Funding Guidance

Managing your budget

Which expenses may you move between budget headings and when should you contact us.
If you are an OPRA grantholder, you and your host organisation are responsible for managing grant finances appropriately. You monitor your expenses so that the research costs can be met by your grant budget.
Unless there are specific restrictions stated in your award letter, you may move expenses between budget headings. This will enable you the flexibility in spending your funds in a way which will benefit to your research.

Transferring expenses between budget headings:

Small-scale transfers between budget headings are not subjected to our approval. However, you will have to discuss with us the following significant transfers:

Underspend budget due to engaging a fellow or a student for a shorted time than expected
Underspend due to major changes in research staffing levels
The need to spend funding on research management support on other activities
The need to spend funding on public engagement on other activities

We might not pay for costs we haven’t approved or which are significantly inconsistent with those stated in the original award.

Transferring a grant

When will a transfer be considered:

We are aware of the increasing mobility of researchers and of the fact that career paths may change during the course of a grant. We do not wish to obstruct such important decisions.

We will consider a transfer in the following cases:

You are joining another organisation and you want to take the grant with you
You are no longer able to lead the grant and want to transfer it to a new grantholder

The new organisation:

May be situated in any country
Must be able to comply with our grant conditions

The transfer is in the interest of the research and the people involved in it.

We will examine:

The suitability of the new grantholder or the new research location
Whether you will be able to complete your research effectively, or more effectively in the new location