Effort is defined as the amount of time spent on a particular activity. It includes the time spent working on a sponsored project in which salary is directly charged or contributed (cost-shared effort). All university work — including research, teaching, service, clinical work, and administrative duties — performed by an employee over a defined period of time is the employee's "effort”.

The percentage of effort for a project is calculated as follows:

Average weekly project hours / Average weekly UCSB hours = % project effort