Participant Incentives

You may choose to provide incentives to participants, but you will need to get approval prior to your research. The INFO College has standardized the process for Participant Incentives. Please follow the instructions for:

Cash

This will go through the Bursar’s office. Be sure to have the account number (KFS number) that the funds will come out of. Each participant will have to sign an Individual Receipt Form (found on IRBnet) to be kept with the IRB project team.

Documents to send to your assigned INFO Business Manager:

• MOU Research Participant Payments
• IRB Consent Forms
• IRB Approval Letter

After the paperwork is submitted by your Business Manager and approved by the Office of the Comptroller, your Business Manager will email the Bursar’s office to request a cash draw. Someone from the INFO main office will pick up the cash and notify you (the Funds Custodian) that it is available to pick up.

At the end of the research study, if all the money wasn’t spent, the remainder of the unused cash must be returned to your Busines Manager. A Bursar’s deposit form will be filled out and someone from the main office will deposit the money back into the account from which it was drawn.

Gift Cards

This will go through the Working Fund. Receipts for each individual gift card will need to be kept, and a simple spreadsheet showing the participant’s name, gift card number, email address, and the amount must be made.

1. Forms to fill out, sign, and print
   • Participant Incentives Reimbursement Form
   • MOU Research Participant Payments
2.  Documents to print:
   • IRB Approval Letter
   • IRB Consent Form
3. Documents gathered by your Business Manager:
   • RPP Checklist
   • If a grant account:
     • Budget
     • Budget Justification
     • Coeus Printout
4. After the paperwork is submitted and approved, someone from the main office will pick up the check from the Working Fund and notify the Funds Custodian that it is available to pick up.
5. At the end of the research study, the following must be given to your Business Manager:
   • Gift Card receipts that add up to the total disbursed funds
   • If all the money wasn’t spent, we need:
     • A check made out to the University of Maryland for the difference, with the original UMD check number on the Memo line (you can get the check number from your Business Manager) for all checks
     •  A Return of Working Fund Advance form (which will be generated by your business manager) signed by the Funds Custodian and the UMD INFO Assistant Dean for Finance & Administration, Melekte Truneh, mtruneh@umd.edu