Research Incentive Plan

Research Incentive Plan (RIP)

In Academic Year 1996-97 the Research and Development Committee proposed the Research Incentive Plan (RIP) and it was approved by the administration. The RIP provides for the redistribution of an amount equal to recovered indirect costs as a direct support for research or creative activities, or as an incentive for the development of programs with external funding potential.

Accounts are established and an amount equal to indirect costs revenues will be distributed on a monthly basis.

The distribution formula is:

  • 30% Principal Investigator (PI)
  • 20% Department
  • 10% Division
  • 40% Research Office

In academic units lacking departments the division typically receives 30%. Where awards have more than one PI, or more than one academic division, the distribution formula will be agreed upon prior to proposal submission.

What this means is that if you are the PI on an external grant which has indirect costs as an approved budget line, an IU South Bend RIP account will be established for you and for every dollar in indirect costs recovered from the external agency you would receive $0.30. So, if you have a $150,000 external grant ($100,000 in expenses and $50,000 indirect costs) you could potentially have $15,000 in a general research account as your portion of the recovered indirect costs.

The indirect costs are recovered as charges are applied to the grant account, and are transferred to the RIP accounts monthly. The funds in the RIP accounts are to be used for general research purposes within the guidelines of University fiscal and other policies (this means no hospitality!) as long as you are at and will remain at IU South Bend. They can be used for equipment, S and E, travel, or as cost share on your next external proposal.