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School of Geography

Research grants: Application and Procedure

I. Pre-award stage

  1. All research applications must be costed at full economic costs (fEC) by Joint Research Management Office (JRMO), except for small grants (<£10K) with no salary elements (e.g. CRF grants, fellowships).
  2. Submit an fEC pre-costing questionnaire to JRMO (researchgrants@qmul.ac.uk). Discuss the costing and have it revised as necessary. Note: allow up to 10 working days for turnaround.
  3. Within the costing spreadsheet given by JRMO you will find your completed Pre-application approval form. Check the details on the form and sign it. Forward the costing spreadsheet to Research and Teaching Officer (RTO) for departmental filing.
  4. Submit the Pre-application approval form together with a copy of the research application plus a set of photocopies to the RTO. The form will be signed by Head of the Department (HoD). Note: provide the completed approvals form to RTO for head of the department to look at it for at least two days before it needs to be with JRMO, and allow JRMO at least 5 working days from the receipt of the application for it to be properly reviewed and approved.
  5. Submit application on-line (e.g., Je-S, e-Gap, etc.)

II. Post-award stage

  1. For RGA to set up a successful research grant application, the award letter must be submitted to the RTO. If the application did not require college sign off, e.g., small grants from charities and organisations, a copy of the application must accompany the award letter.
  2. If the grant recipient is expecting a cheque from the funder, the cheque must be made to:

Queen Mary and Westfield College

        and should be sent to RTO.

  1. If the grant recipient is expected to invoice the funder for expenses, JRMO will require the following information:
    • To whom shall the invoice go to (i.e., contact person and address of the funder’s Finance division)
    • Frequency of invoicing
  2. The head of JRMO (Jan Clarke, j.e.clarke@qmul.ac.uk) from JRMO sends a HoD note to the department stating the award details, including project duration, budget code and annual budget.
  3. For staff appointment, the principal investigator (PI) needs to follow HR regulations on job advertising, interviews, etc. Complete the Vacancy Authorisation Form and submit the form to RTO for authorisation.
  4. For temporary staff appointment, set-up a meeting with RTO to discuss the details of the appointment and for the temporary staff to sign a contract.
  5. The starting certificate for research council (RC) grants must be submitted within 42 days of the staff appointment.
  6. For collaborative projects, check if a contract of agreement is needed. Set up a meeting with JRMO for the drafting of the contract.
  7. To claim all expenses (e.g., travel and subsistence, consumables, etc.) complete the Expense claim form and submit the form together with the original receipts plus a set of photocopies to RTO. The college’s current policy on UK subsistence rate is set at £75 overnight rate while car use is set at £0.40/mile. Note: Payment turnaround is 2-3 weeks.
  8. To pay and claim interview expenses:
    • PI should get a cash advance using the Clinical Trials Cash Advance form. PI should complete the form and send it to RGA. Note: PI should allow up to 5 working days turnaround.
    • PI should ask interviewees to complete and sign the interviewee Receipt form.
  9. To pay foreign payments, provide RTO with payee’s bank details (bank address, payees address, IBAN, account details, etc.)
  10. To pay research assistants not in college payroll, RA should write an invoice for services rendered and submit to RTO.
  11. Near the end date of the grant, an internal Final Expenditure Statement (FES) will be sent by JRMO to the PI. PI should check figures, sign the FES and submit it to RTO. Note: RTO may sign the form if PI has no questions regarding the figures.
  12. Grant holders may be required to submit a final report.

 

Checklists:

Submitting an application

  • Costing
  • Application (Case for support, CV, etc.)
  • Approvals form
  • Photocopies

Setting up the grant

  • Award letter
  • Copy of application
  • Contact person from funder
  • Cheque
  • Staff appointment forms
  • Starting certificate (for RC grants)
  • Photocopies

Claiming expenses

  • Original receipts
  • Signed Expense Claim form
  • Photocopies
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