Support and Documents for Project Partners

1. Should receipts be submitted together with the expenditures form?
Receipts only need to be submitted when this is a stipulation of the "Special Grant Conditions". In all other cases, receipts only need to be submitted at the request of the Stiftung.

2. Which receipts need to be submitted?
Generally only the receipts for expenses paid for with Stiftung funds.

3. Do I need to send the original receipts?
Yes, please send us the originals. If, in certain cases, this is not possible, please send us a copy of the receipt with a note explaining the reasons for sending a copy, as well as confirmation that it is a copy of the original receipt.

4. What are auditable financial documents?
Auditable financial documents include invoices, receipts, balance sheets, travel expense reports, and similar documents. The documents must clearly identify the final recipient of the respective grant funds. In addition, it is imperative that the relationship to the project is recognizable. If this is not the case, you can explain this directly on the receipt or in the receipts list.

For example, a taxi receipt needs to include the route (origin and destination), the occasion (such as a project meeting), the reason (such as heavy baggage), and the names of any people traveling with you, if applicable. A restaurant receipt needs to include the meal’s occasion as well as the participants and their positions. Additional information can be found under the Receipts tab in the 6th, 7th, and 8th questions: "How are travel costs expensed?", "How are personnel costs expensed?", and "How are fees expensed?"

The individual receipts must be numbered according to the receipts list and should be enclosed in the same order as they appear on the list. Additional information can be found under the Receipts List tab in the 1st question: "What do I need to bear in mind when filling out the receipts list?"

5. How do I expense costs that were only partially paid for with Stiftung funds?
When a receipt is paid for from multiple sources of financing, you must note on the receipt the total paid from Stiftung funds and the total paid from other sources (your own funds, other grant providers). If the receipt lists individual items, you can mark them on the receipt and add them together.

If one type of cost is divided across multiple financing sources, the basis for calculating the split must be indicated.

6. How are travel costs expensed?
When expensing travel costs, please create a cover sheet that includes the following information:

• Name and address of the traveler
• Origin and destination of the trip
• Reason for the trip
• Length of the trip
• Traveler’s signature
• List of receipts

Please add all original documents to this cover sheet (tickets, boarding passes, taxi receipts, etc.).

Private vehicles or taxis should only be used in justified cases. The reason for use should be noted on the travel expense report or the individual receipts. Trips with a private vehicle in Germany can be reimbursed at a flat rate of up to EUR 0.30 per kilometer.

7. How are personnel costs expensed?
Personnel costs must be accounted for differently depending on the type of the position. A payroll account statement and/or bank account statement suffice for full-time positions within the scope of a project. For part-time positions, an overview must be submitted which documents the hours worked for the project or the percentage of hourly pay attributed to the project. Fees are expensed as material costs. Information on logging receipts can be found under the Receipts tab in question 8: "How are fees expensed?"

8. How are fees expensed?
Contractual agreements must always be made in writing. The agreement must contain the following:

• The subject of the agreement
• A clear description of the services rendered by the contractor
• The basis for calculating compensation (such as an hourly rate, daily tasks, etc.)
• Liabilities and obligations arising from taxes, insurance, and other duties (such as whether VAT is included)

The invoice must contain the following:

• General information: fee recipient’s name, address, and tax ID number
• The service rendered
• The time period in which the service was rendered and/or the hours worked
• The applicable VAT rate

9. What do I need to keep in mind when dealing with receipts in a foreign language?
Receipts in a foreign language other than English must include a translation of the most important items so that the type of cost, the relationship to the project, and the total amount invoiced is clearly discernable.

10. What do I need to keep in mind when dealing with receipts in a foreign currency?
The exchange rate on the day of the foreign currency translation needs be indicated on the receipt. In addition, a receipt for the translation of euros into the respective currency needs to be submitted (bank receipt for the translation, account statement showing the foreign transfer, etc.).

11. What should I do if a receipt is missing?
If a receipt for a minor payment (such as a parking ticket, coin-operated telephone, etc.) or a service rendered yourself is not available or has been lost, a self-prepared document may be accepted instead in certain exceptional cases.

A self-prepared receipt must contain the following information:

• Payment recipient with complete address
• Type of expense (such as parking ticket)
• Reason for payment which clearly states the relationship to the project
• Date of the expense
• Costs (total and individual prices, if applicable) with VAT shown separately or information regarding tax exempt status
• Documentation of the price (such as a price list)
• Reason for submitting a self-prepared receipt (such as loss, theft, use of a vending machine that does not issue receipts)
• A personal statement such as "I hereby confirm that the information provided is accurate and complete, that I will not be reimbursed for these expenses from anyone else, and that I have not applied for and will not apply for a reimbursement of these expenses from anyone else."
• Date the self-prepared receipt was issued
• Signature of the person who prepared the receipt (and if possible, of a second person who is authorized to represent the institution, for example a member of the board)

12. Can I expense costs that were not incurred during the duration of the project?
The duration of the project is specified in the commitment letter. Only expenses incurred during this specified period of time can be submitted.

1. What do I need to bear in mind when filling out the receipts list?

The receipts list is an overview of all of your project’s expenditures. The receipts list only needs to contain the expenses that were paid for using Stiftung funds. Each receipt needs to be listed by number and filed accordingly. Please ensure that matching a receipt to its respective entry on the receipt list can be done with as little effort as possible. Enter the receipt’s date, the issuer/payment recipient, the invoice amount, and the expense’s relationship to the project in the receipts list. If the relationship to the project is not clear from the receipt itself, you can explain it in the comments field. A cost type as set forth in the budget and financing plan needs to be entered into the column "Cost Type."

2. Instead of a receipts list, can I submit accounting printouts (like a balance sheet or similar)?

Yes, as long as all the information that must be submitted as part of the receipts list is documented on the accounting printouts.

1. What is the Budget and Financing Plan?
The Budget and Financing Plan contains the financial calculations for your project. It was created on the basis of your application. It is divided into personnel and material costs, and reflects the project’s cost structure (self-funded, funded by third parties, or RBSG funds).

The approved funds must be used according to the Budget and Financing Plan’s cost types. Any deviations, either within approved cost types or within the overall financing plan, must be coordinated in writing with the Stiftung. In this context, please take note of the second question under the Budget and Financing Plan tab: "What is a reallocation?"

2. What is a reallocation?
Since changes to your financial planning can occur when carrying out a project, it is possible to reallocate saved funds from one cost type to another as long as the nature of the project does not change as a result. If the reallocated amount is within the reallocation allowance, you can make this change yourself.

If the amount you wish to reallocate exceeds this allowance, or you aren’t sure, please promptly get in touch with your contact at the Stiftung.

A reallocation that exceeds the reallocation allowance must always be applied for in writing. Explain the reasons and enclose an updated Budget and Financing Plan, which can be downloaded from the Document Center.

A reallocation must be approved by the Stiftung in writing. Unapproved reallocations can lead to claims for the return of funds reallocated without Stiftung approval.

3. What is the reallocation allowance?
Reallocation allowances are approved up to a fixed amount and per cost type. You will find your reallocation allowance in your grant’s Budget and Financing Plan:

"Changes of more than ... euros must be applied for in writing and require a written decision by the Stiftung."

Should you not require all the funds granted to you for a certain type of cost, you can transfer the saved funds to another type of cost. The reallocation allowance represents the highest amount you can reallocate without requiring prior approval from the Stiftung.

The reallocation allowance does not apply to new types of costs that are not included in the Budget and Financing Plan.

4. What do I do if the share of project financing from different sources changes?
If the share of financing from different sources changes (for example planned third-party funds are no longer available or are higher than expected), you must immediately notify the Stiftung of the change.

1. How do I fill out the expenditures form?
The expenditures form is your project’s financial statement. It lists the project’s total costs incurred and is divided into the approved cost types listed in the Budget and Financing Plan. Using the expenditures form, you indicate how much was spent on each individual type of cost. In this context, each line represents one type of cost.

In column 1, you enter the actual total costs incurred during the project.

In column 2, you indicate the amount of funds made available to you for the respective type of cost from your institution’s budget. Income (such as conference fees, entrance fees, and admission fees) should be entered under "Own Funds."

In column 3, you list the funds received from other institutions, foundations, sponsors, etc. for the project.

In column 4, you list the funds granted to you according to the Budget and Financing Plan. If reallocations were approved, you must enter the funds granted by the Stiftung as set forth in the updated Budget and Financing Plan here.

In column 5, you add up the totals from your receipts list for each type of cost.

In column 6, you enter the difference between the funds granted to you by the Stiftung (column 4) and the Stiftung funds actually spent (column 5). There shouldn’t be any deviations that exceed the value of the reallocation allowance, since these need to be applied for from the Stiftung beforehand and approved by us in writing in an updated Budget and Financing Plan. If deviations do nevertheless occur that exceed the reallocation allowance, a reason must be provided for this after the fact.

Now add up all totals per column in the row "Total Project Cost." If the share of financing (either as a percentage of total funds or the amount of granted funds) has changed from what is stated in the Budget and Financing Plan, we ask that you please provide a reason for this after the fact. Sign the original copy of the expenditures form.

2. Who signs the expenditures form?
The expenditures form must be signed by the grant recipient. Please also print your name legibly. If this is not possible, a representative of the institution authorized to sign for the recipient can also sign the form. In this case, please indicate the authorized representative’s position on the form.

3. May I use my own form?
You are free to use your own form as long as it contains the same information as our form. In particular, it must include the following confirmation:

"We hereby confirm that we used the grant funds for the aforementioned purpose in accordance with the terms and conditions of the grant and in a noncommercial manner, and that the costs listed in column 5 were only billed to the Robert Bosch Stiftung. The information provided is substantiated by auditable documents. Documents are enclosed/not enclosed."

4. What are cost types?
Cost types group together similar costs, such as travel costs, conference costs, entertainment costs, printing costs, etc. The cost types are specified for each project on the basis of your application.

On the expenditures form, the Stiftung differentiates between personnel costs and material costs. Stiftung funds are always granted for a specific purpose for cost types, and are assigned to one of the two cost groups. All of your project’s billable cost types are listed in your Budget and Financing Plan.

1. What is meant by "a sparing and economical use of funds"?
For reasons stemming from the law governing charitable organizations, the Stiftung is required to ensure that funds it makes available are used sparingly and economically. Examples of this are described in the "Notes on the Economical Use of Funds", which is a component of your grant and can be downloaded from the Document Center.

2. What needs to be listed on the Inventory Form?
Inventory refers to nonconsumable items such as books, software, devices, etc. The minimum value for adding an item to inventory is EUR150.

If approved inventory was purchased using Stiftung funds, please fill out the Inventory Form enclosed with your commitment letter, which can also be downloaded from the Document Center.

• The list must contain the following information:
• The name of the inventory
• The exact device or machine type
• The purchase price