Budget Studio.
The budget every funder requires. Funder-aware templates for Wellcome, NIH R01 / R21, Gates, IDRC, Horizon Europe and AAS-AESA, with Ghana cost benchmarks pre-loaded, live indirect-cap and ceiling validation, multi-currency support, and an AI coach that drafts justifications and the budget narrative.
Templates
Funder-shaped scaffolds with seeded lines.Empty budget — set years + currency, add lines as you go.
5-year ECA budget seeded with PI uplift, postdoc, RA, fieldwork, publication, DM. Indirect = 0.
$250k/year direct cap, modular budget shape. Salary respects NIH cap; F&A at LMIC 8%.
$100k cap, indirect 10%, LMIC capacity-building line included.
13% indirect cap, southern-led, community-engagement line.
25% flat indirect (subcontracts excluded from base).
African-led, capacity-building mandatory line, 15% indirect cap.
Funders we know
Each funder's indirect cap, typical ceiling and red-flag list is built into the validator + AI coach.
Wellcome funds direct costs only — no indirect/overhead. Salary costs for the named PI and team should follow institutional scales. Open-access publication costs are allowable. Equipment > £10k requires written quotes. International collaborator costs travel through a subcontract.
NIH R01s use modular ($25k increments up to $250k/year direct) OR detailed budgets above. Indirect costs follow the institution's negotiated rate (NICRA). Foreign institutions typically capped at 8% F&A. Personnel cap: Executive Level II.
R21s are exploratory — 2 years, $275k direct total. No preliminary data required. Budget should reflect a focused pilot.
Gates caps indirect at 10% of direct costs (compulsory across the foundation). LMIC partner institutions favoured. Open-access publication required. CC BY licence on all outputs.
IDRC caps indirect at 13% of direct. Southern institutions hold the budget. Capacity-building lines welcomed. Community engagement costs allowable (CARE principles).
Horizon Europe uses a 25% flat-rate indirect on eligible direct costs (subcontracts excluded from base). Personnel costs follow institutional methodology. Open-access publication mandatory (Article 39).
AAS-AESA supports African-led research. Capacity-building and training costs are mandatory line items. African institution leads the budget. Indirect typically capped 15%.
NSF uses negotiated indirect (NICRA). 2 months of summer salary cap per PI. Participant support costs are separate from MTDC base. Equipment > $5k separate from MTDC.
Apply standard direct + indirect structure with line-item justifications and reasonable per-diems / rates for the setting.
The AI drafts justifications using only what you've supplied. It never invents specific salary figures, vendor names, NICRA rates or quotes — those become [bracketed placeholders].
Writing the proposal in Grant Studio? Building the data plan in DMP Studio? Budget Studio closes the loop on the full submission.