Indirect Cost Recoveries

The Physics Department received $175,026 in indirect cost (IDC) return from the College of Arts and Sciences during FY2010. Since FY2006, the department has directed 50% of IDC return back to the researchers responsible for generating it.

Funds returned to principal investigators this year provided crucial financial support for ongoing projects not covered by research awards or other departmental resources. Other uses included support for students and postdoctoral associates, lab supplies and equipment, computing equipment and research travel.

The remaining 50% of IDC return was retained by the Department for broader departmental initiatives. As in the past, these funds helped to offset necessary expenditures for which other support was not available. As mentioned previously in our annual reports, the fraction of departmentally-held overhead return that must be directed toward staff support has declined since FY2004 from 75% to about 10%. Consequently, we have been able to direct this important resource toward the unfunded needs we deem most pressing, instead of using most of it just to remain afloat operationally.

Approximately $41,680 of the department’s portion of the IDC return was used for student support (including tuition) for which other resources were late or unavailable; most of this total will be recovered eventually. About $9,210 funded the purchase, construction or repair of supplies and equipment for research and education projects not covered by other sources. Another $6,500 provided the department’s share of support for activities such as UROP and last summer’s New England Particle Physics Student Retreat. For this summer’s Lepton Moments Conference, to be held on Cape Cod next month, $15,665 of indirect cost recoveries was used to reserve lodgings at the venue; most of this total will be recovered from the conference participants eventually. Approximately $3,000 was used for catering expenses for departmental events. About $2,150 covered minor cost overruns on sponsored research awards that were being closed out. The availability of indirect cost recoveries provides the department with the flexibility to fund many research and education activities that we would otherwise be unable to support.

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