Transfer of funds in research projects

(subcontracts, forwarding of funds)

Often, within a publicly funded research network, funds need to be transferred between the participating institutions. Depending on the organization of the network and the contribution of the individual participants, various possibilities/ constellations are possible here.

Please always refer first to the specifications of the third-party funder in the call for proposals, in the grant notification, or in its general guidelines.

Acceptance as cooperation partner in the consortium

  • As a rule, all project participants who contribute a substantial scientific part to the project should also be cooperation or collaborative partners.
  • Then they will typically receive the remuneration for their work directly from the funding organization.
  • In EU projects, the consortium coordinator transfers the funds to the cooperation partners according to EU guidelines.

Forwarding funds

  • In this case, the University transfers funds from the donor to other project participants in Germany and abroad.
  • This must also be coordinated with the project management agency, however, and an
  • fund transfer agreement must be concluded. Please contact our legal counsel for this.
  • If funds are forwarded, there is usually no sales tax .
  • By forwarding funds, the University also assumes responsibility vis-à-vis the donor and the obligation to provide evidence that these funds have been used for the intended purpose . This requires a certain level of trust in the partners. Deadlines and form for the delivery of documents and reports should be agreed on in a binding way.

Subcontracts

  • Subcontracts can usually be awarded for partial tasks that are not part of the core scientific tasks in the project and can be performed by other institutions or companies, such as special routine analyses or tasks like printing a flyer.
  • If possible, this should already be planned for in the project application. If subcontracts become necessary only in the course of the project, this must be discussed with the project management agency / funding agency.
  • Subcontracts may need to be opened for a call for tenders. The procurement guidelines and value limits applicable to central purchasing procedures must be observed.
  • The University has entered into framework agreements with selected vendors for certain jobs and services. These must be processed through the Central Purchasing Unit. Please contact AW 2 for this purpose.
  • In some cases, such special tasks can be delegated on the basis of a service contract concluded between the University and the contractor. A service contract is concluded when the University hires a contractor to produce a specific result independently, on his/her own responsibility, and using his/her materials and skills. Special regulations must be taken into account before a service contract is concluded - please contact the Central Purchasing Unit (AW2) about this at an early point in time.
  • If another contract is to be concluded for the subcontract and the process is not covered by framework contracts concluded by the Central Purchasing Unit, please contact our legal counsel. It is important to agree on clear regulations for confidentiality and the use of the results in all such agreements. Our legal counsel will be happy to advise you on this.
  • Subcontracts may also be awarded to foreign institutions. They can therefore be used to transfer funds to foreign project participants. This can be useful if it is not possible for the foreign institution to participate as a collaborative partner. We will be happy to advise you on this topic.
  • Subcontracts are usually subject to VAT ! Keep this in mind when calculating project costs. Special regulations must be observed in the case of services provided from abroad.