INTERNATIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT
International Project Execution
The administrative and financial processes to be followed for accepted European Union and internationally funded projects, from the contract signing stage to financial closure, are summarized below in five main steps. You can follow the details of assignments, budget management, VAT exemptions, and reporting processes here. All documents are provided in Turkish.
Execution Steps
Project and Consortium Agreements
Project contracts are signed by the institutional authority. At our university, this process is carried out by the Vice Rector for Research. After your project is accepted, you must inform Dr. Ceren Aksoy Güleç (0 312 210 83 00 / 1816, aceren@metu.edu.tr) .
- In Horizon Europe projects, contracts are signed electronically via ECAS.
- In other programs, contracts can be signed either physically or electronically.
The DESCA Model Consortium Agreement is generally used in the Horizon Europe program. The draft text is reviewed by our University's legal counsel, and the final version is signed by the Vice Rector for Research.
Project Assignments and Special Account
Project Assignments
After the project contract is signed, the academic must be assigned as the project coordinator and researcher. The coordinator must determine the onboarding processes for other researchers, SGK-insured personnel, or scholarship holders, as well as the authorizing officers.
📄 Click here for sample assignment petitions
✉️ Contact: proje-personel@metu.edu.tr
Opening a Project Special Account
The budget for each project is transferred to its own special account. The project coordinator fills out the Account Opening Form and submits it, signed, to the Project Support Office to instruct that a bank account be opened according to the project's currency.
Obtaining a VAT Exemption Certificate
Goods and services purchases for EU projects subject to the IPA Communiqué are exempt from VAT. To benefit from this exemption, a project-specific VAT Exemption Certificate must be obtained. VAT-inclusive expenditures must not be made on projects that are VAT-exempt.
Spending the Project Budget
The financial management of international projects is carried out in partnership with PDO, Teknokent, the Research Coordinatorship, and the Department of Strategy Development.
- Personnel budget: Salary payments are managed by the BAP Personnel Unit. Contact: proje-personel@metu.edu.tr
- Goods and services procurement: For projects with a VAT exemption, use of the Exemption Certificate is mandatory. For your questions, you can contact Nilay Yeşilçay (0 312 210 83 00 / 1827, ynilay@metu.edu.tr) or Büşra Çalışkan (0 312 210 83 00 / 1818, busrac@metu.edu.tr) .
- Travel expenses: Per diems are paid in accordance with the provisions of the Travel Allowance Law. For your questions, you can contact Nilay Yeşilçay (0 312 210 83 00 / 1827, ynilay@metu.edu.tr) or Büşra Çalışkan (0 312 210 83 00 / 1818, busrac@metu.edu.tr) .
Trust Account (Debt Transfer)
In cases where the budget has not yet been transferred to the project account or the balance is insufficient, a debt transfer can be made from our University's Trust Account to the project for salaries, scholarships, and mandatory purchases.
Reporting on Projects
- Technical reporting is the responsibility of the project coordinator and researchers.
- Financial reporting is prepared by the coordinator together with the Teknokent Project Management Office or a PDO specialist.
Project Completion and Closure
The project budget can be spent until the last day. The Trust Account can also be used to spend the amount that will be transferred to the account after the project ends, for the remaining balance.
After all payments and the audit period are completed, the account is closed by the Research Coordinatorship and the remaining amount is transferred to the Trust Account.