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Handling of external funding

“External funding has become an essential part of research financing for universities. It is therefore a great concern of the Principal’s office at the Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI) to provide its employees with the best possible organisational, legal and commercial administrative support with the acquisition of external funding and the handling processing of these projects.” (External funding directive of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024)

External funding directive

The external funding directive of 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024 governs the handling of all externally funded activities at the Medical University of Innsbruck.
In accordance with UG 2002, externally funded research can be divided into two project categories:

Projects in accordance with § 26:

  • The contractual partner himself/herself is the project manager (ad personam).
  • MUI administers the research funds on a fiduciary basis only and undertakes the accounting on behalf of the project managers.
  • The responsibility, liability and risk lie exclusively with the project managers.

Projects in accordance with § 27:

  • The contractor is the Medical University of Innsbruck represented by an individual (respective head of an organisational unit).
  • Liability and risk for the research to be performed lie with MUI.
  • Project managers who are not heads of an organisational unit require authorisation from the Principal’s office in accordance with § 27 par. 2 UG.

Project submission
“Research proposals and draft contracts for research contracts or external grants must be sent to MUI before submission to the funding agency or client.”
(External funding directive of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024).

The signed form with the approval of the head of the organisational unit must also be enclosed in the original with the funding applications and draft contracts. If breeding/work with laboratory animals is planned for the project, you will also need (before submission to FSI) the signature of the head of MUI animal accommodation facilities (calculation of animal accommodation costs).
If using other core facilities, please enclose a cost estimate from the head of the core facility. In addition, a budget and project description must be enclosed with the application.
Information on the submission of FWF applications
Further information on sample texts and templates for project submission can be found here.
The staff in the research service and innovation department and KKS will be happy to provide information about all further processes.

Project management

  • In accordance with UG, project managers of a § 26 project must be members of the academic staff of MUI. This includes students, research fellows, academic and artistic university staff, general university staff, private lecturers, emeritus university professors, retired university professors.
  • In accordance with § 27 par. 2 in conjunction with par. 4 UG, project managers of a § 27 project must be employees of MUI. The specific extent of employment required depends on the tasks and duties associated with the project.

“This must also be taken into account accordingly in the event of foreseeable departure from the employment of MUI, e.g. owing to commencement of retirement or emeritus status (with continued employment). In the course of submission or application, the responsible member of the Principal’s office may provide a corresponding, signed attestation to the University subject to subsequent employment of at least a minor nature, which guarantees qualification of the project as a § 26 project.”
(External funding directive of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024)

Proposal check
On request, applications for external funding can undergo a proposal check (formal and content review). The research service and innovation department offers this for all MUI scientists and all research funding programmes.
Please note: these checks take an average of 5 working days. This should be taken into account especially in the case of upcoming deadlines.

Legal review
“For projects in accordance with § 27 UG with a total volume of more than EUR 1 m or an annual volume of more than EUR 500,000, a legal review of the application by the legal and compliance department and a commercial review of the application by the finance and accounting department are required.
In the case of contracts with IPR assignment and/or realisation provisions, special legal structures (e.g. cooperations, joint ventures), as well as the aforementioned clinical trials/studies, every contract must be submitted to the legal and compliance department for review before signing.”
(External funding guideline of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024).
Please send enquiries directly to sc-recht@i-med.ac.at.

Personnel matters
Competence and responsibility for all personnel law and personnel accounting matters lies exclusively with the human resources department in all cases.
Contact in the human resources department:
Andrea Schmid (andrea.schmid@i-med.ac.at – direct line 71094)
N.N.

Project approval

Documents required:
The following documents must be sent to the external funding administration of the finance and accounting department, and in the case of clinical trials, to the KKS:

  • “All project-related contracts: project/funding agreement, consortium agreements, subcontracts and side agreements, letters of intent, letters of commitment, side letters etc.;
  • Project cost estimates: all planned costs and revenue pertaining to the project;
  • Budget: indication of expected payment and disbursement dates;
  • Investment plan: list of all investments planned/required for the project, indicating the normal useful life, resulting ancillary and consequential costs, and presentation of whether and how use of the acquisition will continue after project completion;
  • Internal cost allocation: if internal services are to be provided and charged for, this must be arranged in advance between the organisational units concerned, if possible. The services to be charged internally must be listed as costs in the project cost estimate. To avoid non-recognition by the funding/contracting agency of services that are charged internally, use the service catalogues and charging rates set by the Principal’s office.
  • Other documents: test schedule, ethics committee application, vote by the ethics committee, patient information, official requirements, approval of clinical studies by the medical director of LKH Innsbruck etc.”
    (External funding guideline of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024)

External funding form:
A completed and signed external funding form must be submitted together with the contract documents.
The Principal’s office shall make a decision within two weeks with regard to issuing authorisation for § 27 projects or not prohibiting § 26 projects.

Application for the SAP number:
The application for the SAP number is made and the cost reimbursement is likewise set using the external funding form.
Contacts for external funding administration in the finance and accounting department:
Anita Malik (anita.malik@i-med.ac.at – direct line 71018)
Beata Reicher (beata.reicher@i-med.ac.at – direct line 71010)
Cornelia Schandara (cornelia.schandara@i-med.ac.at – direct line 71805)
Christine Webhofer (christine.webhofer@i-med.ac.at – direct line 71013)
Contacts for KKS
https://www.i-med.ac.at/kks/mitarbeiter.html.de

Contract signing:

  • Usually by the head of the respective organisational unit
  • By the project manager in the case of § 26 projects
  • The responsible member(s) of the Principal’s office if the signature of the research institution is required

Project handling

Project administration:
“Project payments must be made by the finance and accounting department. To this end, the project manager must provide the finance department with all the necessary information, documents and receipts. Please note: before acquisition, expenses that do not comply with the funding directives must be agreed with the respective funding provider by the project manager.
The project manager is solely responsible for ensuring that only project-related, factually correct expenses that correspond to the agreements with the funding provider are incurred. In many funding programmes, time records must be kept in accordance with the respective requirement.”
(External funding directive of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024)

Project amendment:
“Significant changes to the project must be reported immediately to the finance and accounting department, using the project amendment form provided.
Significant changes in relation to the project may specifically include:
Change in project management (especially if the project manager leaves the job);
Change in project volume, e.g. additional/reduced services with/without a change in funding/contract amount;
Change in budget, change/shift between cost categories (especially from/to the personnel budget);
Change in term (period change/project extension);
Changes in contract/project contents.”
(External funding directive of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024)

Project completion:
“Projects must be finally billed and completed by means of a project completion notification from the project manager at the end that was defined at the start of the project.
Extensions are permissible on request only if

  1. a) They are approved by the contract/funding provider and

(b) The purpose of the project can be credibly shown as not yet accomplished.

If, six months after the reported end of the project, no termination notification and no request for extension has been received, the project will be closed and any credit balance of the project – as long as there is no repayment obligation to the contract/funding provider – will be transferred to the asset account of the organisational unit in the case of § 27 projects or to an account named by the project manager in the case of § 26 projects.”
(External funding directive of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024)

Contacts in the finance and accounting department

Investments:
“Purchases made on behalf of the university are subject to the provisions of procurement law as well as the applicable internal requirements for procurement. The bodies responsible at MUI must be involved with the performance description/specification and tendering process. EDP acquisitions may be made only after prior consultation with the ICT department.
Acquisitions as part of § 26 projects are made by the project manager in his/her own name, as long as no ownership by MUI is established.”
(External funding directive of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024)

Audits:
“Some funding agencies require regular and/or final external audits or reviews.
If external audits are necessary, the department of finance and accounting shall inform the project manager, commission one of the auditing firms tasked by the MUI to conduct the audit, and provide the necessary documents to the same in cooperation with the project manager.”
(External funding directive of the Medical University of Innsbruck: 19.12.2014 and 11.07.2024)

Further information:

Information on the external funding administration finance department
Details of EU applications, EU contracts
Research funding
Development of young talent
Employees in the research service and innovation department
External funding administration by the finance and accounting department
KKS staff
Current tenders / newsletters
Funding from and for MUI
FWF
FFG
Anniversary fund of Austrian National Bank
TWF
Tyrol location agency

Research