AllocBoard replaces the spreadsheets research groups run their grants on. Track person-month allocations and every travel, equipment and consumables line across EU, EPSRC and UKRI projects, catch an overcommitted postdoc or an overrunning budget before an auditor does, and have access to audit-ready data without the fire drill.
Today
Allocation data spread across dozens of spreadsheets. When the PI asks for a quick update, it takes hours to piece together an answer.
A postdoc on four projects, but working out their total commitment means opening multiple files and cross-referencing by hand.
Travel, equipment and consumables tracked in a different file to the allocations, so an overspend or a stranded underspend only shows up once the period has closed.
Every reporting deadline, the same fire drill. Pulling numbers from scattered files and hoping nothing was missed.
With AllocBoard
Every allocation in one place. When the PI asks for an update, you have the answer in seconds.
A postdoc on four projects? See their total commitment instantly. Overloads are flagged before they become a problem.
Expenses on the same timeline as the allocations, with the projected over or underspend named in cash while there is still time to act on it.
Reporting deadline? Audit-ready data in a click. No fire drills, no scrambling.
How it works
A research group does not run on features, it runs on a cycle: cost the thing, win it, staff it for three years, then account for every person-month of it. AllocBoard is built along that line.
Build the proposal as a plan: placeholder roles on real pay scales, work packages carrying person-month budgets, expenses forecast month by month. Costs move as you move them. Then check the plan against the people you actually have, and see which roles are covered and where you would be hiring.
One click converts the bid into a live project. The placeholders map to the people you actually hired, and every allocation, work package and expense line carries over intact. Grants that are already running arrive the other way, from a Worktribe or CSV export, with categories and budgets mapped for you.
Allocate staff on the timeline in person-months, down to 0.4 of a month. The moment anyone's commitments across every project pass 100 percent, the row flags, and the Allocation Optimizer offers a rebalance you can apply one line at a time. Travel and consumables are logged on that same timeline, in your own categories, and shared equipment such as a microscope or a cluster is booked there by the hour, so the money, the people and the facilities move together rather than in three files. Nothing waits for a human to notice it.
Every project carries a budget forecast built from your own spending, with a confidence band and a verdict graded low to critical, so an overrun arrives as a projection rather than a surprise. Underspend surfaces the same way: budget left in a period that has closed is carried into the periods still to run, and AllocBoard names which ones funded it. The report itself is an export rather than a fortnight of reconstruction.
Get answers about your portfolio in plain English, from your own records, and know what needs attention while there is still time to fix it. An add-on for Group and Portfolio, which you can try during the free trial.
Ask about your portfolio in plain English, such as who has room between October and December, and get the answer in seconds, drawn from your own records and showing where it came from so you can check it. Part of the Alloc Intelligence add-on.
A weekly review of every project that happens without anyone having to run it. It points out overloaded staff, facilities booked beyond capacity, projects heading over or under budget and costs that cannot be trusted, while there is still time to put them right, and shows you why each one matters. Part of the Alloc Intelligence add-on.
From high-level dashboards to granular timelines: manage projects, track staff allocations, expenses and facility bookings, and oversee multiple research groups in one place. The full app works on desktop, tablet and mobile, with every feature available on each.
Purpose built for research teams. Swap spreadsheet chaos for complete project visibility. Start a free 30-day trial with every feature switched on, and no credit card to get in the way.