Using the budget form
| Grants form |
Contracts form |
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Purpose of the form
- A tool to help calculate project pricing and costs for grant/contract purposes. The form should NOT be submitted to the sponsoring organisation.
- Completed budget forms are sent to the Research Office to facilitate post-award fund management processes when a new project account code is required.
Instructions on using the form
DIRECT COSTS (applies to both contracts and grants)
Parts A and B must be completed when funding is being provided by an external sponsor. Part A relates to information required by Financial Operations to process applications for new project codes, while Part B is used to calculate the project price to be charged to the sponsor.
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Salary and on-costs
Human Resources website for salaries
Salary and on-costs of academic staff, and staff specifically employed to work on the project, are included as a direct cost (Part B1: 1a/b). Salaries for individuals who will be employed to work on the project should be within the range of the appropriate University personnel classification and be consistent with sponsoring agency regulations. Provision should be made for anticipated salary merit increases where allowed by the funding body. An amount to cover salary on-costs must also be budgeted. Check with Financial Operations for the latest figures on on-costs.
Financial Operations website for on-cost rates
- Travel
Travel and subsistence costs (Part B1: 4) should follow the rates allowed by the sponsor, or in their absence, University guidelines. The Australian Tax Office has provided guidance on reasonable rates for accommodation, meals and incidentals within Australia, and meals and incidentals when travelling overseas.
Australian Taxation Office per diem rates
Currency converter
- Cost recovery
Part B3 determines cost recovery or overheads, and includes capital items up to $100,000 (Part B1: 2a). The % values to be entered are determined by each faculty. Add GST to the total price where applicable (see GST for researchers), or seek advice from your Client Services Accountant (CSA) on liability.
INDIRECT COSTS (Section B: only applies to contracts forms)
Section B of the contract forms is used when the sponsor requires the University to include indirect costs as a contribution. This is usually when:
- the University is responding to a call for tender, and is potentially competing for the tender with the private sector; and
- intellectual property rights arising from a research project are being shared between the University and the sponsor(s) in proportion to their respective cash and in-kind contributions to the project.
It is recommended that both Section A and B are routinely completed for all contract research involving external sponsorship.
The budget Case Studies and Examples pages provide scenarios and worked examples of budget form use.