WUN RDF 2021 Expenditure Guidelines

Permitted Uses of RDF Funds

Please note that, should you identify categories of expenditure that would benefit the success of your project and are not listed here, the WUN Secretariat would be happy to respond to your queries.

• A maximum of one in-person event that requires air travel (for example planning workshops, international project team meetings or conferences). Costs associated with virtual meetings are not subject to this restriction.
• Exploratory research initiatives
• Formation of collaborative networks
• Engagement of students through remote guest lectures and master classes
• Assistance from individuals where critical to the project (see “what expenditures are not funded by the RDF for further detail)
• Access to necessary software
• External project website or other multimedia production and development
• Data collection
• Development and implementation of survey instruments
• Access to online databases
• Access to general samples from panel survey companies
• Contribution to open access fees of up to £1500
• Primary data collection costs
• Activities related to other data collection (Costs of /acquiring/copying policy documents and literature where these are not available via institutional libraries/databases)
• Transcription costs
• Consumable equipment costs for the sole use of the project such as primers, probes, reagents, pipettes etc.
• Prototype production
• The development and production of dissemination reports
• Up to £500 to support the cost of a short project video at the end of the year.

What expenditures are not funded by the RDF?

RDF funds may not be used to support an applicant’s salary, or to supplant the salary or scholarship of any assistant or student who is already funded from another source. Funds may be used only to pay for assistance from other individuals when critical to the project. The RDF may not be used to cover the costs of equipment depreciation. Funds may not be used to cover general management/overhead fees. Where funds are to be used for air travel, only economy class fares are permissible. In the interest of the environment, while also recognising the value of face-to-face interaction, RDF funds may support no more than one in-person event that requires air travel (for example an international project team meeting or conference). When planning your project, we recommend that you consider potential travel restrictions due to the pandemic that could remain into 2022. WUN encourages the use of deploying virtual alternatives to assemble the project team whenever possible.