Published on 30 June 2011
Efficiency 2011-15: Ensuring Excellence with Impact - update
News received last week from Research Councils UK (RCUK) is that research offices will no longer be required to use their reduced indirect cost rate in new applications submitted from 1 July. Current rates will continue to be used and awards will be based on these rates. Research Councils will instead claw back the indirect costs through a single invoice to the University - a top-slice – which is what they already plan to do for existing grants with funds still due on 1 July. As a consequence, until further notice, pFACT will no longer be adjusted to take account of reduced indirect cost rates for Research Council applications.
Discussions about how the University will manage the top-slicing are underway and conclusions will be reported as soon as the outcomes are known.
With regard to the new equipment rules, the EPSRC is leading work in the sector to look at how asset registers may be used nationally, though we expect this work to take some time. NERC have followed the EPSRC in issuing their own further guidance and warn that they do not expect to fund more than a “minor fraction” of any capital equipment, up to a maximum of 50%. Applicants with proposals depending on equipment are advised to discuss their applications with NERC in advance. Full details found here: http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/news/equip-funding-guidance.asp. Although we have not seen extra guidance from other research councils, there are increasing questions about equipment costs more generally.
If you have any queries, please contact Clara East clara.east@admin.cam.ac.uk or your administrator in your School Team at the Research Office http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/research/contact/List.aspx
Research Grants User Group (RGUG) - Tuesday 19 July 2011
The next meeting of the RGUG will take place on Tuesday 19 July at 9:30am and will be held in the Sanger Building, Department for Biochemistry, Tennis Court Road, Downing Site. The RGUG is led by the Research Office and is a forum where research grant administration issues and developments are discussed. Further details and minutes of the previous meeting can be found on the Research Office website http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/research/rgug/.