General questions
The main applicant is responsible for collecting the financial information from the other applicants and for providing a consolidated report to the Management Office using the appropriate template.
The main applicant's institution is free to decide internally who is responsible for the reporting (e.g. the PI or the grants office); we recommend that you use the same internal processes and responsibilities as for SNSF grants.
For own contributions in cash, the institution should setup an account/credit line administred by the applicant in order to be considered as cash own contributions.
No. If the project costs exceed the budget allocated by SPHN, the extra costs must be covered by the consortium.
VAT should only be charged to the project if the institution is unable to recover it. In case the institution is able to recover VAT, only the expenses excluding VAT can be charged to the project.
Yes, the unused funds received from SPHN can be rolled over to the following years. No updated budget is needed if the overall budget does not change.
Personnel/Staff
Yes, the amounts defined in the call text and budget template define the maximum applicable rate for salaries paid by SPHN funds.
In case the effective salary is higher than the maximum applicable rate, the difference has to be paid by the institution and cannot be considered as own contribution.
For salaries paid with SPHN funds, the effective salaries must be reported. In case the effective salary is higher than the maximum applicable rate, the difference has to be paid by the institution and cannot be considered as own contribution.
For salaries paid with own contributions, the lump-sums should be reported.
Salary sheets of all employees paid with SPHN funds, including Professors, must be provided. Yearly reports showing details of the salaries charged to the project are also accepted.
For salaries paid with own contributions, no supporting documents are required. By signing the financial report, the PI certifies that the salaries reported as own contributions are accurate and reflect reality.
Institutions are free to organise themselves regarding where the staff working on the SPHN project is employed (University or University Hospital).
Only "standard" salaries and social contributions are covered by SPHN funds.
Benefits provided by the employer such as lunch vouchers, company car, participation towards health insurance costs are not covered by SPHN and must be paid by the institution.
Equipment and infrastructure
Yes, the acquisition costs for a piece of equipment can be debited from the project funds.
For purchases of CHF 1'000 and above, a copy of the invoice has to be provided.
For purchases of CHF 10'000 and above, the Management office should be notified before the purchase order. The equipment should be used for at least 50% of the time for the SPHN project. In the yearly financial reporting, the offer, the purchase order and the inventory sheet confirming delivery of the equipment should be provided. In addition, the equipment's share of usage for the SPHN project must be verifiable and auditable (e.g. recorded in a lab book).
Please refer to the SNSF guidelines to distinguish between eligible and non-eligible costs for the use of internal infrastructure that can be charged to the SPHN Grant: http://www.snf.ch/en/funding/infrastructures/use-of-infrastructure/Pages/default.aspx
Key Documents
All documents, guidelines, and templates are available on the Documents and Guidelines page.