Particle Physics Cost Codes

The group has a number of grants and different activities which need to be charged correctly. All spending must be authorised by the grant holder or a co-investigator before any cost is incurred. This note is intended to help group members understand this rather complicated situation with particular reference to travel.

Current grants

The first four are PPARC grants and generally include separate lines for salaries, travel, equipment and consumables. By PPARC’s definition, any item costing less than £3,000 is a consumable. More importantly, only those with salaries funded on a particular PPARC grant can charge travel to that grant and to add a complication, not all grants include a travel element.

RAL funded projects

There are separate travel funds for the experiment projects listed below that can be used when carrying out activity directly related to the project such as visits to CERN and SLAC (PhD students are excluded in most cases unless special agreement is sought). UK and overseas collaboration meetings are included but conferences are not. These funds are administered through Rutherford Laboratory and prior approval must be sought for visits and a Rutherford expenses claims form completed afterwards. The “org unit” on this form is PUR for RHUL. The authorizing person and the RAL codes are as follows.

Which grants or projects can I travel on?

Only those explicitly named and funded on a PPARC grant (including academic staff) can travel on that grant. Conference attendance can be funded. Those who can claim on each of the above grants are as follows.

    PPARC Rolling Grant: all academic staff, Tracey Berry, Gary Boorman, Simon George, Ricardo Gonçalo, Barry Green, Sukhbir Johal, Andrzej Misiejuk, Fabrizio Salvatore, Colin Winterton.

    Linear Collider: Grahame Blair, Mike Green, Ilya Agapov, Pavel Karataev.

    GridPP: there are no travel funds with this grant.

    CALICE: there are no travel funds with this grant.

    ILC travel grants: Grahame Blair, Ilya Agapov.

  EuroTeV: Grahame Blair, Alessio Bosco, Gary Boorman.

 

Only those explicitly part of an experimental project can travel on RAL project funds.

PPARC funded students have UK travel, including meetings and conferences, paid through a research training support grant (RTSG) given by PPARC to the department. For overseas visits PPARC will sometimes pay an additional amount explicitly for the visit. Check the PPARC web site for the current position and talk to your supervisor about the possibility.

Non-PPARC students are paid for from department funds.

Travel that is not included in any of the above comes from one of the group’s department accounts, 0321-0001 (referred to as “ 0321”) or 0325-0001 for JAI activities. These accounts can also be used if funding on the other grants has been spent.

Any travel outside the UK on a grant or on 0321 or 0325 must be approved via a College leave of absence form that should be completed before you travel. This provides insurance cover. You need to complete a College expenses claims form after you return. 

Travel on RAL project funds has to be approved and the costs claimed on RAL forms.

You can claim the costs of travel, conferences fees and reasonable additional costs incurred as a result of the visit. You have to submit receipts with the expenses claim form. RAL pays a per diem rate when you travel outside the UK and in this case only receipts are not required. If you are uncertain ask Mike Green or your supervisor before travel.

It is imperative that you have adequate insurance cover for any travel outside the UK and that you know who is providing that insurance. PPARC-funded PhD students are covered by PPARC, the rest of us by the College. Make sure that you take a copy of either PPARC's or the College's insurance cover note with you.  

If you are an EU citizen, you will need an EHIC when travelling to another EU country. The EHIC replaces the E111 form. It is important that you have such a card if you travel for official purposes since it will reduce the cost of any medical treatment you may need while abroad. [ Apply here.]

 

Make sure that your travel is authorised and you understand how it will be paid for before you make any arrangements.  

 

                                                                                                Mike Green

                                                                                                6 November 2006