The impact of Full Economic Costing of research

It is difficult to judge and make any validated or quantified statements at such an early stage after the introduction of fEC, as universities are still flowing through the work priced in the pre-fEC era and working out how to deal with the fEC income at the institutional level. However, due to the heavy emphasis on research council income, physics departments have benefited from the introduction of fEC. Some universities have chosen to pass some or all fEC elements directly to the departments, which has left them better off than they have been in the past. In time, fEC should increase the overall financial viability of university research and allow investment in infrastructure.