Contracts with the Research Council

Signing a contract

The Research Council will send an email to the designated project administrator and the project manager when the contract is available on “My RCN Web” and ready to be signed.

The project manager has read-only access to the documents. Only the project administrator or, alternatively, the designated contract administrator, is authorised to upload the collaboration agreements that are needed and formally accept the contract.

Log on to “My RCN Web” to access the formal letter of notification.

The contract sets out the terms and conditions for the use of the research funding and the parties’ rights and obligations with regard to the implementation of the project.

The deadline for signing the contract is one month from the date the contract was published on “My RCN Web”. For projects involving partners, the deadline is three months from this date.

Projects involving partners

For projects involving partners, the Project Owner must enter into collaboration agreements with each of the partners before the contract with the Research Council can be signed. All collaboration agreements must be uploaded via “My RCN Web”. Both the project administrator and the project manager are allowed to upload the collaboration agreements.

Click here for more information on collaboration agreements.

We recommend that all partners have the opportunity to read the contract before signing a collaboration agreement.

The deadline for signing the contract for projects involving partners is three months from the date the contract was published on “My RCN Web”.

Revisions to the project budget

We often ask the applicant to make revisions to the project budget. These may typically involve:

• changes related to the conditions for approval
• changes in the fixed rates
• shifts in the progress plan

Once the changes are approved, the revised budget will form part of the basis for the contract between the Research Council and the Project Owner (institution/company).

The Research Council provides funding to cover project costs related to the implementation of agreed activities. If these costs are lower than the amounts budgeted the Research Council’s support is to be regulated accordingly.

If you need to revise your project budget, you must ask the Research Council to approve the revised calculated project costs.

Log on to “My RCN Web” to apply for changes in the budget for project costs.