Applicants may name formal project partners. A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include:
- direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities
- a third party individual who is not employed on the grant
Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.
Intellectual property
Entitlement to the outputs of the project or intellectual property (IP) will be determined between the parties involved. However, any access to project outputs and IP must be in line with any relevant subsidy control regulation.
Project partner contributions
Project partners are expected to provide contributions to the delivery of the project and should not therefore be seeking to claim funds from UKRI. However, where there are specific circumstances where project partners do require funding for minor costs such as travel and subsistence, this will usually be paid at 80% full economic costing (FEC) unless otherwise stated by us.
Any applicable subsidy control regulation and HMRC guidance will also be taken into account which may affect the percentage of these costs that we will fund. These costs should be outlined and fully justified in the application and will be subject to peer review.
Who is not eligible to be a project partner
Those not eligible to be project partners are:
- UKRI head office staff acting in their capacity as a UKRI employee
- an organisation within the core team, or an individual based at a research organisation within the core team in the application
Terms and conditions
It is the responsibility of named project partners to read and comply with the terms and conditions relating to applications for research grants.
Project partner information in the application
Each project partner must be listed on the application in the ‘Project partners’ section, including the type of contribution and monetary value if applicable.
Project partner agreement
Applicants must ensure prior agreement is sought from project partners so that if funding is offered, the project partner will support the project as defined in the application.
A statement is required to be provided from each partner named in the ‘Project partners’ section of an application. Each statement should:
- confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
- clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
- describe any additional value that they bring to the project
Project partner contribution
The partnering organisation’s involvement in the project, including their contributions to it (whether in cash or in kind), should be explained in detail in the ‘Approach’ and ‘Applicant and team capability to deliver’ sections. This should include the equivalent value of any in-kind contributions. In-kind contributions can include but are not limited to:
- staff time
- access to equipment
- sites or facilities
- the provision of data
- software or materials
The cash or in-kind values must not be included in the costs claimed on the application form. Project partner contributions in cash or in kind are not considered part of the FEC of the project.