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Research Finance – General Frequently Asked Questions

To find your Senior Research Accountant (SRA), please see the Research Finance Staff Directory

If you a part of FHS, please reach follow up with the FHS Research Finance Office.

A number of FAQs related to Mitacs are available in addition to the FAQs below.

New research grants, project set up and amendments

The office which assisted with development of the application (ROADS, MILO) will arrange for agreements to be signed, where necessary, and facilitate the authorization of research account activation once all required certifications are in place.

Please review the Research Account Policy, Appendix A for the Determination of a Research Funded Project.

This resource also exists to help faculty members understand who can support them with Service Contract Administration.

The office which assisted with development of the application and/or research agreement (ROADS, MILO) can support you. If the extension is for an award from CFI or MCURES (including ORF and ERA), please include your SRA in the email.

Please contact your department manager or faculty finance contact; they can help you find the correct person to assist you in:

  • Paying invoices (non-PO vouchers)
  • Submitting travel & expense claims
  • Hiring staff members / research assistants, or
  • Charging your graduate student scholarships to your new project.

They can also help you move labour commitments to your new project or a different research project.

For purchases over $25,000, please reach out to Procurement.

Receiving funding, issuing invoices, or deposits on your research project

Please contact resfin@mcmaster.ca for assistance.

Research Finance is responsible for invoicing research sponsors for funding that is to be deposited into a research project. Invoices are prepared in alignment with the research agreement.

** Please note that if the sponsor requests a change in amounts or dates, you will need to work with the appropriate pre-awards office for an amendment.

Research Finance can only issue invoices that are related to awarded projects, and invoice only per the terms of the agreement.

If you require support on invoicing for non-research related invoices, please contact your department manager, Faculty Finance Manager, or Director of Finance & Administration.

You may request the set up of a McMaster Research Recovery Project with this form from ROADS. You will need to provide a list of expenses, and the details of who will be receiving the invoice with this request.
If you already have a McMaster Research Recovery Project, please email your Senior Research Accountant with the details of the expenses and individual you would like to invoice.
For FHS, please contact your Senior Research Accountant for more information.

Expenses and spending on your research project

Please click here for more information regarding Pcards: https://financial-affairs.mcmaster.ca/services/accounts-payable-reimbursements/pcard-resources/

Please click here for more information regarding MacBuy: https://financial-affairs.mcmaster.ca/services/procurement/buying-for-mcmaster/macbuy/

  1. Please contact your department manager or faculty finance contact to help you or refer you to the appropriate person to help you in submitting a travel and expense claim.
  2. You may also choose to review resources online: https://financial-affairs.mcmaster.ca/services/accounts-payable-reimbursements/travel-resources/
  3. Please click here for self paced training available on this SharePoint site from Financial Affairs: All Guides by Module
  4. You may also contact aphelp@mcmaster.ca for additional support

Expenses should be reflected on separate lines within your expense report (e.g. flight on one line; accommodations on a separate line)

With respect to back up, we (and Accounts Payable) would be grateful if it was all scanned into one document, and in the order of the expenses entered on the expense form.

Project chartfields do not need to be activated within Mosaic.

Please review this website for more information: https://financial-affairs.mcmaster.ca/services/accounts-payable-reimbursements/research-participant-payments/

Please review the PI Dashboard in BI.

There is a tab called “Labour Distribution” which will include a summary of all individuals you are paying on your research grants, which projects they are being paid from, and anticipated end dates.More information and training opportunities regarding the BI Portal is available here: https://ira.mcmaster.ca/bi/

Please review the fringe benefits tables available through Financial Affairs: https://financial-affairs.mcmaster.ca/services/budgeting/benefit-tables/

For a common list of account codes, please visit the Financial Affairs website: https://financial-affairs.mcmaster.ca/resources/financial-affairs-faqs/

You may also connect with your department manager and/or faculty finance contact

To grant someone “delegate” access means that the individual is authorized to initiate and/or approve expenses to be charged to the noted research project on behalf of the PI, and that they have thorough knowledge of the research area/project.   Due to this principle, there is an expectation by the Tri-Agency that the Delegate is not assigned for ‘administrative’ purposes.   If you have someone within your research team that meets the definition of “delegate” you may complete this form: Research-Project-Team-Form-and-Appendix-RFMAC-Sept2023.pdf

If you would like to grant someone view access to your accounts, please complete this form (Research-Project-Team-Form-and-Appendix-RFMAC-Sept2023.pdf) , and request that your team member receive “project staff” access.

Indirect Costs Associated with Research and Related Services and Activities

Reviewing your project balances and information in BI

Please click here for more information regarding the BI Portal, the Principal Investigator Dashboard: https://ira.mcmaster.ca/bi/research-dashboard/

Navigate directly to the Principal Investigator Dashboard in BI. On the project you are interested in, click through the blue hyperlinked number in the commitment column to see a detailed list of the project commitments. These generally can include salary, graduate pay, purchases with purchase orders, overhead, etc.

Miscellaneous

  • Invoicing / follow up on internal funding
  • Review expenses for compliance and available balance
  • Financial Reporting
  • Project closures

Please contact your department manager or financial support staff member.

Please view this website for more information: https://research.mcmaster.ca/home/support-for-researchers/secure-funding/research-support-fund-2/

If you have additional questions, please contact Dave Reinhart.

April 1 to March 31