Financial administration of research agreements, is done through Financial & Administrative Services (FAS) consultation with the Financial Officer(s) within the Principal Investigator’s academic home. The Principal Investigator is responsible for proper financial management. The Principal Investigator must ensure that all financial charges against the fund are eligible expenses according to the agreement (including its start and end dates and budget), Sponsor guidelines including Tri-Agency, and applicable University policies
Only expenses incurred during of the term of the grant may be claimed. In certain instances the Sponsoring agency will not permit an extension to the end date of the grant. Therefore, the research project must be completed prior to the end date of the agreement.
The Principal Investigator should work closely with their Academic home Financial Officer to administer their research funding. The key financial management business processes can be summarized into the following categories:
Purchasing Goods & Services
Financial and Administrative Services should be consulted for information related to the procurement of goods and services in relation to your research project.
All purchasing for a research project should adhere to Memorial University’s Purchasing Policy
All items purchased with research funds belong to the University and not to the individual Principal Investigator, unless the funding Agency agrees otherwise in writing, or unless doing so would be contrary to a legislated requirement. As owner, the University is responsible for ensuring that the items are used to support the research program of the Principal Investigator and any applicable Co-investigators.
Research Travel
The University has a comprehensive policy with accompanying guidelines covering travel.
A Travel Request form is required for all persons who wish to travel, whether or not a travel advance is requested. These forms have to be approved by the Principal Investigator as well as the appropriate signing authority in the home faculty.
Principal Investigators must ensure all travel follows the University’s Travel Policy.
Contact the Financial and Administrative Services Division further information regarding the University’s travel policy and guidelines.
Accessing Financial Information
The University has a financial information system called Banner that is used to record and report financial transactions.
Access to the system and training are available through Financial and Administrative Services.
Invoicing for Research Projects
All invoicing and financial reporting to funders on research projects is handled by Financial and Administrative Services – Research Accounting
Once you have a project established, claims, statements and financial information will be prepared by Financial Reporting for submission to the Sponsor. For more information, please contact Financial and Administrative Services.
Payments to the University shall be made payable to Memorial University.