In this contribution different possibilities to handle the internal cost distribution amongst various participants within a consortium are regarded. Either the cross access fee model or the calculation on the basis of FTEs are taken into consideration as well. The distribution is based on the usage principle, because between the different possible models it seems to be the most adequate solution. After basic theoretical reflections, the proposed models are calculated on the basis of two existing examples. Hereby it is shown that, depending on the preselected parameters, very different results could be possible. Which formulation is to be choosen greatly depends on factors which seem to be more political than based on pure economic objectives.