all applications submitted via pFact,
Finance will check the salary costings
where salary costs >£50k

Inflation rates
 Increment dates
 Grades and points
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Finance request a 2 DAY notice period
for checking of a final pFact file
FINANCE INVOLVEMENT Post Award
Act upon receipt of an ERF (External
Funding Agreement Form)
 Allocate an “R” code & enter basic grant
details into our database
 Set up the ledger codes – i.e. to allow
you to spend from your grant
 Issue a “Code Notification Form” to PI &
RI Manager
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FINANCE INVOLVEMENT Post Award
Load the budget into system
 Use an Automated Diary system to
monitor the grant & to flag up important
deadlines:

Start certificate
 Claims due to be completed
 Raise invoices to the sponsor
 Financial statement deadlines - & for Research
Council grants, PI Final Report deadlines to
avoid any sanctions
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FINANCE INVOLVEMENT Post Award

Confirm to HR that funding for staff is available
for new appointments or extensions
 Provide reports / guidance to PI’s / RI
Managers upon request. Level of support
depends on type of grant.
 Close grants down shortly after end dates
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Important note, for Research Council grants it is not
permissible to incur expenditure on a grant after the end
date (Keele may be required to return unspent funds to the
sponsor)
FINANCE INVOLVEMENT Post Award
Prepare any financial reports required
 Raise any claims / invoices required to
the sponsor
 Liaise with sponsor regarding financial
issues
 Provide support for project extension
requests
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DIFFERENT SPONSORS
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Variety of different sponsors, each have their own
rules but key principals remain the same.
Important to read terms and conditions very carefully
EU grants – timesheets required, Keele has
procedures in place to protect against £ $ fluctuations.
University has services of Martin Pickard, a consultant
specialising in EU funding.
AUDITS
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Individual grants can be subject to audits by the
sponsor
Grant sponsors can send in auditors to review a
number of grants provided by that sponsor
A selection of grants are reviewed each year by the
University’s external auditors
How you can help Finance
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Pre award, allow time for costings (including
salaries) to be checked
 Agree a profile of the budget of your grant
once it has been awarded - & notify finance.
 Keep finance informed of any problems/delays
to start dates/extensions etc on your grant –
preferably copy in your finance contact on
important e-mails regarding the project
administration.
 Spend as planned!
Any Questions?????
Contact Details:
Email: j.r.allman@fin.keele.ac.uk
Tel: (7)34389