Participant Support Costs

Effective Date: Formalized January 1, 2008

Executive Summary

Federal and non-federal agencies provide support for a variety of sponsored projects, including research, training and public service. When an agency funds a project whose aim is to sponsor outreach programs to bring experts together to discuss research or education findings or to expose other researchers or students to new research and education techniques, the funding provided by the sponsor may include a category of expenses generally referred to as participant support costs. Specifically, participant support costs are those costs paid to (or on behalf of) participants in meetings, conferences and similar events. Participant support costs are not to be confused with general travel costs which may be incurred by principal investigators and others as those costs relate to individual research and other projects. This policy sets forth the special requirements that may apply to participant support costs.

Reason(s) for the Policy

To assist principal investigators and departmental staff in insuring that sponsor regulations regarding participant support costs are satisfied.

Primary Guidance to Which This Policy Responds

Conference and similar grants which provide funding for Participant Support Costs

Responsible University Office & Officer

Associate Vice President, Research Administration

Revision History

Not Applicable

Who is Governed by This Policy

Principal investigators and departmental administrators

Who Should Know This Policy

• All persons governed by this Policy {see above}
• Deans, Directors and Departmental Chairs
• Office of Research Administration staff
• Office of the Controller staff

Exclusions & Special Situations

None.

Policy Text

Awards from Federal and other sponsors may sometimes include funds labeled by the sponsor as "participant support costs".  Participant support costs are those costs paid to (or on behalf of) participants in meetings, conferences, symposia, and workshops, when there is a category for participant support costs in the award budget. Participant support costs may include registration fees, travel allowances, manuals and supplies, tuition, stipends and other costs associated with supporting the cost of attendance at these gatherings.  Note, however, that participant support costs pertain only to those projects that are awarded specifically for the purpose of supporting the meetings themselves; they do not include the costs associated with general travel and similar costs incurred on individual research and other grants, which are related to attendance at conferences or meetings that bring collaborators together to meet and discuss research-related subjects. These latter costs are classified as travel costs on those individual awards, and are not participant support costs.

Participant support costs are generally awarded on specific projects awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Education, and are often subject to special sponsor regulations. For example, NSF and the Department of Education:

• do not allow rebudgeting from the participant support cost category into other categories without prior approval.
• do not allow the university to apply Facilities & Administrative (F&A) cost to participant support costs.
• require the university to return any unexpended participant support costs to them.
• are often associated with special programs such as Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) on National Science Foundation grants.  

When a sponsored project includes participant support costs, the principal investigator and his/her administrative support personnel are required to be familiar with the specific requirements as set forth by the sponsor, and to insure that those requirements are complied with. Evidence of attendance of participants in the form of a daily log or similar documentation must be maintained within the project's records. For further information on participant support costs, and NSF proposals for conferences, symposia and workshops that support participant support costs, please refer to NSF's Grants Proposal Guide, Chapter II, sections C.2.g.(v) and D.7, respectively.

Contacts

Contact Research Administration for any necessary assistance in understanding sponsor requirements when an award includes participant support costs.

It should be noted that while this Policy is now being formally published in the Administrative Policy Library, the underlying provisions of the policy are not new, and have been effect for many years.