Guidance on using your individual CDT budget to make non-travel purchases. Read before submitting a Funds Request form. This guidance is based on the expense policies put forth by the University, School and UKRI to ensure spending of the CDT funds is reasonable and transparent. It is essential that you follow the procedures closely to avoid having to cover any expenses out of pocket. If you need clarification on any procedures described below, please consult the CDT Coordinator before making any purchases. Submitting a Funds Request Form A Funds Request Form must be submitted PRIOR to making any purchases. If you fail to obtain approval before the purchase, your expenses will not be reimbursed. 1. Complete the CDT Funds Request Form (DICE Login required). The form must include the cost estimate of equipment/materials for which you wish to be reimbursed. If your actual expenses exceed the budget requested on the form, we cannot guarantee that the excess amount will be reimbursed. 2. Ask your supervisor to provide a brief explanation of the relevance/importance of this purchase to your research or training needs. The explanation can be pasted on the Funds Request Form or sent by your supervisor to the CDT Coordinator. 3. We will be in touch to let you know if your request has been approved, or to ask for more information. Do not purchase anything until you receive approval confirmation. 4. All equipment must be sourced via the University procurement system in the first instance. You can only purchase the items yourself if they are not available via the University procurement, The CDT Coordinator will be in touch with you to confirm the procurement details once your funds request is approved. Reimbursement restrictions What can be reimbursed? Minor computing equipment or specialised computing equipment needed for your research Publication costs of your CDT-supported work Rail cards Specific items of equipment to support your research Other research-related costs (check with the CDT Coordinator) Receipts Keep original, itemised receipts of all your transactions, i.e. receipts listing each charge separately, not just a total amount. Receipts are required for purchases of any amount, no matter how small. Foreign currency You will need to provide proof of your currency exchange rate. Keep your receipt when exchanging cash, or provide additional acceptable proof of exchange rates as specified in the instructions for completing Expense Claims. Submitting the Expense Claim To claim back expenses you must complete sections 1 to 3 of the Student Expenses Claim form and send it to biomedai-cdt@inf.ed.ac.uk from your University email address. Document Student and Non/Staff Expenses Claim Form (118.3 KB / DOCX) When filling out the form, please ensure: That all requested information is accurately provided. Give a clear indication in your email of what budget you have been given permission to claim against e.g. CDT BMAI budget. All required receipts and currency conversions (if applicable), which must be scanned and submitted as ONE (two at most) collated PDF document. Please do not submit an email request with many separate receipt attachments; the easier you make it for your Finance Administrator to review the submitted information, the quicker your request will be approved, processed and paid. Remember to retain original receipts if required by your funding body. Include approved FRF or any other evidence that you received prior approval from the CDT to spend the funds against the budget. Claiming for purchases in foreign currency In addition to the receipt for each expense paid in the foreign currency, you must include one of the following with your expense claim: A copy of your credit card statement, showing the actual cost in GBP, if you paid by card. You may redact or black out all other transactions, but please ensure that the statement shows your name. A copy of the exchange rate on the date of the expense. We recommend looking up and printing out the exchange rates using the XE currency converter. This article was published on 2024-11-22
