2025 Early Career Grants Programme - Budget guidance
If you are looking for specific instructions on how to enter your budget into the application form, please click here to view the Benefactor instructions. Budgets must be entered into the application form via Question 5.2. Budgets uploaded as an attachment will not be considered.
Budget format
There are 6 boxes for you to complete per budget line:
- Category
- There is a dropdown list for you to select from the eligible categories. A complete list can be found below.
- Item
- There is a dropdown list for you to select your item from - this list is based off items that previous applicants to the programme have budgeted for, and therefore hopefully covers everything you may need.
- However, if you notice that there is a cost that you need which isn’t detailed, please use the ‘other’ option within that category and provide a full description of the item in the space provided.
- Description
- This is where you should detail what you will be using the item for and why you need the quantity you have selected - if you need, for example, 2 tablets for data collection, make sure it is clear why this is.
- It should be clear how this item connects to your project plan, and when in your project it will be used. As much detail as possible should be provided.
- Number of units (quantity)
- The number of units you need for this item.
- This box should only contain numbers. Any explanation should be provided in the description box.
- Unit cost
- The cost per item.
- This box should only contain numbers. Any explanation should be provided in the description box.
- Budgeted cost
- Budgeted cost = number of units x unit cost.
- This box should only contain numbers. Any explanation should be provided in the description box.
General principles
- If you have estimated a cost, make sure it’s clear how you have worked out the total provided.
- Items should only be grouped into one budget line where sensible – for example, travel costs. When this occurs, make sure to explain your breakdown of the expected costs included in the rationale box.
- If your total budget is over £5,000, make sure to highlight that you will cover the excess amount yourself, or with alternative funding.
- Make sure your budget is in GBP. If you need to include information about the currency you are planning to spend in, then include information about the conversion rate to GBP.
Connecting your budget to your research proposal and justifying your costs
- Make sure that each line in your budget can be clearly linked to your research plan – it should be evident how the purchase of that item will contribute to the delivery of the project.
- Make sure that all costs are explained – the reader should fully understand why you need each line on the budget. The budget should be self-explanatory – each item should be clearly justified within the budget line.
- If the cost of an item is particularly high, for example, in the geographical region of your research, explain this in the rationale box.
- If your proposal requires ethics approval at cost, don’t forget to include this in the budget.
Tips for successful budgets
- Review all available budget categories to consider whether you have included everything that you need. A successful budget is likely to require items from different categories, and potentially multiple items under a specific category.
- Review the example budgets but use these for reference only – they have been constructed for hypothetical projects and should not be used as a basis for your budget.
- Seeking advice and feedback from others is encouraged. However, any duplication of work is prohibited and will lead to potential disqualification. Outsourcing parts of the project, such as the budget, isn’t allowed. Please see the Terms and Conditions and FAQs for further information on this.
- Be conscious that, if awarded, your actual budget at the end of your project (showing what you have spent), including receipts for each item, will be compared against this budget. As part of RSTMH’s Terms and Conditions, a refund can be requested for variances over 10%. It is therefore important to be as accurate as possible in this planned budget with your expenditure, to avoid large variances later.
Contingency line
- Clarifications on the budget may be sought by the RSTMH team during the due diligence stage of review. At this time, additional lines cannot be added to the budget, and costs cannot be increased. It is recommended to include a contingency line if you consider there to be a risk of the following after the application is submitted:
- Exchange rate fluctuations.
- Inflation leading to price rises.
- Unexpected costs.
- Please note that contingency should be justified in the budget and will be assessed for reasonableness.
Items with no cost
- If you have access to something that is needed for your project at no cost, it is recommended to include it in the budget, with 0s (zeros) in the number boxes, only if it helps to explain how you will conduct an element of your project.
- Two examples are provided below of where it would be a good idea to include a no cost item in the budget, so that the reviewer knows you have considered it necessary for your project.
- Example 1: if ethics approval is free of charge at your institution, and is vital to conduct your study.
- Example 2: if you have free-of-charge access at your institution to a certain piece of equipment that you need to analyse your samples.
- If you include items such as this on your budget, make sure you address that it is free-of-charge in the description box, so the reviewer is aware that you have purposefully entered 0s into the number boxes.
Budget items
Budgets submitted as part of an application to the Programme must include costs that are strictly relevant to the associated project. For your budget, there are categories of expenditure that your costs may fall under. Within each category, there are a set list of items that apply to this category. This list is based off items that previous applicants to the Programme have budgeted for, and therefore hopefully covers everything you may need. However, if you notice that there is a cost that you need which isn’t detailed, please use the ‘other’ option within that category and provide a full description of the item in the space provided.
Most budget categories have a limit on how much of the budget can be spent on them. This is detailed in our Terms and Conditions and is also stated next to the category titles below. Carefully review the limits to make sure that all of your budget lines are compliant – exceptions to the rules will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
Moreover, there are ineligible costs which cannot be covered by the grant. These are listed at the end of this page. If any of the ineligible costs are included in the budget of an applicant, then the ineligible costs will be taken off the budget or the application may be declined. Alternative items cannot be added to replace the cost of the removed items.
It is recommended to plan your budget using the below options before you begin entering your budget into the application form. Multiple items under each category can be selected per budget.
Consumables
Spending limit: No limit – but reasonableness will be assessed.
Definition: Disposable items that are used up during the course of the project.
- Chemicals
- Syringes
- Swabs
- Tissues
- Agar
- Water (for experiment)
- Primer
- Medicine
- Sterile blades
- WASH items
- Microscope slides
- Urine and stool containers
- Data collection tools (e.g. nets and traps)
- Disinfectant materials
- Lab roll
- Petri dishes
- RNA/DNA extraction kit
- ELISA kit
- Disposable medical testing equipment
- Cleaning materials
- Personal protective equipment
- Glassware
- Lubricants and/or solvents
- Reagents
Fieldwork expenses
Spending limit: No limit – but reasonableness will be assessed.
Definition: Project costs incurred in the field.
NB: A per diem is an allowance to researchers to cover their costs incurred in the field, such as food and accommodation. This cannot be used as a form of pay for their time, which would need to be categorised as a stipend.
- Per diem for RA - Accommodation
- Per diem for RA - food / sustenance
- Per diem for RA - other expenses
- Per diem for PI - Accommodation
- Per diem for PI - food / sustenance
- Per diem for PI - other expenses incurred
- Per diem for supervisor - Accommodation
- Per diem for supervisor - food / sustenance
- Per diem for supervisor - other expenses incurred
- Internet costs
- Communication / airtime costs (phone credit and charges)
- Tool development
- Meeting costs during project commencement and data collection - refreshments and sustenance / food
- Meeting costs during project commencement and data collection - room hire
- Specialist / expert consultation
- Postage
- Motorbike travel
- Bus travel
- Ferry travel
- Train travel
- Fuel
- Car travel
International Travel
Spending limit: No more than 50% of the total budget.
Definition: International travel to carry out the research for the PI.
- Motorbike travel
- Bus travel
- Ferry travel
- Train travel
- Fuel
- Car travel
Equipment
Spending limit: No more than 50% of the total budget.
Definition: Non-disposable items purchased or hired to be able to conduct the study.
- Software
- Subscription to online platform
- Printer
- Camera
- Wiring
- Storage
- Microscope
- Calculator
- Laboratory machinery
- Audio recorders
- Data counters
Computers, tablets and phones
Spending limit: No more than 20% of the total budget.
Definition: Purchase or hire of technology, in order to carry out the project.
- Computer hire
- Tablet hire
- Phone hire
- Computer purchase
- Tablet purchase
- Phone purchase
Training
Spending limit: No more than 20% of the total budget.
Definition: Training that is related to, and directly relevant to, the project.
- Training of research team – room hire
- Training of research team – food /sustenance
- Training of research team – travel
- Training of research team – stipends for trainers
- Training course
- Tuition
- Bench fees
Local Dissemination
Spending limit: No more than 20% of the total budget.
Definition: Costs for disseminating findings locally.
- Meeting cost – accommodation for PI
- Promotional activities, such as newspapers and radio shows
- Printing of key findings
- Meeting cost – travel
- Meeting cost – materials and equipment (e.g. projector)
- Meeting cost – food / sustenance
- Meeting cost – room hire
Ethics approval
Spending limit: No more than 10% of the total budget.
Definition: Cost of ethics approval from the relevant organisation(s).
- Ethics approval expense
- Costs related to obtaining ethical approval
Contingency
Spending limit: No limit – but reasonableness will be assessed.
Definition: To cover potential events that are not specifically accounted for in a cost estimate, such as inflation.
- Contingency amount
Tax on purchases where relevant
Spending limit: No limit – but reasonableness will be assessed.
Definition: Tax on expenditure of purchased items.
- Tax on computer / laptop
- Tax on tablet
- Tax on phone
- Tax on stationery
- Tax on equipment item
- Tax on international travel item
- Tax on fieldwork item
- Tax on consumables item
Supervisor stipends
Spending limit: No more than 10% of the total budget.
Definition: Reasonable stipends for the applicant’s project supervisor. This must be the individual selected to supervise an applicant’s project.
A stipend is the fixed amount of money paid to someone assisting the applicant’s project. This is a form of pay and should not be used to cover the individuals' daily costs, such as sustenance and travel - these should be listed separately under per diems.
- Supervisor stipend
Data analysis and statistical expertise
Spending limit: No more than 10% of the total budget
Definition: Costs of individuals or software carrying out data and statistical analysis on the project data.
- Report writing costs
- Hire of expert (stipend)
- Use of data analysis software
- Use of analysis machinery
- Stipend for research assistant – assistance with data / statistical analysis
Transcription fees
Spending limit: No more than 10% of the total budget.
Definition: Costs of individuals or software transcribing audio recordings for the project.
- Transcription fees
Translation costs
Spending limit: No more than 10% of the total budget.
Definition: Costs of individuals or software translating materials for the project.
- Translation of transcriptions
- Translation of results / findings
- Translation of informational materials (posters, leaflets)
- Translation of data collection materials (e.g. questionaries, consent forms)
- Live translation / interpretation during data collection
- Translation of audio recordings
Overhead costs for institutions
Spending limit: No more than 10% of the total budget.
Definition: If including overhead costs, the applicant must make sure to provide a clear summary of the institution whose overheads are being contributed towards, how the sum has been calculated, and what kind of services the applicant will be using the institution for. For example, if they are paying towards overhead costs for the use of a laboratory in their research institution.
- Overhead costs for institution
Stipends for research assistants or community health workers
Spending limit: No more than 10% of the total budget.
Definition: A stipend is the fixed amount of money paid to the PI’s research assistants or community health workers. This is a form of pay and should not be used to cover the individuals' daily costs, such as sustenance and travel - these should be listed separately under per diems.
- Stipend for Research Assistant
- Stipend for Community Health Worker
Stationery
Spending limit: No more than 10% of the total budget.
Definition: Stationery purchased and used during the course of the project, such as printing costs and pens.
- Folders
- Printer cartridges / ink
- Flip chart
- Stapler
- Hole punch
- Paper clips
- Printing costs
- Pens / markers
- Paper reems
- Notebooks
Reimbursement for participants' time
Spending limit: No more than £2 per participant.
Definition: Reimbursement to participants for their time, which can be given as either a cash reimbursement or a gift/item worth up to £2.
- Reimbursement for participants’ time
Reasonable travel reimbursement
Spending limit: No limit – but reasonableness will be assessed.
Definition: Separately to reimbursement for their time, participants can be reimbursed for their travel to the study site.
- Reasonable travel reimbursement
Ineligible costs
Definition: Costs which cannot be covered by the grant.
- Alcohol
- Salary or stipend for awardee
- Registration fees, travel and accommodation for conference or event attendance
- Publishing costs/fees for academic journals*
- Miscellaneous costs
- Business class travel or alcohol consumption
- Tuition fees for PhD or MSc
- Bank charges
*Awardees may be eligible for an automatic publication fee waiver or discount for the RSTMH journals. Some awardees may be eligible to apply for publishing costs.