Participant Support Costs

Definition & Overview

On some specific projects, agencies award funding to bring participants together for training activities or to be exposed to new research or educational techniques. The funds to accomplish this are called “Participant Support Costs”.

Participant support costs are those expenses that are paid to (or on behalf of) persons participating in meetings, conferences, symposia, workshops, or other events related to the scope of work. These costs may include travel (including hotel and per diem) expenses to conferences, as well as the purchase of manuals and supplies used at these events that can be tied to specific participants. Tuition, stipends, registration fees, and all other costs associated with supporting the costs of attendance also fall into this category. Participant support costs do not include general travel costs for a Principal Investigator (PI) to attend a conference.

Participant support costs means direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with conferences, or training projects. (Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR 200.1)

Guidelines

Participant Support Costs Qualifications

  1. Participants are not employees of USU, and their individual attendance gives no specific benefit to the project.
  2. Participants are not paid salaries or wages to provide any deliverable, other than meeting the program requirements (e.g. attendance, testing, etc.).
  3. Participant Support Costs are not a normal classification.
  4. Costs must be specifically identified in USU’s finance system.
  5. Costs must follow USU’s written policies and procedures.
  6. Costs must be trackable to specific individual participants (e.g. no banquet style meals).
  7. Attendance of participants at conferences, workshops, etc. must be documented.
  8. Participants are not required to perform any work or service for the project other than for their own benefit.

Guidelines of Participant Support Costs

  1. Generally awarded on specific projects for specific gatherings
  2. Agencies generally do not allow re-budgeting from this category into other categories without written prior approval.
  3. Agencies do not allow F&A to be charged on participant support costs.
  4. Agencies generally require unused participant support funds to be returned.
  5. NSF grants often associate participant support costs with special programs such as Research Experience for Undergraduates and Research Experience for Teachers.
  6. Must be included as a budget line item in proposals (as well as detailed in the budget justification).

Costs not included in Participant Support Costs

  1. Payments made to research subjects as an incentive for recruitment and participation in a research project.
  2. Honoraria paid to guest speakers or lecturers.
  3. Conference support costs, such as facility rentals, media equipment rentals, catering, and general supplies or materials.
  4. Costs for PI, project staff, or collaborators, such as salary and wages, fringe, or travel.
  5. Costs for a consultant or trainer providing services to the project or program.
  6. Costs that cannot be specifically associated with participants.
  7. Costs incurred by project staff even if associated with the specific event.

Participant support costs are excluded from the MTDC base when calculating F&A costs. These expenses must be clearly outlined and budgeted separately in proposal documents and Kuali. Once awarded, Sponsored Programs and Sponsored Programs Accounting separately track the participant support costs to ensure that they are managed correctly, and that F&A is not applied against these costs.

Rebudgeting funds previously outlined for participant support requires prior written approval from the sponsor. Rebudgeting funds from other categories to participant support costs may or may not require prior written approval from the sponsor. Please reach out to your SPO award contact and/or SPA accountant for assistance with this process.

The PI/department are responsible for maintaining back-up documentation for all participant support costs, including a list of program participants and evidence of attendance of participants, such as a daily log or similar documentation.

NSF generally allows participant support costs. NIH only allows participant support costs when identified on specific FOAs. Always check the funding solicitation for program or sponsor specific instructions.

Please reach out to your assigned Sponsored Programs contact with any questions.

Examples/FAQs

What types of proposals commonly include participant support costs?

  • NSF has several programs that include participant support costs, including:
    • Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
    • Research Experiences for Teachers (RET)
    • National Research Traineeship (NRT)
    • Research Training Groups (RTG)
    • Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT)
  • Projects that involve putting on a workshop, conference, or training event, and making it financially possible for attendees to participate in the event
    • Instruction & Training classified projects
    • Example: A USU PI is awarded a grant from a federal agency to host an educational workshop in Salt Lake City, Utah. Participants (primarily postdoctoral fellows from around the country) will apply for financial support to attend the conference. The financial support will cover the costs of travelling to attend the workshop. Travel reimbursement costs, lodging/per diem during the event, and registration fees would be considered participant support costs. However, costs of hosting the event, such as room rental, AV equipment rental, or catering, would not be allowable as participant support costs and would need to be charged to the non-PSC project.
    • Example: An Extension PI is awarded a grant to host a training event that provides instructions to first responders across the state regarding a new opioid response technique. Directly following the training, the PI will have box lunches delivered so that participants can eat while brainstorming and discussing each county’s procedures. The costs associated with the workshops that enable the individuals to attend, including transportation, lodging, and business meals, are participant support costs.
  • Student internship programs
    • Example: An NSF project has been awarded as an REU supplement to an existing award. The REU supplement will enable 10 undergraduate students from within the state to participate in a research project with a USU PI over the summer. The participants will have their travel costs to/from campus covered on the project in addition to a stipend and room/board. The travel costs, stipends, and room/board would be considered participant support costs.
    • Example: A proposal is being submitted for an NSF project that includes a RET activity. The RET activity involves hosting three teachers over the course of the summer. The teachers will gain real-life research experience and use that knowledge to develop educational materials and activities. The teachers will then assist with completing a pilot program for the activities with students. They will then present the results at a regional conference with fellow teachers. The participant support costs for this would include the teachers’ summer stipend, travel to the regional conference, and any supply costs necessary for developing the educational materials and activities.

What types of costs qualify as participant support costs?

Registration fees
Fees paid by or on behalf of a participant in connection with meetings, conferences, symposia, or training projects are generally allowable costs. Additionally, these fees may include laboratory fees, passport or visa fees (for foreign participants, if allowed by solicitation), and registration fees.

Business meals
Business meals serve a business purpose and may include purchased food, such as pre-packaged box lunches, sandwiches, cheese trays, pizza, cookies, fruit, etc. For example, this may be used when a PI brings in lunch to allow participants to discuss project objectives over the meal. Business meals must be able to be tied to individual participants. When business meals are included in the budget, per diem meal expenses for participants must be proportionately reduced.

Lodging/per diem
The cost of a participant’s lodging and per diem expenses (reduced accordingly if meals are provided at the meeting/conference) necessary for the individual to participate in the project are generally allowed, provided these costs are reasonable and limited to the days of attendance.

Travel/transportation
These costs can include flights, mileage, buses, etc., according to USU travel policies. The sole purpose of the trip must be to participate in the project activity.

Stipends
A set amount of money paid directly to the participant. As a general rule, stipends are not paid as salary or wages except under certain circumstances.

Other
Some expenses that can be specifically tied to individual participants (such as training materials or lab supplies) may be allowable.

What types of costs do not qualify as participant support costs?

Catering
Individual business meals or per diem costs that can be tied to specific participants are generally allowable as participant support costs. However, catering is not allowed as a participant support costs. Catering is meant for general consumption and is defined as when the vendor prepares, sets out, and serves the food.

Human research subject incentives
Some projects set aside funds to pay survey or focus group subjects for their time and contribution. For example, a certain project may interview 20 individuals and will provide a $25 Amazon gift card to each research subject. These costs do not qualify as participant support costs.

Honorarium
An honorarium is a payment to a non-employee in recognition of a special service, the purpose of conferring distinction, or to symbolize respect, esteem, or admiration for which custom or propriety forbids a price to be set or where no expectation exists for payment. Honorarium payments are for a specific one-time service. A guest speaker at the conference would be paid an honorarium, rather than participant support costs.

Program staff/USU employee expenses/collaborators
Travel, lodging, per diem, and other expenses for key personnel on the project do not qualify as participant support costs and must be separated from participant costs in the project budget. USU employees, or anybody working to put on the training event or participant program, or anybody providing services to the project activity, cannot be paid participant support costs.

General event expenses
Including, but not limited to, audio-visual expenses, venue rental, general supplies, media equipment, etc. These costs cannot theoretically be tied to specific participants.