Economy of the Department

Who covers what

 
The Department
LIFE grants and overheads are retained centrally at the Department. For these funds the Department covers:

• The Head of Department determines the distribution of wage grants for academic (VIP) and administrative staff (TAP) funded by budget grants, following consultation with the Leader Group
• Costs of expensive department courses: a separate training budget is to be drawn up for funds for general education (as well as Open Education). In addition, a pool which covers the cost of training laboratories is to be set up.
• Graduate salaries (LIFE-PhD)
• Salaries for students
• Greenhouse
• Service contracts, equipment etc. according to the table below
• Office supplies, including small IT equipment: normal mouse / keyboards, USB, DVD, etc.
• Photocopying (black/white)
• Postage
• Computer Display Glasses
• Ergotherapist visits ordered through the Department
• Operation of the Department's Secretariat
• Washing up within Sections
• Personnel Activities
• Training of Head of Sections and the Department's secretariat staff
• Receptions in connection with anniversaries or accessions
• Miscellaneous

The Sections
A portion of the institute's budget is now distributed to Sections according to the number of full-time equivalents due to the restructuring (formerly incentive structure).The amount is transferred to the Section’s cost centre, and may be used for both salaries and operations. From Section budgets (as well as project funds) Sections must self-finance (in addition to bench fees):

• Rent of growth chambers
• Telephone / broadband for employees
• Service agreements and equipment (according to the schedule below)
• Travel
• Colour Copying
• PCs and other IT equipment, including toners for printers
• PhD receptions
• Student assistants (in addition to dishwashers in Biochemistry)
• Cost of overtime etc.
• Closing of "gaps" in employment
• Ergonomic (raisable / lowerable) tables (without medical certificates) or other special furniture requirements
• Courses for employees
• Dispatches
• Primers
• Sequencing
• Miscellaneous

Sections themselves organize, how they finance bench fees and what expenses are paid locally, by Section budgets or the projects themselves, respectively. There are different practices of local financial control in different Sections - ask your Head of Section for further information.

 

 
Bench fee system at the Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology
 
Purpose:
The purpose of the bench fee is to ensure equal accessibility for all to equipment and chemicals, no matter which Section you belong to - even as a new arrival. The Bench fee also ensures that all Sections at the Department contribute equally to basic operation costs. The Bench fee was also introduced to highlight that even if you do not really use anything, clean and intact glass, appliances, common chemicals (to a normal degree) are available to you and do not first have to be purchased, put in place, etc. - there are purchasers who take care of this and you also have access to a chemical database.
 
Amount:
The amount is set by the Leader Group at 45.000 DKK per year. This is based on a nationwide estimate covering basic equipment, kits, chemicals, glass and plastics. Therefore the amount could vary from year to year and the amount covers the basic expenses only. If you are seeking funds from external grants, you should therefore, if possible, apply for funds for apparatus and TAP-help (lab technician, accounting, secretaries).
 
Who is paid for:

• All VIP (PhD, postdoc / assistant professor, lecturer, professor, Head of Section, 'Section secretaries', scientific assistants)¹
• All laboratory technicians (half bench fee for trainees)²
• All guests staying more than three months

How often is it evaluated:
Section bench fees are evaluated four times a year, as a fixed point at the quarterly Economy meetings with the Sections.
 
The result is based on extracts from the Economic Control System (ØSS) regarding full-time equivalents and consumption (via an analysis number).
 
How is this done:
Expenses within the defined goods are ordered and charged to the purchasers - these are charged with a separate analysis number ("bench fee").
 
If the Section wishes to have an expanded bench fee covering other things, this can be done using another analysis number ("Common").
 
The person responsible for projects in the Section can inform the purchasers from which projects it is permitted to draw funding - alternatively, this could possibly also be reviewed at the quarterly meetings. 
 
What does the bench fee cover:
 
User financing:

• CAB Centre: hourly rate + training for the Department's staff
• CAMP centre: hourly rate and training for the Department's staff³

Glass and plastic products:

• Must be specifically detailed⁴

Basic chemicals:

• An inventory of basic chemicals is too extensive, but laboratory technicians who are responsible for purchase know what the limit is - both in relation to if something is considered basic or specialized, and when something is common or of greater extent. In case of doubt ask the Head of Sections. 

Basic equipment, including repair:
 
In each lab: 

• 1 centrifuge
• 2-3 microcentrifuges
• 2 vortexes
• 2 stirrers
• 1 Eppendorf heating block

In every other lab: 

• 1 heating block
• 1 cooling centrifuge
• 1 water bath (big or small?)
• 1 deep-frier
• 1 shaker 

Pipettes:
Everyone has their own set of pipettes, but for 2ul and 5ml only if you need them.
Laboratory technicians may also obtain a set of electronic pipettes.

 
Basic kits:
The use of basic kits is covered only to a lesser extent. For large scale use, kits are paid for from own project funds.

• Mini-prep kits (Quick lyse)
• Gel extraction & PCR Clean-up kits
• Plant RNA mini kits
• Plant DNA mini kits
• RNase free DNase
• Separate kit components for mini-preps such as P1 Buffer and RNaseA

In addition, the following is covered:

• Alarm services for minus 80 degree freezers
• Enzymes

 

 

¹If you are away for more than half a year, this period is deducted
²Laboratory technicians’ expenses with respect to education, purchasing and other Department obligations are deducted
³It is proposed that a centre design similar to the Bioimaging Centre is introduced, which is based on an hourly rate for internal and external users. Bench fees will not await the creation of the CAMP-centre.

⁴Anette Lund and Cherry Nielsen will jointly develop a basic list which needs to be developed over time = shopping list.