The purpose of adding overheads to externally funded projects is to cover the indirect costs which the University incurs in hosting and supporting research but which cannot be directly attributed to the individual project. In this way, overheads are used to cover general expenses that are not directly included in the project budget.
When a research grant is placed at SDU, the department must always pay 10% of the total amount to the Rector. This is called a project fee, which is used to cover the University’s indirect costs. This project fee must always be paid regardless of whether overheads have been allocated to the project to cover this expense.
Why place funds at the Department of Clinical Research and the Department of Regional Health Research, SDU?
- When the funds are to be used for salaries and activities at SDU.
- It is possible to share a grant between the hospital and SDU when this is stated in the application.
- When funding applications from the University are received, some foundations (such as the Independent Research Fund Denmark) add a significant overhead to the project budget. This only happens when the funds are placed at the University and not the hospital.
- The researcher receives the entire grant allocated to the project as well as a portion of the overhead that exceeds 10% as free funds*.
- Private foundations (such as the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Villum Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation, VELUX FOUNDATION, the Lundbeck Foundation, the LEO Foundation) provide project supplements (see explanation under Glossary of terms for external funding) when funding is applied for from the University and not the hospital, and the foundation’s criteria are met.
*The Department of Clinical Research and the Department of Regional Health Research have decided that part of the overhead funds can be allocated by the researchers (project owner) as free funds to cover expenses that are not eligible for funding from the grant provider but which are necessary for the completion of the project – including operating and salary costs for staff employed at SDU, purchases of IT equipment, such as computers, travel activities and participation in conferences, and expenses in connection with the publication of research results. The department does not cover these expenses.
Guidelines for overheads and the share that is allotted to you as a researcher
At the Department of Clinical Research and the Department of Regional Health Research, the following guidelines apply to grants applied for after 1 March 2025.
There are 3 categories of projects: