InfoEd
InfoEd has two modules:
Proposal Development is a browser-based module which is used to develop, cost, price and internally approve all externally funded research applications. Its primary users are academics, researchers, administrative staff in departments/divisions, heads of departments and Research Services.
The Proposal Tracking module is used by Research Services only and holds pre- and post-award information to help the management of grants and awards and all subsequent extensions and supplements. The information entered into InfoEd is also used for management reporting purposes.
Information relevant to an external funding application is entered directly into InfoEd to create a unique proposal record. Some fields are automatically populated with information from other College databases, such as the HR system. The in-built costing tool calculates the Full Economic Cost of each individual project based on the data entered.
Access and system support
Accessing InfoEd
Access to InfoEd is restricted to Imperial College staff and is not open to external co-applicants. Only authorised staff will be given access to the costing tool. The role of the user will determine which person is authorised to request access.
Requests for access should be sent to infoed.admin@imperial.ac.uk
Existing users should access the logon screen for InfoEd Proposal Development
Type of User | Who can request access? |
---|---|
Research Services | User to request access - no further approval required |
Head of department/division (HoD) | User to request access - no further approval required |
Departmental or divisional administrator/operations manager (DA/DOM) | HoD (or previous DA/DOM) to request access |
Department/division administration support staff | DA/DOM to request access |
Academics, researchers | DA/DOM to request access |
Access to InfoEd is essentially role-based. After submission for internal approval, only Research Services can continue to edit a proposal. Other roles will have view access only.
A user who creates a proposal on behalf of the PI must be added as a Co-I on the proposal in order to retain access to the proposal once it has been created. If the person creating the proposal is not actually a Co-I, they must be deleted as a Co-I before submission. Alternatively, the PI can delegate access to all their proposals to a specific user (see InfoEd user guide InfoEd User Guide Delegation Of Access Rights [pdf])
Type of user | InfoEd role | Access rights |
---|---|---|
Research Services | Research Administrator |
View and edit proposals and awards for all faculties |
Faculty (Faculty Operating Officers; Faculty Finance Officers) | Department Administrator II (DA II) | View and edit all proposals for their Faculty |
Heads of department/division |
Department Head | View and edit all proposals for their department/division, plus Approval notification email re: internal approval routing |
Department/division administrators | Department Administrator I (DA I) | View and edit all proposals for their department/division, plus information only email re: internal approval routing |
Department/division administrators | Department Adminstrator II (DA II) | View and edit all proposals for their department/division - but no email notifications re: internal approval routing |
Academics, researchers | Investigator | View and edit their own proposals |
Adminstrative support staff | Clerical | View and edit all sections of a proposal they are named on, except the costing tool |
Accessing InfoEd - Web Browsers
PC Users – Only Internet Explorer should be used as the web browser. This will allow access to full InfoEd functionality.
Mac Users - Only Firefox (not Safari or Internet Explorer) should be used as the web browser. Using Safari or Internet Explorer for Macs may cause problems because Apple do not support this.
Forgotten InfoEd password
If you have forgotten your InfoEd password, email infoed.admin@imperial.ac.uk
Browser settings
When returning to an InfoEd web page, the internet web browser should check to see whether the page has changed since it was last viewed. If the page has changed, the browser is required to display the new page. This will ensure that the browser displays pages that are current, i.e. they have been up dated with the latest information, and does not return to an old page previously saved on the local hard drive or cached in the memory, which is especially important for calculations.
To check that Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been set to do this, follow these steps before logging on:
- Open Internet Explorer by double clicking the desktop icon
- From the Tools menu, select Internet Options
- On the General tab, click Setting and select 'Every Time I Visit The Page'
- Click OK twice to exit the dialogue boxes
Remote access (VPN)
To access InfoEd at locations away from College, a Virtual Private Network account must be arranged with ICT.
System support
Operational support
In the first instance, users should contact the local administration team in their department/division for help and support.
If a local administrative contact is unavailable, Faculty Research Services teams can provide operational support.
System-related support
The Research Office provides first-line support for InfoEd, including queries relating to:
- Access and security
- Password problems
- Approval routing
- Delegation of edit and/or view access in an emergency
- Reporting
- Alerts
- Deletion of proposals
For assistance, contact infoed.admin@imperial.ac.uk
This email address is monitored from 9.00 to 17.00, Monday to Friday (excluding College holidays).
System faults can be reported to the ICT Service Desk:
020 7594 9000
service.desk@imperial.ac.uk
Training
Visit the InfoEd Proposal Development course page for further details.
User guides and additional information
Creating a new proposal
Research projects are costed on InfoEd using Full Economic Costing (FEC) methodology for all funders. The costing tool calculates the FEC of each individual project based on the data entered. Before using InfoEd, it is important to understand the basic principles of FEC and pricing. This will facilitate the development of a research proposal and inform decision making.
InfoEd Proposal Development consists of a series of menu screens which take you from creation of the proposal through to final internal approval.
The main steps are:
- create a proposal record
- develop the Full Economic Cost (FEC)
- develop the Price
- run and check reports (e.g. staff cost details; FEC Summary)
- add investigator credit
- add keywords
- attach supporting documents (e.g. case for support; justification of resources)
- submit for Faculty approval (Head of Dept/Division; Research Services)
All screens must be completed before a proposal can be submitted for internal approval on InfoEd.
User guides (includes 'How do I?' interactive guide)
User guides are available for each menu screen and other important functions:
Guides
- InfoEd User Guide Overview of InfoEd [pdf]
- How do I? interactive guide
- InfoEd User Guide Helptext [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Costing Hints and Tips [pdf]
Menu screens
- InfoEd User Guide Creating a proposal Setup Questions [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Project Summary [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Budget Summary Developing the FEC [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Price Recovery [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide FEC Summary and RC Summary [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Budget Versions [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Budget Periods and Setups [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Investigator Credit [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Keywords [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Attachments [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Submit for Internal Approval [pdf]
Staff costing information
- InfoEd User Guide Show Calculation Details [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Staff Cost Detail Report [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide JeS Staff Cost Detail Report [pdf] (for Research Council proposals)
Subprojects (collaborative projects)
Review and approve a proposal
Extensions and supplements
Copying from an existing proposal
System navigation and settings
- InfoEd User Guide Changing your password [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Delegation Of Access Rights [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Searching for a proposal [pdf]
- InfoEd User Guide Settings [pdf]
The InfoEd user guides have not been checked for accessibility. Please email infoed.admin@impeial.ac.uk for an accessible version.
Translating cost into price
The Full Economic Cost (FEC) represents the cost of all resources necessary to undertake an individual project. The price represents what the funder is willing to pay and what the College is willing to accept, i.e. the price can be equal to, lower or higher than the FEC.
The price (recovery) functionality on InfoEd applies a pricing rule that translates the cost of a proposal into a price using a set of predetermined percentages and indexation rates for each budget category. The initial price which is calculated can be compared to the FEC, i.e. total percentage recovered. The price can be changed further once a final pricing decision has been reached in accordance with the College’s pricing policy.
Research Council applications require project costs to be submitted at 100% FEC excluding indexation (even though Research Councils will only meet 80% of the FEC with exceptions). InfoEd generates several reports that provide costing information in a format suitable for completing most Research Council proposals (subject to the terms and conditions of specific funding schemes). Refer to the above user guides for 'FEC summary and RC summary' and 'Staff Cost Detail Reports'.
The FEC of a project is based on the College's indexation rates, and the price charged to a funder should correspond with this. If a funder specifies their own rate of inflation (or it is unclear what rate should be used on an application), contact the Faculty Research Services team.
Research Council applications are made using the Joint Electronic Submission system (JES).
Fellowship applications by external applicants
As external applicants do not have access to InfoEd, all external fellowship applicants should download and complete the Fellowship Form [Word]. This allows minimum information to be captured and entered onto InfoEd by the department/division on the external fellow’s behalf, enabling a costing to be calculated.
For non-Imperial applicants, the proposed supervisor should be named as the Principal Investigator on InfoEd.
Internal approval process
Internal approval must first be given on InfoEd before a research proposal can be submitted to an external funder, regardless of the submission method used (e.g. electronic system; paper application form). Once a proposal has been submitted for internal approval on InfoEd, the applicant can track its progress through the online approval route in real time. Refer to the above user guide for 'Submit for Internal Approval'.
In general, the approval routing will be a three-step process:
- Departmental/Divisional Administrator (DA) – review or approve
- Head of Department/Division (HoD) – approve
- Research Services Manager (RSM) – final approval on behalf of Imperial (institutional authority)
For internal multi-departmental collaborations, the HoD for each co-investigator must also review and approve the proposal.
Approval and authorisation to submit a proposal to a funder must undergo a two stage process - Faculty Approval followed by College Authorisation. This is governed by College policies and frameworks.
Further information on approvals, authorisation and submission
FEC costing tool – security code of practice
The use of data held in the College's information systems is governed by the College's Data Protection Policy and associated Codes of Practice, with its notification under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the College's Information Systems Security Policy.
Staff should be aware that personal data may be used for costing bona fide research funding applications. Only users who have been assigned the appropriate systems access will be able to cost staff for such purposes and an audit trail will be in place to monitor usage of this tool.
Improper use of the costing tool is contrary to College policy, and could be a matter for disciplinary action.