This information is intended to clarify the financial requirements of Marie
Curie projects in Framework 7 (FP7). It is important to familiarise yourself
with these facts in order to manage your grant effectively.
Links to the relevant Marie Curie Handbooks, and Reporting Guidelines will be
provided as soon as they available from the EC.
Please also note there is a very useful website that provides a self-help
resource for the FP7 Marie Curie Community:
http://www.meeusfp7.eu
1. What types of Marie Curie project are there
in Framework 7?
2. EC Budgets and the UFS
3. Payments from the EC
4. Timesheets
5. VAT
6. Reporting
7. Audit
1. What type of Marie Curie Projects are there in
Framework 7?
There are a number of differing types of Marie Curie Actions in FP7. In addition
to the straightforward Intra European Fellowships, there are a variety of
different schemes which are detailed below. Generally Marie Curie actions
can be divided into 2 main types:
Host Driven Actions – researchers may apply to
an institution that has been selected by the EC for a host driven action. These
include:
- Initial Training Networks (ITNs)
- Industry Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPPs)
Individual Driven Actions – researchers may prepare a project
together with host institutions and submit these to the EC.
These include:
- Intra-European Fellowships(IEFs)
- International Incoming Fellowships (IIFs)
- International Outgoing Fellowships (IOFs)
- European Reintegration Grants (ERGs)
- International Reintegration Actions (Reint)
In addition there are two one-off Specific Actions – Marie Curie Awards (prize
award) and Researcher’s Nights (public open evenings).
2. EC Budgets and the UFS
Each type of Marie Curie award has differing eligible expenditure and reporting
requirements. Please select your type of award below for details on the
calculation of your EC budget and how this appears in the University Financial
System (UFS) budget. Please note that the UFS set up has significantly changed
from FP6.
In addition,
click here to download a table (in a zipped excel file) providing
information on the different actions and the differing EC expenditure categories
for each action (in the format of the financial reporting).
3. Payments from the EC
The EC shall make an initial pre-financing payment. Interim payments of the
Community financial contribution shall be made corresponding to the amount
accepted for each financial management reporting period. The total amount of
pre-financing shall not exceed 90% of the maximum Community financial
contribution so the full budget will not be received until the end of the
project. For further information and an example
please refer here.
4. Timesheets
The completion of timesheets is necessary on all FP7 projects.
Please refer to the
Timesheets & Framework 7 page. FP7 allows the charging of permanent staff to
EC projects for the first time. Any audit of an FP7 grant will require the
verification of hours worked, even if 100% of time is to be spent on the
project (NB confirmation being sought from UKRO, further information will
follow). Monthly timesheets must therefore be completed for all staff
employed or charged to an FP7 grant. We recommend
that this spreadsheet (format: a zipped excel spreadsheet) should be used.
5. VAT
VAT continues to be an ineligible cost on FP7 grants and as such, cannot be
claimed from the EC. However this VAT is no longer reclaimable from HM Revenue
and Customs. This means that VAT incurred on FP7 grants is an additional cost
which departments will need to fund from their share of departmental overheads
earned. Please click here for further details.
6. Reporting
The Marie Curie Reporting Guide for FP7 has not yet been published by the EC.
Further details on reporting will be issued once the guidelines have been
published. Reports must be submitted within strict deadlines at the end of each
reporting period (normally 1 month after period ends). These reports include a
publishable summary of the project, an explanation of the use of resources and a
financial statement (Form C as in FP6). Your Awards Administrator in Post Award
Services will complete the Form C for you and send it to you for signature at
the end of each period. For Marie Curie awards it is probable that reports will
be required to be submitted electronically similar to the use of SESAM in FP6.
7. Audit
Your financial statement (Form C) may require an audit in order to obtain a certificate on the financial statement.
This replaces the audit certificate in FP6. The requirements for audit have significantly changed in FP7.
A certificate on the financial statement is only ever required once expenditure exceeds €375,000 so projects where the EC contribution is less than this will not be audited, even at the project end.
For grants of 2 years or less then only one audit is required at the end of the project (even if €400,000 is spent in the 1st period no audit is required until the end of the project).
If an audit is required it will be arranged by the Post Award Services EC Team.
If you have any questions on the information in this document
please contact your Awards Administrator.
