BU Research Blog

From 1st November 2017, all research applications for external funding will be treated as CAF-exempt (Contract Authorisation Form) where no commitment exists at application stage.  This has been agreed by UET in October 2017, following a request from RKEO and Legal Services made in response to applicant feedback.

RKEO will take on responsibility for ensuring that all research application terms are reviewed prior to submission to ensure that no commitment is being made at submission stage (funders currently listed as CAF-exempt will not require review).  By streamlining the process to just one Professional Service, it should reduce the time required to process research applications.  If an application is subsequently awarded, a contract and CAF will be required.

Legal Services have amended the Contract signing Policy and Procedures in line with the above changes.

A full description of the changes can be found on the intranet policy section under ‘research’ and then ‘pre-award’. If you are an applicant or approver for applications then it is essential that you read the full document to see what is and isn’t included in the new process.