Difference in exchange rate

by Loraine Bacchus
1 min read Jun 22, 2018
I am reposting my comment here. I've been informed that there is £7,000 left in my Marie Curie fellowship due to a difference in the exchange rate. I was told that Research Operations took this money for themselves as an 'administration fee'. Some of you have said that this amount should have been given back to me. My query is, would this be documented anywhere I can use as evidence, is it a clause in the EU/host instituion contract? It relates to the old fellowship Marie Curie International Outgoing. I have only just been informed they have done this. Another member told me that once a contract ends, the applied exchange rate is compared to the real one based on the historical exchange rate data and they compensate the fellow. Many thanks in advance.

3 Comments

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Jun 28, 2018

Hi Loraine

I believe they ought to give you this money. In my case (Marie Curie ITN), my contract with the university clearly stated that the exchange rate is revised every year and it is ensured that no underpayment occurs in the end. The grant agreement also says that the all allowances for the researchers must be fully used for the researcher to be eligible. The annotated grant agreement for my kind of fellowship gives further clarification how the exchange rate needs to be calculated. I suggest you check the corresponding documents for your case.

Best wishes, Jannis

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Loraine Bacchus
Jun 28, 2018

Thank you Jannis. I am now checking with the REA to get confirmation as proof for my University. My MC is under the old FP7 Marie Curie fellowships (2013-2015), and so the specific Articles that people on this forum have asked me to check are perhaps different to those with awards under Horizon. I've read the GA and the Annexes that accompany it really carefully and can't find any statement that says that all allowances for the researcher must be fully used by the researcher to be eligible. There is nothing in the eligible costs section of the Annex that provides details on the terms of the GA. Many thanks for your help. Loraine

 

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Jun 28, 2018

OK, yes, it might be a bit different in your case. Just to be specific, in my GA it says that costs are eligible if 'the costs have been fully incurred for the benefit of the recruited researchers'. As I said, the Annotated GA gave more details on exchange rates and how it should be handled. I hope you get some official support as it can't be true that they just take your money (there is something in the GA I think that says losses due exchange rate are not eligible). Best of luck, Jannis