regularly internal project management meetings are to be held. It must also be defined who should attend what type of meetings. 4.2 Project Period The project period is indicated in the Letter of Commitment, and the project must be completed within the grant framework’s approved timeframe. The project period can normally be adjusted in case of: Delay in attaining local approval of the project. Attainment of local approvals takes time in some countries. Depending on the date of local approval the project period can be adjusted accordingly; Delays in carrying out the planned activities. In some countries it takes up to four years to complete a PhD study. An extension will normally be approved to ensure that all PhD studies included in the project are completed. Also delays in carrying out other project activities may require an extension of the project period. No-cost extension of projects requires approval from DFC and the General Conditions must be followed. 4.3 Project Adjustments Adjustments in the project that need DFC/the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ approval include: Changes in the approved objectives and outputs; Change of Project Coordinator; Change of Responsible Institution; Change in Coordinators (key project researchers) at partner institutions; Reallocations of funds between budget lines exceeding 10%. Other changes that influence the implementation of the project in accordance with the approved application. If/when needs arrive to make adjustments in the project the General Conditions must be followed. 4.4 Salary and Employment The salaries of researchers participating in the project are approved in the budget. It is expected that the salaries indicated in the budget follow the salary scale of the institution and are in accordance with the rules and regulations of the country. It is not accepted that the salaries indicated in the budget are paid to participating researchers in addition to salaries already paid by the institution (double salaries). Salaries are either compensation/replacement salary paid to the institution for the time the staff allocates to the project, or compensation payment for over-time, either hourly or performance based. In the case of over-time payment, a written agreement must be entered between the institution and the researcher. The salary rates used must be transparent and documented.
Researchers must not be paid at consultancy rates. A short term external researcher employed to work for the project should follow the rates for researchers in the Responsible Institution or, alternatively, the research institution at which the researcher is permanently employed. Contracting with researchers should follow the countries’ regulations, and the procedures should be documented. Terms of reference for the researchers are required. Refer to section 4.5: Recruitment of Researchers. The project is responsible for ensuring that project staff and researchers are paid for the time actually spent on project-related activities. Payment of salary or remuneration to individuals must be declared in full to the tax authorities, and any tax deductions must be made according to the appropriate rules. The Responsible Institution is responsible for insurance of project personnel in accordance with the regulations of the country in question. 4.5 Recruitment of Researchers External researchers not identified in the application should be recruited in a transparent manner. National/the institution’s own regulations must be followed, but some steps include: Preparation of terms of reference/job description for the position; Preparation of selection criteria based on the terms of reference for the position; Set-up of selection committee; Preparation of advertisement; Announcement of the advertisement broadly and with a reasonably long deadline; Closing the announcement at the advertised deadline; List applicant researchers, and ensuring that there is no conflict of interest among the members of the selection committee; Review of the applications/expression of interest and CVs; Short-list and inviting for personal interviews; Interview of the candidates; Based on the present criteria, select the most suitable researcher; Keep the documentation of the whole process. 4.6 PhD Students If one or more PhD students are identified at the time of application, CV(s) must be included in the application. In case one or more PhD students are unidentified at the time of application, the selection procedures must be described in the application. The announcement of PhD (and MSc) studies and the selection process should in general follow the national/institution’s and regulations, but should as a minimum: Be broadly announced; Be competitive;