Faculty members who receive research funds for their use are provided with a research account number titled XXXX Research. The faculty member's last name would be inserted in place of the XXXX. They would also receive a memo from the Finance and Budget Director notifying them of this account and its initial funding. Included would be a set of spending/funding guidelines, which are as follows:

•    All invoices and travel vouchers (original receipts required) are to be presented to the WWS Accounting Office (423A Robertson Hall) for processing. In the event that a receipt is lost, an explanation must accompany the invoice. Please be aware that reimbursement may take 10 to 14 days from the time the Financial Management Office receives it.
•    All equipment must be purchased through the University's purchasing system. Prior to ordering please contact the Associate Dean for Operations at 8-9724 for non-computer related purchases or the Director of Computing Services at 8-6217 for computer-related purchases. Princeton University will not allow the purchase of home office furnishings with research funds. Keep in mind that title to all equipment purchased with these funds remains with the School and must be in the School's possession prior to your leaving.
•    As long as you remain employed by the School these funds will be available to you. Balances at year-end will carry forward into the new year and any funds remaining upon termination of your employment will revert back to the School.
•    Funding to your account must be with the permission of the Vice Dean. For reporting purposes, it is not desirable to mix various funding sources such as gifts from outside donors, funds from other University departments, etc. in your research account. Please contact the Associate Dean for Operations at 8-9724 or the Finance and Budget Director at 8-4834 if you have questions.

Funding generally comes about annually and is usually the result of a hiring agreement, bonus funding for a faculty member obtaining outside summer salary funding, thus relieving the School of this payment, or bonus funding for promising to use no more than 1/8th of a secretary's time during the academic year. For every month that the account has activity, the University Financial system produces a Project/Grant statement which includes the transactions for the month along with an income and expense summary and the remaining balance.  These may be viewed on the Information Warehouse.

Funds may be used for but not limited to: business travel, books and magazines related to field of study, membership dues in relevant professional organizations, copying charges, research assistants (check with the Director of Administrative Services at 8-2492 prior to any hiring), phone calls related to research and miscellaneous materials and supplies. The Office of the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer provides an updated site for University Expense Policies and Procedures. 

Remember: The basic test for the allowability of an expense to a faculty member's research account is that the primary beneficiary of the expenditure MUST be the University.