FAQs
General
Q. I have a research concept in
mind and would like to identify suitable European funding opportunities. Who can
help me to explore them?
A. As a first step, please check the EC Framework 7 section on
the Research Operations Office website, paying particular attention to the
Overview of the framework pages. For further assistance, please contact
Renata Schaeffer, (7)61648, European Policy Manager,
who can advise you on European funding
opportunities, provide you with summaries of currently open calls for proposals,
find accompanying documentation and any other information you require at the
pre-application stage.
Q. What are the main differences
between FP6 and FP7?
A. FP7 lasts longer than FP6 and has a much larger budget. It
also has a different structure, introduces the European Research Council to
oversee the funding of basic research, and includes the new Joint Technology
Initiatives (JTI) funding instrument. Another change is that the international
dimension is fully integrated into the various programmes of FP7.
The duration of the Framework Programme has also been increased from
four to seven years; FP7 will run from 2007 to 2013, while FP6 covered 2002 to
2006. The overall budget has increased significantly (FP7: €50.5 billion + €2.7
billion over 5 years for Euratom / FP6: €17.5 billion), with a part being
allocated to basic research (~ €1 billion per year).
Q. What are calls for proposals?
A. The calls for proposals under FP7 are set out in annual work
programmes, which provide details about topics, timing and implementation. The
proposal process is triggered by the call. Calls are published official
invitations for researchers to submit project proposals for a specific area of
the Framework Programme by a specific date, usually about three months after the
call. Calls specify very clearly what is required. Proposals that do not meet
the specifications in the call will be disqualified. You can view all open calls
for proposals at the following link
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP7CallsPage
You can also contact Natalia
Molchanova, (7)65868, EC Information Officer, who can provide you with
summaries of currently open calls for proposals.
Q. What are work programmes?
A. The individual 'work programmes' are the detailed
implementation plans for the specific programmes, research themes and other
activities under FP7. They specify the concrete scientific-technical, economic
and societal objectives of each activity, providing both a broad background and
the detailed technical content. They project a 'road map' of the planned calls
for proposals. They also indicate for each call the funding instruments that
will be available and the evaluation criteria that will be applied.
Understanding the objectives of the work programme is essential for preparing a
good proposal.
Q. I feel lost in the new
structures and funding schemes of FP7! What do I do and where can I find help?
A. If you have looked through the FAQs and they don't answer
your questions, please contact the Research Operations Office specialists (find them here). We provide guidance,
practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in the
framework programme.
At Application Stage
Q. How do I register for
the EC application system?
A. For each call in FP7, the Electronic Proposal Submission
Service (EPSS) system is made available only for a short period of time before
the call closes. You can access the system here:
https://www.epss-fp7.org/epss/ You
need to register for the specific call and submit your completed form by the
stated deadline. Initially the EC were warning people that registration could
take up to 30 days – in our experience it has taken less than one day to receive
login details and passwords for the applications system. See our EPSS guide for
the relevant information necessary to register and complete the ‘A’ forms
online.
Q. I have already
registered for an earlier call – can I use the same details?
A. No, each application for each call requires a specific login
generated by the EPSS.
Q. Which parts of the form
do I need to complete?
A. The coordinator will need to complete all parts of the form
except the A2 forms for which each partner is responsible via a separate login
(the A2 is the only part of the form editable by partners – but they can access
and look at all other parts of the application. (As a partner, we recommend that
you should view the rest of the proposal, and in particular confirm the budget
and the proposed structure of the consortium, before the application is
submitted). The coordinator will need to collate the various materials from
partners into an overall proposal. The uploading of Part ‘B’ is the
responsibility of the coordinator and we recommend that this is done as early as
possible as the system will allow you to ‘overwrite’ previous applications by
hitting the ‘submit’ button on EPSS so you can improve your application up until
the day of the deadline.
Q. How do
I submit my application?
A. Once all parts of the application are complete and the
budget confirmed, you must validate the application. If validation fails, take
the necessary steps to correct the relevant parts of the application. If
validation is successful, click ‘submit proposal’ to send your application to
the EC. The application can be overwritten and resubmitted at any time up until
the deadline, at which point the EPSS system will close down for that particular
call.
Q. What is
the internal authorisation process at Cambridge?
A. You will need authorisation from your Head of Department at
the very least. Some Departments or Schools have internal research committees
that will need to review your proposal before it can be submitted – check with
your Department Administrator. We recommend that you seek assistance from us
when preparing the costings for your proposal, and allow us to review the
costings before submission. This is to ensure that the application is as
watertight as possible and to identify any costing errors at an early stage.
However, you do not need the Research Operations Office's approval in order to submit your proposal
at Stage 1. You will need the Research Operations Office's approval if your application is selected
for Stage 2, you will be asked to complete a Grant Preparation Form
(GPF). In some cases the EC are trialling an online system called NEF
(Negotiation Form); your project officer will give you access to the web address
and login details for this new system, which captures the same legal and
signatory data as the GPFs in a slightly different format.
Please note that this must be signed by an authorised signatory before
submission to the EC. The signature can only be authorised on completion and
approval of a pFACT and your complete GPF, which requires Departmental andResearch Operations Office
confirmation. Without this, your Stage 2 application will not be authorised.
Q. What costs do I need to
include in my proposal?
A. You can include all the ‘standard’ costs that apply to any
research grant, i.e. staff, consumables, equipment, audit costs and travel. In
FP7, you can also include the cost of permanent academic staff, but you should
be aware that these costs will only be paid on the basis of an appropriately
completed timesheet. You also need to include indirect costs (overheads); please
consult Research Operations Office guidance for the different rates of indirect costs in use in FP7. As
a coordinator, you must make sure that you allow for the costs of managing the
project, including the costs of mandatory audits. Please note that the
management of your project cannot be subcontracted to an outside party.
Q. Which
budget sheets do I need to complete?
A. The coordinator will need to complete the budget sheets (A3)
for every partner.
You should cost your own work programme using pFACT, and then fit these costs
into an A3 spreadsheet similar to the version used online – these will be your
actual project costs. Most coordinators will have their own format for asking
for partner costs but your Applications Administrator can provide you with a
spreadsheet if necessary upon completion of a pFACT. We recommend that you allow
the Research Operations Office to review and confirm your costings, and the A3 sheet, before sending these
costs to your co-ordinator. If a project is undercosted in any way at the point
of submission, it will not be possible to amend this later and your Department
may reject the project as financially unviable.
Q. Which cost model do I
need to use?
A. You should use the ‘Special Transitional Flat Rate’. If you
use any other model, there is a possibility that your project costs will be
ineligible and you will not receive any funding. Please consult the Research Operations Office guidance for
the different rates of indirect costs in use in FP7. Please note that estates
and indirect rates (Full Economic Costs) are not yet eligible in FP7 – this is
likely to be implemented later in the Framework following negotiations with the
Commission.
Q.If my
project is successful, what will I actually receive?
A. The Commission will reimburse most standard projects at 75%
of all costs (i.e. the total of direct costs plus indirects), although certain
elements of the budget (e.g. management costs) will attract 100% reimbursement.
Where the Cambridge element of a project is reimbursed at 75%, the University
will use a portion of the indirect income to top up the ‘missing’ 25% of direct
costs, to ensure that the project has all the necessary funds available. This
does not apply to any partner budgets, so all parties should be made explicitly
aware that they will receive, at best, only 75% of the budget applied for and
should make arrangements accordingly to support the full costs of the project.
If any of your partners are non-HEI third parties, the Commission will want to
see written confirmation that this has been understood and agreed prior to
submission.
Q. What information do I
need from my partner institutions if I am the coordinator?
A. Each partner will need to fully cost their specific work
package(s), prepare a projected A3 budget form, and forward you the costs and
the man-months breakdown. You will then need to assimilate this into an overall
project budget, and negotiate with each partner if there has to be amendment to
fit within an overall budget.
Q. What advice is
available to help me prepare my costings?
A. Applications & Awards Group (AAG)is able to advise you on
the correct costing of your own work package and the completion of the budget
online. Please contact your relevant Applications Administrator. You should be
made aware of any overall project budget target prior to preparing costings, as
it may be necessary to ‘tweak’ your budget to make it ‘fit’. We strongly
recommend that you allow the Research Operations Office to review and confirm any amended budget, to ensure
its viability. You should also insist on being allowed to view the final online
budget before submission – the best way of ensuring this information is up to
date is by requesting a partner login from the coordinator as this can be
amended up until the last minute.
Q. How do I register for
a Marie Curie call? A. In the same way as for a
‘normal’ EC proposal in FP7, the EPSS system is used and is made available only
for a short period of time. You can access the system here:
https://www.epss-fp7.org/epss/ You
need to register for the specific call and submit your completed form by the
stated deadline.
Q. The Marie Curie
application seems a little different. Which parts of the form do I need to
complete?
A. You should complete all parts of the form (A1–A4), any
specific queries on the Marie Curie ‘A’ forms can be answered by your
Applications and Awards Administrator. However, specific advice on completing
the form can be found in the annexes of the Guide for Applicants, which can be
downloaded from Cordis.
Q. How do I submit my
Marie Curie application?
A. Once all parts of the application are complete you must
validate the application. If validation fails, take the necessary steps to
correct the relevant parts of the application. If validation is successful,
click ‘submit proposal’ to send your application to the EC. The application can
be overwritten and resubmitted at any time up until the deadline, at which point
the EPSS system will close down for that particular call. The Stage 1
application is only a profile collector, therefore you do not need the Research Operations Office's
authorisation to submit your proposal at Stage 1 – as long as your
Department approves, you can submit your application at any time.
Q. The Marie Curie scheme
has a two-stage application process. What happens at Stage 2?
A. The full process is yet to be confirmed. However, if your project is
selected to progress to Stage 2, you will need to complete a full costing on
pFACT and the Research Operations Office will be required to give institutional authorisation as the
authorised signatory for the University. In all cases, you will need to complete
a pFACT that must be electronically approved by your Head of Department. The
application will then pass to the Research Operations Office for review and authorisation – you will need
to provide either login details to view your application online, or a PDF file
of the proposal. Once the proposal has been reviewed and authorised, the Research Operations Office will
provide the necessary authorisation for the submission of the Stage 2 proposal.
Q. I cannot seem to find
a budget in my Marie Curie application. Are there any costs I need to include?
A. The costs of your Fellowship are calculated automatically by
the Commission, on the basis of your profile information. (For other schemes
please consult the Work Programme.) At Stage 1, only the profile information is
required. At the very least the fellowship will provide a monthly stipend, a
small amount of institutional overheads and a mobility allowance. To find out
precisely how much this will work out in practice you should download the ‘Work
Programme’ from Cordis and look at Annex 3.
Q. My
Marie Curie application has a section entitled ‘Type B Fixed Amount Fellowship
Y/N?’. What is this?
A. The Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships for Career
Development (IEF) scheme allows for two types of fellow; someone who is employed
at the institution where they will be based, and there is also an option to be
given a stipend at a lower rate. The Research Operations Office strongly recommends that all MC Fellowships
should be set up as an employment contract. More information concerning the
choice and how it will affect your own pay can be found in Annex 3 of the Work
Programme, downloadable from CORDIS.
At Contract
Negotiation Stage
Q. What
is the difference between the Grant Agreement and the Consortium Agreement?
A. The Grant Agreement (formerly known as the EC Contract) is
the principal agreement between the EC and the grant holder (institution). For
multi-partner projects the grant holder is always the coordinator and the
consortium partners bind themselves to the terms of the Grant Agreement by
signing the so-called A form. The Grant Agreement sets out the key project
issues. The Consortium Agreement however is signed solely between the consortium
partners and addresses the issues not covered in the Grant Agreement. In case of
conflicting terms, the Grant Agreement shall always overrule the Consortium
Agreement.
Q.
What are the main differences between FP6 and FP7 for the Consortium
Agreement?
A. The EC has made some changes in terminology and content in
the Grant Agreement that effect the Consortium Agreement. The majority of
changes are reflections of improvements and interpretation made during FP6.
Additional changes have been made to make the administrative processes less time
consuming. Other changes give the consortium partners more flexibility, which
can either lead to simpler consortium agreements or to extended negotiations
when the flexibility allows for the positions of industrial and academic
partners to be far apart. For the key differences and/or detailed comparison
please see here: ASection IV: Contractual
changes between FP6 and FP7 of the Contracts and Agreements page.
Q.
How do I know a Consortium Agreement is needed?
A. The guidelines of the specific funding scheme you have
applied for, or intend to apply for, will state clearly whether a consortium
agreement is needed. Other sources are the call for proposal itself or the
coordinator of your project. In case of doubt, please contact your Contracts
Manager, who will be able to find out for you.
Q. Why do
we need a Consortium Agreement?
A. The Consortium Agreement is meant to cover such issues
between the consortium partners as the management structure, liabilities,
reporting, budget, workplans, publication regulations, intellectual property
ownership, access rights, dispute resolution and commercialisation regulations.
These are not covered in detail by the Grants Agreement itself (the consortium
is supposed to have a great deal of autonomy). The EC recommends concluding a
Consortium Agreement in most cases to avoid time-consuming confusion and
disputes during or after the project.
Q. Can I
negotiate/sign the Consortium Agreement/A forms myself?
A. No, all contractual paperwork for externally sponsored
research should be signed by the University signatory, as a legal representative
of the University. The Faculties, Departments and Centres cannot legally bind
the University, and all contracts should state the University as the contracting
party, not the Department or the Principal Investigator (PI). PIs are especially
discouraged from signing contracts to avoid personal liability. A signature from
anyone other than authorised representatives of the University may make a
contract invalid. All contractual paperwork should be sent to your Contracts
Manager.
Q. I have
received a draft Consortium Agreement. Who should I send it to?
A. All contractual paperwork, including cover letters, should
be sent as soon as possible to your Contracts Manager.
Q. How
long will it take to negotiate a Consortium Agreement?
A. This is very difficult to predict but as a rule the EC
expects the Consortium Agreement to be in the final stages of negotiations, if
not already concluded, before the EC Contract is signed. It depends largely on
the type of partners (academic or industrial), the original model Consortium
Agreement used, changes made by the coordinator, changes requested by the
partners and the nature of any conflicting changes.
Q. Now
that the A forms have been signed, will my account be activated or do we have to
wait until the Consortium Agreement is signed?
A. Your account will be activated upon receipt of a fully
signed A form unless the Consortium Agreement has not been circulated yet for
review.
Q. What
are the key issues for Cambridge in a Consortium Agreement?
A. Your Contracts Manager would endeavour to get the best
possible terms to ensure fair voting rules on consortium matters; fair sharing
of revenue between joint creators of intellectual property; minimal delays to
publication of results and appropriate protection of background intellectual
property that you bring to the project.
Q. I
would like to withdraw from my EC project, how do I do that?
A. Almost all Consortium Agreements will have a section
dedicated to withdrawal procedures. In case the Consortium Agreement does not
provide these guidelines, the EC Contract terms can be followed. Please contact
your Contracts Manager who will clarify what needs to be done based on the
Consortium Agreement agreed for your project. As general rule, the other
Consortium partners would need to give their (unanimous) approval for your
withdrawal, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.
At Post Award Stage
Q. What are the different
reimbursement rates for each task?
A. The reimbursement rates are detailed below in a table taken
from the Rules of Participation (II.16), details of which
can be found here.
Maximum
reimbursement
rates |
Research and
technological
development
activities (*) |
Demonstration
activities |
Other
activities |
Network of
excellence |
50%
75% (**)
|
|
100%
|
Collaborative
project(****) |
50%
75% (**)
|
50%
|
100%
|
Coordination
and support
action |
|
|
100% (***)
|
(*) Research and technological development includes
scientific coordination.
(**) For beneficiaries that are non-profit public bodies, secondary and higher
education establishments, research organisations and SMEs
(***) The reimbursement of indirect eligible costs, in the case of coordination
and support actions, may reach a maximum 7% of the direct eligible costs,
excluding the direct eligible costs for subcontracting and the costs of
resources made available by third parties which are not used on the premises of
the beneficiary.
(****) Including research for the benefit of specific groups (in particular
SMEs)
RTD expenditure is reimbursed at 75%, Demonstration activities at 50% and Other
activities at 100%. Details will follow regarding how this will impact on
departmental funding.
For Marie Curie projects, reimbursement is 100% of direct expenditure plus 10%
overheads.
For European Research Council (ERC) grants, reimbursement is 100% of direct
expenditure plus 20% overheads
Q. How does Cambridge
University Finance System (CUFS) relate to the FP7 budget?
A.The UFS budget is in pounds sterling whereas the FP7 budget
is in Euro. Please see further information about UFS set up for specific types
of FP7 grants here.
Q. How do I know my EC budget
and how is this translated into a budget on CUFS?
A. It is important to be aware of your EC budget and the tasks
by which funding has been allocated to your project. You will be required by
Post Award Services to complete a form which will translate your EC budget to
CUFS categories at the current university guideline exchange rate, which can be found here:
Q. Is virement allowed by the
EC?
A. This only applies to non-Marie Curie grants, see below
for Marie Curie virement information. Some virement is allowed as long as
the work is performed as anticipated in Annex I, the description of work. Any
significant changes should first be checked with the coordinator. The management
budget cannot exceed 7% of the total budget.
Q. What is eligible
expenditure?
A. Eligibility of expenditure is very similar to FP6. Further
details can be found at
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf If you are
unsure about eligibility, please contact the EC Team in Post Award Services
Q. I have a Marie Curie
project. What do I need to know?
A. Marie Curie projects are very different to Cooperation
Projects. Please ensure that you read the appropriate documentation and consult
the EC Team if you have any concerns. There is no virement in Marie Curie
Budgets without prior EC approval.
Q. What are the general
reporting requirements for FP7
A. The detailed reporting requirements have recently been
published (they
are available here). Reporting guidelines for other programmes are yet to be
published. Details will be updated once they are available. Each consortium (the
coordinator) shall submit periodic reports to the Commission for each reporting
period within 60 days of each period. This shall comprise:
- an overview, including a publishable summary of progress towards objectives and
an explanation of any differences between work expected to be carried out and
actually carried out
- an explanation of resource used
- a financial statement (Form C) for each beneficiary and a consolidated report.
Please see article 4 of your grant agreement for details of when reports must be
submitted for your project. The Post Award team will be responsible for the
completion of Form C and any Certificate on Financial Statements (audits) that
are required.
Q. What are the rules
regarding audit?
A. The requirements for audit have significantly changed in
FP7. The audit certificate is now called a Certificate of Financial Statement
and is only required if cumulative expenditure exceeds €375,000. Auditors are
required to complete a financial checklist for the EC to review rather than
passing a judgement themselves. The Research Operations Office are currently reviewing the procedures for
audit. They are also considering the implications of the Certificate of
Methodology (a one-off audit process which would remove the need for interim
audits). Further details can be found here:
ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/guidelines-audit-certification_en.pdf
Q. What is the method of
funding and how does this affect my budget?
A. Your EC budget is a total that cannot be exceeded. The EC
contribution consists of one single pre-financing payment at the start of each
project followed by a series of interim payments and a final payment. Each
payment is triggered by the submission of periodic reports. However, your total
budget will be set up on the UFS at the beginning of the project.
Please see here for more detailed information.
Q. I am a coordinator on a
FP7 project. Where can I get further advice?
A. In summary the co-ordinator is responsible for passing on
the pre-financing as agreed in the Consortium agreement, for co-ordinating the
periodic and final reports to the commission, passing on information regarding
performance obligations to the beneficiaries and co-ordinating changes to the
agreement. A good co-ordinator will maintain good contact with all partners
throughout the grant.
A document providing fuller details of the Role of the Co-ordinator is available here.
Q. We have left a
consortium early – what do I do in terms of finance?
A. Please contact your Awards Administrator in the Post Award
team in order to confirm that all costs are on the grant.
A final Form C will then need to be submitted and any surplus in income over
expenditure will need to be repaid to the Coordinator/EC. If expenditure has
exceeded €375,000 a certificate on the financial statement (audit certificate)
will also be required.
Q. What are the new VAT
rules and how will they affect me?
A. VAT incurred on Framework 7 grants will not be reclaimable
from HMRC. VAT is also an ineligible cost according to EC Financial Guidelines
and therefore cannot be claimed from the EC either. This means that
VAT incurred on Framework 7 grants is an additional cost which departments will
need to fund from their share of overheads earned. Further
information is available here.
Q. Are maternity costs an eligible cost on EC grants?
A.
The costs of paying the researcher during periods of parental leave may be an eligible cost but each case is reviewed on an individual basis by the EC.
The maximum the EC will reimburse is the maternity pay we are legally bound to pay the staff member,
less the amount we are refunded for statutory pay by the Government.
The Commission must be informed as soon as a member of staff employed on an EC grant informs the Department they are pregnant.
In certain cases an extension to the grant may be requested and approved by the EC (an official contract amendment must be processed).
Please contact your Administrator at the Research Operations Office
for further advice.
