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Research Budget Components
Comprehensive research budgets include multiple cost categories. Understanding each component ensures complete, fundable proposals.
Personnel Costs
Salaries and Wages - Calculate based on effort percentage and time period. Include PI, co-investigators, postdocs, graduate students, and support staff.
Fringe Benefits - Add institutional fringe rates (typically 25-40% of salary). Rates vary by employee category and institution.
Effort Justification - Explain why each person's effort level is necessary. Connect roles to specific project activities and deliverables.
Equipment and Supplies
Major Equipment - Items over $5,000 requiring special justification. Include make, model, vendor quotes, and necessity explanations.
Minor Equipment - Items under $5,000. Group similar items together with estimated costs.
Consumable Supplies - Reagents, chemicals, lab supplies, and other consumables. Base estimates on current prices and anticipated usage.
Computing Costs - Hardware, software licenses, cloud computing, and data storage fees.
Other Direct Costs
Travel - Conference presentations, field work, collaboration visits. Include airfare, lodging, meals, and per diem based on institutional policies and destination.
Participant Costs - Recruitment incentives, compensation for research subjects, childcare, or transportation for participants.
Publication Fees - Article processing charges for open access journals, page charges, and figure reproduction fees.
Consultant Fees - External expertise for specialized analyses, training, or advisory services.
Indirect Costs (F&A)
Facilities and Administrative costs support research infrastructure. Indirect cost rates are negotiated between institutions and federal government.
Federal Rates - Typically 40-70% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC)
Foundation Rates - Many foundations limit indirect costs to 10-15%
MTDC Calculation - Total direct costs minus equipment over $5,000, participant support, tuition, and subaward amounts over $25,000
Budget Justification
Strong justifications explain why each cost is necessary and reasonable. Reviewers look for clear connections between costs and project activities.
Personnel Justification - Describe each person's role, specific tasks, required expertise, and time commitment. Explain effort percentages chosen.
Equipment Justification - Demonstrate equipment necessity, explain why existing equipment is insufficient, describe intended use, and show cost-effectiveness.
Travel Justification - Specify conferences for dissemination, necessary field work locations, collaboration meetings, and expected travel frequency with destinations.
Supply Justification - Provide cost calculations showing quantities, unit prices, and usage rates. Base estimates on pilot data or similar projects.
Multi-Year Budgets
Projects spanning multiple years require careful annual planning with escalation factors.
Salary Escalation - Apply 3-5% annual increases for salary inflation
Supply Inflation - Increase supply costs 2-3% annually
Equipment Timing - Specify purchase year for major equipment
Personnel Changes - Show when staff hiring occurs, graduations, or turnover
Subaward Budgets
Collaborators at other institutions require separate detailed budgets.
Direct Costs - Itemize subawardee's direct costs using their institutional rates
Indirect Costs - Apply their institution's F&A rate to their MTDC
Consortium Justification - Explain why external collaboration is necessary and cost-effective
Letters of Support - Include commitment letters from subaward PIs
Cost Sharing and Matching
Some funders require institutional cost sharing demonstrating commitment.
In-Kind Contributions - Donated equipment, space, or services
Cash Contributions - Direct institutional funding commitments
Documentation - Specify amount, source, and verification method
Strategic Approach - Only commit what's truly required; cost sharing isn't always evaluated positively
Common Budget Mistakes
Underestimating Costs - Insufficient budgets jeopardize project success. Better to request adequate funding than run out mid-project.
Missing Justification - Every line item needs clear justification connecting to project aims and methods.
Calculation Errors - Math mistakes signal carelessness. Double-check all calculations before submission.
Non-Compliance - Requesting ineligible costs or exceeding funder caps causes problems. Read RFA carefully.
Using the Budget Planner
1. Set Project Parameters - Enter project title, duration, funding agency, and indirect cost rate
2. Add Personnel - List all project personnel with roles, effort, salary, and fringe rates
3. List Equipment - Catalog major and minor equipment with costs and justifications
4. Estimate Supplies - Calculate consumable supply needs across project period
5. Plan Travel - Project conference attendance, field work, and collaboration visits
6. Calculate Indirect - Apply appropriate F&A rate to eligible direct costs
7. Add Justifications - Write detailed justifications for each major cost category
8. Export Budget - Generate formatted budget and justification for proposal submission
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