The Research Whisperer

Just like the thesis whisperer – but with more money, how to make a simple research budget.

A napkin diagram of the basic concepts in a project: interviews in South East Asia and trails with a Thingatron

Every research project needs a budget*.

If you are applying for funding, you must say what you are planning to spend that funding on. More than that, you need to show how spending that money will help you to answer your research question .

So, developing the budget is the perfect time to plan your project clearly . A good budget shows the assessors that you have thought about your research in detail and, if it is done well, it can serve as a great, convincing overview of the project.

Here are five steps to create a simple budget for your research project.

1. List your activities

Make a list of everything that you plan to do in the project, and who is going to do it.

Take your methodology and turn it into a step-by-step plan. Have you said that you will interview 50 people? Write it on your list.

Are you performing statistical analysis on your sample?  Write it down.

Think through the implications of what you are going to do. Do you need to use a Thingatron? Note down that you will need to buy it, install it, and commission it.

What about travel? Write down each trip separately. Be specific. You can’t just go to ‘South East Asia’ to do fieldwork. You need to go to Kuala Lumpur to interview X number of people over Y weeks, then the same again for Singapore and Jakarta.

Your budget list might look like this:

  • I’m going to do 10 interviews in Kuala Lumpur; 10 interviews in Singapore; 10 interviews in Jakarta by me.
  • I’ll need teaching release for three months for fieldwork.
  • I’ll need Flights to KL, Singapore, Jakarta and back to Melbourne.
  • I’ll need Accommodation for a month in each place, plus per diem.
  • The transcription service will transcribe the 30 interviews.
  • I’ll analysis the transcribed results. (No teaching release required – I’ll do it in my meagre research time allowance.)
  • I’ll need a Thingatron X32C to do the trials.
  • Thing Inc will need to install the Thingatron. (I wonder how long that will take.)
  • The research assistant will do three trials a month with the Thingatron.
  • I’ll need to hire a research assistant (1 day per week for a year at Level B1.)
  • The research assistant will do the statistical analysis of the Thingatron results.
  • I’ll do the writing up in my research allowance time.

By the end, you should feel like you have thought through the entire project in detail. You should be able to walk someone else through the project, so grab a critical friend and read the list to them. If they ask questions, write down the answers.

This will help you to get to the level of specificity you need for the next step.

2. Check the rules again

You’ve already read the funding rules, right? If not, go and read them now – I’ll wait right here until you get back.

Once you’ve listed everything you want to do, go back and read the specific rules for budgets again. What is and isn’t allowed? The funding scheme won’t pay for equipment – you’ll need to fund your Thingatron from somewhere else. Cross it off.

Some schemes won’t fund people. Others won’t fund travel. It is important to know what you need for your project. It is just as important to know what you can include in the application that you are writing right now.

Most funding schemes won’t fund infrastructure (like building costs) and other things that aren’t directly related to the project. Some will, though. If they do, you should include overheads (i.e. the general costs that your organisation needs to keep running). This includes the cost of basics like power and lighting; desks and chairs; and cleaners and security staff. It also includes service areas like the university library. Ask your finance officer for help with this. Often, it is a percentage of the overall cost of the project.

If you are hiring people, don’t forget to use the right salary rate and include salary on-costs. These are the extra costs that an organisation has to pay for an employee, but that doesn’t appear in their pay check. This might include things like superannuation, leave loading, insurance, and payroll tax. Once again, your finance officer can help with this.

Your budget list might now look like this:

  • 10 interviews in Kuala Lumpur; 10 interviews in Singapore; 10 interviews in Jakarta by me.
  • Teaching release for three months for fieldwork.
  • Flights to KL, Singapore, Jakarta and back to Melbourne.
  • Accommodation for a month in each place, plus per diem, plus travel insurance (rule 3F).
  • Transcription of 30 interviews, by the transcription service.
  • Analysis of transcribed results, by me. No teaching release required.
  • Purchase and install Thingatron X32C, by Thing Inc . Not allowed by rule 3C . Organise access to Thingatron via partner organistion – this is an in-kind contribution to the project.
  • Three trials a month with Thingatron, by research assistant.
  • Statistical analysis of Thingatron results, by research assistant.
  • Research assistant: 1 day per week for a year at Level B1, plus 25.91% salary on-costs.
  • Overheads at 125% of total cash request, as per rule 3H.

3. Cost each item

For each item on your list, find a reasonable cost for it . Are you going to interview the fifty people and do the statistical analysis yourself? If so, do you need time release from teaching? How much time? What is your salary for that period of time, or how much will it cost to hire a replacement? Don’t forget any hidden costs, like salary on-costs.

If you aren’t going to do the work yourself, work out how long you need a research assistant for. Be realistic. Work out what level you want to employ them at, and find out how much that costs.

How much is your Thingatron going to cost? Sometimes, you can just look that stuff up on the web. Other times, you’ll need to ring a supplier, particularly if there are delivery and installation costs.

Jump on a travel website and find reasonable costs for travel to Kuala Lumpur and the other places. Find accommodation costs for the period that you are planning to stay, and work out living expenses. Your university, or your government, may have per diem rates for travel like this.

Make a note of where you got each of your estimates from. This will be handy later, when you write the budget justification.

  • 10 interviews in Kuala Lumpur; 10 interviews in Singapore; 10 interviews in Jakarta by me (see below for travel costs).
  • Teaching release for three months for fieldwork = $25,342 – advice from finance officer.
  • Flights to KL ($775), Singapore ($564), Jakarta ($726), Melbourne ($535) – Blue Sky airlines, return economy.
  • Accommodation for a month in each place (KL: $3,500; Sing: $4,245; Jak: $2,750 – long stay, three star accommodation as per TripAdviser).
  • Per diem for three months (60 days x $125 per day – University travel rules).
  • Travel insurance (rule 3F): $145 – University travel insurance calculator .
  • Transcription of 30 interviews, by the transcription service: 30 interviews x 60 minutes per interview x $2.75 per minute – Quote from transcription service, accented voices rate.
  • Analysis of transcribed results, by me. No teaching release required. (In-kind contribution of university worth $2,112 for one week of my time – advice from finance officer ).
  • Purchase and install Thingatron X32C, by Thing Inc . Not allowed by rule 3C. Organise access to Thingatron via partner organistion – this is an in-kind contribution to the project. ($2,435 in-kind – quote from partner organisation, at ‘favoured client’ rate.)
  • Research assistant: 1 day per week for a year at Level B1, plus 25.91% salary on-costs. $12,456 – advice from finance officer.

Things are getting messy, but the next step will tidy it up.

4. Put it in a spreadsheet

Some people work naturally in spreadsheets (like Excel). Others don’t. If you don’t like Excel, tough. You are going to be doing research budgets for the rest of your research life.

When you are working with budgets, a spreadsheet is the right tool for the job, so learn to use it! Learn enough to construct a simple budget – adding things up and multiplying things together will get you through most of it. Go and do a course if you have to.

For a start, your spreadsheet will multiply things like 7 days in Kuala Lumpur at $89.52 per day, and it will also add up all of your sub-totals for you.

If your budget doesn’t add up properly (because, for example, you constructed it as a table in Word), two things will happen. First, you will look foolish. Secondly, and more importantly, people will lose confidence in all your other numbers, too. If your total is wrong, they will start to question the validity of the rest of your budget. You don’t want that.

If you are shy of maths, then Excel is your friend. It will do most of the heavy lifting for you.

For this exercise, the trick is to put each number on a new line. Here is how it might look.

5. Justify it

Accompanying every budget is a budget justification. For each item in your budget, you need to answer two questions:

  • Why do you need this money?
  • Where did you get your figures from?

The budget justification links your budget to your project plan and back again. Everything item in your budget should be listed in your budget justification, so take the list from your budget and paste it into your budget justification.

For each item, give a short paragraph that says why you need it. Refer back to the project plan and expand on what is there. For example, if you have listed a research assistant in your application, this is a perfect opportunity to say what the research assistant will be doing.

Also, for each item, show where you got your figures from. For a research assistant, this might mean talking about the level of responsibility required, so people can understand why you chose the salary level. For a flight, it might be as easy as saying: “Blue Sky airlines economy return flight.”

Here is an example for just one aspect of the budget:

Fieldwork: Kuala Lumpur

Past experience has shown that one month allows enough time to refine and localise interview questions with research partners at University of Malaya, test interview instrument, recruit participants, conduct ten x one-hour interviews with field notes. In addition, the novel methodology will be presented at CONF2015, to be held in Malaysia in February 2015.

Melbourne – Kuala Lumpur economy airfare is based on current Blue Sky Airlines rates. Note that airfares have been kept to a minimum by travelling from country to country, rather than returning to Australia.

1 month accommodation is based on three star, long stay accommodation rates provided by TripAdvisor.

30 days per diem rate is based on standard university rates for South-East Asia.

Pro tip: Use the same nomenclature everywhere. If you list a Thingatron X32C in your budget, then call it a Thingatron X32C in your budget justification and project plan. In an ideal world, someone should be able to flip from the project plan, to the budget and to the budget justification and back again and always know exactly where they are.

  • Project plan: “Doing fieldwork in Malaysia? Whereabouts?” Flips to budget.
  • Budget: “A month in Kuala Lumpur – OK. Why a month?” Flips to budget justification.
  • Budget justification: “Ah, the field work happens at the same time as the conference. Now I get it. So, what are they presenting at the conference?” Flips back to the project description…

So, there you have it: Make a list; check the rules; cost everything; spreadsheet it; and then justify it. Budget done. Good job, team!

This article builds on several previous articles. I have shamelessly stolen from them.

  • Constructing your budget – Jonathan O’Donnell.
  • What makes a winning budget ? – Jonathan O’Donnell.
  • How NOT to pad your budget – Tseen Khoo.
  • Conquer the budget, conquer the project – Tseen Khoo.
  • Research on a shoestring – Emily Kothe.
  • How to make a simple Gantt chart – Jonathan O’Donnell.

* Actually, there are some grant schemes that give you a fixed amount of money, which I think is a really great idea . However, you will still need to work out what you are going to spend the money on, so you will still need a budget at some stage, even if you don’t need it for the application.

Also in the ‘simple grant’ series:

  • How to write a simple research methods section .
  • How to make a simple Gantt chart .

Share this:

28 comments.

This has saved my day!

Happy to help, Malba.

Like Liked by 1 person

[…] you be putting in a bid for funding? Are there costs involved, such as travel or equipment costs? Research Whisperer’s post on research budgets may help you […]

I’ve posted a link to this article of Jonathan’s in the Australasian Research Management Society LinkedIn group as well, as I’m sure lots of other people will want to share this.

Thanks, Miriam.

This is great! Humorous way to talk explain a serious subject and could be helpful in designing budgets for outreach grants, as well. Thanks!

Thanks, Jackie

If you are interested, I have another one on how to do a timeline: https://theresearchwhisperer.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/gantt-chart/

[…] really useful information regarding budget development can be found on the Research Whisperer Blog here. Any other thoughts and suggestions are welcome – what are your tips to developing a good […]

[…] it gets you to the level of specificity that you need for a detailed methods section. Similarly, working out a budget for your workshops will force you to be specific about how many people will be attending (venue […]

A friend of mine recently commented by e-mail:

I was interested in your blog “How to make a simple research budget”, particularly the statement: “Think through the implications of what you are going to do. Do you need to use a Thingatron? Note down that you will need to buy it, install it, and commission it.”

From my limited experience so far, I’d think you could add:

“Who else is nearby who might share the costs of the Thingatron? If it’s a big capital outlay, and you’re only going to use it to 34% of it’s capacity, sharing can make the new purchase much easier to justify. But how will this fit into your grant? And then it’s got to be maintained – the little old chap who used to just do all that odd mix of electrickery and persuasion to every machine in the lab got retrenched in the last round. You can run it into the ground. But that means you won’t have a reliable, stable Thingatron all ready to run when you apply for the follow-on grant in two years.”

[…] (For more on this process, take a look at How to Write a Simple Project Budget.) […]

[…] Source: How to make a simple research budget […]

This is such a big help! Thank You!

No worries, Claudine. Happy to help.

Would you like to share the link of the article which was wrote about funding rules? I can’t find it. Many thanks!

Hello there – do you mean this post? https://theresearchwhisperer.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/reading-guidelines

Thank @tseen khoo, very useful tips. I also want to understand more about 3C 3F 3H. What do they stand for? Can you help me find out which posts talk about that. Thank again.

[…] mount up rapidly, even if you are in a remote and developing part of the world. Putting together a half decent budget early on and being aware of funding opportunities can help to avoid financial disaster half way […]

This is so amazing, it really helpful and educative. Happy unread this last week before my proposal was drafted.

Happy to help, Babayomi. Glad you liked it.

really useful! thanks kate

[…] “How to Make a Simple Research Budget,” by Jonathan O’Donnell on The Research Whisperer […]

[…] offering services that ran pretty expensive. until I found this one. It guided me through making a simple budget. The information feels sort of like a university graduate research paper but having analysed […]

[…] Advice on writing research proposals for industry […]

[…] research serves as the bedrock of informed budgeting. Explore the average costs of accommodation, transportation, meals, and activities in your chosen […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

' src=

  • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
  • Copy shortlink
  • Report this content
  • View post in Reader
  • Manage subscriptions
  • Collapse this bar

usa flag

  • About Grants
  • How to Apply - Application Guide
  • Write Application

Develop Your Budget

Cost considerations, budgets: getting started.

  • Allowable direct vs. allowable F&A costs
  • Modular vs. Detailed Budgets

Modular Budgets

  • Detailed Budget: Personnel (Sec A & B)
  • Detailed Budget: Equipment, Travel, and Trainee Costs (Sec C, D, and E)
  • Detailed Budget: Other Direct Costs (Sec F)

Consortiums/Subawards

Understanding the out years.

  • Other resources

As you begin to develop a budget for your research grant application and put all of the relevant costs down on paper, many questions may arise. Your best resources for answering these questions are the grants or sponsored programs office within your own institution, your departmental administrative officials, and your peers. They can answer questions such as:

  • What should be considered a direct cost or indirect cost?
  • What is the fringe benefit rate?
  • What is the graduate student stipend rate?
  • What Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs rate should I use?

Below are some additional tips and reminders we have found to be helpful for preparing a research grant application, mainly geared towards the SF424 (R&R) application. (Note: these tips do not supersede the budget instructions found in the relevant application instruction guide found on the How to Apply - Application Guide page.  

An applicant's budget request is reviewed for compliance with the governing cost principles and other requirements and policies applicable to the type of recipient and the type of award. Any resulting award will include a budget that is consistent with these requirements. Information on the applicable cost principles and on allowable and unallowable costs under NIH grants is provided in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 7.2 The Cost Principles Statement under Cost Considerations /grants/policy/nihgps/HTML5/section_7/7_cost_consideration.htm . In general, NIH grant awards provide for reimbursement of actual, allowable costs incurred and are subject to Federal cost principles /grants/policy/nihgps/HTML5/section_7/7.2_the_cost_principles.htm .

The cost principles address four tests that NIH follows in determining the allowability of costs. Costs charged to awards must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, necessary, and consistently applied regardless of the source of funds. NIH may disallow the costs if it determines, through audit or otherwise, that the costs do not meet the tests of allowability, allocability, reasonableness, necessity, and consistency.  

  • II.1 (Mechanism of Support),
  • II.2 (Funds Available),
  • III.2 (Cost Sharing or Matching), and
  • IV.5 (Funding Restrictions).
  • Identify all the costs that are necessary and reasonable to complete the work described in your proposal.
  • Throughout the budgeting process, round to whole dollars and use only U.S. dollars.
  • Reviewers look for reasonable costs and will judge whether your request is justified by your aims and methods.
  • Reviewers will consider the person months you've listed for each of the senior/key personnel and will judge whether the figures are in sync with reviewer expectations, based on the research proposed.
  • Significant over- or under-estimating suggests you may not understand the scope of the work. Despite popular myth, proposing a cost-sharing (matching) arrangement where you only request that NIH support some of the funding while your organization funds the remainder does not normally impact the evaluation of your proposal. Only a few select programs require cost-sharing, and these programs will address cost-sharing in the funding opportunity.

Direct Costs: Costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or any other institutional activity, or that can be directly assigned to such activities relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.

F&A Costs: Necessary costs incurred by a recipient for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective, and not readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefitted, without effort disproportionate to the results achieved. To facilitate equitable distribution of indirect expenses to the cost objectives served, it may be necessary to establish a number of pools of F&A (indirect) costs. F&A (indirect) cost pools must be distributed to benefitted cost objectives on bases that will produce an equitable result in consideration of relative benefits derived.

  • The total costs requested in your budget will include allowable direct costs (related to the performance of the grant) plus allowable F&A costs. If awarded, each budget period of the Notice of Award will reflect direct costs, applicable F&A, and in the case of SBIR or STTR awards, a "profit" or fee .
  • For most institutions the negotiated F&A rate will use a modified total direct cost base, which excludes items such as: equipment, student tuition, research patient care costs, rent, and sub-recipient charges (after the first $25,000). Check with your sponsored programs office to find out your negotiated direct cost base.
  • When calculating whether your direct cost per year is $500,000 or greater, do not include any sub-recipient F&A in the base but do include all other direct costs as well as any equipment costs.   NOTE:  Direct cost requests equal to or greater than $500,000 require prior approval from the NIH Institute/Center before application submission.  For more information, see NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-02-004 .
  • For many SBIR/STTR recipients, 40% of modified total direct costs is a common F&A rate, although rates at organizations may vary.

Modular versus Detailed Budgets

The NIH uses 2 different formats for budget submission depending on the total direct costs requested and the activity code used. 

The application forms package associated with most NIH funding opportunities includes two optional budget forms—(1) R&R Budget Form; and, (2) PHS 398 Modular Budget Form. NIH applications will include either the R&R Budget Form or the PHS 398 Modular Budget Form, but not both. To determine whether to use a detailed versus modular budget for your NIH application, see the flowchart below.

Detailed Modular Flowchart

NIH uses a modular budget format to request up to a total of $250,000 of direct costs per year (in modules of $25,000, excluding consortium F&A costs) for some applications, rather than requiring a full detailed budget. The modular budget format is NOT accepted for​​

  • ​SBIR and STTR grant applications,
  • applications from foreign (non-U.S.) institutions (must use detailed budget even when modular option is available), or
  • applications that propose the use of human fetal tissue (HFT) obtained from elective abortions (as defined in  NOT-OD-19-128  for HFT) whether or not costs are incurred.

Creating a modular budget

  • Select the PHS398 Modular Budget form for your submission package, and use the appropriate set of instructions from the electronic application user's guide. You do not need to submit the SF424 (R&R) Budget form if you submit the PHS398 Modular Budget form.
  • Consider creating a detailed budget for your own institution's use including salaries, equipment, supplies, graduate student tuition, etc. for every year of funds requested. While the NIH will not ask for these details, they are important for you to have on hand when calculating your F&A costs base and writing your justification, and for audit purposes.
  • In order to determine how many modules you should request, subtract any consortium F&A from the total direct costs, and then round to the nearest $25,000 increment.

A modular budget justification should include:

  • Personnel Justification: The Personnel Justification should include the name, role, and number of person-months devoted to this project for every person on the project. Do not include salary and fringe benefit rate in the justification, but keep in mind the legislatively mandated salary cap when calculating your budget. [When preparing a modular budget, you are instructed to use the current cap when determining the appropriate number of modules.] 
  • Consortium Justification: If you have a consortium/subcontract, include the total costs (direct costs plus F&A costs), rounded to the nearest $1,000, for each consortium/subcontract. Additionally, any personnel should include their roles and person months; if the consortium is foreign, that should be stated as well.
  • Additional Narrative Justification: Additional justification should include explanations for any variations in the number of modules requested annually. Also, this section should describe any direct costs that were excluded from the total direct costs (such as equipment, tuition remission) and any work being conducted off-site, especially if it involves a foreign study site or an off-site F&A rate.

​See the  NIH Modular Research Grant Applications  page and the  NIH Grants Policy Statement  for more information.   

Detailed Budget: Personnel (Sections A & B)

Personnel make up sections A and B of the SF424 (R&R) Budget form. All personnel from the applicant organization dedicating effort to the project should be listed on the personnel budget with their base salary and effort, even if they are not requesting salary support.

  • Effort : Effort must be reported in person months. For help converting percent effort to person months, see Usage of Person Months FAQs .  
  • Salary Caps: NIH will not pay requested salary above the annual salary cap, which can be found at Salary Cap Summary . If salary is requested above the salary cap, NIH will reduce that line item to the salary cap, resulting in a reduced total award amount. In future years, if the salary cap increases, recipients may rebudget to pay investigator salaries up to the new salary cap, but NIH will not increase the total award amount. If you are preparing a detailed budget, you are instructed to base your request on actual institutional base salaries (not the cap) so that NIH staff has the most current information in hand at the time of award and can apply the appropriate salary cap at that time.
  • Fringe Benefits: The fringe benefits rate is based on your institution's policy; the NIH does not have a pre-set limit on fringe benefits. More information on what is included as fringe benefits can be found in the Grants Policy Statement at /grants/policy/nihgps/HTML5/section_12/12.8.1_salaries_and_fringe_benefits.htm . If you have questions about what rate to use, consult your institution's sponsored programs office.  
  • Senior/Key Personnel: The Senior/Key Personnel section should include any senior or key personnel from the applicant organization who are dedicating effort to this project. "Other Significant Contributors" who dedicate negligible effort should not be included. Some common significant contributors include: 1) CEOs of companies who provide overall leadership, but no direct contribution to the research; and 2) mentors for K awardees, who provide advice and guidance to the candidate but do not work on the project. Likewise, any consultants or collaborators who are not employed by the applicant organization should not be included in section A, but rather should be included in section F.3 of the budget (for consultants) or in section A of the consortium/subaward budget page (for collaborators).  
  • Postdoctoral Associates: Postdocs can be listed in either section A or B depending on their level of involvement in project design and execution. If listed in section B, include the individuals' names and level of effort in the budget justification section.  
  • Other Personnel: Other personnel can be listed by project role. If multiple people share the same role such as "lab technician", indicate the number of personnel to the left of the role description, add their person months together, and add their requested salaries together. The salaries of secretarial/clerical staff should normally be treated as F&A costs. Direct charging of these costs may be appropriate where a major project or activity explicitly budgets for administrative or clerical services and individuals involved can be specifically identified with the project or activity [see Exhibit C of OMB Circular A-21 (relocated to 2 CFR, Part 220)]. Be specific in your budget justifications when describing other personnel's roles and responsibilities.

Detailed Budget: Equipment, Travel, and Trainee Costs (Sections C, D, and E)

  • Generally equipment is excluded from the F&A base, so if you have something with a short service life (< 1 year), even if it costs more than $5,000, you are better off including it under "supplies".
  • If you request equipment that is already available (listed in the Facilities & Other Resources section, for example), the narrative justification must explain why the current equipment is insufficient to accomplish the proposed research and how the new equipment's use will be allocated specifically to the proposed research. Otherwise, NIH may disallow this cost.
  • General purpose equipment, such as desktop computers and laptops, that will be used on multiple projects or for personal use should not be listed as a direct cost but should come out of the F&A costs, unless primarily or exclusively used in the actual conduct of the proposed scientific research.
  • While the application does not require you to have a price quote for new equipment, including price quotes in your budget justification can aid in the evaluation of the equipment cost to support the project.
  • Trainee Costs: Leave this section blank unless otherwise stated in the funding opportunity. Graduate student tuition remission can be entered in section F.8.

Detailed Budget: Other Direct Costs (Section F)

  • Materials and Supplies: In the budget justification, indicate general categories such as glassware, chemicals, animal costs, including an amount for each category. Categories that include costs less than $1,000 do not have to be itemized.  
  • Animal Costs: While included under "materials and supplies", it is often helpful to include more specific details about how you developed your estimate for animal costs. Include the number of animals you expect to use, the purchase price for the animals (if you need to purchase any), and your animal facility's per diem care rate, if available.  Details are especially helpful if your animal care costs are unusually large or small. For example, if you plan to follow your animals for an abnormally long time period and do not include per diem rates, the reviewers may think you have budgeted too much for animal costs and may recommend a budget cut.  
  • Publication Costs: You may include the costs associated with helping you disseminate your research findings from the proposed research. If this is a new application, you may want to delay publication costs until the later budget periods, once you have actually obtained data to share.  
  • Consultant Services: Consultants differ from Consortiums in that they may provide advice, but should not be making decisions for the direction of the research. Typically, consultants will charge a fixed rate for their services that includes both their direct and F&A costs. You do not need to report separate direct and F&A costs for consultants; however, you should report how much of the total estimated costs will be spent on travel. Consultants are not subject to the salary cap restriction; however, any consultant charges should meet your institution's definition of "reasonableness".  
  • ADP/Computer Services: The services you include here should be research specific computer services- such as reserving computing time on supercomputers or getting specialized software to help run your statistics. This section should not include your standard desktop office computer, laptop, or the standard tech support provided by your institution. Those types of charges should come out of the F&A costs.  
  • Justify basis for costs, itemize by category.
  • Enter the total funds requested for alterations and renovations. Where applicable, provide the square footage and costs.
  • If A&R costs are in excess of $300,000 further limitations apply and additional documentation will be required.
  • The names of any hospitals and/or clinics and the amounts requested for each.
  • If both inpatient and outpatient costs are requested, provide information for each separately.
  • Provide cost breakdown, number of days, number of patients, costs of tests/treatments.
  • Justify the costs associated with standard care or research care. (Note: If these costs are associated with patient accrual, restrictions may be justified in the Notice of Award.) (See NIH Grants Policy Statement NIH Grants Policy Statement, Research Patient Care Costs )
  • Tuition: In your budget justification, for any graduate students on your project, include what your school's tuition rates are. You may have to report both an in-state and out-of-state tuition rate. Depending on your school stipend and tuition levels, you may have to budget less than your school's full tuition rate in order to meet the graduate student compensation limit (equivalent to the NRSA zero-level postdoctorate stipend level).  
  • Human Fetal Tissue (HFT) from elective abortions: If your application proposes the use of human fetal tissue obtained from elective abortions (as defined in NOT-OD-19-128 ), you must include a line item titled “Human Fetal Tissue Costs” on the budget form and an explanation of those costs in the budget justification.  
  • Other: Some types of costs, such as entertainment costs, are not allowed under federal grants. NIH has included a list of the most common questionable items in the NIH Grants Policy Statement ( /grants/policy/nihgps/HTML5/section_7/7_cost_consideration.htm ). If NIH discovers an unallowable cost in your budget, generally we will discount that cost from your total award amount, so it is in your best interest to avoid requesting unallowable costs. If you have any question over whether a cost is allowable, contact your sponsored programs office or the grants management specialist listed on the funding opportunity.

If you are using the detailed budget format, each consortium you include must have an independent budget form filled out.

  • In the rare case of third tier subawards, section F.5 "subawards/consortium/contractual" costs should include the total cost of the subaward, and the entire third tier award is considered part of the direct costs of the consortium for the purposes of calculating the primary applicant's direct costs.
  • Cost Principles. Regardless of what cost principles apply to the parent recipient, the consortium is held to the standards of their respective set of cost principles.
  • Consortium F&A costs are NOT included as part of the direct cost base when determining whether the application can use the modular format (direct costs < $250,000 per year), or determining whether prior approval is needed to submit an application (direct costs $500,000 or more for any year). NOTE: The $500K prior approval policy does not apply to applications submitted in response to RFAs or in response to other funding opportunities including specific budgetary limits above $500K.  
  • F&A costs for the first $25,000 of each consortium may be included in the modified total direct cost base, when calculating the overall F&A rate, as long as your institution's negotiated F&A rate agreement does not express prohibit it.
  • If the consortium is a foreign institution or international organization, F&A for the consortium is limited to 8%.
  • Consortiums should each provide a budget justification following their detailed budget. The justification should be separate from the primary recipient's justification and address just those items that pertain to the consortium.
  • We do not expect your budget to predict perfectly how you will spend your money five years down the road. However, we do expect a reasonable approximation of what you intend to spend. Be thorough enough to convince the reviewers that you have a good sense of the overall costs.
  • In general, NIH does not have policy on salary escalation submitted in an application. We advise applicants to request in the application the actual costs needed for the budget period and to request cost escalations only if the escalation is consistent with institutional policy. See Salary Cap Summary and https://grants.nih.gov/faqs#/fy2012_salary_cap_faqs.htm .
  • Any large year-to-year variation should be described in your budget justification. For example, if you have money set aside for consultants only in the final year of your budget, be sure to explain why in your justification (e.g. the consultants are intended to help you with the statistical interpretation of the data and therefore are not needed before the final year).
  • In general, NIH recipients are allowed a certain degree of latitude to rebudget within and between budget categories to meet unanticipated needs and to make other types of post-award changes. Some changes may be made at the recipient's discretion as long as they are within the limits established by NIH. In other cases, NIH prior written approval may be required before a recipient makes certain budget modifications or undertakes particular activities (such as change in scope). See NIH Grants Policy Statement - Changes in Project and Budget .

Other resources to help you create your budget

This page last updated on: September 11, 2019

  • Bookmark & Share
  • E-mail Updates
  • Help Downloading Files
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
  • NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health

As the nation’s largest public research university, the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) aims to catalyze, support and safeguard U-M research and scholarship activity.

The Office of the Vice President for Research oversees a variety of interdisciplinary units that collaborate with faculty, staff, students and external partners to catalyze, support and safeguard research and scholarship activity.

ORSP manages pre-award and some post-award research activity for U-M. We review contracts for sponsored projects applying regulatory, statutory and organizational knowledge to balance the university's mission, the sponsor's objectives, and the investigator's intellectual pursuits.

Ethics and compliance in research covers a broad range of activity from general guidelines about conducting research responsibly to specific regulations governing a type of research (e.g., human subjects research, export controls, conflict of interest).

eResearch is U-M's site for electronic research administration. Access: Regulatory Management (for IRB or IBC rDNA applications); Proposal Management (eRPM) for the e-routing, approval, and submission of proposals (PAFs) and Unfunded Agreements (UFAs) to external entities); and Animal Management (for IACUC protocols and ULAM).

Sponsored Programs manages the post-award financial activities of U-M's research enterprise and other sponsored activities to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws as well as sponsor regulations. The Office of Contract Administration (OCA) is also part of the Office of Finance - Sponsored Programs.

University of Michigan Research and Sponsored Projects logo

  • Develop Proposal Overview
  • Blue Pages: Find an RA
  • Cost Accounting Standards
  • Budget Table Sample
  • Direct vs. F&A Costs
  • Direct Costs Other Than Salaries
  • Facilities & Administrative Rates
  • Full Recovery of F&A Costs - Calculating Space
  • NRSA Stipend Levels and GSRA Max
  • NIH Modular Budgets
  • Participant Support Costs
  • Salaries in Sponsored Projects

Staff Benefits

  • Uniform Guidance Monitored Costs
  • Clinical Trials
  • Create Biosketch
  • OVPR Cost Sharing
  • About the University of Michigan
  • NIH - Other Support Reporting
  • NSF and Other Sponsors - Current and Pending Support
  • Principal Investigator Definition
  • Cost / Price Analysis
  • Working with Subrecipients / Subrecipient Forms / Letter of Commitment

You are here

  • Develop Proposal

Budget and Cost Resources

Quick links.

  • Budget & Cost Resources
  • UG Monitored Costs
  • Direct and Indirect Costs
  • Indirect Cost Rates
  • Full Recovery of Indirect Costs  - Calculating space for certain private sponsor
  • Direct Costs  (other than salaries)
  • ​ Staff Fringe Benefits
  • GSRA Cost Estimates

The Principal Investigator has primary responsibility for budget planning, in consultation with the department chair or director of the research unit. Budgets for all sponsored proposals are subject to review by ORSP.  

A Special Note About NIH Grant-Related Data Sharing Costs

Certain funding agencies (e.g. the National Institutes of Health (NIH)) are increasingly allowing data management and sharing (DMS) costs to be included as direct costs in proposal budgets.

NIH DMS costs should be shared in the appropriate cost category, e.g., personnel, equipment, supplies, and other expenses, following the instructions and providing details as instructed within the applicable form (e.g., R&R Budget Form or PHS 398 Modular Budget Form). 

In most cases, the DMS Plan oversight at U-M will be provided by the principal investigator (PI) and other study personnel. If help is needed, consider these resources:

  • OVPR Research Data Stewardship page - NIH DMSP resources
  • U-M Library - Research Guides - Research Data Management
  • U-M Navigate Webinar - NIH Data Management & Sharing Policy (Nov 1, 2022)

Budget Format

Sponsors often prescribe the budget format that must accompany the proposal, including the specific cost categories that should be identified. The format shown on the sample budget page may be used, however, if one is not specified by the sponsor. Be sure to check with your department, unit, school or college administrator to determine the best practice.

The budget should be subdivided into periods of 12-month duration (unless partial year funding is anticipated). A "starting date" should be specified, since it is essential to ensure accurate budget calculations. If cost-sharing is included, each budget period should include columns for both "Sponsor" and "University" costs. A budget summary should be included for proposals with multi-year funding. All budget entries should be rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

Salary and Wages

The salary category in the proposed budget should include the names and/or titles for all personnel involved in the project. The number of person months or percent effort to be applied to the project should also be shown. Total salary costs can be determined by applying the percentage of effort to the current salary rates. An appropriate escalation rate (e.g., 3%) should be used to determine salary requirements beyond the current fiscal year. While standard percentages are applied to make these calculations, no commitment and no constraint on the rate of increase for a given individual is implied by this procedure.

If a faculty member is working on several sponsored projects, care must be exercised to ensure that no more than 100 percent of effort is committed to the aggregate of all projects and other University responsibilities.

Summer salary:

Summer salary for faculty with academic year (AY) appointments can be figured at one-ninth of their institutional base salary for each month of summer effort. A maximum of two and one-half months may be included for the whole summer. Some sponsors, however, impose specific limitations on summer salaries. The National Science Foundation, for example, usually will not pay for more than two months of summer research at a rate of one-ninth of the AY salary per month.

Technical staff

Costs incurred for the same purpose in like circumstances must be treated consistently. For example, salaries of technical staff should be treated as direct costs wherever the work to be undertaken can be identified with a particular sponsored project. Direct charging of these costs may be accomplished by specifying individual positions within the project budget or through the use of recharge rates or specialized service facilities, as appropriate under the circumstances.

Administrative and clerical support

The salaries of administrative and clerical support staff normally should be treated as indirect costs . However, it may be appropriate to charge these costs directly to a sponsored project when the participation of the administrative/clerical staff being charged to a federal project meet all four of the following conditions as set forth in §200.413 of the Uniform Guidance:

“(1) Administrative or clerical services are integral to a project or activity;

(2) Individuals involved can be specifically identified with the project or activity;

(3) Such costs are explicitly included in the budget or have the prior written approval of the Federal awarding agency; and

(4) The costs are not also recovered as indirect costs.”

The meaning of (4) is the same as that of 200.403(d) above. That is to say, the project must require support services beyond the normal scope necessary for the typical sponsored project (i.e., it is an unlike circumstance).

Personnel may be hired to work on a sponsored project on an hourly basis for periods up to 12 months. Individuals hired on this basis receive no staff benefits other than Social Security and should be advised accordingly. The Personnel Service Center should be consulted to obtain the appropriate hourly rates for various categories of employment.

Staff benefits are charged to sponsored project accounts on a real cost basis. Depending on the mix of personnel assigned to the project, the staff benefit rate may show significant variation. While it may be possible to apply an average benefit rate (30%), it may be more appropriate in some situations to calculate the staff benefits on an employee-by-employee basis. The range of applicable benefit rates are provided in Staff Benefits Table .

GSRA Compensation, Tuition, and Benefits

GSRA Cost Estimates are for budget estimating purposes only and may vary from school to school. A GSRA appointment may be held from May through August, even though the GSRA is not enrolled in the University during that time. If the appointment is for the winter and fall terms, the fringe benefit charges should be budgeted for the full year, since the student is eligible for coverage during the intervening summer even though he or she is not on a GSRA appointment at that time.

The non-resident tuition differential is provided by the University for out-of-state students appointed as GSRAs. In-state tuition should be charged to sponsored accounts for GSRAs with appointments of 25% or greater. However, Schools and Colleges may provide tuition fellowships to cover a portion of the in-state tuition for GSRAs (see GSRA Cost Estimates ). The portion of the in-state tuition that remains after the fellowship is applied must be included on the grant as a charge to the sponsor.

In-state tuition charges should not be included as part of the GSRA stipend. The modified total direct cost (MTDC) base on which the University's indirect cost rate is calculated must exclude tuition charges. Therefore, indirect costs are not recoverable on tuition charges included in proposals for which the indirect cost rate is based on MTDC. Please contact the appropriate ORSP Project Representative should you have any questions.

Consumable Supplies and Materials

Consumable supplies are items used exclusively in support of project objectives. If it can be demonstrated that such supplies are used only in the conduct of the project and not for other purposes and are consumed completely in the course of the project, such items can be included as direct costs. Laboratory supplies, laboratory notebooks, printer paper for research data and reports, and so forth usually can be justified as consumable supplies. However, when supply items are purchased to support the multiple activities of project personnel, they are considered office supplies and cannot be charged directly to federal funds. Such items would include University stationary, pens, tablets, file folders, staples, paper clips, etc.

The estimated costs of consumable supplies and materials should be indicated in the proposed budget. It is generally acceptable to sponsors to provide a breakdown of supplies and materials by broad categories as opposed to the detailed listing of individual items. Contracts awarded by industries holding a prime contract with a federal agency, however, may require detailed itemization of supplies.

Major items of equipment proposed for acquisition should be itemized by descriptive name and estimated cost, and an adequate justification should be provided in the proposal narrative. Items costing less than $5000 or with a useful life expectancy of less than one year normally should be included under "Supplies and Materials." Shipping and/or installation charges associated with equipment acquisitions should be included in the cost estimates but generally are not itemized.

Specialized Services

Charges for computing services should be budgeted whenever these costs are justified. It is essential, however, that the budget clearly differentiate between central computing services provided by Information Technology Services and other computing services.

Other specialized service centers that have an approved user rate should be included in the proposed budget on a cost basis that reflects the recharge rates with the anticipated number of hours or other units of service clearly indicated. Once established, the schedule of rates must be applied to all users of the services/facilities, including internal-university users. Recharge rates are designed to recover, over the long term, not more than the aggregate cost of the services provided. The recharge/user rate should be included as part of the modified total direct cost (MTDC) for the project and should carry the appropriate indirect cost rate .

Consultants and Subcontracts

Federal agencies frequently establish a maximum daily rate of pay for consultants--specific dollar limits for various agencies are available from ORSP. The University must enter into a formal agreement with the consultant prior to the initiation of his or her effort. Consultant agreements as subject to the full recovery of indirect costs at the rate applicable to other direct cost items in the proposed budget.

The entire cost of a subcontract is normally shown as a single line item under "Other Direct Costs." A formal proposal from the subcontractor--including a statement of work, a detailed budget, period of performance, and key personnel--should be included to support this cost element. The Project Director should provide an explanation of why and how the proposed sub-contractor was selected, including the number of bids obtained.

Subcontracted effort requires a formal agreement between the University and the subcontractor, signed by a University official authorized to enter into contractual agreements on behalf of the Board of Regents. See: the Subcontracts and Hybrid Purchase Orders web page for criteria and procedures. Indirect costs are recovered on the first $25,000 of each subcontract.

Indirect Costs

Indirect costs are real costs of University operations that are not readily assignable to a particular project. The sample budget illustrates the procedures for applying the indirect cost rate .

Human Subject Fees

Human subjects often are paid a fee for their participation in research projects. Protocols for the use of human beings in research, teaching, or testing are reviewed and approved, according to federal, state and university policies. (See: Human Research Protection Program )

Other Costs

Funds may be requested from the sponsor to cover travel costs associated with the proposed project. Sponsors often require a breakdown of such travel costs by trip, reflecting the purpose, point of travel, number of persons, number of days, air fare, lodging and meal costs (per diem), and so forth. If foreign travel is contemplated, the proposal should include relevant information (including names of countries to be visited) and justification. Some sponsors have special regulations (e.g., use of domestic air carriers) governing foreign travel.

Costs of preparing and publishing reports of project results should be included in proposed budgets. Since page charges often are billed well after the completion of the research, it may be necessary to secure time extensions to pay these charges prior to the time that the project is closed out.

Other anticipated direct costs should be itemized--for example, equipment rental, maintenance agreements, or off-campus space rental. Telephone services and postage should not be included unless these costs are expected to be major elements in the project (e.g., telephone surveys). "Miscellaneous" or "contingency" categories should not be included. Items normally considered indirect costs should not be included in the proposed budget unless they are extraordinary and for unlike circumstances (e.g., utility costs required to operate a high-energy particle accelerator).

Network costs, including the hardware, software, personnel services, public access sites, and other related costs required to enable University personnel to share software or data or to communicate electronically with other individuals, are generally considered to be part of the physical infrastructure of the University and should not be included as direct costs in the proposal budget, as these costs are indirect in nature and included as a component of the Facilities & Administrative rate. However, individual workstations and specialized hardware and software attached to the network, which are not available to all users, are not included as part of the network costs and therefore may be treated as direct costs and recovered from sponsored projects through the use of approved recharge rates.

Questions regarding the appropriate treatment of network costs as either direct costs or Facilities & Administrative costs in proposal budgets should be forwarded to the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects.

References and Resources

  • Direct Cost Other than Salaries
  • Graduate Student Salaries (GSRAs)
  • Staff Fringe Benefits
  • Rackham Cost Sharing for Federal Training Grants
  • Sample Budget Table
  • Contact your unit-level research administrator  for the best practices for your department, school, college, or unit.
  • Contact your ORSP Project Representative regarding any questions about University policies and procedures.
  • Contact the  Office of Contract Administration  for further information on subcontracts and consulting agreements.
  • For information on how to pay human subjects, please see the  Treasurer's Office requester/study-coordinator resources  and the  HSIP (Human Subject Incentive Program .
  • Budget Reallocation Process (formerly 7471)
  • Direct Costs
  • Facilities and Administrative Costs (F&A)
  • HSIP (Human Subjects Incentives Program)

Let your curiosity lead the way:

Apply Today

  • Arts & Sciences
  • Graduate Studies in A&S

Creating a Budget

In general, while your research proposal outlines the academic significance of your study, the budget and budget narrative show that you have an understanding of what it will cost for you to be able to perform this research. Your proposed budget should identify all the expenses that are necessary and reasonable for the success of your project—no more and no less. The Office of Undergraduate Research understands that estimates, by definition, are imprecise, yet we encourage students applying for funding to research all aspects of their budgets with honest diligence.

If your research requires you to be in the field or in another city, state, or country, travel expenses may include transportation (airline, train, taxi, etc.), passport and visa fees, as well as fees for any vaccinations you may need to travel. Be sure to include anticipated major incidental expenses, such as printing, copying, fees for accessing archives, etc.

Please note that our funding restrictions prevent us from providing support for lab materials, equipment, software, hardware, etc.

Keep in mind these tips:

Convert all foreign currency figures to U.S. dollars.

Round all figures to whole dollars.

Make sure your budget and your proposal are consistent.

Identify areas where you are making efforts to save money!

Browse through these sample budgets for a better idea of how to outline your expenses and contact us if you have questions!

Sample Budget 1

Sample Budget 2

Sample Budget 3

Sample Budget 4

  • Develop a research budget
  • Research Expertise Engine
  • Precursors to research
  • Funding & award opportunities
  • Grants vs contracts
  • Sample Applications Library
  • Factors to consider
  • Internal Approval (formerly SFU Signature Sheet)
  • Develop a research proposal
  • Institutional support
  • Review & submission
  • Award & approval
  • Award management
  • Contracts & agreements
  • Inventions & commercialization
  • Ethics - human research
  • Ethics - animal research
  • Research safety
  • Mobilizing Research
  • Prizes & awards
  • Training & events
  • Forms & documents

On this page:

Basic components of a research budget, two models of budget development, other factors affecting your budget.

  • Additional Resources

Budgets should provide the sponsor with an accurate assessment of all cost items and cost amounts that are deemed necessary and reasonable to carry out your project. They should be based upon your description or the statement of work. Budget justification provides more in-depth detail and reason for each cost and is often considered by reviewers as a good indicator of the feasibility of the research.

A research budget contains both direct costs and indirect costs (overhead), but the level of detail varies from sponsor to sponsor. The first step in developing a budget is to carefully read the guidelines of the funding opportunity being pursued.

There is no magic formula available for developing a budget but there are some basic steps to follow in order to develop an accurate budget:

  • Define project tasks, timelines and milestones and determine the actual resources and costs required to complete these. Consider whether contingencies are needed (and confirm they are eligible expenses).
  • Determine the eligible expense categories and maximum amount allowed by the sponsor. Adjust scope of the project to make sure proposed activities fit within the allowance.
  • Categorize these costs (e.g., salaries, supplies, equipment…) per year, in some cases by quarter.
  • Ensure that project scope and budget match. Include indirect costs of research as permitted by sponsor and the University policy.  

The examples below developed by the University of British Columbia demonstrate two ways to include indirect costs in your budget.

  • Price model:  Indirect cost is built into each budget line item.
  • Cost model:  Indirect cost of research is presented as a separate line item.

Unless the sponsor specifies in writing that they require the indirect costs of research to be presented as a separate line item (Cost Model), the indirect cost should be built into each budget line item (Price Model). Indirect costs are normally included in the price of goods and services worldwide.

For example, you are developing a budget for a funding opportunity with an indirect cost rate of 25%. Your direct costs are $201,000 broken down by expense categories shown in the  second column of the table below. The third and fourth colums present the two ways you can include the 25% overhead in your budget using the Price Model or the Cost Model, respectively:

In-kind and cash contributions, like other costs to the sponsored project, must be eligible and must be treated in a consistent and uniform manner in proposal preparation and in financial reporting.

Cash contributions

Cash contributions are actual cash transactions that can be documented in the accounting system. Examples of cash contributions include:

  • allocation of compensated faculty and staff time to projects, or
  • the purchasing of equipment by the university or other eligible sponsor for the benefit of the project.

In-kind contributions

In-kind contributions are both non-monetary or cash equivalent resources that can be given a cash value, such as goods and/or services in support of a research project or proposal. It is challenging to report on in-kind contribution, please make sure the numbers you use are well supported, consistent and easy to quantitate.

Examples of an in-kind contribution may include:

  • Access to unique database or information
  • Professional, analytical, and other donated services
  • Employee salaries including benefits for time allocated to the project
  • Study materials, technologies, or components
  • Patents and licenses for use
  • Use of facilities (e.g., lab or meeting spaces)
  • Partner organization time spent participating in the project
  • Eligible infrastructure items

Matching on sponsored projects

Some sponsored projects require the university and/or a third party to contribute a portion of the project costs–this contribution is known as matching.

Matching requirements may be in the form of an actual cash expenditure of funds or may be an “in-kind” match. For example:

  • A 1:1 match would require $100 of a third-party matching for every $100 received from an agency.
  • A 30% match would mean that of a total budget of $100, the agency would provide $70 and a third party would need to match $30.

Examples of agency programs that include some form of matching from a third party are:

  • NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grants
  • NSERC Idea to Innovation Grants
  • SSHRC Partnership Grants
  • CIHR Industry Partnered Collaborative Research Program, and
  • CIHR Proof of Principle Grants  

Additional resources

  • Current  salary  and  benefit  rates for graduate students and postdocs/research associates
  • SFU  Business and Travel Expense  Policy
  • Animal care services
  • Vice-Chancellor
  • Leadership and Governance
  • Education Quality
  • Sustainability
  • Staff Directory
  • Staff Profiles
  • Staff Online
  • Office of Human Resources
  • Important Dates
  • Accept and Enrol
  • Student Forms
  • Jobs for Students
  • Future Students
  • Scholarships
  • Class Registration
  • Online Courses
  • Password Management
  • Western Wifi - Wireless
  • Accommodation
  • The College
  • Whitlam Institute
  • Ask Western
  • Staff Email
  • WesternNow Staff Portal
  • ResearchMaster
  • Citrix Access
  • Student Management System
  • Exam Timetable
  • Oracle Financials
  • Casual Room Bookings
  • Staff Profile Editor
  • Vehicle Bookings
  • Form Centre
  • WSU SharePoint Portal
  • Learning Guide Management System (LGMS)
  • Student Email
  • My Student Records (MySR)
  • WesternLife
  • WesternNow Student Portal
  • My Exam Timetable
  • Student Forms (eForms)
  • Accept My Offer

Western Sydney University

Study with Us

  • International
  • Research Portal
  • ResearchDirect
  • Research Theme Program
  • Researcher Development
  • Funding Opportunities
  • Preparing a Grant Application
  • Research Ethics & Integrity
  • Research Project Risk & Compliance
  • Foreign Arrangements Scheme
  • Managing Your Research Project
  • Research Data Management
  • Business Services
  • Research Infrastructure
  • Office of the DVC REI
  • Research Services Update
  • Contact Research Services
  • Master of Research
  • Research Degrees
  • Find a Supervisor
  • Graduate Research School
  • Apply for a Research Degree
  • Candidate Support and Resources
  • HDR Knowledge Directory
  • Research Ethics
  • HDR Workshops
  • Forms, Policies and Guidelines
  • Giving to Western
  • Bushfire and Natural Hazards
  • Digital Health
  • Future Food Systems
  • RoZetta Institute
  • Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
  • Ingham Institute
  • Institute for Australian and Chinese Arts and Culture
  • Institute for Culture and Society
  • NICM Health Research Institute
  • The MARCS Institute
  • Translational Health Research Institute
  • Australia India Water Centre
  • Centre for Educational Research
  • Centre for Infrastructure Engineering
  • Centre for Research in Mathematics and Data Science
  • Centre for Smart Modern Construction (c4SMC)
  • Centre for Western Sydney
  • Chinese Medicine Centre
  • Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation
  • International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems
  • National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre
  • Transforming early Education And Child Health Research Centre (TeEACH)
  • Urban Transformations Research Centre
  • Writing and Society Research Centre
  • Young and Resilient Research Centre
  • Digital Humanities Research Group
  • Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI)
  • Nanoscale Organisation and Dynamics Research Group
  • Research at Western
  • Research Impact
  • - Research Portal
  • - ResearchDirect
  • - Researcher Development
  • - Funding Opportunities
  • - Definition of Research
  • - Research or Consultancy Activity?
  • - Writing a Project Description
  • - Track Record Statement
  • - Tips for ECRs
  • - Developing a Budget
  • - Budget Justification
  • - Research Contracts
  • - Research Codes
  • - Research Project Risk and Compliance
  • - Foreign Arrangements Scheme
  • - Managing Your Project
  • - Research Data Management
  • Research Ethics and Integrity
  • Research Management Solution (RMS)
  • Research Participation Opportunities

Developing a Budget for Your Research Application

Budgets and budget justifications demonstrate feasibility, value for money and detail why you need an item for your project, as well as how you arrived at the costings.

Every research project has two budget categories: direct costs and indirect costs.

The University determines a set percentage for the indirect costs of funded research. Contact Grants Services for the correct figure to use.

Direct costs are costs integral to achieving the research objectives of a grant. The costs directly address the research objectives of the grant and relate to the research plan.

Direct cost examples:

  • Personnel, e.g. research assistants, student stipends for PhDs, and staff costs. You need to factor in salary increases, on-costs (superannuation and payroll) and casual loadings . Always use the salary level and step corresponding with the skills and tasks required for the role. See the Position Descriptors in the relevant University Enterprise Agreement .
  • Equipment, maintenance and travel (outline why you are going and for how long)
  • Teaching relief
  • Other (e.g. Consumables).

Indirect costs are institution costs that benefit and support research activities at the institution. Although they are necessary for the conduct of research and may be incurred during the project, they are costs that do not directly address the approved research objectives of a grant.

Indirect cost examples:

  • Operations and maintenance of buildings (e.g. libraries, labs, meeting venues, IT such as computer access, specialist software, databases, secure cloud storage)
  • Insurance, legal and financial services
  • Hazardous waste disposal, and
  • Regulatory and research compliance and administration of research services

All external research activities are expected to contribute to indirect costs except :

  • Nationally competitive grants, such as ARC and NHMRC. This includes all Category 1 schemes.
  • Registered charities listed on the ACNC register (opens in a new window)
  • Grants transferred from another university
  • Funding bodies that exclude or limit overheads or administrative costs (i.e. indirect costs) in their rules or guidelines
  • Scholarships and internships
  • Official Western Partnership projects
  • Travel award type grants or facility usage type grants (e.g. Endeavour Fellowships, AINSE grants)
  • Projects costed under $100,000 are discounted by waiving Western’s portion of the indirect costs.

Indirect costs are calculated by determining the direct costs first and then applying the indirect costs formula:

e.g. Direct costs = $50,000 x (indirect cost % figure) = Total project cost

Cash and in-kind support

Your project budget needs to include all cash and in-kind items it requires.

In-kind support is any non-cash contributions that a party gives to the project. In-kind can be contributed by Western Sydney University or by an external party, and can include:

  • staff (e.g. time committed to the project which is not funded by the project)
  • non-staff/infrastructure (e.g. if you are using lab space to conduct the project but are not receiving direct payment from the project to 'buy out' lab space)
  • indirect costs

How to budget personnel and salaries

On-costs are direct costs associated with salary. These costs relate to superannuation, sick leave, payroll tax etc. and must be included your budget.

Access this link for more detail about Western on-costs

For the latest salary figures, please check with the Office of People

An example:

You are a Lead Chief Investigator (CI) on a non-Category 1 funding body project for one year. You commit 0.4 (FTE) of your time to the research = 2 days per week. You are paid at Academic Level E, Step 2, which is $188,944 per annum. You can calculate your salary inclusive of 28% on-costs as follows:

0.4 x 0.28 x 188,944 = 21,161.73

The budgeting of your salary, a direct cost of the research, should be listed as $21,161.73.

If your project covers three years, with the same or differing time commitments, you calculate this figure for each year of your project. Remember to factor in pay rises according to Step increases in multi-year grants.

You may also have a research assistant employed full-time for seven weeks at HEW Level 5, Step 3. You hire the assistant at the casual hourly rate of $48.97, which includes 25% leave loading. You add 16.5% on-costs to this figure:

48.97 x (35 x 7) = 11,997.65

11,997.65 x .165 = 1,979.50

1,979.50 + 11,997.65 = 13,977.15

The total cost to employ the research assistant is $13,977.15.

Note 1: the maximum period a person can be employed on a casual rate is 6 months.

Note 2: For some schemes, the funding provider stipulates a specific maximum rate for funding of salary on-costs, e.g. the Australian Research Council (ARC) funds on-costs at a rate of 30%, so you must use this figure.

  • Grant Budget Calculator (Staff Login Required) (opens in a new window)

^ Back to top

Mobile options:

  • Return to standard site
  • Back to Top

University student

International Students

Launch your career at UWS

  • University Life
  • Our Campuses
  • Business and Community
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • HDR Research
  • Student Life
  • Why Western
  • The Academy
  • Western Sydney University Online
  • Misconduct Rule
  • Study with Integrity
  • Student Completions
  • Student Support
  • Services and Facilities
  • Working with us
  • Career Development
  • Salary and Benefits
  • Manager/Supervisor Toolkit
  • Future Staff
  • Staff Services
  • Researchers
  • Current Students
  • Community and Industry
  • Alumni Awards
  • Alumni Spotlight
  • Alumni Benefits
  • Alumni Affinity Groups
  • Alumni Publications
  • Alumni Giving

Western Sydney University

Western Sydney University

  • Emergency Help
  • Right to Information
  • Complaints Unit
  • Accessibility
  • Website Feedback
  • Compliance Program
  • Admissions Transparency

budget for a research proposal

Grad Coach

Research Proposal Example/Sample

Detailed Walkthrough + Free Proposal Template

If you’re getting started crafting your research proposal and are looking for a few examples of research proposals , you’ve come to the right place.

In this video, we walk you through two successful (approved) research proposals , one for a Master’s-level project, and one for a PhD-level dissertation. We also start off by unpacking our free research proposal template and discussing the four core sections of a research proposal, so that you have a clear understanding of the basics before diving into the actual proposals.

  • Research proposal example/sample – Master’s-level (PDF/Word)
  • Research proposal example/sample – PhD-level (PDF/Word)
  • Proposal template (Fully editable) 

If you’re working on a research proposal for a dissertation or thesis, you may also find the following useful:

  • Research Proposal Bootcamp : Learn how to write a research proposal as efficiently and effectively as possible
  • 1:1 Proposal Coaching : Get hands-on help with your research proposal

Free Webinar: How To Write A Research Proposal

FAQ: Research Proposal Example

Research proposal example: frequently asked questions, are the sample proposals real.

Yes. The proposals are real and were approved by the respective universities.

Can I copy one of these proposals for my own research?

As we discuss in the video, every research proposal will be slightly different, depending on the university’s unique requirements, as well as the nature of the research itself. Therefore, you’ll need to tailor your research proposal to suit your specific context.

You can learn more about the basics of writing a research proposal here .

How do I get the research proposal template?

You can access our free proposal template here .

Is the proposal template really free?

Yes. There is no cost for the proposal template and you are free to use it as a foundation for your research proposal.

Where can I learn more about proposal writing?

For self-directed learners, our Research Proposal Bootcamp is a great starting point.

For students that want hands-on guidance, our private coaching service is recommended.

Literature Review Course

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

You Might Also Like:

Example of a literature review

10 Comments

Lam Oryem Cosmas

I am at the stage of writing my thesis proposal for a PhD in Management at Altantic International University. I checked on the coaching services, but it indicates that it’s not available in my area. I am in South Sudan. My proposed topic is: “Leadership Behavior in Local Government Governance Ecosystem and Service Delivery Effectiveness in Post Conflict Districts of Northern Uganda”. I will appreciate your guidance and support

MUHAMMAD SHAH

GRADCOCH is very grateful motivated and helpful for all students etc. it is very accorporated and provide easy access way strongly agree from GRADCOCH.

Tamasgen desta

Proposal research departemet management

Salim

I am at the stage of writing my thesis proposal for a masters in Analysis of w heat commercialisation by small holders householdrs at Hawassa International University. I will appreciate your guidance and support

Abrar Shouket

please provide a attractive proposal about foreign universities .It would be your highness.

habitamu abayneh

comparative constitutional law

Kabir Abubakar

Kindly guide me through writing a good proposal on the thesis topic; Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Financial Inclusion in Nigeria. Thank you

Tatenda Mpofu

Kindly help me write a research proposal on the topic of impacts of artisanal gold panning on the environment

Bunrosy Lan

I am in the process of research proposal for my Master of Art with a topic : “factors influence on first-year students’s academic adjustment”. I am absorbing in GRADCOACH and interested in such proposal sample. However, it is great for me to learn and seeking for more new updated proposal framework from GRADCAOCH.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

  • Print Friendly

How to develop a budget for a research proposal

Affiliation.

  • 1 Office of Grants Management, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
  • PMID: 15539536
  • DOI: 10.1177/0193945904269291

Novice investigators may be intimidated by the task of proposal budget preparation. Often a basic understanding of the mechanics of budgeting, paired with a good working relationship with the institution's sponsored programs office, can alleviate much of the stress investigators encounter in developing budgets. Careful attention to the detailed inclusive costs of conducting the proposed study combined with awareness of university and agency budget requirements is essential. This article describes strategies for developing a budget for a research proposal.

Publication types

  • Nursing Research / economics*
  • Research Design*
  • United States

Enago Academy

7 Tips to Draft a Compelling Budget for Grant Proposal

' src=

While financial support is crucial for conducting research, acquiring funds for your research is a challenging task and so is planning the budget for grant proposal !

The key requisites of a successful grant proposal are:

  • Uniqueness of the research problem
  • Best possible plan for solving the problem
  • Appropriate budget planning

In an attempt to grab the attention of funders, researchers strive to submit innovative research proposals and often overlook other elements when creating a successful grant proposal. One such neglected section is the budget for grant proposals . It is important for funders to know how finances are being utilized. Therefore, adequately estimating how much the project will cost and how the finances will be distributed can make all the difference. In simpler words, your grant proposal must explain your request in both textual and numeral forms.

It is often a challenge for budding researchers to present an estimated cost of their research. However, remember that the grant budget is not an organizational budget! Furthermore, in today’s age of stiff competition, even senior researchers will benefit from improving their budgeting skills. In this article, we will discuss ways on how to draft a compelling budget for grant proposal.

Why is the Budget Section Important for a Grant Proposal?

A grant budget is important to paint the financial picture of your research proposal to the funders. The budget for grant proposal provides the following:

  • Details of the possible expenditures for the proposed research project .
  • Reassurance to funders that the researchers have a realistic sense of the expenses to complete the work proposed.
  • List of other income sources for costs not covered in the grant proposal.
  • Guarantees an optimal use of the funds.
  • Makes practical implementation of the research project smoother.

What Constitutes a Budget for Grant Proposal?

An estimated budget quantifies the financial plan for possible expenses during the research project. The budget for grant proposals must demonstrate and serve a plan for funders on how the researcher/s will utilize the money for both operational aspects of the project and miscellaneous expenses associated with the research.

In order to stand out from other applicants, researchers can customize the budget for grant proposal as per the funding agencies’ guidelines. However, the major elements of the budget plan comprise two broad categories: Direct and Indirect Costs

  • Direct Costs

Direct costs are perhaps the most critical part of your budget section. These expenses are solely incurred for executing your research. It broadly includes expenses towards:

  • Personnel (payroll)
  • Consumables

Furthermore, direct costs are sub-categorized into the below two forms based on their occurrence during the research:

  • Recurring expenses
  • Non-recurring expenses

As human resources are required for the study, salaries with allowances must be budgeted as per funding agency guidelines. The human resources may include personnel such as site manager, research assistant, junior research fellow (JRF), senior research fellow (SRF), research associate, technician, or data entry operator, and attender.

  • Recurring expenses:

These expenses are variable and may keep on occurring throughout the study period. Consumables, chemicals, glassware, laboratory test charges , diagnostic kits, stationery, prints, photocopies, communication, postage, telephone charges, survey tools, questionnaires, publication charges, reprints, binding, etc. are some of the particulars in this category. Additionally, recurring expenses could also include allowances for patients/participants, food charges, and medical charges.

  • Non-recurring expenses:

These are expenses that are one-time in nature and do not recur at regular intervals throughout the research duration. Equipment or instruments along with its accessories, software programs, computers, printers, electronic accessories of existing instruments in your lab, etc. are some of the particulars covered under non-recurring expenses.

  • Traveling expenses:

Travelling expenses can be used for attending meetings, conferences, workshops, and training programs relevant to your research study. Some funding agencies allow both foreign and domestic travel, whereas, some do not. You can mention traveling expenses for collection of data, survey, and visit to other centers in a multi-centric study in this sub-section.

The detailed budget for grant proposal should be clear, well organized and easy to understand. Below is an example for grant proposal. The costs described below are direct costs:

budget for grant proposal

  • Indirect Costs

These do not directly attribute to specific expenses of a research, but rather act as an accomplice to run a project. These are also termed as overhead charges. Particulars such as electricity bill, water, library membership, accommodation charges, administrative charges, etc. are included in indirect costs. Generally, about 5–15% of the total budget is provisioned as overhead charges, which is credited to the institution directly. However, this range may vary as per the funding agency.

budget for grant proposal

Tips to Draft a Compelling Budget for Grant Proposal

So when does your budget planning begin? It’s usually when you have your research question and a suitable study design ready!

Here are seven top tips to follow whilst drafting a compelling budget for grant proposal :

  • Focus on Uniqueness of Study Essentials

Study design, testing procedures, sample collection methods, and research settings are the essential factors that need to be focused on to resolve the research problem. The uniqueness and complexity of these essentials increases the chances of being incorporated in the budget.

  • Follow Funding Agency Guidelines

You must abide by the budget rules and limitations provided by your potential funder and draft the budget accordingly. Scrutinize each instruction and do not deviate from its actual meaning. Most importantly, stick to the list of requisites provided by the funding agencies.

  • Categorization of Each Item

Breakup all particulars with their costs under related categories as mentioned earlier. Furthermore, follow an item-wise and year-wise tabulation method to present your budget.

  • Value for Money

Funders like to see that the investigators are valuing the finances provided and not splurging on irrelevant particulars. For instance, you must mention if you can redirect resources such as equipment or instruments that are already available from your previous study and can be used in your present study.

  • Include Expenses and Revenue

While you are seeking for funds , the funder is interested in investing in projects that bring other resources to the table. Owing to this, your budget section must include two sections:

Inclusion of expenses is obviously the major part of the budget section. Likewise, mentioning revenue in this case means other sources that will pay for your research.

You’d wonder—why do the potential funders care about where the other money is coming from? Well, it is to instill trust in the funders. Acquiring some or most of the needed funds gives credibility to your research and ensures the funder that organizations are willing to invest in non-profit research.

  • Do Not Over-Estimate Your Budget

It is critical to base your budgeted expenses on the true costs of your project requisites. But pulling numbers out of thin air will lead to confusion and tally errors. Make sure that you find the cost of all particulars from trusted sources and quote them accurately in your budget. Avoid over-estimating your budget, as it may repel the funder. As you know, “something is better than nothing”! So stick to the narrative of your research and align the budget of grant proposal to it. Subsequently, it is important to keep in mind that a very low budget will raise eyebrows to suspicion. Thus, make sure what you request for is reasonable.

  • Tracking Expenses

Describe your methodology to track the expenses throughout the project. You must mention how you plan to effectively manage your expenses and review them. Additionally, give references of some tools that you will be using to manage your finances.

Have you been facing challenges in drafting the budget for grant proposal ? What did you do to improve your budgeting skills? Try these tips while drafting the next budget for your grant proposal and let us know how it works out for you and your colleagues.

' src=

Hi , can i please get a template? for research grant

Rate this article Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published.

budget for a research proposal

Enago Academy's Most Popular Articles

Funding, Inclusivity, and Scholarly World Evolution

  • Expert Interviews

Empowering Scholarly Endeavors: Insights on grants, funding, and diversity in academia

Funding plays an indispensable role in a researcher’s career. In our unwavering commitment to improve…

Gender Bias in Science Funding

  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Trending Now

The Silent Struggle: Confronting gender bias in science funding

In the 1990s, Dr. Katalin Kariko’s pioneering mRNA research seemed destined for obscurity, doomed by…

Clarivate launches Web of Science Grants Index for researchers

  • Industry News

Optimizing Funding Strategies: Clarivate unveils Web of Science Grants Index for researchers

Clarivate Plc, a global leader in providing information services, has recently launched the Web of…

grant allocation

Addressing Socioeconomic Disparities in Academic Funding: Inclusivity in research grant allocation

Research grant allocation is a critical process that determines the distribution of funds to various…

open access publishing

  • Thought Leadership

Knowledge Without Walls: Enago’s comprehensive global survey report on open-access publishing

In the ever-evolving landscape of scholarly communication, the global expansion of open-access (OA) publishing has…

Opening Doors to Academic Inclusivity: The significance of open access funding

Investing in Visibility: Incorporating publishing funds effectively in grant…

How to Write an Exceptional Research Scholarship Motivation Letter

Learn How to Write a Persuasive Letter of Support for Grant

budget for a research proposal

Sign-up to read more

Subscribe for free to get unrestricted access to all our resources on research writing and academic publishing including:

  • 2000+ blog articles
  • 50+ Webinars
  • 10+ Expert podcasts
  • 50+ Infographics
  • 10+ Checklists
  • Research Guides

We hate spam too. We promise to protect your privacy and never spam you.

I am looking for Editing/ Proofreading services for my manuscript Tentative date of next journal submission:

budget for a research proposal

What should universities' stance be on AI tools in research and academic writing?

  • Skip to main navigation
  • Skip to main content

University Research Administration

Proposal budget development.

  • International Research Collaborations
  • University of Chicago CRA Study Group
  • Faculty Proposal Development Guide
  • Finding Funding
  • Limited Opportunities (InfoReady)
  • Agency Proposal Toolkits
  • Federal Contracts
  • Grants & Cooperative Agreements
  • SciENcv Guide
  • ORCID Guide
  • Internal Budget Templates
  • Direct & Indirect Costs
  • Modified Total Costs on Federally Funded Projects
  • Fringe Benefit Rates
  • Budget Justification Information
  • Cost Sharing
  • Budget Preparation
  • Quick Reference Fact Sheet
  • Roles and Responsibilities Matrix
  • URA Review and Endorsement
  • Agency Electronic Submissions and/or URA Submissions
  • eRA Commons
  • Sponsored Development Services
  • Sponsored Program Services
  • Research Compliance & Training
  • Policies & Compliance

Quick Links

  • URA Intranet 
  • Conflict of Interest – Conflict of Commitment
  • Finding Funding – Pivot
  • PI Eligibility
  • URA Annual Report
  • Forms, Templates, & Sponsor Resources (URA Intranet)

Proposals (applications) normally include a detailed breakdown of the financial support being requested from a sponsor. A proposal budget is a best estimate of the costs requested to complete a project. Budgets should be prepared with as much detail as possible.

Projects costs are usually broken down into  direct and indirect cost  categories. Direct costs are those that can be directly attributable to a specific project. Indirect costs are those costs incurred by an institution for facilities and administration of sponsored projects that can not be directly attributable to a specific project. Both are real costs that must be included in a budget.

F & A Rates

Budgets for applications to federal agencies must reflect the appropriate rates as established in the negotiated  F & A Rate Agreement . Applications to non-federal entities should reflect appropriate rate.

Budget justification

Written explanations for the inclusion of items such as equipment purchases, travel, and subawards are normally required along with a formatted budget.  Budget Justification  pages should be as specific as possible. Specific products and potential vendors should be identified whenever possible.

Multi-year projects

Unless otherwise indicated in an agency’s guidelines, a proposal for a project that is expected to be funded for more than one year should include an itemized budget for each year. One should employ the same format for each year and prepare a cumulative summary budget for the entire proposed project period. The summary page should be in the same format as the annual budget, with all the costs combined. Note that PHS does not require an itemized budget for each year.

Make sure to indicate the dates covered by each budget year at the top of each budget page.

Related Links

budget for a research proposal

  • Conduct , Grants and Funding

How to Plan and Write a Budget for Research Grant Proposal

Vanja antonijevic, introduction.

Given that mouse models play a crucial role in preclinical drug discovery and development, it’s imperative to devise a system that ensures the consistent and reproducible administration of drugs to mice. This system should ideally facilitate the collection of blood samples at regular intervals throughout a specified timeframe. Among the indispensable tools in laboratory settings are syringe pumps and infusion pumps. [1]  

While both serve the crucial function of delivering fluids to laboratory animals, they possess unique characteristics tailored to specific medical applications. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the nuances of syringe pumps and infusion pumps, exploring their applications, types, and key considerations for purchasing.

What is a Syringe Pump?

A syringe pump is a medical device designed to deliver precise amounts of fluids via a syringe attached to the pump mechanism. These pumps typically feature programmable settings for infusion rates, volume, and dosing intervals. [2] Syringe pumps are characterized by their compact size, making them suitable for use in various settings.

budget for a research proposal

The main components of the Syringe Pump include: [3]

  • Syringe Holder or Clamp: This component securely holds the syringe in place during operation. It may have adjustable features to accommodate different syringe sizes.
  • Drive Mechanism: The drive mechanism is responsible for pushing the plunger of the syringe to dispense the fluid. It may utilize various methods such as stepper motors, lead screws, or linear actuators to achieve precise and controlled movement.
  • Control Interface: The control interface allows the user to input parameters such as flow rate, volume, and infusion rate. It may consist of buttons, a keypad, a touchscreen, or a computer interface for programming and monitoring.
  • Motor: The motor provides the mechanical power needed to drive the syringe plunger. It is typically stepper motor-based for precise control over the movement.
  • Display: A display unit provides feedback to the user by showing parameters such as current flow rate, volume delivered, and any alarms or error messages.
  • Microcontroller or Control Circuitry: This component processes the user input and controls the operation of the motor to achieve the desired flow rate and volume delivery. It may also include safety features such as overpressure protection and occlusion detection.
  • Power Supply: Syringe pumps can be powered by AC mains power or battery power, depending on the application. The power supply provides the necessary electrical energy to operate the pump.
  • Enclosure: The enclosure houses all the internal components of the syringe pump and provides protection against environmental factors and contamination. It may also include features for mounting the pump on a stand or a rack.

budget for a research proposal

What is an Infusion Pump?

An infusion pump is a medical device utilized for administering fluids, medications, or nutrients intravenously at controlled rates over a predetermined period. Unlike syringe pumps, infusion pumps can accommodate larger volumes of fluids, such as IV bags or reservoirs, enabling continuous or intermittent infusions. [5] Infusion pumps are equipped with advanced features, including flow rate adjustments, occlusion alarms, and dose calculation capabilities, ensuring precise delivery of medications and fluids while minimizing the risk of complications.

The main components of the Infusion Pump include: [7]

  • Pump Mechanism: This mechanism drives the flow of fluids from the reservoir to the animal. It can be peristaltic, piston-driven, or based on other technologies, each offering different advantages in terms of accuracy and flow rate control.
  • Reservoir or IV Bag Holder: This component holds the fluid source, such as an IV bag or a reservoir. It may include features like clamps or hooks to secure the bag in place during operation.
  • Flow Control System: The flow control system regulates the rate at which the fluid is delivered to the animal. It typically includes a motor or actuator that adjusts the flow rate based on user settings and feedback from sensors.
  • Control Interface: The control interface allows the user to set parameters such as infusion rate, volume to be infused, and alarm limits. It may consist of buttons, a touchscreen, or a keypad for user input.
  • Display: A display unit provides real-time feedback to the user by showing parameters such as infusion rate, volume infused, and any alarms or error messages.
  • Microcontroller or Control Circuitry: This component processes the user input and controls the operation of the pump. It may also include safety features such as occlusion detection and air bubble detection.
  • Power Supply: Infusion pumps can be powered by AC mains power or battery power. The power supply provides the necessary electrical energy to operate the pump.
  • Enclosure: The enclosure houses all the internal components of the infusion pump and provides protection against environmental factors and contamination. It may also include features for mounting the pump on a stand or an IV pole.

budget for a research proposal

Application of Syringe Pump

Syringe pumps are widely employed in laboratory and animal research settings for various purposes. These pumps excel in delivering small volumes of fluids at a controlled rate, making them ideal for administering medications such as potent drugs or anesthesia with precision. [8] They can be used in:

  • Drug Infusion in Animal Studies: Syringe pumps are commonly used to administer precise doses of drugs or experimental compounds to animals in research studies. This ensures accurate dosing and minimizes variability in drug delivery. 
  • Intravenous Fluid Administration: In laboratory settings, syringe pumps are employed for the controlled delivery of intravenous fluids to maintain hydration or administer medications to laboratory animals during surgeries or experiments. 
  • Microinjection in Neuroscience Research: Syringe pumps are utilized for microinjection applications in neuroscience research, enabling precise delivery of substances such as viral vectors, dyes, or pharmacological agents into specific regions of the brain or spinal cord in animal models. 
  • Perfusion Systems in Tissue Culture: In cell culture and tissue engineering, syringe pumps are integral components of perfusion systems, where they deliver nutrients, oxygen, and growth factors to cultured cells or tissues while maintaining a controlled environment. 
  • Analytical Chemistry Applications: Syringe pumps are utilized in analytical chemistry techniques such as liquid chromatography and spectroscopy for the precise delivery of solvents, reagents, or samples, ensuring accurate and reproducible results. 

Application of Infusion Pump

Infusion pumps, on the other hand, are designed for delivering larger volumes of fluids over an extended period. [9] Unlike syringe pumps, infusion pumps can accommodate a broader range of fluids and medications, making them versatile tools in various laboratory settings. They provide continuous and controlled infusion, ensuring receiving the necessary medications or fluids at the prescribed rate and duration. They can be used in:

  • Drug Infusion in Animal Studies: Infusion pumps enable precise and controlled administration of drugs to animals in research studies, ensuring accurate dosing and minimizing variability in drug delivery.
  • Microdialysis Experiments: Infusion pumps are utilized in microdialysis techniques to deliver perfusion fluid at a constant rate, allowing for the collection of small-molecule analytes from extracellular fluid in animal models for pharmacokinetic studies or neurochemical monitoring.
  • Continuous Infusion in Physiology Experiments: In physiological research, infusion pumps are used for continuous delivery of fluids or substances to animal models, facilitating experiments such as glucose tolerance tests, hormone infusion studies, or drug metabolism investigations.
  • Tissue Perfusion Systems: Infusion pumps are integral components of tissue perfusion systems used in ex vivo experiments, enabling researchers to maintain organ or tissue viability by delivering oxygenated perfusate with nutrients and maintaining physiological conditions.
  • Drug Screening Assays: In laboratory settings, infusion pumps are employed in automated drug screening assays to deliver test compounds or candidate drugs to cell cultures or biological samples at precise concentrations and rates, facilitating high-throughput screening studies.
  • In Vitro Pharmacology Studies: Infusion pumps are utilized in in vitro pharmacology experiments to mimic physiological conditions by continuously delivering substances to cell cultures or tissue preparations, allowing for the investigation of pharmacological responses and drug interactions.
  • Behavioral Studies in Animal Models: In behavioral research, infusion pumps are used to deliver substances such as drugs, neurotransmitters, or neuromodulators directly into the brain or peripheral circulation of animal models, enabling researchers to study the effects on behavior and neural circuits.
  • Perfusion of Isolated Organs: Infusion pumps are employed in the perfusion of isolated organs such as hearts or kidneys in ex vivo experiments, allowing researchers to study organ function, metabolism, or responses to pharmacological interventions under controlled conditions.

Types of Both Instruments Explained

Syringe pumps come in different variations to accommodate various laboratory needs. Programmable syringe pumps offer flexibility in dosage and infusion rates. [10] Infusion pumps are similarly diverse, ranging from volumetric pumps, which deliver fluids at a constant rate, to syringe drivers, which can accommodate both syringes and IV bags for versatile infusion options. [11]

Factors to Consider When Buying Both Instruments

  • Precision and Accuracy: In laboratory and animal environments, both syringe pumps and infusion pumps must deliver precise and accurate control over infusion rates to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of treatments or experiments.
  • Compatibility: When selecting a pump for laboratory or animal research, it’s crucial to consider its compatibility with the medications, fluids, and experimental solutions commonly utilized. Ensuring compatibility helps prevent operational issues and facilitates smooth and seamless operation during experiments or animal care procedures.
  • User Interface: An intuitive user interface is essential for both syringe pumps and infusion pumps in laboratory and animal settings. A user-friendly interface enhances usability and reduces the risk of errors during pump operation, particularly in high-stress research environments where accuracy is paramount for reliable results.
  • Portability: In laboratory and animal environments, there may be instances where mobility or transportability of pumps is necessary. For example, in field research or veterinary settings, portable and lightweight pumps are indispensable for conducting experiments or providing care in diverse locations.
  • Maintenance and Support: Selecting pumps with reliable maintenance services and accessible technical support is vital for laboratory and animal research facilities. This ensures minimal downtime and uninterrupted animal care or experimental procedures. Having reliable support also enables prompt resolution of any technical issues that may arise during pump operation, safeguarding the integrity of research outcomes and animal welfare.

In laboratory and animal settings, selecting between a syringe pump and an infusion pump is contingent upon the unique demands of the experimental context, weighing considerations such as infusion volume, precision, and mobility. 

By comprehensively grasping the diverse applications, variations, and critical purchasing factors associated with these indispensable devices, researchers can enhance the care and treatment outcomes of laboratory animals with assurance and precision, thus advancing scientific endeavors with informed decision-making.

Check out our Classic Syringe Pump if you’re looking for the best!

  • Smith A, Wall S, French L. Syringe pumps: selection and use in infusion therapy. British Journal of Nursing. 2017; 26(14): S18-S24.
  • National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Medical Technologies Guidance [MTG18]. Syringe drivers. London: NICE; 2013.
  • Kolhe, P. S., & Badgujar, P. P. Design and Fabrication of Syringe Pump. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 2014; 4(5), 1-5
  • “BS EN 60601-2-24: Medical electrical equipment, Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of infusion pumps and controllers”. BSI, 2015.
  • Frost A, Southgate V. Advances in infusion technology. Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine. 2018; 19(11): 572-576.
  • Jacobs JD, Hopper-Borge EA. Carotid artery infusions for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis of taxanes in mice. J Vis Exp. 2014; (92):e51917.
  • Kumar, A., & Kumar, A. Design and Development of a Programmable Infusion Pump. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 2017; 9(8), 1325-1330.
  • Ratcliffe T, Maisey A, Mochan S. A review of ambulatory syringe pumps. British Journal of Community Nursing. 2019; 24(Sup1): S18-S22.
  • Frey R, McQuinn R. Infusion pumps: indications, complications, and management. Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology. 2019; 32(5): 654-660.
  • Nahla S, Philip M. Syringe pumps: do we understand them? A comprehensive insight into infusion pumps. British Journal of Nursing. 2018; 27(14): 784-791.
  • Langley J, Spicer K. Intravenous infusion devices: integrating human factors engineering into design. British Journal of Nursing. 2017; 26(14): S4-S12.

Picture of  Vanja Antonijevic

Vanja works as the Social Media and Academic Program Manager at Conduct Science. With a Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Physiology and a Master's degree in Human Molecular Biology, Vanja is dedicated to sharing scientific knowledge on social media platforms. Additionally, Vanja provides direct support to the editorial board at Conduct Science Academic Publishing House.

Related Articles

Multichannel pipettes are the best decision if you would like to decrease the cost

Best Microchannel Pipettes: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction Pipetting, at first glance, would seem a fairly simple and easy task. Essentially described as glass or plastic tubes used to measure and transfer

budget for a research proposal

Resource Identification Initiative

Resource Identification Initiative: A Key to Scientific Success and Analytics The key to success can be found in the essential principles of the Resource Identification

We suggest the list of the best microcentrifuges

Best Microcentrifuges: A Comprehensive Guide

INTRODUCTION AND BRIEF HISTORY One of the most important pieces of equipment in the laboratory is the centrifuge, which facilitates the separation of samples of

budget for a research proposal

Best Benchtop Centrifuges: A Comprehensive Guide

Need equipment for your lab?

Top Sales Products

Digital Microscope

Digital Microscope

budget for a research proposal

Wachenfeldt Clip Applying Forceps

budget for a research proposal

Elschling 1×2 Teeth Tissue Forceps

budget for a research proposal

Spencer-Wells Artery Forceps

budget for a research proposal

Backhaus Towel Forceps

Hunter splinter forceps.

budget for a research proposal

Our Location

Conduct science.

  • Become a Partner
  • Social Media
  • Career /Academia
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping & Returns
  • Request a quote

Customer service

  • Account details
  • Lost password

DISCLAIMER: ConductScience and affiliate products are NOT designed for human consumption, testing, or clinical utilization. They are designed for pre-clinical utilization only. Customers purchasing apparatus for the purposes of scientific research or veterinary care affirm adherence to applicable regulatory bodies for the country in which their research or care is conducted.

SlideTeam

Researched by Consultants from Top-Tier Management Companies

Banner Image

Powerpoint Templates

Icon Bundle

Kpi Dashboard

Professional

Business Plans

Swot Analysis

Gantt Chart

Business Proposal

Marketing Plan

Project Management

Business Case

Business Model

Cyber Security

Business PPT

Digital Marketing

Digital Transformation

Human Resources

Product Management

Artificial Intelligence

Company Profile

Acknowledgement PPT

PPT Presentation

Reports Brochures

One Page Pitch

Interview PPT

All Categories

Top 7 Research Budget Templates with Samples and Examples

Top 7 Research Budget Templates with Samples and Examples

Tejas Prasanna

author-user

There is no magic formula for creating a research budget. Depending on the kind of research and the potential changes it can bring about, careful planning and allocation is necessary. Budgets can, thus, vary depending on the sponsors, besides other factors. However, every research budget has some essential guidelines. 

Research budgets depend on the project deliverables, timelines, and milestones. The resources required also depend on the scope of the projects and sponsors.

Best Templates for Planning Your Research Budget

Designing a research budget is not easy. You will need to consider the resources required and categorize them according to guidelines to ensure funding is not a problem. The categories may include the project’s necessary supplies and equipment and the wages you must pay your assistants. Research budgets are allocated for a year, but you can also plan for a quarter, depending on the project.

At SlideTeam, we have taken care of all these pain points and designed content-ready presentation templates that address each of these points. You save the time, the resources, and the tedium in having to make these presentations from scratch. 

What is even better is that each of the templates is 100% editable and customizable. The content-ready nature means you get a starting point and a structure to guide your presentation; the editability feature means you can customize the template to audience profile. 

Let’s explore these templates now. 

Template 1 - Impact matrix evaluation research solution budget

This PPT Template is the perfect solution for your research budgeting needs. The matrix suggests what solutions are essential with the help of relevant keys that assign priority levels. Priorities go from low to highest influence with increasing importance. They are color-coded, with white being the lowest and red being the highest influence. For instance, Maintain Awareness and Evaluation are red in many cases, as shown in the slide. So, that means that they bear a significant impact on the research budget. Similarly, Strategic and Budget Planning are color-coded white, which means they don't impact the research budget as much in some cases.

With the impact matrix and heatmap, mapping out your research budget will be a breeze.

Impact Matrix Evaluation Research Solution Budget

Get it now!

Template 2  Half-yearly research and development departmental budget

Research and Development departments can plan the budget required for projects for the two halves of the year using this PPT Template. The presentation template highlights areas for which you will need funding such as research and development, skills, innovation and patenting, and cooperation. You can also list your requirements for each area. For instance, under R&D and skills, you may need funding for medical research, chemical research, etc. Similarly, for innovation and patenting, you may need funding for product innovation and to cover patenting costs. Likewise, cooperation may involve setting up new laboratories and research centers. With this outlined, you can split the budget required for your research project for the two halves of the year.

Half Yearly Research and Development Departmental Budget

Download now!

Template 3 - Budget Estimate for Research and Development Project

This presentation template for the budget estimate for your research and development project is apt for arriving at the calculation for the four quarters in a year. You can define and assign tasks as per the requirements of the project and allocate a set budget for each. The tasks may involve conducting market research and competitive analysis or be innovative or developmental. In either case, you can use this template to set a fixed budget for each task in the research project.

Budget estimate for research and development project

Get it today!

Template 4 Clinical Trial Phases with Communication and Budget Research Design for Clinical Trials

Clinical trials involve many phases, and you should let your research associates know about each step. For instance, you could post the information on the company website and provide relevant insights during the pre-trial phase. Similarly, you can offer the welcome letter and training materials during the trial start-up. During the trial, you can send newsletters to your associates, giving them relevant information and other valuable insights. All this requires funding, and you will need to allocate a budget. However, you don't need to worry, as this PPT Preset has you sorted, with dedicated sections for the pre-trial, trial start-up, during-trial, and trial-end phases. It also has communication, insights summary, and budget sections. You can use the budget section in the matrix to allot a budget for each trial phase and each section, including communication and insights. 

Clinical Trial Phases with Communication and Budget

Download here!

Template 5  Market research strategy with budget and area

The PPT Template has all the core elements required for your market research strategy, including the budget and area. This slide lets you list your clients, the items, and when to send them. You can also list background information related to your research, the aim and objectives of the project, the areas covered, and the budget.

The presentation template also provides a dedicated space to list your brands and products and a timeline for completing the research.

Market Research Strategy with Budget and Area

Template 6 - Determine Budget for Psychology Research Proposal One-Pager Sample Example Document

This presentation template is an easy-to-use tool for determining the budget required for psychology research. With this slide, you can allocate a budget for each area, including diagnostic assessment, training, technology and tools, supplies, travel, and workforce. It is a practical, hands-on template with information required to plan the budget for conducting psychological tests and evaluations. Please note that depending on your geography, taxes might or might not deserve a separate column.  

Determine Budget for Psychology Research Proposal

Template 7 - Budgeting for Product Launch Market Research

Every company needs to conduct market research before launching a new product. The PowerPoint Presentation that you have here can help you plan the budget required for conducting such market research. It includes necessary information, including business and research objectives, priorities, methodologies, and forecasts. The presentation template also has the metrics required for the research, such as improving customer engagement, introducing new products, and increasing market share. For example, to improve customer engagement, you may be looking to improve marketing approaches and gather customer feedback. The methods you may use include conducting marketing mix studies and tests. Similarly, you may want to optimize your social media posts and profiles and conduct A/B tests when introducing new products. Improving your market share may involve analyzing the competition. You may even use this handy template for conducting market research, estimating, and forecasting budgets.

Budgeting for product launch market research

RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT BUSINESS

You can plan your research and the budget required using these templates. Remember that each new product launch has lots of research behind it. When going for a new launch, don’t just research the products and its uses, but also the markets – particularly, your target audience and how they will benefit from your brands. When allocating the budget for your research, don't forget to note your total resources and try to be as cost-effective as possible. You must consider the expected costs that you may incur and use these templates to work out a research budget that fits within your resources.

FAQs on Research Budget

What should be included in a research budget.

Research budgets should include all direct costs, and facilities and administrative costs (F&A). The facilities and administrative expenses are needed to achieve the primary objectives of the research. The project description should state the proposed budget and serve as a financial expression for the research. The idea is to ensure that the budget is comprehensive.

How do you create a research budget?

You can create a simple research budget by following these steps:

  • List activities that will help you carry out the research.
  • Check the rules for getting the funding required.
  • Check all costs involved.
  • Lay out the costs using a spreadsheet.
  • Justify your budget by asking why and for what you need the money and where you got your figures.

What is the role of budget in research?

A budget can provide a detailed and clear picture of the structure of the research project, not to mention that it also lets you know how well it can be managed. The research project budget usually lets you see whether it will go according to plan and if it is feasible. So, it must be complete and reasonable.

What is the average budget for a research project?

The budget for a research project depends on the type of research and the proposed difference it could make to a field of study. For instance, the average budget for a market research project may vary between $20,000 and $50,000. Similarly, larger scientific research projects may cost millions or even billions of dollars, as in pharmaceuticals.

Related posts:

  • Top 5 Startup Budget Templates with Samples and Examples
  • Top 5 Construction Project Budget Templates With Examples And Samples
  • Top 10 Cost Comparison Templates with Examples and Samples
  • Top 5 Budget Planner Templates with Examples and Samples

Liked this blog? Please recommend us

budget for a research proposal

Top 10 Purchasing Process Example Templates with Samples

Top 10 Banking Company Profile Templates for Crafting a Profile that Makes Money Talk!

Top 10 Banking Company Profile Templates for Crafting a Profile that Makes Money Talk!

This form is protected by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

digital_revolution_powerpoint_presentation_slides_Slide01

Digital revolution powerpoint presentation slides

sales_funnel_results_presentation_layouts_Slide01

Sales funnel results presentation layouts

3d_men_joinning_circular_jigsaw_puzzles_ppt_graphics_icons_Slide01

3d men joinning circular jigsaw puzzles ppt graphics icons

Business Strategic Planning Template For Organizations Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Business Strategic Planning Template For Organizations Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Future plan powerpoint template slide

Future plan powerpoint template slide

project_management_team_powerpoint_presentation_slides_Slide01

Project Management Team Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Brand marketing powerpoint presentation slides

Brand marketing powerpoint presentation slides

Launching a new service powerpoint presentation with slides go to market

Launching a new service powerpoint presentation with slides go to market

agenda_powerpoint_slide_show_Slide01

Agenda powerpoint slide show

Four key metrics donut chart with percentage

Four key metrics donut chart with percentage

Engineering and technology ppt inspiration example introduction continuous process improvement

Engineering and technology ppt inspiration example introduction continuous process improvement

Meet our team representing in circular format

Meet our team representing in circular format

Google Reviews

Examples

Research Budget

budget for a research proposal

Research is highly necessary for a business simply because it helps the company understand the customers, competitors, and the market, in general. The data that the project’s processes bring can make way for the development of company operations. However, all these benefits do not come cheap. Most companies, especially the startups, would even submit proposals   to request grants from federal agencies, loans from banks, and investments from other fund sources. To successfully acquire financial assistance for their quantitative   or qualitative research , it is necessary to produce a research budget document. If by any chance, you are planning to create such a document, our article and variety of examples can assist you! Check them out below!

11+ Research Budget Examples

1. research budget template.

Research Budget Template

  • Google Docs
  • Google Sheets

Size: A4, US

2. Research Project Budget Template

Research Project Budget Template

3. Research Budget Proposal Template

Research Budget Proposal Template

  • Apple Pages

Size: 52 KB

4. Research Budget Proposal

Research Budget Proposal

Size: 60 KB

5. Marketing Research Budget

Marketing Research Budget

6. Research Budget Estimate Form

Research Budget Estimate Form

Size: 54 KB

7. Sample Research Budget

Sample Research Budget

Size: 71 KB

8. Budget Research Proposal

Budget Research Proposal

Size: 37 KB

9. Research Budget Format

Research Budget Format

Size: 90 KB

10. Simple Research Budget Template

Simple Research Budget Template

Size: 313 KB

11. Project Research Budget Template

Project Research Budget Template

Size: 12 KB

12. Research Budget in PDF

Research Budget in PDF

Size: 124 KB

What Is a Research Budget?

A research budget is the breakdown of the estimated income and expenses of a certain research project. According to MyMoneyCoach, budgeting lets individuals and organizations ascertain whether the financial resources are enough to complete a project . Additionally, if the said resources fall short, the process will help them prioritize the much-needed things or activities. Often, people use the term budgets for estimates . Unarguably, most of their elements are alike. The only difference is that budgets highlight how much money is up for spending. At the same time, estimates are predictions of how much money is needed to buy certain things or perform certain activities.

Research: Expensive or Not?

Some entrepreneurs do not know how advantageous research is for their businesses. Upon hearing about business research, the most common question that comes to their mind is whether such an undertaking is expensive or not. Sad to say, the answer is indefinite because its cost will vary depending on your expertise about the subject.

Firms who are not confident enough of their knowledge and experience in business research can hire research companies that can do the job for them. Doing so will approximately cost them USD 1,500 to $30,000, depending on how big the job is. On the contrary, corporate entities who are knowledgeable about the idea of business research can do it by themselves with a little guidance of online sources and other sorts of reference. The cost for it can go down from USD 100 up to USD 5,000.

How To Create a Research Budget

Considering that budgeting involves numbers and figures, you have to be delicate not just to them but also to the itemized entries. Moreover, each of its sections has to comply with the standards to ensure its completeness. By our own research, we are confident that our outline of the necessary guidelines below can help you in making your research budget without any hassle.

1. Describe Research Goals and Objectives

Generally, the research’s main function is to help improve an organization’s workplace operation and the company’s market standing. To effectively set and acquire the necessities for the undertaking, you need to have a better understanding of its specific goals and objectives . Hence, you have to describe them first and foremost.

2. Set the Research Methodology

There are many ways to gather and interpret data for your research. Each of them requires specific materials and equipment, which obviously have a monetary value. Most researchers commonly utilize participant observation, survey methodology , in-person interviews , focus groups, experimental research , secondary data analysis, and mixed methods as their techniques.

3. Specify Target Audience

The target audience is a good basis for your budget . Its volume and demographic can determine how much money you will need for the provision of research materials, such as survey questionnaires and survey forms . For example, if you’re targeting an audience of 10 to 15 people aged 50 to 60, the cost is surely expensive. Most of these people are probably in a nursing home. Aside from preparing them tokens for their participation, you also have to spend some dimes getting into the nursing home, like transportation and the creation of permission slips .

4. Calculate Income

After specifying your target audience, calculate your research’s overall income. Include in your calculations the allotment of your research’s financial assistance. Also, you have to indicate where these funds come from. The total income will be the very foundation of your budget .

5. Reckon Expenditures

Now that you have your income already set, create a list of all the items that you need to spend on. With your income as your basis, distribute the funds according to your priorities to ensure the inclusion of important things or activities, while delaying or eliminating the unnecessary ones.

Once you have successfully set every detail, don’t forget to review each of them one more time. With money at stake, misspellings, miscalculations, and other faults should have no room in your budget . By reviewing your budget before finalizing, you allow yourself to make your data accurate, which is a very crucial quality for research.

What do you mean by the direct and indirect costs of budgeting?

Direct costs refer to the expenses to produce goods or provide services, while indirect costs describe the necessary expenditures for the continuity of business operations.

What are some of the biggest disadvantages of business research?

1. Just like any other type of research, business research is time-consuming.

2. Due to the fast-changing markets, the results of business research can easily become out of date.

3. The business research’s respondents have chances of becoming biased, putting your entire project at risk of having inaccurate information.

What are the phases of budgeting?

Budgeting has five phases. They include preparation and formulation, approval, execution, revision, and control.

American filmmaker, anthropologist, and author Zora Neale Hurston once said, “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose”, and she is right. Through it, we unravel things we never knew we had, whether they’re good news or bad ones. Either way, the discovery of these things can lead to improvement. Funding research is, absolutely, a good idea. However, businesses can only give so much. Some don’t even have anything to offer at all, risking themselves to rely on loans. Because of these facts, researchers have to learn the process of budgeting, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

Twitter

AI Generator

Text prompt

  • Instructive
  • Professional

10 Examples of Public speaking

20 Examples of Gas lighting

Free Budget Proposal Templates

By Andy Marker | August 5, 2021

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn

Link copied

We’ve compiled the most useful free budget proposal templates for organizations, project managers, grant writers, researchers, team members, and other stakeholders. You’ll also find helpful details for filling out these templates. 

Included on this page, you’ll find a sample proposal budget template , a project proposal budget template , a grant proposal budget template , and a budget increase proposal template .

Budget Proposal Template

Budget Proposal Template

Download Budget Proposal Template

Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets | Adobe PDF

Use this universal budget proposal template to account for all the necessary resources in your organization’s operations or individual projects. Fill in proposed line-item amounts for staff salaries, benefits, equipment, professional services, memberships, occupancy expenses, and travel costs. This customizable template is the perfect tool to define any expenses an organization or project might incur, and to propose allocation of those resources.

Sample Proposal Budget Template

Sample Budget Proposal Template

Download Sample Proposal Budget Template

Microsoft Excel | Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Sheets | Google Docs

Take the guesswork out of creating a budget proposal with this sample proposal budget template, which comes with pre-filled example data. The template includes editable, auto-tallying sections to list details of your organization’s salaries, benefits, professional services, rent, telephone, internet services, and equipment costs. The pre-built line-item amounts help provide an accurate budget proposal to estimate your total funding requirements.

Project Proposal Budget Template

Project Budget Proposal Template

Download Project Proposal Budget Template

Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets

A project proposal budget helps you to stay on top of your individual and interrelated budgets, so that all stakeholders have the correct financial details on hand. Use the unique budget planning capabilities of this template to get the big picture of proposed project-by-project budgets. This template focuses on ensuring that your proposed budget calculations (including specific tasks and subtasks) accurately account for material, labor, and fixed costs. Use the template to monitor the difference between your proposed and actual budget amounts. 

Read our project proposal templates article to find additional templates and learn more about getting the most out of your project proposals.

Sample Project Proposal Budget Template

Sample Project Proposal Budget Template

Download Sample Project Proposal Budget Template 

Use this project proposal budget template to guide project sponsors and other stakeholders through the financial details of your project. The template includes sample project proposal budget data with task-by-task budget specifics, which you can use to compare your projects’ proposed budget figures against actual budgeting, to arrive at a precise under/over balance. This pre-populated budget proposal template includes item-by-item proposed costs and balance tallies to ensure you plan an adequate, project-specific budget proposal.

Annual Budget Proposal Template

Annual Budget Proposal Template

Download Annual Budget Proposal Template 

Keep accurate tabs on your proposed budget vs. actual funding with this easy-to-fill, 12-month annual budget proposal template. Enter anticipated revenue, cost of goods sold (COGS), sales and marketing costs, labor costs, admin and general expenses, and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT). Factor in anticipated cash, accounts receivable, inventory, and long-term debt to gain quarterly and annual insight into your organization’s proposed, time-sensitive budget.

Research Proposal Budget Template

Research Proposal Budget Template

Download Research Proposal Budget Template 

Microsoft Excel  |  Google Sheets  | Adobe PDF 

An itemized list of expected budget costs is one of the most valuable documents that you can provide to key stakeholders in order to clinch funding for your research. Document individual salaries and wages, potential travel costs, supplies, equipment, and other costs to create a credible picture of what the research expenditures will entail. Expedite the process of obtaining funding with this research proposal budget template, which includes a line-by-line breakdown of proposed expenses, and how they affect your potentially available financing.

Grant Proposal Budget Template

budget for a research proposal

Download Grant Proposal Budget Template 

Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets   

Use this comprehensive grant proposal budget template to ensure you’ve accounted for every item in the proposal. Enter unique funding revenue ID numbers and itemized budget details, and the template will automatically calculate proposed budget totals. Year-by-year columns provide a long-term picture of your grant funding requests, and also allow you to track various contributors’ endowments. 

To learn more about the importance of winning bids with budget proposals, read our article on free grant proposal templates , as well as our roundup of free bid proposal templates .

Budget Increase Proposal Template

Budget Increase Proposal Template

Download Budget Increase Proposal Template

Quantify a suggested budget increase with this unique template that compares your current budget to the proposed increased budget, in order to arrive at accurate over/under amounts. Enter line-by-line costs (tasks and subtasks) and the template will automatically calculate a subtotal, as well as a proposed budget amount increase. This template also provides ample space to include details about multiple projects, as well as materials, labor, and fixed costs. 

To learn more about business budget templates, see our collection of free business budget templates for any company . For more annual business budget templates, please refer to this article . We also offer a great variety of business templates for small businesses , startups , nonprofit organizations , as well as operating budget templates , that can be used across all industries.

Why You Need a Budget Proposal Template

A budget proposal template documents the suggested financial budget plan for an organization, project, research, or grant. Rather than starting from scratch, you can leverage the pre-filled criteria in a budget proposal template to gain insight into the accuracy of anticipated expenses and revenue sources. 

A budget proposal template offers visibility into your organization’s or project’s projected financial picture. Templates provide an easy-to-use list of projected expenditures and expected revenue, so that you can compare any difference in your budgeted and actual amounts. You can also enter projected budget amounts for line items, such as planned salaries, equipment, professional services, occupancy, telephone, internet, and travel expenses. 

While budget proposal templates are useful for anticipating expenses and revenue, you can also assess a budget’s feasibility by comparing budgeted with actual amounts. This information can help you recalibrate a budget proposal to align with actual costs and revenue for a more accurate budget.

Tips for Using a Budget Proposal Template

When filling out a budget proposal template, ensure that you account for an organization’s or project’s proposed expenditures. Most budget proposal templates include the following pre-populated sections: 

  • Salaries: This amount appears as a line-by-line account of anticipated labor-related expenses (e.g., salaries, bonuses, benefits, insurance, etc.). 
  • Equipment Costs: This section refers to projected equipment expenditures, such as computers, a server, a website, a copier, etc. 
  • Professional Services: Include any anticipated professional services (e.g., legal, payroll, insurance, training, bookkeeping, etc.) in this section.
  • Professional Memberships: Use this field to enter employees’ membership costs for any professional organizations, associations, or societies. 
  • Office Space: Enter any planned occupancy costs (e.g., rent, electricity, water, internet, security, office supplies, etc.) for your organization. 
  • Telephone/Internet: This template section covers detailed costs for cell phone, landline, and internet service.  
  • Travel: Use this section to enter any travel-related costs (e.g., lodging, meals, transportation, etc.) as well as any employer-financed transit expenses.  
  • Sales and Marketing Costs: Include any sales or marketing-related expenses to promote your organization or project. 

A budget template helps take the guesswork out of operational costs compared to available resources, so that you are able to justify your anticipated expenditures, whether for a specific project or the organization at large. It’s important to remember to enter one-time costs in a budget proposal. Additional expenditures, such as seasonal costs and promotional events, can also make an impact, so be sure to account for those in your budget. While you may have unique budget proposal items, templates are customizable, and allow you to enter tailored budget line-items to fit your needs.

Track and Manage Budget Proposals with Real-Time Work Management in Smartsheet

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Discover why over 90% of Fortune 100 companies trust Smartsheet to get work done.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Thanks!

logo

  • Funding Opportunities
  • Proposal Development
  • Noteworthy Funding Opportunities

The Office of Proposal Development actively curates this list of recently released funding opportunities in priority research areas. If you have questions about any of the funding opportunities below, please contact us at [email protected] .

  • Pivot Funding Opportunities Database
  • Federal Funding
  • Non-federal Funding
  • Annual Limited Competition Examples
  • See pages Current Competitions
  • How to Apply
  • Program Timeline
  • Additional Seed Grant Programs
  • Fall 2023 Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Spring 2023 Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Summer 2022 Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Round 2 Revise and Resubmit Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Round 1 Revise and Resubmit Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Fall 2021 Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Spring 2021 Seed Grant Award Winners
  • SPRING 2020 SEED GRANT AWARD WINNERS
  • QIST SEED GRANT AWARD WINNERS
  • COVID-19 SEED GRANT AWARD WINNERS
  • Fall 2019 Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Spring 2019 Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Fall 2018 Seed Grant Award Winners
  • Addiction Research Seed Grant Program
  • Biomedical Sciences Innovation Fund
  • Climate Change Seed Grant Program
  • Conference Planning Seed Grant Program
  • MRSEC Seed Grant Program
  • Revise and Resubmit Seed Grant Program

Annual Plan Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Infographic

An infographic highlighting how supporting the best ideas in cancer research at the National Cancer Institute requires funding increases over time.

  • Today's news
  • Reviews and deals
  • Climate change
  • 2024 election
  • Fall allergies
  • Health news
  • Mental health
  • Sexual health
  • Family health
  • So mini ways
  • Unapologetically
  • Buying guides

Entertainment

  • How to Watch
  • My watchlist
  • Stock market
  • Biden economy
  • Personal finance
  • Stocks: most active
  • Stocks: gainers
  • Stocks: losers
  • Trending tickers
  • World indices
  • US Treasury bonds
  • Top mutual funds
  • Highest open interest
  • Highest implied volatility
  • Currency converter
  • Basic materials
  • Communication services
  • Consumer cyclical
  • Consumer defensive
  • Financial services
  • Industrials
  • Real estate
  • Mutual funds
  • Credit cards
  • Balance transfer cards
  • Cash back cards
  • Rewards cards
  • Travel cards
  • Online checking
  • High-yield savings
  • Money market
  • Home equity loan
  • Personal loans
  • Student loans
  • Options pit
  • Fantasy football
  • Pro Pick 'Em
  • College Pick 'Em
  • Fantasy baseball
  • Fantasy hockey
  • Fantasy basketball
  • Download the app
  • Daily fantasy
  • Scores and schedules
  • GameChannel
  • World Baseball Classic
  • Premier League
  • CONCACAF League
  • Champions League
  • Motorsports
  • Horse racing
  • Newsletters

New on Yahoo

  • Privacy Dashboard

RIPEC: McKee’s FY25 budget proposal makes structural deficit worse

  • Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

The Rhode Island State House is shown. A new analysis from the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council says the governor’s proposed fiscal 2025 budget makes a projected state deficit worse by relying on one-time surplus funds to cover continued operating expenses. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council is raising red flags about Gov. Dan McKee ’s proposed fiscal 2025 budget, warning it would contribute to and worsen the state’s structural deficit in the years ahead.

In a report published Thursday, the business-backed research organization said McKee’s proposed $13.7 billion spending plan fails to reflect the state’s economic reality, increasing spending faster than revenue. While the $196 million in surplus state revenue projected for the fiscal year that ends June 30 can make up the difference temporarily, it’s not sustainable long term.

“The budget does not reflect the tight revenue situation,” Michael DiBiase, president and CEO of RIPEC, said in an interview on Friday. “Wherever you are using that surplus money for now contributes to the deficit later. You’re creating more of a problem for next year.”

While the governor’s budget projects a slight surplus, just shy of $1 million, for fiscal 2025, the trend reverses course in the following year, with a projected $244 million deficit in fiscal 2026, growing to $265.4 million in fiscal 2027. 

Updated forecasts included with Gov. Dan McKee’s fiscal 2025 budget proposal show the state budget deficit growing to more than $244 million in fiscal 2026. (Rhode Island Office of Management and Budget)

This projected outcome is not entirely unexpected; lawmakers and economists have warned that market forces like inflation will slow revenue growth, while costs in key areas like education and health and human services continue to rise. Yet the latest forecasts appear far gloomier than what analysts expected a year ago, according to updated projections from the state budget office included with McKee’s fiscal 2025 budget proposal. 

The governor’s spending proposal makes the projected deficit worse by relying on one-time surplus funds to cover continued operating expenses, according to RIPEC’s report. Just $15 million of the $196 million in general revenue surplus funds are explicitly identified by the governor’s office as reserved for one-time expenses. The rest of the surplus funds seek to make up the shortfall in rising, continued costs for education, affordable housing, transportation and health and human services.

‘The budget does not reflect the tight revenue situation,’ Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council President & CEO Michael DiBiase says of Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed fiscal 2025 budget. (Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)

“Wherever you use that money now, you’ve got to find it next year somewhere else,” DiBiase said.

RIPEC in its report acknowledged the critical needs presented by the state’s lack of affordable housing, growing Medicaid budget and resource-strapped urban school districts. While spending hikes in these areas cannot be avoided, at least to some extent, DiBiase stressed the importance of smarter and more efficient spending.

For example, RIPEC projections indicate that the $254.8 million in state subsidies for affordable housing will produce just over 1,600 new, net units once the remaining federal pandemic aid is allocated, leaving the state well short of the 24,000 new units needed to meet the growing demand.

Meanwhile, the state’s Medicaid program, which comprises three-quarters of its health and human services budget, continues to balloon, with a $4.6 billion price tag, including state and federal funds, in the proposed fiscal 2025 budget. While state spending has increased, problems with provider reimbursement rates and coverage for beneficiaries persist, suggesting the extra money is doing little to relieve the pressure on the system, DiBiase said.

“Can we be more efficient is the question,” he said. “We’re not calling for cuts, and we need to increase [reimbursement rates] but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look at the system overall.”

Indeed, a new audit published on April 30 by the state auditor general found numerous deficiencies with the state Medicaid program in fiscal 2023, including payments to managed care organizations for patients who have died, or no longer live in the state.

Despite cautions for more financially sustainable long-term spending plans, RIPEC also stressed the need to avoid broad-based tax increases especially for its business community. Of particular interest to the business advocacy group: the governor’s proposal to give businesses more flexibility in applying operating losses to future years’ income.

Existing state law limits the carryforward period to five years, the shortest of any state, according to RIPEC. McKee has proposed matching Rhode Island’s policy with its neighbors in Massachusetts and Connecticut, which both let businesses apply reported losses to future net operating income over the next 20 years. The change to Rhode Island’s law, if approved, would take effect in tax year 2025.

“It’s kind of an esoteric thing, but we are an outlier,” DiBiase said of the state’s carryforward provision. “Changing this helps our business climate.”

Derek Gomes, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Administration, responded by email on behalf of the governor’s office Friday afternoon.

“The state has had to strike a balance between fiscal discipline and providing the services upon which Rhode Islanders rely, and the fiscal year 2025 budget proposal is no exception,” Gomes said.

He also pointed to prior state budget forecasts which show long-term structural deficits have “long been a reality of state budgets,” including prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Updated to include a response from Gov. Dan McKee’s office.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

The post RIPEC: McKee’s FY25 budget proposal makes structural deficit worse appeared first on Rhode Island Current .

Recommended Stories

Dwayne johnson is difficult to work with, report claims. the star has 'mountains of public goodwill' to offset negativity, expert says..

Once named the “Most Likable Person in the World,” the actor is under fire in a new report for showing up to work late on the film “Red One,” irritating the crew and causing the budget to balloon.

2025 Subaru Forester First Drive: Improved but incomplete

The Subaru Forester was redesigned for 2025, but not comprehensively. This already-solid entry got better, but we think the best is yet to come.

The latest 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is $150 off right now

The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air laptop is on sale right now for $1,150 instead of $1,300. This includes a sale discount of $100 and a coupon for $50.

Amazon's standard Kindle is on sale for $80

Amazon’s standard Kindle ereader is on sale for $80. This is a discount of 20 percent, or $20.

Current rates should be enough to bring inflation down: Fed's Barkin

Richmond Fed president Tom Barkin said the current level of interest rates will be enough to eventually bring inflation down.

Robinhood gets new legal threat from SEC as crypto crackdown continues

Robinhood said it got an SEC warning that the trading platform could face an enforcement action related to its US crypto business.

Mickelson on the majors: 'What if none of the LIV players played?'

Phil Mickelson hints that big changes could be coming to LIV Golf's rosters, and the majors will need to pay attention.

Cher loves these flared pants from Amazon that make her look 'bootyfull,' and they're down to $20

More than 28,000 shoppers agree with the legendary performer — and at over 30% off, the savings are un-'Believe'-able.

Best Mother's Day gifts under $100

Looking for some ideas on what to get your mom this year for Mother's Day? We've picked out some great ideas at price points from $100 to as low as $5.87.

The Spin, Buy Low/Sell High hitter edition: Perfect time to test the waters with Salvador Pérez

Some key hitting performances need a trip under the magnifying glass. Fantasy baseball analyst Scott Pianowski does just that and advises managers on what to do next.

Mother's Day gold: Save up to 70% on designer watches from Anne Klein, Michael Kors and more

There's even a sleek beauty from Nine West for a mere $19.

How to watch Apple's iPad launch event on Tuesday

Apple is about to announce new iPad models at an event on May 7. The company is expected to tease an OLED iPad Pro and a new iPad Air, among other items.

Dorsey leaves Bluesky, tech giants do more with less, and the next IPO

News that Jack Dorsey is out at Bluesky caused a stir this weekend. After all, Dorsey is a former Twitter co-founder and CEO, so his investment of time into the rival social network carried weight. The decentralized social networking service said that it is looking for a new board member.

Apollo CEO Marc Rowan: A soft landing for the economy has been achieved

The economy is in a good place, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan tells Yahoo Finance at the Milken Institute Global Conference.

Stack Overflow signs deal with OpenAI to supply data to its models

OpenAI is collaborating with Stack Overflow, the Q&A forum for software developers, to improve its generative AI models' performance on programming-related tasks. As a result of the partnership, announced Monday, OpenAI's models, including models served through its ChatGPT chatbot platform, should get better over time at answering programming-related questions, the two companies say. At the same time, Stack Overflow will benefit from OpenAI's expertise in developing new generative AI integrations on the Stack Overflow platform.

Fantasy Baseball: Two-start pitcher rankings for Week 6

Fred Zinkie examines the pitching landscape for those looking to stream in fantasy baseball leagues this week.

I just bought my mom this timeless Coach bag for Mother's Day, and it's down to $158 — that's 70% off

It's an 'absolutely beautiful' leather tote that can fit all your must-brings with room to spare.

Knicks-Pacers preview: Is it winning time for New York? Indiana won't be an easy out

We break down the second-round series between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers and make our prediction.

Doctor Who is back, louder and more chaotic than before

'Doctor Who' hasn't watered itself down for its arrival on Disney+.

Trump trial live updates: Judge finds Trump violated gag order again and threatens jail time, while jury sees paper trail in hush money case

The former president’s criminal hush money trial resumes Monday in Manhattan, where the prosecution will continue presenting its case.

KPMG Personalisation

Register an account

  • Mid-Market Pre-Budget Pulse Check 2024

Prior to the 2024 Australian Federal budget, KPMG surveyed private, mid-market and family businesses to gauge economic sentiment and budget concerns.

  • Share Share close
  • Download Mid-Market Pre-Budget Pulse Check 2024 pdf Opens in a new window
  • 1000 Save this article to my library
  • Go to bottom of page
  • Home ›
  • Insights ›

Key findings | Current and emerging perceptions |  Download report  |  Research methodology  

The annual pre-Budget survey of our mid-market client base by KPMG Enterprise this year took place just two months before the Federal Budget which will be handed down on Tuesday, 14 May 2024.

Our survey of 100 leaders in mid-tier Australian businesses – ranging from listed companies just outside the ASX 200, to private companies and family businesses – reveals a mood of cautious optimism with more than a half treading carefully and suggesting growth of around 2-3% over the next 12 months, but with a doubling of that figure over the following two years.

The two top challenges for Mid-Market businesses in the next 1-3 years remains like prior years as cost and margin pressures and the recruitment and retention of skilled staff. 

The survey themes highlight the shift in perceptions and the current and future challenges and opportunities faced by Mid-Market businesses in Australia, including economic conditions, business growth forecasts, wage expectations. Current and emerging perceptions include the impact of cost of living, tax reforms, AI implementation, work environment changes, and Superannuation Legislation.

budget for a research proposal

Mid Market Pre-Budget Pulse Check 2024

Survey findings of mid-market, private and family businesses ahead of the Federal Budget announcement.

(PDF 391KB)

Key shifts in perception since 2022/23

Mid-market business forecasting and growth.

Optimism about business growth has remained relatively stable among Mid-Market businesses, with 80% forecasting growth over the next few years. The level of pessimism has remained stable in the last 12 months with 17% of businesses who are not forecasting any growth for this year and the near future.

Wage growth expectations

There has been a continued decrease in expected wage growth above 4% in the last 2 years. Most businesses are expecting a moderate increase in wages of 2-4% per cent.

Challenges for mid-market businesses

The two top challenges for Mid-Market businesses in the next 1-3 years remains like prior years as cost and margin pressures and the recruitment and retention of skilled staff. There are significant sector differences in the challenges that are most impacting businesses.

Current and emerging perceptions in 2024

Impact of cost of living.

Majority of Mid-Market businesses believe the cost of living is challenging their ability to grow the business and generate demand. More than half feel it's having a moderate impact, while for nearly a quarter, it's having a significant impact.

Tax reforms and labour training

Close to half of Mid-Market businesses believe sector growth can be boosted by major tax reforms and greater investment in labour training programs.

Work environment changes

Most businesses (59%) do not anticipate any change in working arrangements while 41% will look to increase presence in the office, especially for publicly listed companies with some planning to mandate a minimum of days in the office.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation

The widespread rise of AI is evident in Mid-Market businesses, with 42% of businesses having implemented AI in their business for specific applications. Among those who have yet to implement AI, there is a plan by two-fifths to do so in the next 2 years.

ATO compliance activity

The ATO has increased its compliance activity in recent years with a focus on targeting the use of trusts and tax planning. This is a concern for a third of businesses, but most businesses are not concerned or do not have trusts.

Superannuation legislation

More than half (54%) of mid-market businesses are in support of this legislation, to a certain extent, that will result in an additional 15% tax on the earnings of superannuation balances above $3 million. However, 46% are unsupportive, and of those that support in part, 48% do not support taxing unrealised gains in superannuation.

Download the report

budget for a research proposal

Mid-Market 2024 Pre-Budget Survey

Research methodology

KPMG Customer Intelligence  conducted a pulse check on behalf of KPMG Enterprise. This pulse check was targeted at clients who run mid-market firms, aiming to gauge sentiment around key issues before the 2024/25 Federal Budget is announced.

Australia’s mid market is often referred to as the engine room of the nation’s economy, employing nearly a quarter of all Australians, and responsible for almost 40 percent of Australia’s business revenue.

The survey was completed by more than 100 mid-market business directors and decision-makers. Most respondents were from private companies, however there were also some from publicly listed companies, family businesses and NFPs. Respondents also came from a range of industry sectors.

The survey results are a valuable indicator of Enterprise clients’ opinions concerning the current business and budget environment.

Supporting mid-market business

KPMG has the breadth of services and depth of knowledge to provide your business with the support it needs to navigate these evolving times, and understand how this year’s Federal Budget may affect your organisation.

Please get in touch if you have any questions. 

Federal Budget Analysis Subscription

Sign up to be the first to receive KPMG's 2024 Federal Budget analysis – direct to your inbox.

Related insights

Digital cubes on blue background

A specialist division of KPMG Australia dedicated to advising emerging, private, family and mid-market businesses.

KPMG Enterprise is dedicated to advising emerging, private and mid-market businesses.

Australian Federal Budget 2024: Insights and analysis

The 2024 Federal Budget will be delivered on Tuesday 14 May 2024. Subscribe to KPMG for the latest insights into impacts on Australian businesses.

Insights into the economic impact of the Australian Federal Budget 2024-2025.

budget for a research proposal

IMAGES

  1. 50 Free Budget Proposal Templates (Word & Excel) ᐅ TemplateLab

    budget for a research proposal

  2. 50 Free Budget Proposal Templates (Word & Excel) ᐅ TemplateLab

    budget for a research proposal

  3. Budget Proposal

    budget for a research proposal

  4. 36+ SAMPLE Research Budgets in PDF

    budget for a research proposal

  5. 16+ Research Proposal Templates

    budget for a research proposal

  6. How To Prepare A Budget For A Research Proposal : Enterprise

    budget for a research proposal

VIDEO

  1. How to Find the Best Local SEO Packages for Your Business

  2. Budgets

  3. Creating a research proposal

  4. How to get Funded Project/Project Grant/ Research Proposal Financial support

  5. Overview of a Research Proposal

  6. Do this To Buy Your First HOME #realestate #property #homebuying #firsttimehomebuyer

COMMENTS

  1. PDF Writing a Proposal Budget

    When Sponsored Programs reviews the proposal, including the budget, we'll be making sure that the proposal meets the requirements set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations. It would be a good idea for you to become familiar with the rules relating to the types of research performed in your department. UC Davis Charging Practices The

  2. How to make a simple research budget

    Learn five steps to create a simple budget for your research project, from listing your activities and costs to checking the funding rules and writing the budget justification. This article provides tips and examples for planning your project clearly and showing how your budget will help you answer your research question.

  3. PDF Preparing a Proposal Budget Toolkit

    Proposal Budget Overview A budget is a financial proposal that reflects the work proposed. It outlines the expected project costs in detail and should mirror the project description. A budget is presented as a categorical list of anticipated project costs representing the researcher's best estimate of the funds needed to support the proposed work.

  4. Develop Your Budget

    A guide to prepare a budget for a research grant application, covering cost considerations, allowable and unallowable costs, F&A rates, modular and detailed budgets, personnel, equipment, travel, and other direct costs. Includes tips and reminders from NIH grants office and links to other resources.

  5. How to plan and write a budget for research grant proposal?

    A well-justified budget can enhance the evaluation of the research proposal by reviewers and funding body. The last most important part is to review the budget and verify the costs and calculation. It is better, if other research team members can review the budget plan and re-calculate the costs thoroughly.

  6. Budget and Cost Resources

    A "starting date" should be specified, since it is essential to ensure accurate budget calculations. If cost-sharing is included, each budget period should include columns for both "Sponsor" and "University" costs. A budget summary should be included for proposals with multi-year funding. All budget entries should be rounded to the nearest ...

  7. How to Write a Research Proposal

    Research proposal examples. Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We've included a few for you below. Example research proposal #1: "A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management".

  8. How to budget your grant proposal

    A precise estimate of the budget is really the best approach to win a grant. And importantly, once your proposal has been funded, you will find that having carefully estimated the different costs at the application stage will not only guarantee an optimal use of the funds, but also make the practical implementation of the research project ...

  9. How to Develop a Budget for a Research Proposal

    Abstract. Novice investigators may be intimidated by the task of proposal budget preparation. Often a basic understanding of the mechanics of budgeting, paired with a good working relationship with the institution's sponsored programs office, can alleviate much of the stress investigators encounter in developing budgets.

  10. Creating a Budget

    Creating a Budget. In general, while your research proposal outlines the academic significance of your study, the budget and budget narrative show that you have an understanding of what it will cost for you to be able to perform this research. Your proposed budget should identify all the expenses that are necessary and reasonable for the ...

  11. Develop a research budget

    A research budget contains both direct costs and indirect costs (overhead), but the level of detail varies from sponsor to sponsor. The first step in developing a budget is to carefully read the guidelines of the funding opportunity being pursued. ... such as goods and/or services in support of a research project or proposal. It is challenging ...

  12. Developing a Budget for Your Research Application

    The budgeting of your salary, a direct cost of the research, should be listed as $21,161.73. If your project covers three years, with the same or differing time commitments, you calculate this figure for each year of your project. Remember to factor in pay rises according to Step increases in multi-year grants.

  13. Proposal Budgets

    Proposal Budgets. The budget should list all cost details for the year or another appropriate period of time. It should include any applicable salaries & wages, fringe benefits, services, supplies, equipment, publications, travel, other direct expenses, and any facility and administrative costs. A brief outline for developing a budget is ...

  14. Research Proposal Example (PDF + Template)

    Detailed Walkthrough + Free Proposal Template. If you're getting started crafting your research proposal and are looking for a few examples of research proposals, you've come to the right place. In this video, we walk you through two successful (approved) research proposals, one for a Master's-level project, and one for a PhD-level ...

  15. How to develop a budget for a research proposal

    Abstract. Novice investigators may be intimidated by the task of proposal budget preparation. Often a basic understanding of the mechanics of budgeting, paired with a good working relationship with the institution's sponsored programs office, can alleviate much of the stress investigators encounter in developing budgets.

  16. 7 Tips to Draft a Compelling Budget for Grant Proposal

    Here are seven top tips to follow whilst drafting a compelling budget for grant proposal: Focus on Uniqueness of Study Essentials. Study design, testing procedures, sample collection methods, and research settings are the essential factors that need to be focused on to resolve the research problem.

  17. The Budget Calculation (Qualitative Research Proposal Series)

    This is Part 2 of a four-part series on proposal writing for qualitative research. Please read Part 1 of this series, which covers crafting an overview as a starting point of conversation with the…

  18. Proposal Budget Development

    Proposals (applications) normally include a detailed breakdown of the financial support being requested from a sponsor. A proposal budget is a best estimate of the costs requested to complete a project. Budgets should be prepared with as much detail as possible. Projects costs are usually broken down into direct and indirect cost categories.

  19. How to Plan and Write a Budget for Research Grant Proposal

    Try to write your budget essentials in a tabulated form with three main columns. The first column represents the item name. The second column specifies the cost of that particular essential. The third column signifies the importance of your particular essential in performing your research.

  20. Top 7 Research Budget Templates with Samples and Examples

    Template 6 - Determine Budget for Psychology Research Proposal One-Pager Sample Example Document. This presentation template is an easy-to-use tool for determining the budget required for psychology research. With this slide, you can allocate a budget for each area, including diagnostic assessment, training, technology and tools, supplies ...

  21. Research Budget

    4. Calculate Income. After specifying your target audience, calculate your research's overall income. Include in your calculations the allotment of your research's financial assistance. Also, you have to indicate where these funds come from. The total income will be the very foundation of your budget. 5.

  22. Free Budget Proposal Templates

    A budget proposal template documents the suggested financial budget plan for an organization, project, research, or grant. Rather than starting from scratch, you can leverage the pre-filled criteria in a budget proposal template to gain insight into the accuracy of anticipated expenses and revenue sources.

  23. Noteworthy Funding Opportunities

    The Office of Proposal Development (OPD) is committed to providing Stony Brook University's research community with high level support to identify extramural funding opportunities, build networks, and foster collaborations for the development of large, complex and innovative proposals. ... The three-year segment will have an award budget up to ...

  24. Annual Plan Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Infographic

    In the case of permitted digital reproduction, please credit the National Cancer Institute as the source and link to the original NCI product using the original product's title; e.g., "Annual Plan Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Infographic was originally published by the National Cancer Institute.". The Annual Plan fiscal year 2024 budget ...

  25. PDF National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Small Business

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Ignite Solicitation . PHASE II SUBCONTRACTORS/CONSULTANTS

  26. RIPEC: McKee's FY25 budget proposal makes structural deficit ...

    The post RIPEC: McKee's FY25 budget proposal makes structural deficit worse appeared first on Rhode Island Current. The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council is raising red flags about Gov ...

  27. 2024 Mid-Market Pre-Budget Pulse Check

    Research methodology. KPMG Customer Intelligence conducted a pulse check on behalf of KPMG Enterprise. This pulse check was targeted at clients who run mid-market firms, aiming to gauge sentiment around key issues before the 2024/25 Federal Budget is announced. Australia's mid market is often referred to as the engine room of the nation's ...