Frequently Asked Questions

• Getting started
• Changes to the grant
• Monitoring of grants

Getting started

Q. When can the project start?
A. Research grants are awarded in September each year and must start between 1 November and 31 March of the following year.

Q. Is there any documentation that needs to be completed prior to the start of the project?
A. The Principal Investigator (PI) should complete and sign both the terms and condition form and the payment form. The latter should be returned by the designated institution official and the PI at least one calendar month prior to the grant start date (any time between 1 November and 31 March of the following year).

Q. What are WCRF International terms and conditions that the PI should comply with?
A. Please refer to section 7, page 15 of the Grant Application Package for more information about the terms and conditions.

Q. What currency will funds be paid in?
A. Grants are awarded in the currency of the national member awarding the grant:

• Grants awarded by WCRF NL or WCRF FR/FMRC will be paid in Euros. The amount to be paid is determined on the day of Board approval.
• Grants awarded by WCRF UK will be paid in pounds sterling (£).
• Please note: if the host institution uses a currency other than pounds sterling (£), the monthly payment will be subject to fluctuations in the exchange rate.

Q. Who is the key person to contact about financial issues for the duration of the grant?
A. You can send your query to finance@wcrf.org

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Changes to the grant

Q. Can I make a change to the budget?
A. Yes, transfer of funds can be made between the following categories in the budget: personnel, equipment, supplies and travel, so long as the total budget per year does not exceed £75,000. All transfers must be approved by WCRF International in writing prior to expenditure. Please note that the maximum allowance for travel (for the duration of the grant) is £2,400 for Investigator Initiated Grants and £1,200 for Regional Seed Grant.

Q. What should I do if a member of the team working on the grant goes on maternity or long term sick leave?
A. If staff essential to continuing the project are unable to work due to maternity leave or long term sickness, WCRF International will expect a temporary replacement to be sought and should also be informed of this. If it is not possible to find a replacement, WCRF International will consider suspending the grant and all funds would be frozen from this time until the person returns from maternity or long term sick leave. The grant would then be extended and would resume using the remaining funds. In the event that a staff member on maternity or long term sick leave does not return, you are responsible for the recruitment of a replacement member of staff to conclude the project. Please notify WCRF International as soon as you are aware of any of the above issues.

Q. What happens if I need to transfer the grant to a….

• different institution?

Grants may be transferred from one institution to another with prior written approval from WCRF International. The PI of the grant is responsible for submitting to WCRF International, in a timely manner, a letter requesting transfer of the grant, giving the PI’s new address, and the address and contact details of, and signatures from, the relevant head of department and the head of the new institution.

WCRF International must receive a written acceptance of the grant by an authorised official of the new institution. Payments will only be initiated at the new institution upon receipt of a final financial accounting of all expenditure from the original institution and a letter acknowledging that the grant has been accepted by the transfer institution.

• different PI?

Grants may be transferred from one PI to another with prior approval from WCRF International. As the original PI, you should submit a request in writing, stating the reason for the requested change, with evidence that the proposed new investigator can complete the project. Also, include a completed biographical information section of WCRF International’s application form, and CV, for the proposed new PI. The new PI must also submit a letter of intent to WCRF International. WCRF International will then notify the new PI in writing of its decision whether or not to transfer the grant.

Q. What happens if I need more time to finish the project?
WCRF International can grant an unfunded extension of up to one year. You should submit an unfunded extension request, outlining the reasons for such request, at least than two months prior to the expiration of the grant period. WCRF International will notify you in writing of its decision whether or not to grant the extension.

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Monitoring of grants

Q. Is there anything I need to do during the grant period, such as submitting progress reports?
A. You will need to submit yearly progress reports, including details of expenditure. WCRF International will send you the relevant forms in advance of the progress report due date. You should also update WCRF International regarding any abstracts, manuscripts, and publications of research supported in whole or in part by the WCRF global network.

Q. At what stage should I let WCRF International know about a paper that will be published?
A. You should inform WCRF International of any abstracts, manuscripts, and publications of research supported in whole or in part by the WCRF global network. In the yearly progress reports you can indicate their status – whether they are in preparation, in submission, accepted, in press, or published.

However, you should also keep us updated regularly between progress reports if any papers are accepted by a journal or when you hear of an expected publication date. For more information regarding dissemination please see section 7.4 of the GAP.

Q. Why do I need to sign the standard release form?
A. This form allows the WCRF global network to describe the project and identify the organisation and investigators in education and publicity materials, which is vital to our work.

Q. Can WCRF International help with fees for publishing in Open Access journals?
A. Yes, WCRF International offers limited funds for this purpose on a first come, first served basis. This limited fund is separate to the funds available for grants and can only be applied for once a paper has been accepted.

Q. How does WCRF International coordinate press releases?
A. Press releases will be written by WCRF International and cleared through the PI and/or the university press office as appropriate. We ask that the researcher be available for any follow up interviews by the media.

Q. When and how should I acknowledge WCRF?
A. WCRF International manages and administers the grant programme on behalf of the following WCRF national members: WCRF Netherlands, WCRF France/FMRC, and WCRF Hong Kong. You should acknowledge WCRF International (and the relevant global network entity that is funding the project) in any publication, poster, or presentation that includes research supported in whole or in part by the WCRF global network. Posters and Presentations should also include the relevant WCRF global network entity logos.

Q. What can happen if I break the Terms and Conditions?
A. Breaking the Terms and Conditions, such as failure to notify WCRF of forthcoming publications or failure to submit the required progress reports, will result in automatic disqualification from submitting a grant application to WCRF International for a three year period.

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