Norwegian version of this page

Running the project

While the project is in progress, it is important that the principal investigator considers several things at the same time. There may be reporting responsibilities with respect to financial reporting, any changes to the project and management of research data. It is also important to have a communication plan that realises the project's impact, both during and after the project.

Recruitment of project team members

  • Project staff are formally employed by the unit that owns the project
  • Personnel responsibility for project staff lies with the unit’s management
  • As principal investigator, you must involve management and the human resources department in the recruitment process
  • Project staff cannot start work before they have signed a contract

Read more

Contact

Contact your local personnel officer

Procurement

If you are going to purchase something with project funds, contact your purchasing officer. All purchases must be made via the UiO procurement system.

  • Remember that all purchases should be clarified with the budget allocation officer.
  • All procurement in excess of NOK 100,000 ex.VAT is to be carried out according to special procedures.
  • Goods and services should be purchased via UiO’s framework agreements where applicable.

Learn more about procurement at UiO

Financial follow-up

  • Status and change: It is important that the principal investigator notifies the project controller of significant changes to the project that will affect the economy. Clarify with the project controller when changes become apparent in the project reports.
  • External reporting of accounts: The funding agency often requires progress reports. This is your responsibility as principal investigator. However, the project controller should assist you with this.
  • Specific reports have been created for principal investigators in Tableau, where the focus is on monitoring costs. Please note that there may be local reports applicable to your unit.

See the various financial reports for project monitoring (in Norwegian)

Questions?

Contact the finance department in your unit (in Norwegian)

Documentation requirements - particularly applicable to EU projects

External funding agencies often have their own requirements for documenting that funds are being used as agreed. Here are a few examples:

  • Time sheet registration for project staff
  • Travel expenses and participation in conferences 
  • Expences to food and drink

Check what applies to your project in the contract with the funding agency.

For EU funded projects, specific information on EU documentation requirements can be found on UiO’s web page Management and reporting of H2020 projects

Reporting

  • All projects should submit progress reports during the project period and a final report when the project ends. 
  • It is your responsibility as principal investigator to ensure that this is done within the specified deadlines. 
  • Contact your finance department if the report also needs to include a financial report. 
  • Each funding agency has its own requirements and procedures for reporting. It is therefore important to be familiar with the requirements of your funding agency, as well as with the contract for the project. 
  • Reporting is often carried out electronically in the system used by the funding agency. Check well in advance of the reporting deadline that everyone who needs it has access to the system.
  • Your local research support assists in reporting. It is therefore important to inform the management and research support of your unit of any significant changes or challenges that arise during the project. This will simplify reporting. Contact research support in your unit
  • Progress- and final reports to the funding agency, as well as revised contracts and cooperation agreements, are stored by the research administration. 

Please note the following:

Progress Report 

  • A progress report is the periodic reporting that is carried out as the project progresses. 
  • The project's ongoing results are discussed in relation to the project description.
  • In the report, you should justify any changes to the project.  
  • A progress report also includes a financial report on the use of funds in the project, which is drawn up by your financial officer. 
  • Please contact the research support in your unit well in advance of submitting your report, and keep them informed on an ongoing basis of any major changes in the project.  

Final Report  

  • When the project ends, you should deliver a final report. 
  • The report is usually delivered within a couple of months after the end of the project.   
  • The report describes what has been achieved in the project and the results obtained.
  • The final report also includes a report on the use of funds in the project. Read more about final reporting.

Changes to the project

When the project is running there are many things that can happen. Planned activities may be postponed, project team members may be prevented from working as planned, or other hindrances occur that mean that the original plan cannot be followed.  

The principal investigator's responsibility with project changes:

  • It is your responsibility as principal investigator to keep the research adviser and the project controller informed of any changes that occur in the project.
  • Hold regular meetings to pick up on and solve any problems that arise.  
  • Minor changes can often be handled with a change notice to the funding agency.
  • Major changes or delays may result in the need to adjust the budget and possibly extend the project.
  • Major changes may possibly cause the contract with the funding agency to be updated. 
  • All amendments to contracts must be approved by your unit’s management.  
  • Changes to the project may exercise the need for updated approvals, for example by the Regional Research Ethics Committees (REK) and the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD).
  • If your research project is included by the Health Research Act, please read procedure 2, paragraph 4.9 - Seeking approval of planned amendments.  

Projects with grants from the Research Council of Norway

Projects that receive grants from the Research Council of Norway may apply for project changes via the Research Council’s pages.

EU projects

For EU projects, this must be handled by contacting the project owner in the European Commission. All contact should then go via the EU participant portal.  

Contact

Contact researcher support in your unit to agree on a method for following up the project

Storage and management of research data

During this phase of the project you will store and manage active research data, as described in the data management plan. The data management plan is revised and updated as needed while the project is running.

  • UiO has several types of solutions for storage of active research data, ranging from small - to large amounts of data. Read more about storage solutions at UiO.
  • Data of a sensitive nature requires a higher level of security than standard non-sensitive data, in accordance with the Personal Data Act. For these you must use Sensitive Data Services (TSD).
  • At UiO, all data subject to the Health Research Act are required to be stored in TSD.

Read more about research data management

Publications and results

As a researcher, there are several things you should remember before publishing:

  • Funding agencies’ requirements to open access (Open Access)
  • Crediting funding agencies in publications

UiO’s affiliation instructions

Remember to register all publications in Cristin. Publications associated with the project should be marked with the project number.

Communication

Research- and innovation results must be communicated to the target groups in order to demonstrate the research's social contribution (impact).

Different funding agencies also set different requirements to communication before and during a research project. We recommend that you create a communication strategy for your project.

Read more about different channels and profiling on a web page about communication and impact in externally-funded projects (in Norwegian).

Commercialisation

What do you do when you have an idea or technology that has a commercial potential?

  • UiO’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO) is Inven2 and manages, develops and commercialises all work and research results from UiO that have commercial potential.
  • UiO’s employees have a duty to notify Inven2 of research results with a commercial potential. Please contact Inven2 as early as possible to obtain help in assessing, verifying, and possibly developing further research with a commercial potential. The idea does not need to be fully developed.

Read more about:

Unit pages about externally funded projects

All the faculties, some departments and our museums have local pages about externally funded projects:

Questions

Contact your local research support at your faculty/centre/department

Published Sep. 28, 2018 12:03 PM - Last modified Apr. 27, 2023 11:32 AM