Funder golden rules

Find information on key terms and conditions for UCL's major funders.

Our post-award golden rules highlight the main terms and conditions of UCL’s major funders relating to expenditure and other responsibilities, providing a quick guide for Principal Investigators (PIs) and their delegates.

Golden rules by funder

British Heart Foundation (BHF)

Start of the project

Initiation

The Grant Acceptance Form needs to be completed, signed, and returned to the BHF within 1 month of the dated award letter
All grants should commence within 6 months of the date of the award. However, any unavoidable delays should be fully communicated to the BHF in advance. The BHF will not cover any additional costs incurred due to the delay in activation
A grant may not commence until all necessary ethical committee approvals have been obtained. Copies of approvals need to be forwarded to the BHF before commencement.

During the project

Staff/students

The grantholder needs to obtain written approval from the BHF before appointing and replacing staff funded by the grant. Candidate CVs should be submitted to the BHF with the proposed basic starting salary. This should be at a level no higher than awarded
Increases in salaries, other than annual increments and nationally agreed pay awards, will not be met by the BHF
The BHF will not fund salaries during a maternity leave period. Contact your Department Manager to discuss internal processes for covering this cost
Students should be appointed as per the BHF's stipend rates.

Consumables

Expenditure should be in line with the detailed breakdown provided in the application
Office expenses (e.g., desks, chairs, lab furniture, telephones, computer accessories, etc.) and lab clothing are not allowable costs.

Equipment

Equipment should be purchased in line with the application and award letter. The grantholder should obtain the maximum possible discounts
Host institutes need to take responsibility for the installation, maintenance, repairs, and insurance costs of the equipment throughout its useful life.

Travel and subsistence

Travel should be advanced economy and specifically to carry out the research project. Travel to conferences will be provided separately if applicable
Catering is only allowable for refreshments for clinical trial participants. Research/collaborative meeting refreshments need to be met from internal sources.

General

Monies may not be vired between budget headings
The BHF does not reimburse publication costs, administrative costs, library facilities, building utilities, insurance or general maintenance costs
The BHF does not support no-cost extensions. All work on the grant will need to be completed within the time awarded. Fellowships may be extended if discussed with the BHF in advance.

Grant reporting and Researchfish

Reporting

Grantholders need to submit, once annually, BHF-related grant evaluation data during a defined time period through Researchfish. Data will need to be submitted up to 5 years after the grant closure.

End of the project

Final scientific report

The PI will need to submit a scientific final scientific report within 3 months after the actual end date
The final claim for reimbursement will be withheld until receipt of the final report.

Further information

Managing your grant (BHF website)

Cancer Research UK (CRUK)

Start of the project

Initiation

Acceptance and activation of your project needs to be completed via eGMS
Any delay to the start date will need to be formally approved by CRUK.

During the project

Staff/students

Recruitment costs are not an allowable cost to the project unless exceptionally approved on the Grant Award Letter (GAL)
Only studentships approved as part of the original application may be charged to the grant budget. The grantholder will need to notify CRUK of the student's details within 30 days of their start date
CRUK will not fund the salary of an individual on parental leave. Contact your Department Manager to discuss internal processes for covering this cost. Costs of the staff covering the parental leave are allowable.

Running expenses

Expenses budget may be used for travel and subsistence costs for patients/volunteers but not pay participation costs including prizes or gift vouchers
Access fees to equipment are allowable except if the equipment was originally purchased using a CRUK grant
Home office license fees and animal handling training are not an allowable cost
Shared catering (milk, tea, coffee, etc.), phone/computer accessories, general office furniture, and stationery are not allowable costs. An extension list of allowable costs can be found on the CRUK website.

Equipment

Budgets can only be used to purchase items specified in the GAL
Equipment claims need to be submitted within 12 months on eGMS
Equipment should be purchased in accordance with UCL’s procurement policy.

General

Please refer to the GAL for any special terms associated with your funding
The grant may only be used for costs incurred and items utilised during the period of the grant award
Virement between salary and running expenses is allowable as set out in the GAL. However, virement from the equipment budget or any staff post vacant for 6 months or more is not allowable
All expenditure needs to be evidenced with a valid invoice or receipt.

Grant reporting and Researchfish

Reporting

Grantholders are required to submit annual reports via Researchfish.

End of the project

Final report

A final report and final expenditure statement needs to be submitted no later than 3 months after the end date.

Further information

Conditions of your grant (CRUK website)

Royal Society

Start of the project

Initiation

Award holders/UCL need to accept the award and return the Offer Acceptance Letter within 20 days.

During the project

Staff/students

Fellows may complete other activities for up to a maximum of 6 hours a week
Fellows are entitled to take a full period of maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoptive leave, or extended sick leave in accordance with UCL policy. The Royal Society will increase the value of the award to cover any additional costs.

Equipment

Equipment should be purchased in accordance with UCL policies which comply with all relevant national and EU legislation
Equipment cannot be purchased in the last 6 months of the award without prior written approval from the Society.

Travel and subsistence

Awarding of travel costs depends on the scheme so please refer to your award letter
Travel costs should be based on the most suitable and economical form of travel
Conference attendance reclaimed from the Royal Society should have a direct benefit to the project outcomes.

General

Only expenditure incurred and utilised during the project duration can be charged and claimed from the Royal Society
Funding cannot be vired between budget headings without prior written agreements
Any unspent amount will be recovered by the Royal Society
General office costs e.g., phone, fax, postage, photocopying, stationery, etc. are not allowable unless specifically justified in the application and awarded
Lab coats, protective clothing, gloves, etc. cleaning, waste, and other disposal costs are classed as an overhead and are not allowable.

Grant reporting

Reporting

Depending on the scheme Royal Society may require annual financial and scientific reporting. Please refer to your award letter for further details.

End of the project

Final report

Award holders need to submit a final report on the research funder within 3 months of the end date
The final financial report needs to be submitted within 3 months of the end date so all expenditure should be charged to your MyFinance project within 2 months of the end date.

Further information

Conditions of Award (pdf) (Royal Society website)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Start of the project

Initiation

The start of the grant may be delayed by up to 3 months from the start date shown in the award letter, but the grant duration will remain unchanged
The grant may lapse if not started within this period
The start date given on the Starting Certificate is regarded as the grant start date. It needs to be submitted within 42 days from the actual start date by Award Services
Expenditure may be incurred before the start of research and subsequently charged to the grant provided it does not precede the date of the award letter.

During the project

Staff

The duration of staff posts is dependent on budgetary constraints. If the number of person-months is not maximised the value of Estates/Indirect Costs for that post may be proportionately reduced
Research Fellows will need to be employed for the full duration of their fellowship
Recruitment and advertising costs for staff employed on the grant are eligible if included in the original application
UKRI will compensate the project at the end of the grant for any additional costs which cannot be met within the budget for paid parental leave (i.e., maternity, paternity, and adoption leave) for staff employed within the Directly Incurred and Exceptions funding headings
Directly Incurred staff will need to complete monthly timesheets using the timesheet template if they are not 100% funded on 1 project.

Equipment

Equipment should not be purchased in the last 6 months of the grant unless prior written approval from RCUK has been obtained
Procurement of equipment, consumables, and services needs to comply with national and EU legislation and UCL’s procurement policy
Equipment purchased over £25,000 will need to be added to UCL’s equipment catalogue and new equipment purchased over £138,000 should be registered on the national database to be discoverable and enable greater sharing.

Ineligible costs

General office consumables (e.g., photocopying, printing, stationery, telephone, postage, etc.) are not eligible
Costs associated with staff not directly involved in the project are not eligible
Protective clothing, gloves, and liquid nitrogen/dry ice are not eligible.

Travel costs

All travel costs should evidence value for money as the primary consideration. Consequently, these should only include travel by standard class. UCL's expenses policy should also be adhered to
Travel tickets purchased during the project duration for travel dates after the end of the project are not an allowable cost
Only the travel costs of staff/students funded from the project are eligible unless approval has been obtained from the UKRI.

Virement

Transfers of funds between fund headings are permitted only within and between Directly Incurred costs and Exceptions, excluding equipment, which is ring-fenced

Extensions

Extension requests should be made in advance (ideally 3-6 months) of the original award end date
Projects may be extended up to 12 months, subject to prior written approval. Requests need to be made via the grant maintenance request option on Je-S.

General information

Grants funds are only for a specific research project. Under no circumstances may funds be used to meet costs on any other grant or activity
Individual grant conditions can always exist so the award letter and associated documentation should always be reviewed on receipt
Relocation costs are only allowable if the individual is named in the proposal
Expenditure incurred after the end date of the project is not allowable. This includes items ordered before the end date but not received until after the project's end date and not utilised during the project duration.

End of the project

Financial Expenditure Statement (FES) and research outputs

The PI will need to submit research outputs every year and for 5 years after the project has finished. Failure to do so will result in financial sanctions and the PI will lose the ability to apply for further funding
The FES is completed by Award Services and needs to be submitted within 3 months of the end date of a grant, so all expenditure should be on the grant account within 2 months of the grant ending.

Further information

Meeting terms and conditions for funding (UKRI website)

UKRI-funded studentships

Start of the project

Initiation

The start of the award may be delayed subject to the written agreement with the relevant Research Council. The grant may lapse if not started within this period
The start date given on the Starting Certificate is regarded as the grant start date. This will need to be submitted within 42 days from the actual start date by Award Services
Expenditure may be incurred before the start of the award (Doctoral Training Centres) for the stated start-up costs within the proposal, provided it does not precede the date of the award letter.

During the project

Staff/students

The duration of staff/student posts is dependent on budgetary constraints and the request for staff/students made in the original proposal and awarded
UKRI will compensate the project at the end of the grant for any additional costs which cannot be met within the budget or Council Training Grant Portfolio held by UCL at the time for paid parental leave (i.e. maternity, paternity, and adoption leave) for students funded by the Training Grant portfolio, or Staff/Fellows charged to the award)
Students need to be paid at the UCL minimum rate or above. The UCL maximum rate is the Wellcome level. UCL can decide the level, or stipend and the fee recovery, duration of the studentship, the format (e.g., part-time, industrial, or work placement), and can adjust the number and start of individual studentships within year and between years (where feasible).

Disabled Student Allowance

Students funded by a training grant are eligible for additional support where, because of disability, they are obliged to incur additional expenditure in undertaking their training
Students should contact the UCL disability team to have their needs assessed and gain access to funding
Once assessed the costs will be met by UCL and then reclaimed annually by the UCL disability team via a grant maintenance request
Doctoral Centres and DTP managers should ensure that any partner institutions send their assessment documentation to the UCL disability team to ensure recovery and payment.

Ineligible costs

General office consumables (e.g. photocopying, printing, stationery, telephone, postage etc.) are not eligible costs
Costs associated with staff not directly involved in the management of the award are not eligible for recovery from the UKRI Training Grant award
Equipment purchased within 6 months of the end of the project without specific funder written approval
Food/drink for internal meetings where there is not an agenda/list of attendees for a specific training event for the student body is not an allowable cost. The funder classes anything else as social (e.g., Christmas parties, student networking, supervisor/student meetings, management meetings) and costs should be met from other sources of funding
Replacement of UCL or personal property (tablets, phones, laptops, etc.) when damaged or lost is not an allowable cost
Travel tickets purchased during the studentship-funded duration for travel dates after the end of the funding are not an allowable cost
Supervisor travel and subsistence costs are a UCL cost or can be charged to any non-UKRI sector partner account code (subject to their terms and conditions)
Any costs for activity outside of the student-funded dates/or outside of the overall award dates are ineligible for recovery from the funder
Equipment maintenance is not an allowable cost on training grants. This includes extended warranties where the equipment was not purchased via this award. Costs related to external examiners or student supervisors are not eligible costs on training grants
UCL staff training/conference attendance is not an eligible cost unless specifically awarded in writing by the funder (proposal or grant maintenance request)

Transactions charged to grant

All travel costs should evidence value for money as the primary consideration. Consequently, these should only include travel by standard class. UCL's expenses policy should also be adhered to and any alteration to this will need to be agreed upon in advance and documented/retained for audit purposes
For costs charged to the financial system, descriptions should be sufficient to ensure that the UKRI can make an informed decision on eligibility.

Extensions

Studentships may be extended for up to a total of 48 training months, subject to prior written approval by the funder. UKRI can revert the studentship to the original funding dates if they are not satisfied with the justification provided in the student details record in Je-S
Extension requests to UKRI training grant awards need to be made via the grant maintenance request option in Je-S.

General information

Individual grant conditions can always exist so the award letter and associated documentation should always be reviewed on receipt
The transfer of funds (virement) between fund headings (20% without funder approval) is permitted excluding DSA which is ring-fenced
UCL account codes should be reviewed quarterly and this should be documented in the department/centre and available for audit purposes
Departments should ensure that they attach backup documentation (line-by-line) to the IDT/IDJ to support the costs moved into the training grant account codes
Student interruptions require the UCL Interruptions spreadsheet to be completed and sent to Award Services. The UKRI Je-S SD record should be updated once this is agreed
Any alteration to the proposal/justification of resources should be notified to the funder via a grant maintenance request and agreed upon by UKRI.

To note

Any costs not accepted by the funder fall on the host department/centre to absorb
In all cases, the description of the cost needs to be clear (e.g., conference/Liverpool/student name) on MyFinance to enable the funder to decide on its viability.

End of the project

Financial Expenditure Statement (FES) and research outputs

The PI will need to submit research outputs every year and for 5 years after the award has finished. Failure to do so will result in financial sanctions and the PI will lose the ability to apply for further funding
The FES is prepared by Award Services and the host department/centre and needs to be submitted within 3 months of the end date of the award, so all expenditure should be on the UCL grant account within 1 month of the grant ending, including external partner costs. There is an automatic 20% reduction in the overall budget awarded if the FES is submitted outside the expected date
Students should be informed during induction that they need to complete Researchfish for outputs (mandatory from year 3 onwards) and that the funding council is informed of the studentship via the UKRI Je-S Student Data Portal (SDP). This should be maintained as changes occur and reviewed by the student for accuracy at least annually. Data for Researchfish is taken from the UKRI Je-S student SDP.

Further information

Meeting terms and conditions for funding (UKRI website)

Wellcome

Start of the project

Initiation

The award needs to be formally accepted and the project initiated within 12 months of the proposed start date in the award letter
The start date can be deferred by up to 12 months, allowing the grant end date to be put back by an equivalent number of months
Expenditure should not be charged to the project before the start date.

Inflation

Grants are cash-limited at the point of award
A separate allowance for inflation will be calculated and added to the award by Wellcome. The inflation allowance is based on the value of the total costs eligible for the allowance and the duration of the grant.

Flexible Funding Allowance (FFA)

An FFA will be provided at the discretion of Wellcome to meet the unanticipated, directly incurred research costs.

During the project

Staff

The duration of staff posts is dependent on budgetary constraints
Budgets unless stated are not individual-specific and may be spent at the grantholder’s discretion
Wellcome will supplement grants by the actual costs incurred for an individual’s salary while on maternity, paternity, adoption, or sick leave
Recruitment and advertising costs, including interviewee travel, are allowable.

Equipment

Procurement of equipment will need to comply with national and EU legislation and UCL’s procurement policy
Written permission from Wellcome needs to be obtained if the equipment is to be used for any other purpose, including charging, hire, lending, or disposal
Use of small and major research facilities so long as costs are calculated on a 'Directly Incurred cost' basis and full evidence of cost charged calculation is obtained.

Virement

Small-scale transfers between cost headings may be made without the prior agreement of Wellcome. Significant changes need to be discussed with Wellcome. Examples of significant change are major changes to staffing levels, animal usage, or equipment purchases.

Disallowed costs

General office costs, e.g., phone, fax, postage, photocopying, stationery, etc. unless specifically justified in the application and awarded
Lab coats, protective clothing, gloves, etc., cleaning, waste, and other disposal costs
Shared catering (i.e., kettles, coffee machines, teabags, milk, etc). Catering and room hire for staff parties and social events.

Extensions

The PI can request a grant extension but will need to provide a scientific justification.

General information

Grants funds are only for a specific research project. Under no circumstances may funds be used to meet costs on any other grant or activity
Individual grant conditions can always exist so the award letter and associated documentation should always be reviewed on receipt
Expenditure incurred after the end date of the project is not allowable, this includes items ordered before the end date but not received until after the project's end date
Research and Innovation Services (RIS) will need to submit an Organisation Spend Report (OSR) to Wellcome quarterly for actual costs incurred.

End of the project

End of Grant Report and Spend Report

The PI will need to submit a final scientific End of Grant Report Form within 3 months after the end of the grant
RIS will need to submit a Final Expenditure Report (FER) within 3 months of the end of the grant, so all expenditure should be on the grant account within 2 months of the grant end date. Only actual expenditure can be claimed
Wellcome will retain 10% of the awarded value until the End of Grant Report and Spend Report have been submitted and accepted

Further information

Grant conditions (Wellcome website)
Cost grantholders can claim on a grant (Wellcome website)

Page last updated: May 2024