How to start using the funding
Advances to universities and polytechnics in 2011
Universities and polytechnics can request advances from the Academy annually by 21 February. As an advance, the Academy can pay one-third of its funding contribution for the project’s first full calendar year. The advance is paid during the first quarter. If relevant, the Academy can send a detailed schedule of the payment of advances to the financial administration of the sites of research. Advances can be paid on funding decisions where the site of research is a university or polytechnic. Advances are settled upon completion of a project. The minimum amount of advances paid by the Academy is 7,500 euros.
Advances are not paid on grants.
In connection with the launch of the Kieku IT system in 2010‒2014, standardised processes for financial and HR administration will be adopted throughout Finnish central government administration.
In 2011, Academy funding is paid on the basis of payment requests
The Academy adopted a payment request procedure in 2010. This procedure is applicable to all organisations that receive funding from the Academy. The Academy will pay the funds as one or more instalments based on the time when the actual costs have incurred. The site of research is responsible for submitting payment requests, not individual researchers or research teams. An exception to this rule may include personal grants to individual researchers (e.g. researcher training or research abroad).
The Academy will accept payment requests concerning funding decisions for 2011 as e-invoices. The requests can also be submitted in the Academy’s online services.
Payment requests shall be submitted to the Academy in four-month periods: January-April, May-August and September-December. E-invoices addressed to the Academy concerning payment requests by research projects shall be submitted by 20 May, 20 September and 20 January, respectively.
The Academy will only accept e-invoices by project (that is, by decision number). For this purpose, the Academy has drafted an invoice model in cooperation with universities, the supplier of e-invoicing applications and the invoice handling system (Rondo), and the e-invoice operator (Itella).
To be able to accept a payment request, the Academy requires that the invoicing organisation submits an accounting report and grounds for invoicing (specification for hours worked) for the invoicing period with each invoice. The accounting report can be submitted either as part of the invoice, or as a separate appendix, and it shall cover both the invoicing period and the project as a whole.
The primary solution is to submit a complete e-invoice including an accounting report and grounds for invoicing (specification for hours worked) for each project.
However, if this is not possible, the following alternatives are available:
- E-invoices with accounting reports and specifications for hours worked for each invoice are submitted as files in the Academy’s online services; this procedure is most likely applicable to universities.
- You can also log in to the Academy’s online services and draft an individual, complete e-invoice; this procedure is applicable to organisations that have 1–5 Academy-funded projects.
Grants to individual researchers
In the case of grants to individual researchers, the payment request shall be made separately with an invoice to the Academy or with the Academy’s payment request form.
Last changed 22 Nov 2011