Research Grants and Contracts Service Definition

This document describes the support services provided by Research Grants and Contracts (RGC), part of Research and Enterprise.

The primary function of RGC is to administer and support all externally funded research grants and contracts for the University. The main focus of our internal support is aimed at departmental administrators,principal investigators and faculties.

Key objectives:

Pre-award:

Provide advice and guidance on:

  • Application rules and submission,
  • application costings,
  • termsand conditions of research funders.

Assist departments in compliance with the University’s submission policy.

Provide institutional approvals for applications.

Interpret and explain national and institutional policies related to research funding.

Post-award:

Assist in the financial administration of projects:

  • setup the project accounts,
  • preparationand submission of financial claims / invoices,
  • closing of project accounts.

Advise on the rules, terms and conditions of research grants and contracts.

Organisation and preparation of internal and external audits.

Maintaining accurate records and providing information on external research funding to both internal and external stakeholders.

Providing guidance on the above to academic and administrative staff.

Being the point of contact for the funders in relation to their grant/contract with the University.

Collaboration with other support services (as/when applicable) to support the smooth running of research funding processes.

Outputs / Targets
Maintenance of the University’s access to electronic funder submission and grant management systems / As required
Application check (Full/Minimum as per the submission policy) of applications / As per UoY Submission Policy depending on Simple/Complex
If applicable: submission of the application to the funder / If applicable; as per UoY submission policy
Set up projects in Agresso (Hit Rate) after all necessary documentation was received / Within 20 working days
Liaise with the Legal Team about contracts as/when required and arrange signatures / As/when required
Approve staff appointments / As required, to be prioritised by RGC depending on when the appointment is due.
Activate workorders for livecontracted projects / Within 10 working days of start date
Budget setup (incl WO notification) for live contracted projects / Before end of calendar month of start date
Prepare, organise and run audits, both internal and external / As required
Raising invoices / submitting claims to the funder / As required by the grant/contract
If applicable: issue payments to project partners and be their contact in relation to financial and contractual matters / As required
Closing of project codes after the last payment was received and the final reconciliation has been calculated and agreed (if applicable). / By year-end
Archiving project-related paperwork / As required by University and funder regulations
Act as point of contact for the funders in relation to their grant/contract with the University / As required
Maintenance of accurate records and providing information on external research funding to both internal and external stakeholders / As required

What we need from Departments to be able to provide the above services:

Pre-award: we need to receive the proposal documentation and the costing as per the University’s submission policy.

Academic staff, departmental administrators and the Payments Office to be prepared to provide copies of receipts, invoices, expenses claims and other information/evidence requested to enable us to provide itemised lists of expenditure as required by many funders and to have information ready for project audits.

Staff to keep timesheets for funders that require them. These should be completed monthly, signed off and forwarded to RGC in a timely manner. (This is needed so that RGC can claim the costs).

Feedback from departments on the status and progress of applications and awarded contracts.

Feedback and assistance in chasing invoices and payments.

Staff to be aware of and compliant with the University’s financial regulations, internal policies applicable to researchand the travel and expenses policy.

Staff to be aware of and compliant with the finder’s terms and conditions.

Grant Holders (PIs) to recognise and accept their responsibilities in relation to budget management in compliance with UoY and funder terms and conditions.

Consideration and understanding of the pressures and priorities RGC operates with.

Feedback on RGC service

Constructive feedback and suggestions are welcome. These can be sent to the Research Grants and Contracts Operations Manager.

Disclaimer

All our services are conditional upon having adequate resource levels within RGC.

Funder deadlines take priority.

Circumstances leading to reduced service:

  • Staff shortage
  • Staff absences due to illness
  • Peaks due to large volume of deadline dependent work (e.g. applications, funder reports)
  • Year-end preparation time

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