What is the mechanism for ensuring that academic staff time is not overcharged?
Research Councils will not fund more than 100% of an investigators salary (i.e. 1,650 hours pa). They accept the need for flexibility in relation to PIs because of the difficulty in estimating both time and the likelihood of success of applications. They will seek assurance at organisational level that the costs paid for investigators are in balance with the total time attributed to grants. Why have Research Councils gone for a 37.5 hour week when academics often work far longer than this? This figure is in accordance with fEC guidelines. (1,650 hours per year; 44 weeks per year;220 days per year). If a PI spends double the amount of time originally estimated on the proposal, how does the University recover the extra cost? It doesnt! Investigator costs will be paid based on the estimates shown on the grant announcement no more, no less! Will Peer Reviewers see investigators pay costs? Peer reviewers will see all costs, which will include a pay cost figure, but they will not know how it
