GUIDELINES ON THE UTILIZATION OF RESEARCH UNIT FUND

As per Article IV of the BOR ruling on the utilization of the RUF, the RUF can be used for the following purposes, subject to the approval of the Chancellor upon the recommendation of the college dean/unit head:

A. To help shoulder the utilities and maintenance bills, which can include:

• Communication expenses to support research (e.g. cellphone load)
• Internet expenses
• Payment for maintenance of equipment used for research

B. To provide assistance to academic programs. This could include:

• Expenses for research dissemination, including:
  • Travel grants for research presentation
  • Publication fees
  • Expenses related to conducting research forum
• Expenses for research training, including:
  • Registration fees for the faculty to research training workshops
  • Expense related to conducting research training workshops within the unit
• Purchase of equipment, with declaration on how the said equipment will support research and other academic programs
• Purchase of supplies and materials to support research and other academic programs

C. To help upgrade the library collection of the University. This can include:

• Purchase of books, manuals, etc.
• Payment for subscription to journals, electronic libraries, etc.

D. To grant salaries/honoraria/incentive pay to deserving personnel and/or offices providing service to the research/project/program.   This would include personnel who performs the following:

• Technical review of protocols and research reports
• Research administrative support, including research fund management
• Data collection, data management, data analysis
• Technical writing

The amount to be allocated as salaries/honoraria/incentive pay to deserving personnel shall in not case exceed fifty percent (50%) of the share of the administration for research/project/ program and in no case shall any part or portion of that honoraria be paid to any personnel of the University who is not involved in providing administrative support to the projects as approved by the appropriate University official.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE UTILIZATION OF RUF:

1. Letter requesting for the utilization of RUF addressed to the Chancellor endorsed by Dean/Institute Director, indicating the type of expenses and the amount;
2. Internal Operating Budget (IOB) for the year, signed and approved by the Unit Head (Chair or Director), recommended by OVCR and approved by the Chancellor; and
3. Latest status of RUF report from the UPM Accounting Office.

RESTRICTIONS:

For the research unit, any expenses related to the research activities and improvement of the research unit can be charged to the RUF as long as it is allocated in the approved IOB with complete documentary requirements as per Accounting and COA rules (see attached checklist).

For the research/project itself, no more than 50% of the AOC RUF share collected from the research/project may be used. Reimbursements may be done by the research/project but the receipts should be within the duration of the research/project as stated in the MOA/CTA.