alt Hacker NewsI would think that calculating rates for a department would be more reasonable, or maybe have a few models to choose from could also make sense.
What doesn't make sense to me is to apply the same overhead burden to a theoretical CS or math research effort where someone basically just needs commodity IT resources and an office and one that requires significant time using a particle accelerator.
So you want more bureaucracy to determine rates and more personnel to negotiate and bookkeep for it? Because that’s how you get more bureaucracy.
The negotiated rate takes into account that not all research is the same. That’s why it’s negotiated based on the science they are doing. It’s a blended rate.