Non-commercial research costings
The AcoRD guidance provides a mechanism for identifying the cost of each study and categorises these as Research costs, Support costs, or Treatment costs. Unlike with commercial research, the funding arrangements for non-commercial research can be complex, often involving a number of partner organisations. It is essential that both the HSC/NHS and these partner organisations identify and quantify the full cost of non-commercial research and reach a shared understanding of how these costs are recovered through appropriate funding arrangements.
Northern Ireland Guidelines
HSC R&D Division has published AcoRD guidelines for Northern Ireland. These are based on the same principles as the DHSC publication but reflect the differences in infrastructure and funding arrangements in Northern Ireland.The AcoRD guidance and two associated Annexes are available at the links below. Annex A provides an exemplar set of common activities that have been attributed to the three specific cost categories and Annex B provides a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). These Annexes will be updated as required and users should ensure that they refer to the latest version when attributing the costs of research.
AcoRD guidance-Northern Ireland.pdf
AcoRD - Annex A-Northern Ireland.pdf
AcoRD - Annex B-Northern Ireland.pdf
To access the DHSC AcoRD documentation, click here.
SoE and SoECAT
Either a Schedule of Events (SoE) or a Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Tool (SoECAT) is required for all non-commercial studies in order to support the NHS/HSC recovery of costs. It is expected that non-NHS/HSC Sponsors have liaised with NHS/HSC sites to establish the standard care pathways in order to complete the documentation accurately.
SoECAT
Grant funders will often request completion of a Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Tool (SoECAT) as part of their application processes. The SoECAT is a tool for use across the four UK nations. As well as ensuring site-level costs are appropriately attributed according to AcoRD principles at the time of application for research funding (and hence to ensure that site-level Research Costs are met via that funding), it also has several other roles and functions:
- as a cost attribution template (but is not intended as a study costing tool);
- forms part of the IRAS application document set where the research is to take place in or through the NHS/HSC
- forms part of the UK Local Information Pack, that the sponsor or their authorised delegate shares with participating NHS/HSC organisations to support the arranging of local capacity and capability (England, Northern Ireland and/or Wales) or the issuing of NHS Management Permission (Scotland);
- provides the Excess Treatment Cost (ETC) per participant value, which in some UK nations informs ETC processes as per the nation-specific ETC processes section.
- introduces greater consistency and streamlining across the funding, planning and site set-up stages of a project.
SoE
A SoE is required for all other study submissions and is used where grant funding has not been sought. The SoE:
- functions as a cost attribution template but is not intended as a study costing tool;
- forms part of the IRAS submission for governance review where the research is to take place in or through the NHS/HSC
- forms part of the UK Local Information Pack that the sponsor or their authorised delegate shares with participating NHS/HSC organisations to support the arranging of local capacity and capability (England, Northern Ireland and/or Wales) or the issuing of NHS Management Permission (Scotland);
- introduces greater consistency and streamlining across the funding, planning and site set-up stages of a project.
Creating a SoECAT
In order to create a SoECAT, you will need to create an account in the NIHR Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS) and follow the "Apply for a service for a new study" pathway. If any assistance is required in creating the account, please refer to our user guide. Once your account has been created and is active, you can proceed with preparation of your SoECAT.
Guidance for the completion of the online SoECAT is available in the online tool, which will assist at each page and stage of the application process. Further details can be found on the Online SoECAT Guidance page.
An Online SoECAT Guidance Module which includes video tutorials and linked resources is also available. Please note that an NIHR Learn account is required to access and enrol onto the module. Please also see the Study Representative - Online SoECAT Top Tips infographic.
If you are required to update an existing Excel SoECAT due to study amendments, the original excel version can be updated, and there is no requirement to complete an online SoECAT.
Is a SoECAT always required for grant applications?
In certain circumstances, completion of the SoECAT may not be necessary, e.g. when applying for funding to support: overarching programmes with no specific research study protocol, infrastructure, fellowships, anything where the grant is to be used for direct employment of a member of staff or purchase of an asset, and data or diagnostic reviews where recruitment data is not collected. Such funding applications should be submitted to the funder with supporting documentation to explain why a SoECAT was not submitted in this instance.
AcoRD Specialist Signoff for a Northern Ireland-led submission
Once the SoECAT has been completed and submitted within CPMS, it will be automatically routed to the HSC R&D Approvals Service for review. The submission should be made as early as possible and must be made at least ten working days prior to the grant cut-off date. Submissions after this time may not be able to be reviewed.
Please see the Approvals Service page here for further information specific to the process of AcoRD Specialist signoff and the relevant contact details.
ETCs and SSCs in Northern Ireland
Guidance and processes have been implemented for funding and approving Excess Treatment Costs (ETCs) and Service Support Costs (SSCs) associated with research that proposes to recruit participants through the NHS/HSC or an organisation providing a service on behalf of the NHS/HSC. The guidance for accessing funding for these costs for studies recruiting participants through a health and social care (HSC) organisation in Northern Ireland, or an organisation commissioned to provide services on behalf of the HSC, is available here. Further information about the processes in other areas of the UK can be found in the country-specific guidance (England; Wales; Scotland).
Funding provided from the HSC R&D Division Fund is subject to availability and may be affected by other pressures within the HSC; as a result, HSC R&D Division are under no obligation to fund Excess Treatment Costs and Service Support Costs. Applicants may be required to seek funding for Excess Treatment Costs and Service Support Costs from other sources. HSC R&D Division reserve the right to refuse funding for any costs that are inappropriate and/or excessive.
ETCs and SSCs are not claimable on Fellowship awards (both HSC R&D Division and NIHR Doctoral Fellowships). If you are applying for approvals via IRAS for a HSC R&D Division funded Fellowship project, have not sought funding from an additional funder that required a SoECAT, and your study involves only sites in Northern Ireland, you should complete an IRAS Schedule of Events (SoE) instead of a SoECAT.
Contact for SoECAT Support
Please email Researchsupport@hscni.net if you have any questions about cost attribution or require support with a SoECAT. You should liaise with HSC R&D as early as possible if support is required.
Non-NHS sponsors may also request support or advice from their lead HSC/NHS Research office. It is recommended that engagement with the Lead R&D Office occurs as early as possible in order to define the standard care pathways and to review the costs for the delivery of the study by the HSC/NHS to be included within the grant application (acknowledging that these will differ from the costs within the SoECAT).