How to estimate your budget as a participant

Gabriella is right when explaining that it is tough to calculate our budget !

We have 5 different costs

1. staff cost
2. administration cost
3. travel and accommodation
4. External expertise and audit
5. Equipment

May I suggest a common way to calculate those 5 items?

1. Staffing cost: it should represent 80% of the project (including subcontractors when using subcontractor consultants/specialists)

2. Administration costs - rule is "< 25% of staffing cost"
It is very tough to justify this kind of expenses and it takes to much time to compute !

From my point of view, i prefer to forget it!

3. Travel and accommodation

There are 3 mandatory workshops....
- 3a- I suggest that we forecast 5 trips/workshop: one kickoff meeting, 4 end-of -semester workshop( merged with CREATOR workshop) and eventually a 6th being the mid term event ( symposium, international seminar,...)

- 3b- Each trip/accomodation should be forecasted at 600 € ( using low cost travelflights + 2 hotel night)
Then we have to forecast driving kilometers when meeting/surveying  companies,... for those who intend to experiment on the field. This doesn't include staff costs

- 3c- Remember that hosting a meeting in your region generate cost such as meeting room rental and meals for particpants. each of us should forecast a 500 € budget for one hosting

- 3d - INNO8 will forecast almost 1500 km/semester and one meal ( budget = 15€/meal) per travelling day. Take official local government rate for kilometers

4- External expertise and audit:

- 4a- Audit: finance control is mandatory when reporting and claiming for expenses at each semester end => I suggest that we forecast 1.000€/semester

- 4b- The main external expertise budget will be at lead partner level.
Inno8 will not forecast any external expenses.
But one partner should allow (less than 50% of total budget) some budget when working with external consultants

- 4c- Communication costs such as local printing, .....
I suggest that each of us forecasts 1.000 € for this purpose.

5- Equipment: We suggest not to have this kind of expense