Guidelines and Procedures for Research Networking Programmes submitted before 1 August 2005 - Financial matters

An ESF Programme provides financial support for the networking activities to achieve the Programme’s objective. Research activity, i.e. salaries and equipment, is not funded as this is expected to be covered by the respective national research programmes.

All ESF Programmes are financed on an à-la-carte basis by those Member Organisations and other national funding agencies including those with official Observer status which decide to contribute. The grouping of ESF Member Organisations and any other organisations contributing to the Programme is known as the “contributing organisations”. Contributions will be sought on the basis of a calculation which takes into consideration GDP per capita and ESF Member Oganisations’ contributions. Agencies which are not members of ESF contribute to the Programme funds on a negotiated basis. Approval of an ESF Programme by the ESF Executive Board is dependent on sufficient financial support having been obtained.

ESF issues an annual call for contributions to those agencies participating in ESF Programmes. Funds are received and managed by ESF on a Programme-by-Programme basis. ESF accounts for Programmes are audited annually and the auditors’ report is presented to the ESF General Assembly.

The ESF General Budget charges an administration fee of 7.5% of the annual contributions requested for each Programme.  This levy covers only a part of the costs of providing overall support for the Programme and also to cover administrative costs, the rest being covered by the ESF General Budget. The Programme will have a budget covering activities outlined in the section "Making a Programme proposal".

The fiscal year of ESF is the calendar year.

The Steering Committee is responsible for the scientific planning of the Budget. ESF’s responsibility is to ensure that the budget is allocated and spent in an appropriate and effective manner within its financial rules. 

At the end of the Programme, any unspent balance is transferred to a General Account for Research Networking Programmes where it remains available to respective Standing Committees to finance scientific activities of general interest. The use of these funds is subject to approval by the relevant Standing Committee (or on a delegated basis, to the Standing Committee Chair).