If you are planning to apply for third-party funding; got a grant, subaward or consultancy to carry out a research, PoC or innovation project, then these rules apply to you.

Whether you are a professor, MER, group leader, lecturer, scientific collaborator, postdoc or PhD student, contact the Research Service in advance to check funder/USI eligibility. Regarding the latter, you must be employed at USI for the project's duration and may need a Faculty/Rectorate support.

It is compulsory to inform and involve SRI well ahead of time. This ensures you receive appropriate support during all proposal stages, including submission and evaluation follow-up.

Contact SRI to:
- know USI's salary rates
- the funder's eligible costs
- USI's and the funder's rules on overheads
- Discuss reviews in view of a resubmission
- And much more

You must always include overheads in your budget unless the funder explicitly specifies that it is not an eligible cost. For SNSF projects, the overhead is transferred directly from the funder to USI, meaning it should not be included in the project budget.

Innosuisse: 15%
EU: usually 25%
Contracts with public & private bodies: 25%
Contributions from foundations and donations: 10%
Service contracts: > 25%

USI holds the IP rights generated by our professors and employees in their activities for the university, including IP generated in the research project.

Contact SRI to request the opening of a cost center and to obtain the institutional signature, which is compulsory for all contracts related to research and innovation projects. SRI can also provide templates for those contracts.

Durable goods (e.g. equipment, hardware and software, databases) acquired as part of a funded project are property of USI. As a general principle, these goods can be used by all USI collaborators, but priority is given to you as PI for the research activity associated to the project.

For any questions concerning the financial management of the grant, do not hesitate to contact the Finance and Controlling Service.