Budget and funding
Cost of the twelve-month programme and the grant programmes it is aimed at.
The project is planned for grant funding: four people working full time for twelve months, with the equipment, running costs and overheads needed to complete all six technical work packages. This chapter gives the cost basis of the request and the funding programmes it is aimed at. Prices are indicative street prices in US dollars as of October 2026, excluding VAT, with an allowance for shipping and import to Armenia.
11.1Equipment and materials
Table 11.1.Equipment and materials. Prices in USD.
| Item | Qty | Unit | Total | Status | WP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owned equipment | |||||
| ADALM-Pluto software-defined radio (AD9363) | 1 | – | 0 | owned | WP5 |
| RF power amplifier and low-noise amplifier modules | 1 | – | 0 | owned | WP5 |
| CS42448 codec board (6IN8OUT) | 1 | – | 0 | owned | WP1 |
| Induction | |||||
| Teensy 4.1 (one spare) | 2 | 32 | 64 | buy | WP1 |
| Raspberry Pi 5, 4 GB (host alternative) | 1 | 60 | 60 | buy | WP1 |
| OPA1612 dual operational amplifiers | 6 | 6 | 36 | buy | WP1 |
| Sense resistors, protection diodes, passive components | 1 | 40 | 40 | buy | WP1 |
| PCB fabrication and assembly parts, two runs | 2 | 60 | 120 | buy | WP1 |
| Magnet wire 0.3 mm, 500 g | 1 | 30 | 30 | buy | WP1 |
| Coil formers (3D-printing filament) | 2 | 25 | 50 | buy | WP1 |
| Copper foil tape and potting epoxy | 1 | 35 | 35 | buy | WP1 |
| Class-D amplifier boards, two channels | 2 | 15 | 30 | buy | WP2 |
| Radar | |||||
| Vivaldi antenna PCBs, large-format FR4 | 2 | 30 | 60 | buy | WP5 |
| Directional coupler, SMA cables and adapters | 1 | 70 | 70 | buy | WP5 |
| NanoVNA for antenna measurement | 1 | 70 | 70 | buy | WP5 |
| Positioning | |||||
| RTK GNSS receiver, dual-band | 2 | 200 | 400 | buy | WP3 |
| Multi-band GNSS antenna | 2 | 50 | 100 | buy | WP3 |
| Correction radio link (pair) | 1 | 60 | 60 | buy | WP3 |
| IMU, 9-axis | 1 | 25 | 25 | buy | WP3 |
| High-resolution magnetometer | 1 | 40 | 40 | buy | WP3 |
| Global-shutter USB camera | 1 | 60 | 60 | buy | WP3 |
| Time-of-flight distance sensor (one spare) | 2 | 15 | 30 | buy | WP3 |
| Mechanics and test | |||||
| Non-metallic pole and mounts | 1 | 80 | 80 | buy | WP3 |
| Battery pack and DC-DC converters | 1 | 70 | 70 | buy | WP3 |
| Calibration spheres: steel, copper, aluminium, stainless | 1 | 60 | 60 | buy | WP2 |
| Sandbox: container and dry sand | 1 | 60 | 60 | buy | WP2 |
| Test objects: coins, rings, nails, cans, foil | 1 | 30 | 30 | buy | WP4 |
| Cables, connectors, enclosures | 1 | 100 | 100 | buy | WP1 |
| Purchased equipment | 1,780 | ||||
| Shipping and import allowance (15%) | 267 | ||||
| Contingency on equipment (15%) | 307 | ||||
| Equipment total | 2,354 | ||||
| Optional instruments (if not available to the team) | |||||
| LCR meter | 1 | 120 | 120 | optional | WP1 |
| Oscilloscope, used | 1 | 350 | 350 | optional | WP1 |
| Running costs | |||||
| Cloud computing for simulation and training | 1 | 150 | 150 | WP4 | |
| Data storage (external drives) | 1 | 60 | 60 | WP4 | |
| Field-trip transport | 1 | 250 | 250 | WP6 | |
The largest single equipment item is the pair of RTK receivers. Items marked "owned" are already available to the project and are listed at zero cost; their replacement value is about 335 USD and they form part of the team's own contribution.
11.2Total request
Personnel costs are based on gross monthly salaries in Yerevan for the respective qualifications and include employer contributions. They will be replaced by the actual employment terms of the host organisation when the proposal is prepared.
Table 11.2.Budget request, 12 months. Prices in USD.
| Item | Per month | Months | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | |||
| PI · Principal investigator (physicist) | 1,800 | 12 | 21,600 |
| HW · Hardware engineer (analog and RF) | 1,500 | 12 | 18,000 |
| SW · Embedded and software engineer | 1,600 | 12 | 19,200 |
| DS · Data scientist and field engineer | 1,500 | 12 | 18,000 |
| Personnel | 76,800 | ||
| Overhead: premises, administration, accounting (15% of personnel) | 11,520 | ||
| Equipment including shipping and contingency (Table 11.1) | 2,354 | ||
| Instruments and running costs (Table 11.1) | 930 | ||
| Dissemination: one conference, publication charges | 2,500 | ||
| Contingency (10% of personnel and overhead) | 8,832 | ||
| Total request | 102,936 | ||
Personnel accounts for about 75% of the request. This is typical for an applied research project: the hardware is inexpensive by design, and the cost lies in the work of building, calibrating, measuring and analysing.
11.3Cost by work package
Personnel costs are allocated by the effort matrix (Chapter 10), and materials by the work package in which they are first needed.
Table 11.3.Cost by work package, USD.
| WP | Title | Personnel | Overhead | Materials | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WP0 | Project management | 3,930 | 590 | 0 | – | 4,520 |
| WP1 | Bring-up and receive chain | 10,600 | 1,590 | 1,178 | – | 13,368 |
| WP2 | Static induction rig and calibration | 12,200 | 1,830 | 198 | – | 14,228 |
| WP3 | Positioning and timing platform | 13,050 | 1,958 | 1,144 | – | 16,151 |
| WP4 | Full tensor, dataset and classification | 14,150 | 2,122 | 250 | – | 16,522 |
| WP5 | Radar subsystem | 9,770 | 1,466 | 264 | – | 11,500 |
| WP6 | Fusion, field trials and release | 13,100 | 1,965 | 250 | 2,500 | 17,815 |
| Contingency (not allocated) | 8,832 | |||||
| Total | 76,800 | 11,520 | 3,284 | 2,500 | 102,936 |
11.4Cash flow
Table 11.4.Quarterly cash flow, USD. "Other" is contingency and dissemination.
| Quarter | Personnel and overhead | Materials | Other | Total | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (weeks 1–13) | 22,080 | 2,520 | 2,208 | 26,808 | 26,808 |
| Q2 (weeks 14–26) | 22,080 | 364 | 2,208 | 24,652 | 51,460 |
| Q3 (weeks 27–39) | 22,080 | 150 | 2,208 | 24,438 | 75,898 |
| Q4 (weeks 40–52) | 22,080 | 250 | 4,708 | 27,038 | 102,936 |
| Total | 88,320 | 3,284 | 11,332 | 102,936 |
Equipment spending is concentrated in the first two quarters; about 26% of the total is needed in the first quarter.
11.5Funding programmes
Three kinds of programme fit the project. They differ in scale and in the partners they require.
Table 11.5.Candidate funding programmes. Conditions as published in October 2026; current calls must be checked before application.
| Programme | Scope | Size | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NATO Science for Peace and Security, Multi-Year Project [R19] | Applied research and development with civil application in the security field | €250,000 to €400,000 per project | Joint project with a director in a NATO member country and a co-director in a partner country; Armenia is an eligible partner. A 2027 call has been announced. |
| Higher Education and Science Committee of Armenia research grants [R20] | National competitive and thematic research programmes | per call | Armenian research organisation as host; formal calls with fixed deadlines |
| FAST Advance Research Grants [R21] | Research by teams in Armenia | per call | Conditions of the current call |
| Horizon Europe, e.g. EIC Pathfinder Open [R22] | High-risk research towards new technologies | consortium scale | At least three entities in three countries, including one EU member state; Armenia has been associated since 2021 |
11.5.1Strategy
- Primary: NATO SPS Multi-Year Project. LODESTONE forms the Armenian part of a joint project with a group in a NATO member country that works on electromagnetic induction or ground-penetrating radar. The request in Table 11.2 covers the Armenian work packages and lies well inside the programme's range, leaving room for the partner's share.
- In parallel: national funding. An application to a suitable HESC or FAST call can fund an earlier start of WP1 and WP2 and strengthens the international proposal with first measured results.
- Later: Horizon Europe. If the platform performs as planned, a consortium proposal can extend it to field-scale systems and larger datasets.
11.5.2Steps before submission
- Identify and contact two or three research groups in NATO member countries working on induction sensing, GPR or humanitarian demining technology.
- Agree the division of work: the partner typically contributes field-trial sites, reference instruments or simulation expertise.
- Confirm a host organisation in Armenia that can employ the team and administer the grant.
- Adapt this report into the programme's proposal template; Chapters 9 to 12 map directly onto the work plan, budget and risk sections.
11.6Comparison and value
The closest instruments with comparable measurement capability (full-tensor induction classifiers of the MetalMapper type, Chapter 2) cost more than 100,000 USD each. The requested budget pays for the complete research programme, including the team, for about the price of one such instrument, and the results, including the dataset, are published openly.