Outsource financial management of grant portfolio to ffiqs
ffiqs specialises in the legal and financial-administrative support of companies that receive grants. This can range from providing advice to the complete set-up and staffing of an in-house grants desk at grant-intensive organisations. The client can concentrate on the substantive progress of grant projects, while ffiqs ensures that all rules and requirements of grantors are met.
When is a company grant-intensive?
We speak of a ‘grant-intensive’ organisation if there is several million euros of annual grant income or if more than 0.5 FTE is needed to manage the grant portfolio. But this rule of thumb is not conclusive because – fair is fair – a specialist works faster and more effectively within his/her field than someone for whom grant management is not a core task. After all, the specialist has the knowledge and tools to do the required work in less time. His/her extensive experience and knowledge of the entire grant landscape also lead to advice that benefits the overall grant yield. The ffiqs consultants act proactively and hands-on, acting as intermediaries between the client and the grantor.
What does an in-house grants desk entail?
With its in-house grants desk, ffiqs offers support in the financial management of grants by:
- determining the current situation and advising on the desired situation regarding the legal and financial-administrative accountability of grants
- setting up and establishing a grants desk based on the desired situation
- preparing the financial progress reports and the final determination
- supporting the preparation of audits and obtaining audit opinions
- monthly inventory, monitoring and reporting of the realised costs of the grant projects, so that the grants receipts also become transparent
- monthly reporting on under- and over-spending of grant projects, so that we can anticipate this to the client and the grantor in time
- flexible deployment of specialists depending on capacity needs or specific expertise
- offering scalable expertise and capacity without increasing fixed costs for the client.
The core objective of the grants desk is to ensure that clients’ projects are and stay on track legally, administratively and financially. This ensures an increased return on the grant portfolio through greater efficiency, sharper risk management and optimisation of eligible costs. This return can even increase if the costs of grant management are eligible by ffiqs. In a number of national grant programmes and European Structural Funds, this is the case.
Signify and Nutreco preceded you
Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, and Nutreco animal and fish nutrition are both world leaders in their markets. Both companies make intensive use of grants – both national and European – and work structurally with ffiqs in managing these portfolios (including HORIZON, ERDF and WBSO projects). Intensive cooperation with ffiqs’ grant specialists increases grant efficiency, and other efficiency benefits are also realised. For example, since optimising grant accounting, Signify’s research and finance departments are more closely aligned. And Nutreco has saved a lot of time by bringing together various grant administrations. Want to know more? Read Signify’s experience.
Wondering what we can do for you? Get in touch with us!
Would you like to know more about our in-house grants desk and grant portfolio management services? We would be happy to talk to you to see how we can support you. You will receive a response from us within one working day at the latest.
