September 2026
The TRAC Conference will be held online on the afternoon of Tuesday 22 September and the morning of Wednesday 23 September, using the Ring Central platform. We are pleased to welcome Paul Kett, Vice Chancellor at London South Bank University, as our keynote speaker. Breakout session topics will include: Strategic use of…
Read moreAugust 2026
Version 3.1 of the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) guidance is now available. This version should be used for TRAC returns for the academic year 2025-26. Updates include: Clarifications on the calculation of the separate MSI for student residences and definitions of types of residences arrangements Clarification of definitions for…
Read moreMay 2026
After three years of strong and effective leadership of the TRAC Development Group, Professor Jackie Labbe has moved on to new endeavours. TDG records its sincere thanks for Jackie’s work leading the TDG and TRAC agenda, her insight and support on TDG projects, and leadership of the annual TRAC conference.
Read moreAugust 2025
The TRAC Conference will be held online on the afternoon of Tuesday 23 September and the morning of Wednesday 24 September, using the Ring Central platform. We are pleased to welcome Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice Chancellor and President of Kings College London as our keynote speaker. Breakout sessions will feature…
Read moreAugust 2025
Version 3.0 of the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) guidance is now available. This version should be used for TRAC returns for the academic year 2024-25. Updates include: Calculation of a separate MSI for student residences Changes for both the statistical collection method and the in-year retrospective method. A change…
Read moreJune 2025
The TDG has issued a revised guide to the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) for senior executives and governing body members. The guide provides a simple introduction to TRAC, its methodology, and how TRAC data informs strategic and operational decision-making. See TRAC: A guide for senior executives and governing…
Read moreApril 2025
This report details the different methods used in TRAC for collecting academic staff time data, comparisons of the different methods used across the sector, and variations in the results they produced are included. Recommendations for changes to the TRAC guidance are made as well as the impact of incorporating these…
Read moreApril 2025
This report was commissioned by the UK Regulators and Funders Group (RFG) to look at certain technical aspects of the Margin for Sustainability (MSI) calculation used in the TRAC return. The aim was to consider the assumptions and financial principles of certain elements of the calculation and model the impact…
Read moreAugust 2024
The TRAC Conference will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday 24 September, and the morning of Wednesday 25 September, and will again be held online using the Hopin platform. The agenda is still in the process of being finalised but will include: a keynote speech from Robert van de…
Read moreAugust 2024
Version 2.9 of the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) guidance is now available. This version should be used for TRAC returns for the academic year 2023-24. A change log is provided at Annex 1.1a that identifies all updates. The Statement of Requirements document (at the bottom of the page)…
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