Transcript Slide 1

NIHR Programme Grants for
Applied Research
- Full Application Stage Workshop
Lucy Micheni
Deputy Director Finance and Contracts,
NIHR CCF
27/05/2010
Application Finances
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Project planning
Classification of costs
Eligible research costs
Things to look out for
Common mistakes
Key messages
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Project Planning
• Need to develop a robust project plan detailing:
– What resources are required
– When resources are required
– Which resources need to be funded via any
Programme Grant award
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Classification of Costs
• Three types of NHS R&D cost:
– Research Costs
– NHS Support Costs (or Service Support)
– Treatment Costs
• Attributing revenue costs of externally-funded
non-commercial research in the NHS (ARCO)
• HSG(97)32: Responsibilities for meeting Patient
Care Costs associated with Research and
Development in the NHS
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Research Costs
• Costs of the R&D activity itself, including:
– Data collection
– Analysis
– Other activities needed to answer the research
question
– Can include pay and indirect costs of staff
employed to carry out the research
– Trial registration
– Dissemination
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Staff and equipment
• Staff salaries should be realistic based on the going
market rates, percentage of time they spend on the
research project and project duration.
• Avoid costing researcher as a consultant – If you do
it should be justified
• Avoid imbalance between scale of resource request
vs scale of activity
• Ensure realistic time devoted by applicants.
• Justify infrastructure support, eg charging a whole
time secretary
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NHS Support Costs
• Additional patient-related costs associated with the
research, that end once the research activity has
stopped
• Examples include:
• Extra diagnostic tests
• Extra inpatient or outpatient activity
• Extra nursing care
• Obtaining informed consent from participants
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Treatment Costs
• Patient care costs which will continue if the patient
care service continues after the activity stops
• assumption should be that the intervention / service
being tested will continue after the end of the study
even if there are no plans in place for it to continue
• Where treatment is experimental, or differs from
normal, standard treatment for that condition, the
additional costs of the treatment is an Excess
Treatment Cost
• Covers all types of patient care
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Who Funds?
• Research costs
• Research funder (e.g. NIHR, MRC)
• NHS Support Costs
• DH/NIHR via Research Networks, etc.
• Treatment Costs
• normally through commissioning arrangements
for patient care
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Excess Treatment Costs
• Part of the Treatment Costs
• Normal commissioning arrangements apply
• Subvention support available from DH only in
– very exceptional cases
– Very high excess treatment costs
– Very few centres involved
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Further information
• Guidance on funding Excess Treatment Costs
related to non-commercial research studies and
applying for a subvention
http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_d
igitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_097627.pdf
• Seek clarification from NIHR CCF or Trudi
Simmons [email protected]
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Note
• Researchers are requested to notify NHS Trusts (via the
Trust R&D lead) about
– planned studies and their associated ETCs at the
earliest opportunity. If possible notify Trusts in advance
of submitting the full grant proposals.
– the grant funder’s funding decision as soon as this is
known so that the Trust can amend its financial plans
accordingly.
– R&D leads contact details:
http://www.rdforum.nhs.uk/044.asp
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Eligible Research Costs
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Salaries of research and research support staff
Consumables (e.g. sample tubes, study forms)
Statistical support
Travel and subsistence (e.g. to conferences or study
sites)
• Software licences
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Eligible Research Costs cont
• Minor equipment (<£5k per item)
• A reasonable overhead to cover indirect costs in the
NHS, e.g.:
• General office consumables; Library services;
Finance and HR support
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Things to Look Out For
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Cost at 2010/11 prices with no inflation uplift
No payment of FEC
Reasonable overhead costs in NHS
A maximum of £2m is available with an average
annual cost of no more than £400k
• Support and treatment costs are not funded
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Common Mistakes
• Failure to adhere to funding limits (max £2m)
• Inappropriate inclusion of inflation uplift
• Inappropriate inclusion of NHS Support Costs
and Treatment Costs
• Failure to budget adequately for key resources
– e.g. time of applicants, statistical support
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Common mistakes cont
• Unrealistic indirect costs. This should be well justified
in the justification of costs section of the
application
• Inappropriate inclusion of capital costs
• Failure to justify requested resources adequately
– e.g. use of research fellows rather than support
staff, consultants, inclusion of contingency budget
etc.
• Failure to reach financial agreement with partners
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Key Messages
• Seek expert financial advice from your R&D
Office/Finance Department at an early stage
• Justify resource requests carefully
– Don’t over- (or under-) estimate costs
• Don’t forget to submit signed Declarations & Signatures
form
• Note Programme Grant agreement on NIHR CCF
website
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Key messages cont
• Consider subcontracting arrangements
• Consider how to access support or treatment costs
• Our expectation is that grants will generally start
within six months of confirmation of award
• Read and follow the Application Guidance!
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Thank you
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