EU Projects: FAQ

1. Who can I contact for project purchases?

All purchase of goods and services for the projects should be done with the guidance of the Procurement Directory as they must be in accordance with the Tender Regulation.

2. Can I charge a business class ticket to the project budget?

No. The beneficiary (project investigator and host institution) must make all purchases of goods and services ensuring the best value for money or, if appropriate, the lowest price (Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Article 10). A business class ticket cannot be charged to the project unless it was allowed by the internal travel policy of the host institution.

3. I couldn’t attend to a project event due to my sickness and some expenses haven’t been refunded. Can I charge these expenses to the project budget?

No. Only the cost of realized travels can be charged to the project. Costs of cancelled travels cannot be charged to the project unless the cancellation reason was a force majeur.

4. I have missed the flight and bought another ticket. Can I charge both tickets to the project?

No. Only the ticket with lowest price can be charged to the project, the other ticket cannot be paid from the project budget.

5. My visa application has been rejected and I have applied twice. Can I charge both application fees to the project?

No. Only the invoice with lowest amount can be charged to the project, the other fee cannot be paid from the project budget.

6. Does the project budget cover the travel costs of a person who’s not part of my project team?

The contribution of this person in your research and the reason of this travel should be justified in the financial report. Please consult the project specialist in TTO and verify the eligibility of this cost before any expenditure.

Once the justification is approved, this person shall fill out a timesheet and send it to TTO after the travel took place. You may contact the project specialist in TTO for further information on rules of filling out a timesheet.

7. In case of financial loss due to courier or customs problems for purchases from abroad, can these costs be charged to H2020 projects?

Project budget covers only the cost of goods and services to be used during the implementation of the project. Financial loss occurring from the purchase process of these goods and services cannot be charged to the project budget.

8. Can I buy a service/good that wasn’t foreseen in the proposal if I have leftovers?

All unforeseen purchases are considered as ineligible cost. Project investigator should get permission from the funding organization for these expenses before the purchase. First, you must contact the project specialist in TTO and explain the reason of this purchase.  Then, with the guidance of TTO, you get permission from the Project Officer assigned to your project by the funding organization. For some budget items Project Officer may require a formal Amendment process for the unforeseen purchases.

9. Which name and address should be mentioned on the invoce?

All invoices should be issued in the name of Koç University. You may contact TTO to obtain the invoice details of the university.

It is recommended that you include the project’s grant agreement number on the invoice.

10. I would like to make a payment to my service provider who cannot raise an invoice. How can I pay?

According to the internal rules of Koç University a Service Contract between the university and the service provider, who cannot raise an invoice, should be prepared before the payment. The agreement could be signed only after being approved by Human Resources Directorate and the President. Once signed by both parties, the agreement would be accepted by the Accounting and Finance Directorate as a formal expenditure document. The payment could be done after registering this expense through SAP with a purchase order (SAS). You may request the template of a Service Agreement from the project specialist in TTO.

11. Why there is a difference between the salary my employee receives and the amount you charge to my project?

Salary costs reflected to the projects are cost of employment and include all payroll taxes and fringe benefits. The difference occurs form the state with holdings and the costs of fringe benefits.

12. Can I prepare my budget table with net salaries?

No. The cost of employment (gross salary + Social Security Institution employer’s taxes + costs of fringe benefit) of the project personnel should be reflected to the budget table.

13. Is termination indemnity cost of project personnel eligible in H2020 projects?

It is eligible when all conditions stated in Annotated Model Grant Agreement (p.64-65), under “End-of-contract indemnities” title are met. The cost to be claimed is limited with the duration of employment of the specific personnel.

14. Is salary of an employee on maternity leave eligible in H2020 project?

The employee shall receive maternity leave pay from social security funds, therefore the salary of the employee is not eligible.

15. Who can I contact for Open Access process?

You can provide free access to your papers by paying to the Publisher and/or registering your paper to the Koç University’s repository. Koç University Suna Kıraç Library would be supporting you in this process. You can contact TTO for the details of Suna Kıraç Library personnel.

16. I would like to extend the duration of my project. How should I proceed?

You should first contact the project specialist in TTO and verify the justification of your extension demand. Then, with the guidance of  TTO, you contact the Project Officer assigned to your project and explain the reason of your demand. Upon her/his approval, the formal Amendment process shall begin. In Cooperation projects, extension demand should be communicated and processed by the Coordinator institution.

TUBITAK- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Which steps do I need to follow to include a scholarship student in my project? 

You can add the students you want to include  in your project by entering your PTS and uploading the necessary documents (link atılabilir) from the “Project staff” link in the “Add scholarship” section. 

• Is it sufficient to enter my scholarship students into the PTS? 

After you enter your scholarship student into PTS, you need to inform the related responsible in your faculty and share the related PTS screenshot with her/him to start the SGK processes. 

• What is a Star scholarship? 

Star scholarship is a Tubitak-supported internship program that supports undergraduate students. You can reach the details by clicking on the link https://star.tubitak.gov.tr/. 

• When I want to upload my students to PTS, the system gives a YÖK error. What should I do?  

When you get an error about Yök, you can contact the “Student Administration Office” of our university. 

• I received an e-mail from TUBITAK regarding of the first tranche. Can I start spending my budget? 

TUBITAK requires a certain period of time to transfer the first tranche to the relevant project account. You can find out your current account balance by contacting the TTO department. 

• My project has just started, I need to start spending. What should I do first? 

Please contact the TTO department whether your money transfer has realized or not. After your money transfer entry is approved, you can contact our “Purchasing” department for spending procedures. 

• My PTI payment has not been transferred to my account, what should I do? 

PTI payments are transferred following the related progress reports.  As TTO department, we request you to send your relevant PTİ letter which you can download in the “Reports” section of your PTS. Then your payment will be transfer to your account. 

• How much money have left in my project, where can I reach the updated information?  

You can see all your expenditures and remaining budget in detail by entering your relevant project code on SAP. (SAP Code: ZPS007N)

• I need an additional time to complete my project, how should I do? 

You must create an “Extension” request from the “My Requests” section on the PTS. In case your additional time is approved, it is important to inform the TTO department by sending the relevant approval letter. 

• I have already completed my project, but I want to spend the amount in my institution share. Is this possible? 

Yes, it is possible. For the projects started before 2020, you can spend your share within a 3-month period following the project completion date. In projects started after 2020, the expenditures can be completed within 6 months.