TEMPUS CORINTHIAM

474Guide of Good Practices TEMPUS CORINTHIAM5.5. Activation of Funding ContractOnce the funding contract has been fully signed by all involved parties, the project islegally ready to commence. The ARD staff again checks that all the necessary administrativeforms and legal documents are in place prior to the project start.Following the completion of the verification, the ARD financial staff activates theresearch budget in the University’s computerized financial system according to theneeds of the researchers and in accordance with the contractual and internal regulations.For complex research budgets and projects, the ARD will invite the researcher/s andtheir support staff to a guidance meeting on the aspects of good practice management.In the meeting the ARD team explain in depth the funding agency contractual regulationsand requirements (such as eligible and ineligible costs; time-sheets; financialstatements and technical and scientific reports). The meetings are found to be practicaland useful for good project management.1. At HUJI, unlike some other academic institutions in Israel, research budgets aremanaged by the ARD, both in the preparatory phase – handling of calls for proposals,proposal submission and the award stage, and also at the end of the process – preparationof cost statements which are submitted to the funding agency at the end of eachreporting period.Following the approval of the research grant by the funding agency, the ARD registersthe grant in the University’s financial system, specifying the funded budget frameworkand cost categories according to the project’s technical annex as is defined in theResearch Grant Agreement with the funding agency.Once the budget is activated, the researcher can use the allocated budget according tothe project’s needs and can purchase the required research assets from pre-financingoffered by the University, even before funding is transferred by the funding agency.2. The researcher, the researcher’s departmental administrative support team (in casethere is such a team) or his/her faculty, and the University’s Purchasing and Supplydepartment are responsible for the project during its entire lifecycle. During the courseof the project the management of the budget, including purchase of consumables andequipment, hiring of personnel to work on the project and any other expenditure, aredecided upon according to the researcher’s own judgment and are carried out by theappropriate supporting entities at the University, without involving the ARD, exceptfor verification of budget availability in the different cost categories. This requiresfrom the researcher and his team careful supervision of the budget keeping in mindthe needs and tasks as defined by the project and in compliance with the regulationsof the funding agency.