Guide for grant receivers

The Research Support Office
The Research Support Office, AU, can help you identify relevant grant givers, and when applying for funds from external grant givers, e.g. the Danish Council for Independent Research, EU or private contributors, they can help you ensure that all formalities are followed etc.

The Technology Transfer Office
The Technology Transfer Office, AU, (in Danish) offers legal advice and guidance in connection with signing an agreement with e.g. a business enterprise.

Your project finance administrator
If you need help to draw up a budget – or if you have questions in general – you should contact your designated project finance administrator at Aarhus BSS Økonomi: Who is my project finance administrator?

All applications for external funding must be registered in AU’s accounting system (Navision) so you must always forward a copy of your applications (incl. budget and the Head of Department’s approval) to your project finance administrator.

Before you can begin to spend any external funds, the grant must be set up in AU’s accounting system (Navision). This means that you must send a copy of the grant approval letter to your project finance administrator along with the budget. Who is my project finance administrator?

Note that if you are not funded with the same amount that you applied for, then the budget must be adjusted accordingly.

A budget may be adjusted along the way (given the grant giver allows it), but it is important that your project finance administrator always has the most recent version of your budget.

E.g. if your budget states that you will be spending DKK 1 mill. in 2024 and you know that in reality only DKK 700,000 will be spent in 2024 and the remaining DKK 300,000 will be spent in 2025, you should notify your project finance administrator who will then adjust the budget.

This is important because many external funds generate overhead, i.e. a payment to the Department. This overhead is budgeted as an expected income to the Department, and if a grant has a significantly higher or lower spending, the budgeted overhead income to the institute will be incorrect.

When spending your grant, you should follow the same rules as when you spend Aarhus University’s basic funds. This applies, for example, when you want to make a purchase: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/finance/procurement/

A Danish supplier will need the following information in order to issue an invoice to AU:

1. EAN number (find it here)
2. Billing address (the address of your Department / center)
3. IndFak purchaser
4. Your name
5. The project number that should be used to pay the invoice (see list of all the project numbers here)

You must also inform the IndFak purchaser at your department about your order, so that he/she can validate it when the invoice turns up in AU’s procurement system (IndFak). 

Please also note that local thresholds must always be respected in connection with the purchase of catering, restaurant visits, etc.: See rules and thresholds here

Travelling and expense claims should be handled in RejsUd. For more information, see: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/finance/ 

Special care needs to be taken when handling EU funds. Here the RejsUd document type ‘Travel Claim (EU project)’ should be used. You need to choose the special document type in RejsUd in relation to EU funds for auditing and financial reporting purposes, as there are special rules regarding VAT.

When you want to purchase something, claim expenses, or pay out salaries, you will need the accounting information, i.e. your project number and a corresponding activity number. You can find accounting information for grants here: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/faculties/business-and-social-sciences/administrative-centre/finance/accounting

As a grant recipient you are always responsible for your grant, including the financial statements and the academic reports. The financial statements must always be signed by you as the grant recipient. It is ultimately your responsibility that the consumption of the funds, financial statements, etc. are in accordance with the grant approval letter and other guidelines. This responsibility cannot be delegated to, for example, your secretary. Others may not sign the financial statements on your behalf.

Your project finance administrator will continuously ensure that the funds are transferred from the grant giver to Aarhus University, and that the annual financial statements are produced (there may be different accounting periods for some grants).

The transfer of funds and financial reporting will always be performed according to the rules and regulations of the grant giver.

It is important that you are in a continuous dialogue with your project finance administrator regarding the usage of the funds and whether it is necessary to make changes to your budget.

When your grant is used up, your project finance administrator will submit the final financial statements and ensure that the grant is registered as ended in the various systems.

It is your own responsibility as a grant recipient to submit the necessary academic reports (please refer to your grant approval letter).