Guide to applying for research funding: Budget

Check the funder’s instructions regarding eligible costs, the maximum funding available and the potential share of university's own funding. Remember to also check with the Research Services to see if Uniarts Helsinki has a specific budgeting template for that particular form of funding. Arrange a budget meeting, if needed, and whenever the applied funding is to be administered by Uniarts, ask the Financial Services' Controller to check your budget. Prepare for the possibility of the funder only granting a part of the sum you are applying for; in other words, think about ways to adapt the research plan to a lower budget, if necessary.

The percentages valid at the moment are:

• Effective working hours 83%
• Overheads share 85.5%
• Indirect employee costs 51%

Please note: As the coefficients are calculated annually on the basis of the financial statement from the previous year, we recommend always checking the valid coefficients.

The full cost model is primarily used by the Research Council of Finland (former Academy of Finland) and Business Finland.

If the funder does not use the full cost model and has specified a maximum overhead cost share, sometimes even an indirect employee cost rate, the funder’s specifications must be used.

If, on the other hand, the funder does not use the full cost model but has not specified an overhead cost share, 20% of direct expenses (excluding potential personal grants) are budgeted as overhead costs. The indirect employee cost rate is 30%.

Most funders use the additional cost model. Always check the funder’s budgeting instructions.

The overhead cost share is designed to cover any indirect expenses incurred by the project, such as facilities, telecommunications, postal and copying expenses and internal expenses such as library, research services, IT administration, HR and payroll services, financial services, communications services.

Check the salary levels to be budgeted with the HR services (see tab HR plan). Other expenses to consider may include, for example, travel, substances and materials, equipment and software and service purchases.

• Uniarts Helsinki providers one computer (laptop, desktop or tablet computer), monitor, docking station, keyboard, mouse (wired or wireless), USB hard drive and smartphone to an employee with a monthly salary. Any additional equipment and software is included in the project budget, if possible.
• After the project is finished, any literature purchased with its funding may be passed over to the library, in which case it becomes available to all Uniarts Helsinki users. Specialised literature that is primarily related to the research project is to be purchased using the project budget. The library may purchase some literature that can benefit the entire area of Uniarts Helsinki, but these acquisitions should be agreed upon with the library well in advance.
• If necessary, contact production services well in advance. The availability of the applied resources cannot be guaranteed. See also instructions for performances, concerts and exhibitions in Artsi.
• If the project requires special facility, IT or communications resources, contact the services in question (see contact information in tab Services and contact persons). We recommend including any resources diverging from the basic services in the project budget, if the funder’s terms allow it.

In addition to the budget table, we recommend including a brief verbal description of the budget in the research plan.

Budgeting assistance is provided by

Senior Research Funding Advisor Tiia Saarinen

Controllers Miia Putkinen and Sanna Tossavainen

Budgeting templates

We recommend using Uniarts Helsinki budgeting templates to facilitate budgeting:

• Research Council of Finland, Horizon Europe and the most common foundations: Always ask for the up-to-date template from the above-mentioned contact persons.
• For various foundation applications you can also use the budget example provided by Kone Foundation

Other guidelines

Financial Services in Artsi

Dividing the overheads share, see Rector's decision on the grounds for calculating budgets of externally funded projects (in Artsi, in Finnish)

Uniarts travel guidelines (in Artsi)

See also tab HR plan