Research Support Finance... 13

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1 Contents Appendix 14: Instructions for handling external projects... 3 Addendum 1 General information regarding management of external projects... 3 Allocation of roles... 3 Accountability and jurisdiction... 4 IT support... 4 General information regarding checks... 5 Main processes... 6 Addendum 2 Application... 8 Applicant/Grant holder... 8 Head of department... 9 Research support unit/department secretary... 9 Research Support Finance... 9 Legal Office... 9 Addendum 3. Project creation (letter awarding a grant, approval and creation) Applicant/Grant holder Head of department Research support unit/department secretary Research Support Finance Legal Office Addendum 4 Project execution (ongoing registration, periodic budget and follow up) Applicant/Grant holder Head of department Research support unit/department secretary Research Support Finance Legal Office Addendum 4A. Extra activities during project execution Ongoing registration The department s execution of the project must include, for example: Moving projects Annual management declaration Unused funds Addendum 5. Budget follow up Applicant/Grant holder

2 Head of department Research support unit/department secretary Research Support Finance Addendum 6 Project completion (closing projects and accounts) Applicant/Grant holder Head of department Research support unit/department secretary Research Support Finance Addendum 7 General information about filing Head of department Research support unit

3 Appendix 14: Instructions for handling external projects This guide is a part of SDU s accounting instructions and covers management of all external projects at SDU. The primary focus in these instructions is to describe SDU s business processes in connection with financial administration and governance of external projects from application, initiation, project execution, budget follow-up and project completion as well as filing. Accountability and jurisdiction, which are the responsibility of the grant holder/department/head of department/department/area manager for Research Support Finance and Legal Office are also described. Addendum 1 General information regarding management of external projects External projects include Grant funded (research) activities as well as commercial business, which must be natural by-products of SDU s ordinary business and are financed by funds from public and private enterprises, organisations, funds, programmes, the EU, etc. Managing external projects takes place according to general guidelines that are set out within the applicable guidelines from the Danish Ministry of Finance (Budget guidelines) and the specific guidelines applicable for University of Southern Denmark. External project funds must be entered in the accounting subaccounts listed below. 1, Underkonto 90: Commercial business projects with commercial interest other than research, but a natural by-product of SDU s activities. 2, Underkonto 94: Specific grants from the Danish Finance Act on periodisation. 3, Underkonto 95: Grant financed research activities 4, Underkonto 97: Other grant financed activities. A subset of SDU s external projects require agreements to be entered with external cooperation partners and these agreements must also follow University of Southern Denmark s rules for this. These agreements are prepared by the Legal Office. Allocation of roles Grant holder: Head of department: Research support unit: Responsible for external projects typically the investigating researcher The head of the department with which the project is associated The person(s) responsible for activities within pre- and post-award in the faculties. This function is organised and taken care of differently by the individual faculties. Due to these differences in organisation, in some faculties the research support unit will be a department secretary. 3

4 Research Support Finance: The central unit that carries out legality checks of rules, and carries out professional sparring with decentralised units. Research Support Finance is located in Financial Services in the Central Administration. Legal Office: The central unit that prepares cooperation agreements and provides legal advice. The Legal Office is located in the Vice-Chancellor s Office. Accountability and jurisdiction The following usually applies to accountancy and jurisdiction for external projects: The same guidelines apply for managing external projects as for SDU in general. Assets purchased using external project funds are the property of SDU. Grant holders control the project s income and expenses with accountability to the head of department/area manager. Departments, faculties and central administration can, within the framework of these instructions, set additional rules and/or day-to-day work descriptions. Heads of department/area managers have the overall legal and financial responsibility, and establish the specific organisation in the departments. In connection with applications, heads of department/area managers must approve application budgets and ensure that the application has been prepared within the department s academic research plan and strategy. Approval must be granted before submitting applications. In connection with applications, Research services Finance must approve budgets where SDU s share exceeds DKK 200,000. This approval must be granted before submitting applications. With applications that consist of several stages, the approval process must take place during the stage in which a budget is enclosed. Heads of department/area managers are responsible for the ongoing specific registration of costs (and income/payments) for the individual projects. The department must contact the Legal Office as early as possible when cooperation agreements need to be drawn up. The department requests the creation of an external project via an SDUpro task. The department generates a project number per project per grant provider. The department ensures that it complies with SDU s requirements for filing in Acadre. Research Support Finance creates all external projects in the finance system on the basis of the information that the decentralised units enter in SDUpro. Research Support Finance sends monthly account statements from the finance system to both the head of department and grant holder. Research Support Finance prepares the final accounts on the basis of the reported costs in the finance system. Or Research Support Finance carries out checks of the draft accounts sent from the research support unit. IT support IT support is provided for management of external projects via: SDUpro (CRM system) where master data for both the application and grant are registered. 4

5 Acadre. Filing system, where application, letters awarding grants, approved budget, accounts and relevant material are registered. Acadre supports the progression of the project across the university. SDUpro Tasks is used to register work tasks between the central administration and the faculties. SDU s finance system, ØSS, where all financial activity is registered in a specific, integrated project account using the existing ØSS modules and SLS and TEM. Some cost calculations are supported by Excel solutions, e.g. holiday pay, employees who have left SDU, overheads, grant transfer. QlikView. System in which the financial reporting is carried out. Projects: Financial project management system used by some departments as a complement to ØSS. SDU Timesheet used for wage allocation for those departments that use Projects. SDU Budget spreadsheet is used for preparing budgets for external projects. General information regarding checks Research Support Finance ensures: That no projects are created unless there is a legally-binding basis and an approved application budget, or that the head of department is aware that there is no approved application budget. That unused funds do not remain in the project account after the end of the project, but, as long as they do not need to be repaid to the grant provider, they are transferred to ordinary operations for the unit with financial responsibility. This is done immediately after the project is completed. With projects with no financial movements for more than 12 months, Research Support Finance can close the project in ØSS, after having informed the department of this. That no projects exist without active research and that the end date is not exceeded or corrected, such that these are updated with the most recent data. The controller department in Financial Services ensures: That internal audits and checks of randomly selected external projects are carried out regularly so that all, both internal and external, instructions are followed. External auditors ensure: External audits of a random selection of projects are carried out once or twice a year. The auditor contacts Research Support Finance in relation to the selected projects, which will then act as the liaison between external auditors and the relevant SDU department during performance of the audit. For external projects where the grant provider has demanded external audit of the project accounts (e.g. EU projects), the contact between the auditor and SDU will still take place between the auditor and Research Support Finance. 5

6 Main processes The following main processes in the management of external projects are described in the below subsection: 1. Application 2. Project creation (letter awarding a grant, approval and creation) 3. Execution (ongoing registration) 4. Budget follow up (periodic budget and follow up) 5. Project completion (closing projects and accounts) 6. General information about filing Areas Role Grant holder Head of department Research support unit/department secretary Research Support Finance Law Application Initiate application Prepare the academic application section Content for budget, formalities Submit applications Prioritise applications Approve applications Approve joint financing Assist with preparation of application Enter applications in SDUpro and file in Acadre Assist/advise in connection with references Quality assure and approve budgets over DKK 200,000 Preparation and approval of cooperation agreements and provision of legal advice if necessary Project creation Receipt of letter awarding a grant Check and approval of the grant Implement project creation Approval of the grant and any joint financing Creation of project via registration of master data in SDUpro Implementation of any relevant start-up meeting Prepare periodised budget Approval of SDUpro master data based on the grant/budget Creation of project number in ØSS Creation of first budget in ØSS Preparation and approval of cooperation agreements and provision of legal advice if necessary Execution Project management Schedule with mile posts Internal reporting External reporting and communication Responsibility for employees on projects Approve project plan and mile posts Approve reporting Approve adjustments Account entry of expenses Support with day-today administrative tasks, including rebudgeting and grant changes Data for reporting Provides tools/instruments for following up project reporting and financial governance Quality assures and carries out internal controlling Support (hotline) Preparation and approval of cooperation agreements and provision of legal advice if necessary Budget follow up Responsibility for budget follow up Approval of budget changes Responsibility for the overall budget follow up Supports budget revision and sends any changes to Research Support Finance Data for reporting and budget follow up Project completion Internal and external final reporting (academic as well as financial) Approval of final accounts Ensure that academic final reporting is approved Ensure approval of financial debriefing Sends SDUpro tasks to Research Support Finance with request for accounts Data for accounts Approval of financial final reporting Preparation of accounts Checking of accounts Filing General responsibility for filing in Acadre Filing in Acadre 6

7 All tasks relating to a project must take place on the basis of an SDUpro task from the department/research support unit with link to Acadre, where the documentation must be available. 7

8 Addendum 2 Application This section covers the activities from prioritisation between possible external financing to preparation and submission of an application. The faculty, department or grant holder must enter all applications exceeding DKK 200,000 in SDUpro, making it possible to follow up the applications. It is up to the faculty units to decide whether applications equal to or under DKK 200,000 are entered in SDUpro. Applicant/Grant holder The individual researcher has the necessary academic insight, and writing a high-quality application requires a high level of academic insight. The individual researcher also has the drive and incentive to apply for external financing. The applicant prepares an application within the department s academic research plan and strategy. The application s academic section is assessed exclusively by the department. In addition, the faculty research support units can, in collaboration with Research Support Finance, help with support in the form of specialist knowledge on licences, EU resources, templates and e-portals, etc. Some faculties demand that the research support unit is brought into both the application and preparation of the budget. The relevant department s instructions are referred to here. When setting up budgets IT support is provided via the SDU Budget spreadsheet so that calculation prices are automatically supplied by the IT system. The applicant is responsible for correctly calculating the composition and amount of resources as well as derivative operating costs, while Financial Services, in the form of the budget department and Research Support Finance are responsible for updating the calculation prices used. The budget department can specify wage amounts including holiday pay and pension amounts for staff paid by a trust or foundation and by the research council. If the person is already employed by the university, the precise figure can be used. When setting budgets, consideration must be taken to known or anticipated wage increases during the project period. On the basis of the information collected, the applicant prepares an application and a budget. The budget must contain estimates for the expected project and costs for wages, operation and overheads during the full project period. With cooperation agreements, the Legal Office must be involved as early in the process as possible, just as the Legal Office must approve and sign all cooperation agreements. The budget must cover the full project period divided by minimum salary, operations and overhead in relation to grant application and any joint financing from the department. The periodised project budget must include periodisation of wages, operations and overheads on an annual basis in relation to the applicable budget categories Specific demands from grant providers on the content and form of the budget must also be included. The application must comply with the applicable rules for calculating overhead contributions. The link provides an overview of the applicable rules for overheads. The applicant is responsible for submitting the application. 8

9 Head of department The head of department must actively prioritise between potential application pools and applications. As a part of this prioritisation, the head of department must take the project s total risk profile into consideration. The head of department must always approve the final project application, including budget and joint financing. With applications for authority tasks or authority-type tasks, the head of department must always be included in the application. It is the responsibility of the head of department to ensure that application budgets are submitted in time (although a minimum of three days before the submission deadline to the authority) to Research Support Finance for quality assurance and approval of the budget basis, overhead calculations, etc. Research support unit/department secretary In the application phase, it is the research support unit s role to support the researcher in creating the best possible application. The research support units can, for example, support the researcher by assisting in the interpretation of the type of task the grant provider wants resolved, perform communicative sparring and prepare formalities. The research support units can perform sparring in relation to the budget. Some faculties demand that the research support unit is brought into this process. Here, we refer to the decentralised department instructions. The application can be reviewed by the research support units, which quality assure the application by, for example, checking that all requested appendices have been prepared and standard texts comply with SDU s guidelines. When the application has been prepared, the budget is sent to Research Support Finance, which checks and approves the budget before it can be sent to the grant provider. The researcher is responsible for submission to the grant provider and must inform the research support unit of this, as it ensures filing of the application in Acadre and creation of the application in SDUpro. Research Support Finance Research Support Finance must approve all budgets exceeding DKK 200,000 and ensure that the head of department has also approved the budget as well as any joint financing. The procedure will subsequently be followed up, when the application has been granted. Research Support Finance will send follow up to the head of department and dean once a year. Legal Office At the time of application, any draft contracts are reviewed by the Legal Office with the aim of clarifying anything inappropriate at an early stage. When SDU receives an external grant which involves partners/cooperation outside SDU, as a general rule a cooperation agreement must always be drawn up between SDU and the external party/parties in the project. An assessment will be carried out for the individual project on whether, and if so when, the cooperation agreement must be prepared. It is therefore preferable to contact the Legal Office early on in the process! In addition to the cooperation agreement, there may be a need to enter supplementary agreements, for example subcontractor agreements or PhD agreements, or a need for additional legal advice. The Legal Office can naturally also help with this. 9

10 The requirements in the accounting instructions for approval of application budgets apply with the same terms and conditions for cooperation agreements as for all other external project applications. Addendum 3. Project creation (letter awarding a grant, approval and creation) This section covers the activities from the time the grant is received by SDU until a project number is created against which expenses can be entered. The individual researcher who receives the letter awarding a grant is thus the person who initiates the project creation. One condition for creation of an externally financed project at SDU, and thus for the right of disposal, is that there is an original legally binding basis for this, e.g. in the form of a letter awarding a grant. The original letter awarding a grant therefore provides the basis for creating the project in both SDUpro and SDU s finance system. Applicant/Grant holder If the grant provider has accepted and agreed to the application, the applicant (hereinafter the grant holder) receives an answer from the grant provider in the form of, e.g., a letter of intent/letter awarding a grant. If not all of the requested amount is granted, it may be necessary to revise the budget and send a revised budget to the grant provider. The letter awarding a grant is reviewed thoroughly by the grant holder. It is important that the special requirements made by the grant provider are followed and incorporated into the project management (e.g. EU requirements for recording hours). If no detailed project plan has been prepared in connection with the application, including clearly defined start and end dates, the grant holder must prepare one. The grant holder revises the periodised project budget, where this exists, in connection with the size of the grant and any special requirements from the grant provider. When the grant has been reviewed, it is transferred to the research support unit or department secretary for further creation of the project. Head of department It is the responsibility of the head of department to ensure that all original documents are filed. This task can be taken care of either by the faculty s research support unit or the department secretary. The letter awarding a grant and the budget as well as any revised budget versions must be filed at the time the project is created. The head of department must approve the final agreement and budget as well as the department covering any losses in the project. The head of department approves the project via the electronic approval flow in SDUpro. For some projects, there is an audit requirement for joint financing to be included and reported under the project. Joint financing must be documented with accounting appendices (invoice, travel appendices or time 10

11 sheets/wage slips) for the faculty/department and contain instructions and account entry via internal allocation between ordinary business and the project. This joint financing must be approved by the head of department. Research support unit/department secretary The research support unit creates an independent file number for the project in Acadre, where all important project documents are filed, including the letter awarding a grant, approval of the application budget and the final periodised budget. When the grant has been filed in Acadre, an SDUpro task is created in which the research support unit requests creation of the project in SDU s finance system. The research support unit ensures that a draft of the final budget has been prepared before this and that all special requirements from the grant provider are complied with from the start of the project, including starting to record hours, planning ongoing financial reporting, kick-off meetings with partners, etc. The research support unit assesses whether there is a need for a start-up meeting between the department, researcher and Research Support Finance. Research Support Finance Once the head of department has approved creation of the project via the electronic approval flow in SDUpro, Research Support Finance receives an SDUpro task with request for creation of a project number. If the letter awarding a grant, application, approval of the application budget and a periodised annual budget (LINK: exist in Acadre, Research Support Finance creates a project in SDUpro that is transferred to the finance system (ØSS). After creating the project number, and once Research Support Finance has imported the budget approved by the grant provider into the university s finance system, Research Support Finance sends an (automatically generated with management of SDUpro tasks) to the research support unit, which states the project number and who has requested payment of the grant. Research Support Finance can help by incorporating the grant provider s requirements into the project management. For larger projects (e.g. from the EU) Research Support Finance can demand that there must be a start-up meeting between the department, researcher and Research Support Finance. Legal Office When SDU receives an external grant which involves partners/cooperation outside SDU, as a general rule a cooperation agreement must always be drawn up between SDU and the external party/parties in the project. An assessment will be carried out for the individual project on whether, and if so when, the cooperation agreement must be prepared. It is therefore preferable to contact the Legal Office early on in the process! In addition to the cooperation agreement, there may be a need to enter supplementary agreements, for example subcontractor agreements or PhD agreements, or a need for additional legal advice. The Legal Office can naturally also help with this. 11

12 If the cooperation agreement is the only legally binding basis, a signed agreement must exist before the project can be created in the university s finance system. In some cases, a signed partner cooperation agreement can be a requirement from the grant provider before it releases any funds to the project and the project s financial activities are started. Addendum 4 Project execution (ongoing registration, periodic budget and follow up) When the project has been created in SDU s finance system, the department can begin to use the grant, in other words, begin to enter costs in the project accounts according to the rules that have been laid out in the letter awarding a grant and SDU s accounting instructions. Applicant/Grant holder The project manager responsibility will always rest on the grant holder, even if the tasks are delegated elsewhere. The grant holder is responsible for arranging the activities that need to be carried out so that the agreed deliveries can be delivered, and for keeping to the budget. If activities are not carried out, or if the budget is judged to deviate from the expected actual expenditure, it is the responsibility of the grant holder to communicate this to the head of department and, if necessary, the grant provider. It is the grant holder s responsibility to ensure compliance with the grant provider s requirements for accounting registration. Head of department As the head of department has general responsibility for the external projects where the grant holder is employed by or associated with the department, the head of department is responsible for ensuring the grant holder disposes of the project s income and expenses in accordance with the university s guidelines on this (see the section on Ongoing registration ) Monthly follow-up of the department s external projects: If the grant is exceeded, the balance is negative or the end date is exceeded, these are marked in red in the project overview sent. Grant holders with this type of project must inform the head of department of the reason. The head of department will then inform Research Support Finance of the reason and also provide information on what measures are being taken to change this (closing the project, new dates, which in most cases require acceptance by the grant provider). Research support unit/department secretary The research support unit can help with account entry of e-invoices, other appendices and travel receipts, completion of appendices to the wage office, ongoing reporting of hours and supporting the project holder with day-to-day administrative tasks. The research support unit can also help by reading the project 12

13 overviews and performing the practical work tasks in connection with the day-to-day financial follow up of the project, including ongoing budget follow up. The research support unit is also responsible for ongoing dialogue with any partners. Research Support Finance Research Support Finance counsels on the applicable rules, helps with financial governance instruments and sends a monthly summary of accounts, account statement (entries for the month) and wage book report sorted by project to heads of department, grant holders and the research support unit, respectively. The head of department receives a monthly overview of all the department s projects and grant holders receive an overview of their own projects. The overview for each project contains: Remaining budget excluding overheads for the current year, Remaining grant excluding overheads, Agreement amounts including overheads, Invoiced during the project period, Project accounts including overheads, Forwarded to external partners, project balance and expected end date. Legal Office In connection with execution of the project, there may be a need for legal advice. The Legal Office can naturally help with this. Addendum 4A. Extra activities during project execution Ongoing registration Received grants must always be paid in to the university s bank account. Grants from research councils and grant schemes are always received by Research Support Finance. It is the responsibility of the department to ensure that the ongoing registrations comply with the provisions in the letter awarding the grant. The following must always be observed with ongoing registrations: The grant holder is responsible for recording hours, where this is required by the grant provider. If the grant provider has no requirements for using a specific timesheet, a timesheet is available from SDU s website for this purpose ( The timesheet must be prepared continually and a signed and approved form must be available each month. SDU uses the actual amount of hours after deduction for holidays and bank holidays when calculating hourly rates. For an employee in Denmark, this is currently 1,628 hours per year. We also refer to the Danish agreement rules. If grant providers require other annual standards, these are used and calculated manually. All direct costs (wage and operating costs) must be reported to the project. This is expected to be done after each presentation of accounts as a minimum. All accounting of external financing assumes use of subaccounts 90, 94, 95 or 97 and a project number for the accounting. If accounting registration of the direct joint financing of projects is carried out, this is done either using an analysis number in ordinary business (subaccount 10) or directly in the external project, 13

14 which assumes that subaccount 10, purpose 66 is used in accounting. (This only applies to individual departments that use the new task structure.) If the grant provider approves it in the budget, overheads are calculated monthly and transferred to ordinary business. Be aware that defined costs must never be charged to EU projects. This relates, among other things, to foreign VAT, interest rates, VAT in relation to representation, taximeter grants. If you are in any doubt contact Research Support Finance. It is the grant holder s/research support unit s responsibility to ensure, in cooperation with Research Support Finance, that payments of ongoing grants and final settlements are requested at the correct time. Instructions and reporting of costs and payments follow the usual guidelines for SDU. For a more detailed description of the ongoing registrations, please refer to the accounting instructions. In the event that an invoice is printed in foreign currency, the loss/gain is entered against the project. Repayment of remaining grant amounts requiring an electronic approval is arranged by Research Support Finance on the basis of an approved account. The department s execution of the project must include, for example: Registration of incurred costs, including wages, against the project. Registration of payments to the project. Guaranteeing SDU s cash position as best possible by demanding instalments as early as possible during the course of the project. Consideration of all projects with over expenditure or which are at risk of over expenditure in relation to the grant. Reporting of hours, if the grant provider has issued a requirement for this. Registration of the university s direct joint financing (to be done during project creation). Correct registration of the anticipated end date. In addition to the monthly account statement that Research Support Finance sends to the grant holder, the research support units/department secretaries and heads of department can also follow the financial development of the project by extracting accounting data from Qlikview. If the following conditions are observed during the review, or during ongoing follow up, the head of department is responsible for reporting to the Research Support Finance: Change to the end date of the project including the reasons for this. A loss is observed for the project. The amount and reason for this must also be reported. There are errors in the registered income and expenses. Lack of compliance with the project conditions (particularly concerning EU projects). Other important conditions. Moving projects If a project is moved from one department to another, the hand-over procedure between the parties must be prepared. The agreement is signed by the heads of departments and must be approved by the applicable main area(s). A copy of the agreement and new master information form are submitted to Research Support Finance, which carries out the accounting move of the project. 14

15 Annual management declaration At the end of the year, the faculty sends a management declaration from the deans, in which the faculty management reports the project risk in the total project portfolio, including provisions for loss, and declaring that the project portfolio is active and correctly registered. Unused funds Unused funds may not remain in the project account after the end of the project. Any profit that does not need to be repaid to the grant provider must be transferred to ordinary operations for the department. This is done immediately after the project is completed. With projects with no financial movements for more than 12 months, the Research Support Finance can close the project. 15

16 Addendum 5. Budget follow up The only principle difference between research activities under ordinary and external business is the source of financing and any restrictions on the grant. Externally financed projects are therefore entered in the university s planning and follow up cycles on equal terms with ordinary business. The ongoing budgeting and follow up takes place in relation to the applicable budget categories and budget principles. When the project number is received from Research Support Finance, the research support unit can, in dialogue with grant holders, register the approved periodised project budget in the university s finance system. The original budget is imported by Research Support Finance, and every year the previous year s accounting figures are automatically transferred as the following year s opening budget by Research Support Finance. Applicant/Grant holder The project s periodised budget is prepared within the framework of the approved budget. The project is then included in the department s ongoing budgeting, so that any budget revisions are carried out within the budget year, and a periodised project budget is prepared for the next budget year before each new budget year. The budget must be prepared with a maximum degree of detail as will be entered in the accounts. In connection with the department s monthly follow up of projects, the grant holder must check whether expenditure is developing in line with the project budget. In the event that deviations or a risk of deviations are observed, the grant holder is responsible for discovering the reasons and correcting events. If the budget is written up or down, an approval from the grant provider must be obtained and this approval filed in Acadre and reported via SDUpro. The project budget must be revised a minimum of once a year in connection with the end of the year. The project budget is revised in the event of major changes in the expectations for grant commitments, payments and/or costs. Head of department In connection with the department s financial monthly follow up of projects, the head of department must check whether expenditure is developing in line with the project budgets. The head of department corrects events. The head of department will then inform Research Support Finance of the reason and also provide information on what measures are being taken to change this. The head of department is responsible for filing all approvals from the grant provider. Additional overviews are sent in connection with the financial reports, which the head of department must review to ensure that the projects are correctly accounted for in the university s accounts and that any significant deviations are identified. The head of department approves all budget revisions and incorporates the changes in the department s total budget revision. If necessary, the head of department carries out a further review with the grant holder, e.g. in relation to agreement between the academic and financial development of the project. 16

17 During this review, the head of department must ensure that the project shows the correct financial status. Research support unit/department secretary The research support units can provide help in following up budgets and clarifying where any deviations originated. In cooperation with the grant holder, a correct budget is created in the finance system within the frameworks of the budget, and after the end of the year, non-allocated budget is budgeted. The research support units are able to collect accounting data as extracts from QlikView. The research support units can help with filing the revised budgets and approvals from the grant provider. Research Support Finance Every month Research Support Finance sends the following material: summary of accounts, account statement (entries for the month) and wage book report sorted by project. Every year, the previous year s account figures are transferred to opening budget figures and the difference between the previous year s accounts and the budget is reported as non-allocated budget. The researcher is responsible for registering this difference under the correct budget items. In connection with the financial reports, the financing service sends out the additional following material: An overview of all projects that are being managed by the department. The overview contains information about all active projects, grant holders, grant providers, total grant, total expenses, remaining grant, payment and current balance. 17

18 Addendum 6 Project completion (closing projects and accounts) A project must be closed when it is academically concluded and all financial transactions concerning the project have been completed (income received and expenses paid). During the review of financial reports, the department must assess whether any projects need to be closed. Any profit must be returned to the grant holder or transferred to ordinary business. Losses are covered by ordinary business. Applicant/Grant holder All projects for which the end date has been exceeded must be assessed and a decision made on whether the project can/needs to be closed. Grant holders are responsible for academic reporting. If grant holders can approve the accounts, the grant holder sends the accounts to the grant provider, plus a copy of the signed accounts to Research Support Finance. Grant holders have an obligation to the head of department to provide an ongoing account of the project status to Research Support Finance on their own initiative, including what will happen to any unused funds. Head of department Before the 20th day of the following month, the head of department must send information to Research Support Finance on projects that need to be closed, or where the project date must be extended. Research support unit/department secretary The research support units can help keep an eye on the critical points and make the grant holder/head of department aware of any irregularities. The research support units contact Research Support Finance (via an SDUpro task) and request preparation of accounts or request closure of a project with information on when this is to happen with a project balance, where applicable. Written agreements may be entered between the research support unit and Research Support Finance on the preparation of accounts by the research support unit, after which Research Support Finance carries out checks. In the latter case, the research support unit must enclose the reconciliation spreadsheet between the accounts and ØSS to Research Support Finance. Research Support Finance If SDU, relative to the letter awarding a grant, is obligated to prepare accounts for the grant provider, Research Support Finance will prepare these accounts and approve them (the department requests Research Support Finance to do this on the basis of an SDUpro task). Alternatively, written agreements may be entered between the research support unit and Research Support Finance on the preparation of accounts by the research support unit, after which Research Support Finance approves them. In the latter case, the research support unit must enclose the reconciliation spreadsheet between the accounts and ØSS to Research Support Finance. 18

19 When the accounts have been prepared and approved by Research Support Finance they are sent to the grant holder for approval and signature. It is important that no accounts are sent to the grant provider unless they have been approved by Research Support Finance. If the grant provider has an electronic reporting system, it is still Research Support Finance that prepares/approves the accounts, and in the event that reporting can be done via an administrator, it is Research Support Finance that assumes this role and enters the accounting figures in the electronic reporting system. If access to a grant provider s electronic reporting system is only authorised for the grant holder, the grant holder can take care of the task and enter information from accounts approved by Research Support Finance. If possible, the grant holder must export an extract of the reported accounts and file this in Acadre. The approval and controlling of the accounts carried out by Research Support Finance ensures that: - the grant provider s reporting requirements and rules are complied with. - the accounts sent to the grant provider agree with the entries in SDU s finance system. If this is not the case, a reconciliation must be prepared with an explanation of the differences between the project account and ØSS. This reconciliation is sent to the relevant research support unit/grant holder with responsibility for account re-entry, and thus reconciling ØSS with the reported accounts. - an external auditor is contacted. - with requirements for an auditor s report of the accounts, Research Support Finance will contact the auditor. There may either be a requirement for the audit to be carried out by Rigsrevisionen, an external auditor or internal audit at SDU. The audit requirement is typically presented in the letter awarding a grant and is registered as master information for the project in SDUpro. It must be emphasised that Research Support Finance does not carry out systematic review and checking of accounts in relation to compliance with SDU s general accounting rules, correct accounting, etc. 19

20 Addendum 7 General information about filing In addition to the creation of a project folder and the ongoing registration, all documents referring to the project s financial situation must be filed in Acadre. This refers to, for example, written communication (letters or s) relating to applications, project budgets, project creation, changes to agreements, grants, transfer of funds internally or externally, accounts and audits. Head of department It is the head of department s responsibility to ensure that all relevant documents are filed in Acadre. Research support unit The research support units can help by filing the documents in Acadre. Documentation for the monthly review must not be filed, but in consideration of reporting the accounts the department s administration should keep the documentation at the department. 20