Budgeting for proposals
It is increasingly important to ensure you have recouped the maximum amount of expenses from the funding body, without over-estimation. You will need to carefully consider all the resources that will be required over the term of the project.
All budgets submitted before internal due dates will be checked through by a member of our office, however the earlier you discuss your requirements with us, the easier the process will become.
Contact the Research and Innovation Office about budgeting if you have any uncertainties.
What will the scheme fund?
The funding rules or guidelines will outline specifically what can and can not be claimed. You may like to contact us to discuss any grey areas or uncertainties.Key budget terminology
On-costs: these add to salaries to pay for superannuation, payroll tax, workers compensation etc. Presently, on-costs are 29.55% on top of salaries. The ARC will fund 28%, with the remainder being an ANU cash contribution. On-costs are always a direct cost.
Overheads: this is an indirect, cash contribution made by funding bodies to mitigate the project administration costs borne by the University. Where possible under the appropriate funding rules, the College requires a minimum of 35% overheads to be charged. Note that these costs are ineligible for ARC and some other Australian Government schemes. Infrastructure costs: this is a figure reflecting the indirect contribution made by the University, for things like facilities, building access, some administration, and other costs. Infrastructure costs are a predetermined proportion of all direct costs (excluding major equipment). For commercial consultancies and some grant schemes, this may be able to be recovered. In other schemes, it should be included as an in-kind contribution. In ARC schemes, infrastructure costs are not included in the budget, even as in-kind, however this does not mean it is not a cost to consider! Cash: contributions made by a funding body or organisation to an expense that would not otherwise be incurred. All ARC income is cash. In-kind: contributions made by an organisation other than through the expenditure of cash, for example, the time of employees and access fees to facilities, as well as infrastructure costs. Direct: direct costs are those that can be directly related to the (finite-length) project. Indirect: converse to direct costs, indirect costs are costs that may enable several projects, but none in particular, for example, laboratory maintenance or laboratory technician salaries; additionally, centralised services such as the legal office and ground maintenance are also indirect costs. Cost: the total of all direct and indirect budget items, irrespective of whether they can be requested, or whether they are cash or in-kind. It is good practice to work out the full costs of research, even where we know not all of it can be recovered. Price: generally, the cash amount requested from a funding body or industry partner.Specific budget items
The following sections provide tips on how to calculate specific items for a budget.
Salaries and stipends
Salary levels should be taken directly from the Human Resources website. Add to this 29.55% on-costs (or 28% for ARC and some other schemes). Please index salaries 3.5% from 7 July 2011 and a further 4.5% from 5 July 2012. However, do not index ARC requested amounts. PhD stipend levels may be determined by the Funding Rules or the Salaries and Stipends page on the ARC website.
Equipment and materials
Determine which items need to be purchased for the project. Obtain quotes for equipment and estimate the cost of maintenance items. Determine who will pay for these items the ARC, ANU, other universities or other collaborators. Non-standard software and computer hardware may be eligible.
It is recommended that when you are seeking funding from the Commonwealth for greater than $100,000 for large or costly items of equipment, you apply for this item through the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme. In terms of consumables less than $1,000, items such as high-purity metals or gases will be eligible, however other items, such as safety gear or maintenance personnel salaries will not be attributable to the project.Travel
For ARC travel, designate the costs clearly, itemising origins and destinations for travel, daily allowances, field expenses, etc. The ARC supports the cost of domestic and international travel for Chief Investigators, ARC Fellows, Partner Investigators living overseas, and research support personnel associated with the project to foster and strengthen collaborations between participants in Australia and overseas. To determine travel allowance amounts, please use the Finance Office's 2009-2010 Per Diem Calculator or Taxation Determination 2009/15.
Other
Consider the following, often overlooked, costs of a project that may be claimable:
- Advertising and recruitment (up to $5,000 per position)
- Project controller / project manager / project administrator - to be considered for any medium+ scale, or medium+ risk project
- Relocation allowance (up to $8,000 for a family)
- Publication costs
- Conference fees
- Audit fees ($3,000 to $5,000)
Budget justifications
For ARC schemes such as Discovery and Linkage, it is inevitable that cuts will be made to funding. For Discovery Projects beginning in 2010, successful proposals were funded to an average of 62.9% of the requested level. We strongly urge you to make a strong argument as to the importance of each item for the project.
Further budget resources
- ARC salary and fellowship calculator for DP12
- ANU Salary calculator
Notes on ANU salary calculator:- This is an Excel spreadsheet with macros. It is compatible with Excel 2007. There may be some issues with Excel 2003. Other spreadsheet tools, such as OpenOffice, will probably not work.
- You may choose to download and store the spreadsheet, however be aware that updated versions may be available on this website. Check the date modified in the spreadsheet or the filename (YYMMDD).
- If you encounter any difficulties with this calculator, please contact the Research and Innovation Office direct.
