Does the principal investigator or the research institution have to finance the non-personnel costs (consumables and smaller pieces of equipment, travel expenses and other costs) in advance?
No, 8.2 of the project’s general terms and conditions states that the funds are to be requested in advance in such a way as to meet the ongoing needs of the project (up to a maximum of six months in advance). Therefore, the research institutions should not have to finance any non-personnel costs in advance if the principal investigator requests the funds in due time. As the FWF also transfers the funds in advance upon request, there should not be any requests to transfer funds after the end of the project.