2. Budget

When a project is funded, it is provided a specific budget that is limited to the lifetime of the project as given in the proposal. It is the responsibility of the Task Group Chair to approve and monitor expenses.

The individual Task Group Members are requested to obtain from the Secretariat a Claim Form for travel or other expenses. This should be submitted to the Secretariat, which will then obtain approval from the Task Group Chair.

Because the project is funded as an independent entity, the expenditures must not exceed the amounts allocated. If additional funds are needed, then a supplemental application should be filed at least six months in advance of the time that the funds are needed. In any case, it should not be assumed that the additional funding is available until the project supplement is formally approved.

A major part of most project budgets is devoted to travel and per diem expenses. These expenses can be minimized by: a) Planning travel when air fares are low (low season, weekend stay over, etc.); b) Negotiation of "package" deals at hotels or conference centers; c) Scheduling the Task Group meeting in connection with an international conference. This has the additional advantage of permitting the participation of members of the scientific community not formally part of the Task Group; d) Conduct as much business as possible by e-mail and/or by employing a limited access Web site. The possibility and cost of teleconferencing should also be explored.

Task Group Members should be proactive in promoting their IUPAC activities and recommendations within their respective professional groups. It may be appropriate at some stage of a project to convene a group of "external" experts to advise on project development. It is relatively inexpensive to convene such a group for lunch before, after, or during an international meeting. It is very important to establish such a dialog to assure that the goals of the Task Group are of interest and relevance to the scientific community.