Indirect costs are everything that you need to do research that can't be directly allocated to the research. So you use research funds to pay a researcher, buy

Indirect costs are everything that you need to do research that can't be directly allocated to the research. So you use research funds to pay a researcher, buy chemicals or equipment, etc. Indirect funds cover everything else: real estate costs, power, water, sewer, trash collection, Internet, WiFi and phone, building maintenance, HVAC, etc. When we build buildings to house researchers, all of the costs related to those buildings and space are covered by indirect funds. It also covers a bunch of human costs, such as the staff handling payroll, grant reporting and other compliance costs around the grant, the campus fire protection and police departments, etc. etc.