Receipt of a new project

On receipt of a new research award the Research Development team will pass the project to your Senior Research Finance Officer, who will provide:

• The Project budget codes, to which all expenditure should be charged. The Project’s start and end dates, within which all spend must be incurred.
• Access to the University’s Finance system, which provides online procurement and budget reporting.
• Details of any specific confidentiality requirements relating to your award. We ask that these are drawn to the attention of other staff working on the grant and that any student(s) working on the grant should sign a student confidentiality form beforehand: Student intellectual property and confidentiality undertaking [DOCX 21.12KB]

During the project period

Throughout the project period the Research Finance team will assist with:

• Seeking approval for changes in the use of the awarded funding
• Amending the project start date
• Extending the project end date
• Any absences (eg maternity/adoption leave, or extended sickness) which may or may not be funded by the project
• Any changes to the status of the Principal Investigator (eg transferring to another institution)
• Any correspondence with the funding body
• Financial responsibilities
• Setting up budgets on project accounts and reviewing expenditure against budget
• Authorisation of project expenditure including advice on eligibility
• Completion of financial claims or invoices to the funding body
• Processing of estates and indirect costs in line with TRAC requirements
• Ensuring that funds are spent within the project period
• Authorising staff appointments
• Project reporting and other deliverables
• Year end and ad-hoc income and expenditure reports
• Closure of project accounts
• Answering any other queries you have regarding your project

It is important that you keep up to date with the University’s Open access policy and its policies relating to research, particularly the Code of Practice for Research

Appointments

If you wish to make an appointment on your grant, please complete an Appointment form and have it signed by the Head of School. If staff who will be working on the project were not named in the award you should liaise with Human Resources in order that the advertising process is followed correctly.

A copy CV is required for all new research staff and a Health Questionnaire Form must also be completed and attached to the appointment form. A work permit is required for all non-European Economic Area personnel (HR can advise you of the necessary details) before they can begin work.

If any staff payments are to be made on a Casual payments basis, a Casual fee form must be completed and authorised by Research Finance before being passed to Payroll.