Guidelines for AU employees

...Instructions - external funding

Guidelines for AU employees, apart from the clinical sector

Subsidies and grants from private funders must be administered through the university’s accounts and in accordance with the university’s rules in the following cases:

  • If the grant approval, cooperation agreement, application conditions etc. specify that a grant or subsidy is being given to a researcher/research group in their capacity as employee(s) at Aarhus University, i.e. if Aarhus University or one of its faculties, departments/schools, centres, sections or units is mentioned, or
  • If implementation of the project is dependent on direct or indirect co-financing from the university’s ordinary funds, e.g. in the form of the researcher spending part of their working hours on the project or in the form of use of the university’s premises, equipment and infrastructure, or
  • If implementation of the project is dependent on co-financing or joint financing together with other external funds administered through the university’s accounts.
  • Gifts (without any specific requirement for a service in return) and scholarships for researchers employed by Aarhus University can be managed by Aarhus University on special conditions. Gifts to AU, a faculty, a department (Aarhus BSS, ST, HE)/school (Arts) or a centre must be administered by Aarhus University and are recognised as income upon payment.

Guidelines for employees in the clinical sector

If the recipient of a grant is an employee in the clinical sector, then administration of the grant can take place both at AU and at the hospitals, provided the hospitals’ rules allow this option. If you choose to have an external research project administered by AU, then all AU's rules and procedures for these projects will apply unconditionally.

See also the "Guidelines for AU employees, except the clinical sector".

Guidelines for employees on leave

Aarhus University does not administer subsidies and grants for persons who are not employed at Aarhus University, and such persons cannot be project owners or responsible for allocation/use in connection with projects in the university’s accounting system.

If a project owner permanently leaves his/her job at Aarhus University, the head of department (Aarhus BSS, ST, HE)/head of school (Arts) will be responsible for notifying the financial manager of the faculty in question and taking steps to have the person’s projects in the university’s accounting system closed as quickly as possible, or for arranging transfer to another grant recipient.

If an employee is on unpaid leave from his/her job at the university, their external projects can still be administered in the university’s accounting system for up to two years, provided the head of department/head of school or a university employee appointed by the head of department/head of school takes on responsibility for the grant and the right of assignment – where appropriate, an authorisation must be obtained from the funder or the funder must be informed. After leave of over two years, the project account in the university’s accounting system must be closed, and any remaining amounts must either be returned to the funder or transferred to the institution/company where the grant recipient in question is now employed. The head of department/head of school is responsible for taking steps to arrange this.

Guidelines on administration of external funding at AU


All grants for employees at Aarhus University from public-sector funders and the EU must be administered through the university’s accounts unless the funder requires direct settlement between the funder and the grant recipient (e.g. certain travel grants from the Research Councils), though exceptions apply to employees in the clinical sector.