Targeted Call for Research: National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers 2019 GuidelinesOpening date: 4 December 2019

Closing date and time: 5pm AEST/AEDT on 12 February 2020

Commonwealth policy entity:

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Administering entity NHMRC

Enquiries: Applicants requiring further assistance should direct enquiries to their Administering Institution’s Research Administration Officer. Research Administration Officers can contact NHMRC’s Research Help Centre for further advice:

Phone: 1800 500 983 (+61 2 6217 9451 for international callers)

Email: help@nhmrc.gov.au

NHMRC will not respond to any enquiries submitted after 5pm AEST/AEDT on 12 February 2020.

Note: NHMRC’s Research Help Centre aims to provide a reply to all requests for general assistance within two working days. This timeframe may be delayed during peak periods or for more detailed requests for assistance.

Date guidelines released: 4 December 2019

Type of grant opportunity: Targeted competitive

National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers Guidelines

Contents1 National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers processes

.................................................................................................................................................... 51.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 7

1.1.1 About NHMRC..................................................................................................7

2 About the grant program..........................................................................................................72.1 NHMRC structural priorities and funding with other organisations.................................8

3 Grant amount and grant period................................................................................................93.1 Grants available.............................................................................................................9

3.2 Grant period................................................................................................................... 9

4 Eligibility criteria....................................................................................................................... 94.1 Who is eligible to apply for a grant?...............................................................................9

4.1.1 Chief Investigators and Associate Investigators...............................................9

4.2 Multiple applications/grants..........................................................................................10

4.3 Exclusion of applications..............................................................................................10

5 What the grant money can be used for.................................................................................115.1 Eligible grant activities and expenditure.......................................................................11

5.1.1 Salary support.................................................................................................11

5.2 Funding to support overseas grant activities and researchers.....................................11

5.3 Duplicate funding..........................................................................................................11

6 The assessment criteria.........................................................................................................126.1 Health research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.......................12

7 How to apply............................................................................................................................ 137.1 Overview and timing of grant opportunity processes....................................................13

7.2 Application Extensions.................................................................................................13

7.3 Application requirements..............................................................................................14

7.4 Attachments to the application.....................................................................................14

7.5 Consumer and community participation.......................................................................14

7.6 Joint (consortia) applications........................................................................................14

7.7 Certification and submission.........................................................................................15

7.7.1 CIA certification...............................................................................................15

7.7.2 Administering Institution certification...............................................................15

7.8 Retracted publications..................................................................................................16

7.9 Withdrawal of applications............................................................................................16

7.10 Questions during the application process.....................................................................16

8 The grant selection process...................................................................................................178.1 Assessment of grant applications.................................................................................17

8.1.1 Who will assess applications?........................................................................17

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8.1.2 National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers assessment process...............................................................................................17

8.2 Who will approve grants?.............................................................................................18

9 Notification of application outcomes....................................................................................1810 Successful grant applications................................................................................................18

10.1 Information required from grantees..............................................................................18

10.2 Approvals and licences.................................................................................................18

10.3 NHMRC Funding Agreement........................................................................................18

10.3.1 Responsible and ethical conduct of research.................................................19

10.4 NHMRC policies...........................................................................................................19

10.5 Payments.....................................................................................................................19

10.6 Suspension of grants....................................................................................................19

10.7 Tax implications............................................................................................................19

10.8 Processes specific to the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers........................................................................................................19

11 Announcement of grants........................................................................................................2012 How NHMRC monitors grant activity.....................................................................................20

12.1 Variations.....................................................................................................................20

12.2 Reporting......................................................................................................................20

12.2.1 Financial reports.............................................................................................20

12.2.2 Non-financial reports.......................................................................................20

12.2.3 NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research.........................................20

12.3 Evaluation of the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers scheme.....................................................................................................21

12.4 Open Access Policy......................................................................................................21

13 Probity...................................................................................................................................... 2113.1 Complaints process......................................................................................................21

13.2 Privacy: confidentiality and protection of personal information.....................................21

13.3 Freedom of information................................................................................................22

14 Glossary................................................................................................................................... 23Appendix A. NHMRC structural priorities and funding organisations......................................26Appendix B. National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers

Category Descriptors..............................................................................................................27Appendix C. NHMRC Relative to Opportunity policy..................................................................32Appendix D. National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers

Guide to Applicants................................................................................................................341. Preparing an application........................................................................................................342. Application Requirements......................................................................................................343. Profile Requirements..............................................................................................................35

3.1 Pro-PD Personal Details...............................................................................................35

3.2 Pro-PN: Panel Nominations and Invitations..................................................................35

3.3 Pro-PU: Peer Review Unavailability.............................................................................35

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3.4 Pro-A: Address.............................................................................................................35

3.5 Pro-RE: Research Interests..........................................................................................35

3.6 Pro-FR: Fields of Research..........................................................................................35

4. CV Requirements....................................................................................................................364.1 CV-QAP: Qualifications, Awards and Prizes................................................................36

4.2 CV-EH: Employment History........................................................................................36

4.3 CV-A: Appointments.....................................................................................................36

4.4 CV-CD: Career Disruption............................................................................................36

4.5 CV-RO: Relative to Opportunity...................................................................................37

4.6 CV-PM: Professional Memberships..............................................................................37

4.7 CV-CP: Conference Participation.................................................................................37

4.8 CV-CE: Community Engagement and Participation.....................................................38

4.9 CV-P: Patents...............................................................................................................38

4.10 CV-TPP: Translation into Policy/Practice.....................................................................38

4.11 CV-CN: Contribution to NHMRC..................................................................................39

4.12 CV-ER: Editorial Responsibilities.................................................................................39

4.13 CV-SM: Supervision and Mentoring.............................................................................39

4.14 CV-RF: NHMRC Research Funding.............................................................................39

4.15 CV-ORF: Other Research Funding..............................................................................40

4.16 CV-Pub: Publications....................................................................................................40

4.17 CV-W: Workload...........................................................................................................40

4.18 CV-TPCO: Therapeutic Products and Commercial Outcomes.....................................40

4.19 CV-RD: Research Data................................................................................................40

4.20 CV-RT: Research Tools...............................................................................................41

5. Part A: Application form requirements.................................................................................415.1 Creating an application.................................................................................................41

5.2 General Properties.......................................................................................................42

5.3 A-P inst: Institutions - Participating...............................................................................42

5.4 A-RC: Research Classification.....................................................................................43

5.5 A-RT: Research Team..................................................................................................43

5.6 A-RT: Research Team – Proposed Salary...................................................................44

5.7 A-EG: Ethics General...................................................................................................45

6. Part B: Application Form Requirements...............................................................................456.1 B-GP: Grant Proposal...................................................................................................45

6.2 B-PB: Proposed Budget - DRC and Equipment...........................................................49

6.3 B-PBRF: Proposed Budget – Research Facilities........................................................50

7. Certifying your application.....................................................................................................508. Checklist for applicants..........................................................................................................51

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1 National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers processes

NHMRC’s Targeted Call for Research is designed to achieve Australian Government objectives

National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers scheme is a component of the Portfolio Budget Statements

Program 1.1: Health and Medical Research, which contributes to Outcome 1: Improved health and medical knowledge.

The grant opportunity opens

NHMRC publishes the grant guidelines on GrantConnect.

Applicants complete and submit an Expressions of Interest (EOI) grant application

Applicants must complete the EOI form and address all the questions in the EOI form.

EOI verified and assessed

EOI are assessed against eligibility criteria and applicants are notified if not eligible. Peer reviewers assess EOI against the assessment criteria including an overall consideration of value for money.

Peer reviewers shortlist EOI for interview.

Interview

Peer reviewers interview Chief Investigators of shortlisted EOI.

Seed funding and workshop

NHMRC provides seed funding to successful EOI applicant groups. Successful groups of applicants present their joint proposal to other successful applicant groups at the workshop to

share and exchange ideas.

Seed funded EOI collaborate and submit a SINGLE joint proposal to NHMRC

Applicants must complete the application form and address all of the eligibility criteria

Full application verified and assessed

The application is verified against eligibility criteria. Peer reviewers assess application against the assessment criteria including an overall consideration of value for money.

Feedback and resubmission (optional)

Peer review panel will provide feedback to applicants and request more information or to resubmit the application if deemed necessary.

Grant decisions are made

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NHMRC’s CEO seeks approval of funding recommendations from the Minister for Health.

NHMRC notifies applicants of the outcome

Applicants’ Administering Institution accepts the NHMRC Grant Schedule(s) setting out the

research activity

Delivery of grant

Grantees undertake the grant activity as set out in the schedule to the grant funding agreement. NHMRC manages the grant through the relevant Administering Institution.

Reporting, feedback and assistance

Grantees will provide annual reports to NHMRC. A panel will evaluate the report and provide advice, networks and knowledge to the applicants as necessary in a collaborative manner to assist

the National Network further in achieving its goals.

Evaluation of the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

researchers scheme

NHMRC undertakes periodic evaluations of the performance and administration of its funding schemes to determine strengths and to identify where improvements can be made.

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1.1 IntroductionThese guidelines contain information for the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers grant opportunity.

Applicants must read these guidelines before filling out an application.

This document sets out:

the purpose of the grant scheme/grant opportunity

the eligibility and assessment criteria

how grant applications are considered and selected

how grantees are notified and receive grant payments

how grantees will be monitored and evaluated

responsibilities and expectations in relation to the opportunity.

GrantConnect (www.grants.gov.au) is the authoritative source of information on this grant opportunity. Any alterations or addenda to these Guidelines will be published on GrantConnect.

The National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers grant opportunity will be undertaken according to the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017 (CGRGs), available from the Department of Finance website.

1.1.1 About NHMRC

NHMRC is the Australian Government’s key entity for managing investment in, and integrity of, health and medical research. NHMRC works with stakeholders to plan and design the grant program according to the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 (NHMRC Act) and the CGRGs.

NHMRC awards grants through several research funding schemes to advance health and medical knowledge and to improve the health status of all Australians. NHMRC invests in the highest quality research and researchers, as determined through peer review, across the four pillars of health and medical research: basic science, clinical medicine and science, public health and health services research.

2 About the grant programDuring the 2015-2018 triennium, NHMRC’s Principal Committee Indigenous Caucus (PCIC) identified ‘strengthening and building the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers’ as a strategic area of focus for NHMRC. The key project in this area is establishing a National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers (the National Network).

Establishing the National Network forms part of the NHMRC’s Road Map 3: A strategic framework for improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health through research. Two consultative workshops were held in 2018 to explore the attributes of and objectives for a National Network. Several possible funding models were explored by PCIC and it was concluded that the most appropriate was a seed-funded process through an Expression of Interest (EOI) followed by a single, more extensive application for the full funding through the Targeted Call for Research scheme.

In the context of the National Network, research activity refers to building the capacity and capability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers.

The objectives of the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers are to create one inclusive system that brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research groups and their support networks to create a structure that builds the capacity and

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capability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers. Capacity refers to the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers while capability refers to the skills, networks, knowledge and competitiveness for mainstream funding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers.

The intended outcomes of the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers are:

A well-supported network of researchers who will support one another across Australia in culturally safe and nurturing environments. This should include establishing new cohorts and increased numbers of scholars and fellows who will develop into the leaders of the future.

Stronger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation on high-level health committees and boards.

An established network for sharing and combining research knowledge, resources, expertise, networks, skills and support. This should also include the development of ongoing mentoring programs for researchers at all levels.

A culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers working together in a collaborative (as opposed to competitive) framework.

A framework to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers in delivering quality research with maximum impact. This should translate to improved research quality, increased number of projects and researchers and better success at attracting resources for research.

Strong relationships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to build on evidence-based health research and health care capabilities.

A strong connection to the NHMRC Tripartite Agreement partners and participation in the capacity building work of this initiative.

The National Network should have the following key attributes:

Good governance and leadership with a shared national vision. Translate research evidence into policy and practice. Well-resourced and sustainable. Build the workforce to enhance and strengthen capacity and capability of Indigenous

researchers. Indigenous-led and connected through existing networks to facilitate conversations. Collaborative, sharing and nurturing environment to support Indigenous researchers. Valuing Indigenous knowledges and the creation of excellence within that framework. Community focussed and valuing diversity and inclusion. Culturally secure environment to support Indigenous researchers in their work.

For details on the EOI and full application process, please refer to Appendix D Section 1 Preparing an application.

2.1 NHMRC structural priorities and funding with other organisationsNHMRC’s Corporate Plan outlines strategic priorities and major health issues for the period covered by the Plan, including how NHMRC will address these issues, and a national strategy for medical research and public health research. Each year, NHMRC identifies structural priorities for funding to deliver against its strategic priorities. Information on NHMRC’s structural priorities and funding with other organisations is outlined in Appendix A.

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3 Grant amount and grant period3.1 Grants available

Grants available under this call are: seed-funding grants followed by one grant for the full application.

Up to five seed-funding grants, each up to $35,000, will be awarded through EOI process. The seed funding grants are provided to facilitate collaborations, meetings and planning activities between successful teams for developing a single joint proposal for the full application.

The provisional funding allocation for the full application is estimated to be $10 million over five years. NHMRC’s Research Committee annually reviews and recommends indicative budget amounts to be awarded across individual funding schemes.

3.2 Grant periodThe seed funding is intended to be utilised during the period of up to three months. The National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers grant will be awarded for a fixed five-year term.

4 Eligibility criteriaEOI applications and the final full application will only be accepted from NHMRC-approved Administering Institutions. A list of NHMRC-approved Administering Institutions is available on NHMRC’s website.

The Chief Investigator A (CIA) and Administering Institution must ensure applications meet all eligibility requirements, as set out in these guidelines, at the time of submission and for the duration of peer review. Applications that do not meet these eligibility requirements may be ineligible and may be excluded from further consideration.

An eligibility ruling may be made by NHMRC at any stage following the close of applications, including during peer review. Where an eligibility ruling is being considered, NHMRC may request further information in order to assess whether the eligibility requirement has been met.

Decisions are made based on current policies and considerations specific to this grant opportunity. Decisions made in relation to previous grant opportunities or other NHMRC funding schemes will not be regarded as precedents and will not be considered when assessing compliance with the requirements of this grant opportunity.

Administering Institutions will be notified in writing of ineligible applications and are responsible for advising applicants.

Grant offers may be withdrawn if eligibility criteria to accept a grant are not met. Action may also be taken over the life of a grant if eligibility criteria to continue holding a grant are not met.

NHMRC staff will not make eligibility rulings before an application is submitted.

4.1 Who is eligible to apply for a grant?

4.1.1 Chief Investigators and Associate Investigators

At the EOI stage, a team can have up to 10 (ten) Chief Investigators (CIs) with an unlimited number of Associate Investigators (AIs).

At the single application stage, there are no limits on the number of CIs or AIs.

In both stages, a minimum 50% of CIs must identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

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CIs and AIs are not limited to health and medical researchers but may include Elders, community members, representatives from Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations, and other persons who are able to contribute meaningfully to the National Network.

Chief Investigator ‘A’

At the time of acceptance and for the duration of a grant the CIA must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident of Australia or have an appropriate work visa in place. The CIA must also identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. The CIA must also be based in Australia for at least 80% of the funding period, or 50% of the Funding Period if CIA is an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow.

Chief Investigators

The role and contribution of each CI must be described in the grant application. PhD students may be named as CIs where the PhD student is critical for the success of the National Network. CIs are expected to remain active on the National Network as outlined in the application for the duration of the grant.

Associate Investigators

An Associate Investigator (AI) is defined as an investigator who provides some intellectual and/or practical input into the National Network and whose participation may warrant inclusion of their name on any outputs (e.g. publications). There is no restriction on who may be named as an AI on an application.

4.2 Multiple applications/grants Applicants can only apply as Chief Investigator A (CIA) on one application. Applicants who wish to apply as a CI on another application for this scheme can do so as CIB or other level of CI.

Holding a National Network grant at the EOI and joint application stages does not affect the ability or eligibility of a CI or AI to hold other NHMRC grants.

4.3 Exclusion of applicationsAn application may be excluded from further consideration if:

it contravenes an eligibility rule or other requirement as set out in the Grant Guidelines

it, or any CI named on the application, contravenes an applicable law or code

it is inconsistent with the objectives of the NHMRC Act and/or the purposes of the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA), and

any CI named on the application is the subject of a decision by NHMRC’s CEO or Delegate that any application they make to NHMRC, for specified funding schemes, will be excluded from consideration for a period of time, whether or not they otherwise meet the eligibility requirements. Such decisions will generally reflect consequential action taken by NHMRC in response to a finding of research misconduct or a breach of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, or a Probity Event. See the Code for a definition of ‘research misconduct’ and the NHMRC Policy on Misconduct related to NHMRC Funding available from NHMRC’s website.

Such exclusion may take place at any time following CIA and Administering Institution certification of the application.

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If a decision to exclude an application from further consideration is made, NHMRC will provide its decision and the reason(s) for the decision to the Administering Institution’s Research Administration Officer (RAO) in writing. The Administering Institution’s RAO is responsible for advising applicants of the decision in writing. Decisions to exclude an application may be reviewable by NHMRC’s Commissioner of Complaints.

5 What the grant money can be used for5.1 Eligible grant activities and expenditure

Funding provided by NHMRC for a Research Activity must be spent on costs directly incurred in that Research Activity that satisfy the principles and requirements outlined in the Direct Research Costs Guidelines on the NHMRC website.

5.1.1 Salary support

The National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers grant is not intended to provide salary support for CIs. However, if salaries are sought for CIs, the costs must be directly associated with achieving the outcomes of the application.

CIs, including the CIA, may draw a salary if they are based in Australia for at least 80% of the funding period. CIs based overseas are not able to draw a salary, but salary support is available for research support staff based overseas (see section 5.2). Salary costs must be based on Personnel Support Packages (PSPs) outlined on the NHMRC website.

Applicants can receive up to 100% salary across NHMRC grants/awards. Multiple partial salaries can be drawn up to 100%, if allowed in the grant guidelines for the respective grant opportunity.

Associate Investigators cannot draw a salary from the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers grant.

5.2 Funding to support overseas grant activities and researchers The National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers funds are for research cost expenditure in Australia. Funding may be used to support specific grant activities to be undertaken overseas, including salary support for overseas based research support staff, if the overseas grant activity is critical to the successful completion of the project, and the equipment/resources required for the grant activity are not available in Australia.

See Direct Research Costs Guidelines on the NHMRC website for further guidance on the expenditure of funding for a Research Activity.

5.3 Duplicate fundingNHMRC may compare the research proposed in grant applications with grants previously funded, currently funded, and funded by other agencies (e.g. Australian Research Council or Department of Health) and published research. NHMRC will not fund research that it considers duplicates research previously or currently being funded.

Where NHMRC believes that an applicant has submitted similar research proposals to NHMRC and has been successful with more than one application, the applicant may be required to provide NHMRC with a written report clearly identifying the difference between the research aims of the research activities. If NHMRC subsequently does not consider the research activities to be sufficiently different, the applicant will be required to decline or relinquish one of the grants.

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NHMRC may disclose applicants’ personal information to overseas entities, Australian, State/Territory or local government agencies, organisations or individuals where necessary to assess an application or to administer a grant. See NHMRC’s Privacy Policy and the Privacy: confidentiality and protection of personal information section of these guidelines for further information.

6 The assessment criteriaEOI applications for the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers and the full application will be assessed by peers against the assessment criteria listed below and the category descriptors at Appendix B.

the quality and likelihood of the National Network in successfully delivering on the outcomes and achieving the key objectives proposed (50%) and,

whether the team has all the necessary skills, expertise, networks and infrastructure to deliver on the outcomes and achieve the key objectives proposed (50%).

Applications are assessed relative to opportunity, taking into consideration any career disruptions, where applicable (see Appendix C). Appendix D provides details on preparing an application and the formatting requirements for the grant proposal.

6.1 Health research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Applicants proposing to undertake research which specifically relates to the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, or which includes distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, biological samples or data, should be aware of, and must refer to, the following documents in formulating their proposal:

NHMRC Roadmap 3: A strategic framework for improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health through research

Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities: Guidelines for researchers and stakeholders, and

Keeping Research on Track II (a companion document on how the values and principles outlined in the Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities: Guidelines for researchers and stakeholders can be put into practice in research).

Applicants must also consider the key elements outlined in NHMRC’s Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria when addressing the assessment criteria in Appendix B. The NHMRC’s Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria are as follows:

Community engagement - the proposal demonstrates how the research and potential outcomes are a priority for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities with relevant community engagement by individuals, communities and/or organisations in conceptualisation, development and approval, data collection and management, analysis, report writing and dissemination of results.

Benefit - the potential health benefit of the project is demonstrated by addressing an important health issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This benefit can have a single focus or affect several areas, such as knowledge, finance and policy or quality of life. The benefit may be direct and immediate, or it can be indirect, gradual and considered.

Sustainability and transferability - the proposal demonstrates how the results of the project have the potential to lead to achievable and effective contributions to health gain

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for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, beyond the life of the project. This may be through sustainability in the project setting and/or transferability to other settings such as evidence-based practice and/or policy. In considering this issue the proposal should address the relationship between costs and benefits.

Building capability - the proposal demonstrates how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and researchers will develop relevant capabilities through partnerships and participation in the project.

7 How to apply7.1 Overview and timing of grant opportunity processes

4 December 2019 EOI Applications open in NHMRC’s granting system

5pm AEST/AEDT on 12 February 2020 EOI Applications close in NHMRC’s granting system

February to March 2020 Peer review of EOI

Late March 2020 Peer reviewers interview Chief Investigators of shortlisted EOI.

June 2020 Anticipated notification of outcomes for seed funding

July 2020 Recipients of seed funding attend workshop

30 September 2020 Final submission to be developed and submitted to NHMRC

October to November 2020 Anticipated peer review period

December 2020 Anticipated notification of outcomes

*Date is indicative and subject to change.

Applications must be submitted electronically using NHMRC’s granting system unless otherwise advised by NHMRC.

Electronic submission requires Administering Institutions and all CIs on an application to register for an account in NHMRC’s granting system. Applicants who are not registered can submit a new user request via the login page of NHMRC’s granting system.

Applicants should refer to NHMRC’s granting system Training Program on NHMRC’s website for detailed user instructions, or contact their RAO or NHMRC’s Research Help Centre for further assistance.

Late applications will not be accepted.

7.2 Application ExtensionsRequests for application extensions will be considered on a case by case basis and must be submitted by email to help@nhmrc.gov.au on or before the scheme close date and time. Requests will only be considered for:

unforeseen circumstances, e.g. natural calamities such as bushfires, floods or hurricanes, or

exceptional circumstances that affect multiple researchers, e.g. power and/or internet network outages, or

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where an applicant, or a member of their immediate family1, is incapacitated due to an unforeseen medical emergency, such as life-threatening injury, accident or death.

Extensions, if granted, will be for a maximum of seven calendar days. This is to ensure that subsequent peer review processes and approval of funding recommendations are not delayed, especially as eligibility decisions for some NHMRC schemes depend on an applicant's success with other schemes. Requests for extension submitted after the scheme close date and time will not be considered.

7.3 Application requirementsThe application should contain all information necessary for assessment without the need for further written or oral explanation or reference to additional documentation. Further information on what can and cannot be included in the application is provided in the Guide to Applicants at Appendix D.

All details included must be current at the time of submission, as this information is relied on during assessment.

Applications must comply with all content and formatting requirements. Incomplete ornon-compliant applications may be assessed as ineligible.

Additional requirements and guidance in relation to each component of the application are outlined at Appendix D.

7.4 Attachments to the applicationNHMRC requires the following documents with your application:

A grant proposal and necessary supporting documentation.

You must attach supporting documentation to the application in line with the instructions provided in NHMRC’s granting system or Appendix D. You should only attach requested documents. NHMRC will not consider information in attachments that it does not request.

7.5 Consumer and community participationThe Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research (the Statement) has been developed because of the important contribution consumers make to health and medical research. The Consumers Health Forum of Australia Ltd and NHMRC worked in partnership with consumers and researchers to develop the Statement.

Researchers are encouraged to consider the benefits of actively engaging consumers in their proposed research. Further information on the Consumer Health Forum and the Statement is available on NHMRC’s website.

7.6 Joint (consortia) applicationsSupporting information should be included in the grant proposal. Examples include (but are not limited to) letters of support from partners and communities, contracts, special initiatives and other elements that will support the grant proposal.

1 Immediate family comprises a spouse, child, parent or sibling. It includes de facto, step and adoptive relations (e.g. de facto, step or adopted children).

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7.7 Certification and submissionOnce complete, applications must be electronically certified and then submitted to NHMRC through the RAO of an NHMRC-approved Administering Institution using NHMRC’s granting system.

Certification is required firstly by the CIA and then by the Administering Institution RAO by the specified due date or the application will be ineligible and excluded from further consideration.

Once submitted to NHMRC, the application is considered final and no changes can be made.

7.7.1 CIA certification

The CIA must provide the RAO with evidence that the application is complete and that all CIs have agreed to it, i.e. through written evidence such as email. Such written evidence should be retained by the Administering Institution and must be provided to NHMRC if requested.

The following assurances, acknowledgements and undertakings are required of the CIA prior to submitting an application:

All required information has been provided and is complete, current and correct, and all eligibility and other application requirements have been met.

All personnel contributing to the Research Activity have familiarised themselves with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes and other relevant NHMRC policies concerning the conduct of research, and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with those policies.

All CIs provided written agreement to be named on the application, to participate in the manner described in the application and to the use of their personal information as described in the NHMRC Privacy Policy.

All CIs have provided written agreement for the final application to be certified.

The application may be excluded from consideration if found to be in breach of any requirements.

And if funded,

The research will be carried out in strict accordance with the conditions governing NHMRC grants at the time of award. Conditions may change during the course of the grant, for example, reporting obligations may change. CIs will need to meet new/changed conditions.

The reported outcomes of the research may be used for internal NHMRC quality evaluations/reviews.

Grant offers may be withdrawn and action taken over the life of the grant, if eligibility criteria to accept and/or continue holding a grant are not met.

7.7.2 Administering Institution certification

The following assurances, acknowledgements and undertakings are required of the Administering Institution prior to submitting an application:

Reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the application is complete and correct and complies with all eligibility and other application requirements.

Where the CIA is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, they will have the requisite work visa in place at the time of accepting the successful grant and will be based in Australia for at least 80% of the Funding Period. OR

CIA is an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident at the time of accepting the successful grant.

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CIA will be based in Australia for at least 80% of the Funding Period, or 50% of the Funding Period if CIA is an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow.

The appropriate facilities and salary support will be available for the Funding Period.

Approval of the Research Activity by relevant institutional committees and approval bodies, particularly for ethics and biosafety, will be sought and obtained prior to the commencement of the research, or the parts of the research that require their approval.

Arrangements for the management of the grant have been agreed between all institutions associated with the application.

The application is being submitted with the full authority of, and on behalf of, the Administering Institution, noting that under section 136.1 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995, it is an offence to provide false or misleading information to a Commonwealth body in an application for a benefit. This includes submission of an application by those not authorised by the Institution to submit applications for funding to NHMRC.

Written evidence of consent has been obtained from all CIs and AIs and provided to the RAO.

Administering Institutions must ensure that the RAO role is authorised to certify and submit applications.

7.8 Retracted publicationsIf a publication relevant to an application is retracted after the application has been submitted, the applicant must promptly notify their RAO. The RAO must advise NHMRC at the earliest opportunity of the retraction by email (help@nhmrc.gov.au) with an explanation of the reasons for the retraction.

In addition, where the publication forms part of the applicant's track record, the applicant must immediately record that information in their Profile & CV in NHMRC’s granting system.

If an application is largely dependent on the results of a retracted publication, the applicant should also consider withdrawing the application. If, under these circumstances, an applicant chooses not to withdraw the application, the RAO must advise NHMRC in writing (to help@nhmrc.gov.au), clearly outlining the reasons for not withdrawing the application.

7.9 Withdrawal of applicationsApplications may be withdrawn at any time by written notice from the Administering Institution’s RAO to NHMRC.

An application may be ‘marked for deletion’ by the applicant in NHMRC’s granting system before the close of the round. This authorises NHMRC to delete the application once the round has closed. The application will not be deleted while the funding round remains open for application submission.

7.10 Questions during the application processApplicants requiring further assistance should direct enquiries to their Administering Institution’s RAO. RAOs can contact NHMRC’s Research Help Centre for further advice.

NHMRC’s Research Help Centre

P: 1800 500 983 (+61 2 6217 9451 for international callers)

E: help@nhmrc.gov.au.

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Refer to the Research Help Centre webpage for opening hours.

8 The grant selection process8.1 Assessment of grant applications

NHMRC considers applications through a targeted competitive grant process. Applications are required to meet eligibility requirements as set out in these guidelines and are assessed against the assessment criteria (see Section 6) by independent peer reviewers.

8.1.1 Who will assess applications?

NHMRC’s peer review process is designed to provide a rigorous, fair, transparent and consistent assessment of the merits of each application to ensure that only the highest quality, value with money research is recommended for funding.

Applicants must not seek to identify or make contact about their application with anyone who is directly engaged with its assessment, in keeping with NHMRC’s principles of impartial and independent peer review. Seeking to influence the process or outcomes of peer review constitutes a breach of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and may result in the application being excluded from consideration.

8.1.2 National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers assessment process

NHMRC will conduct peer review for this funding round in accordance with the following principles:

Fairness. Peer review processes are fair and seen to be fair by all involved. Transparency. All stages of peer review are transparent. Independence. Peer reviewers provide independent advice. Appropriateness and balance. The experience, expertise and operation of peer reviewers

are appropriate to the goals and scale of the funding vehicle. Confidentiality. Participants respect that confidentiality is important to the fairness and

robustness of peer review. Impartiality. Peer review is objective and impartial, with appropriate processes in place to

manage real and perceived conflicts of interest (CoI). Quality and excellence. NHMRC will continue to introduce evidence-based improvements

into its processes to achieve the highest quality decision-making through peer review.

Peer reviewers will independently undertake an initial assessment of EOI applications against the assessment criteria (see Section 6) and the Category Descriptors in Appendix B.

The outcome of this review will be used to create a shortlist of EOI applications who will then be interviewed by a panel of peer reviewers. The overall scores from the interview process will be used to produce a rank ordered list of applications, on which seed funding recommendations will be based.

Peer reviewers will independently assess the single full application submitted by successful EOIs against the assessment criteria (see Section 6) and the Category Descriptors in Appendix B. In this stage, peer review panel can provide feedback to the applicants via the Office of NHMRC and request more information or to resubmit the application if deemed necessary.

Further information on the assessment process is on the NHMRC website.

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8.2 Who will approve grants?In accordance with paragraph 7(1)(c) of the NHMRC Act, NHMRC’s CEO makes recommendations on expenditure from the MREA to the Minister with portfolio responsibility for NHMRC.

9 Notification of application outcomesNHMRC will advise applicants and their nominated Administering Institution’s RAO of the outcome of the application as early as possible, following the approval of grants. This could be sooner if an application has been assessed as uncompetitive or excluded for other reasons.

NHMRC may advise applicants and their Administering Institution’s RAO of the outcome under embargo. An embargo is the prohibition of publicising information or news provided by NHMRC until a certain date or until certain conditions have been met. NHMRC’s website provides further information on what can and cannot happen where information on a grant is released under embargo.

10 Successful grant applicationsCIAs whose applications are approved for funding will have access to a letter of offer through NHMRC’s granting system. Administering Institutions responsible for administering approved applications will also have access to the letter of offer and to the Schedule to the Funding Agreement. The Administering Institution is responsible for accepting the Schedule through the online signing/acceptance process within NHMRC’s granting system.

NHMRC’s CEO or delegate may withdraw or vary an offer of a grant if they consider that it is reasonably necessary to protect Commonwealth revenue.

10.1 Information required from granteesGrantees may be required to supply additional information about their Research Activity before payments commence. This will be stated in the letter of offer.

10.2 Approvals and licencesWhere relevant, particularly in relation to ethics and biosafety, NHMRC-funded Research Activities must be referred for approval to the relevant institutional committees and approval bodies. For further information see NHMRC’s website.

10.3 NHMRC Funding AgreementAll grants are offered in accordance with the Funding Agreement (with any conditions specified in Schedules and these Grant Guidelines), which is a legal agreement between NHMRC and the Administering Institution. In accepting the Schedules, the Administering Institution is agreeing to the conditions contained in the Funding Agreement and the Schedule.

Details of the Funding Agreement can be found on NHMRC’s website under Funding Agreement and Deeds of Agreement. A grant will not commence, nor grant funds be paid, until:

the Funding Agreement between NHMRC and the Administering Institution is in place, and

the appropriate Schedule to the Funding Agreement is accepted by the Responsible Officer or their delegate and is accepted and executed by NHMRC.

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10.3.1 Responsible and ethical conduct of research

NHMRC expects the highest levels of research conduct and integrity to be observed in the research that it funds. Administering Institutions and CIAs are bound by the conditions of the Funding Agreement. NHMRC funded research must be conducted in accordance with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. Further information about the Code can be found on NHMRC’s website.

10.4 NHMRC policies Administering Institutions and CIAs are bound by the conditions of the Funding Agreement. It is the responsibility of Administering Institutions and CIs to be aware of, and comply with, all relevant legislation and policies relating to the conduct of the Research Activity.

For further information on the expectations of Administering Institutions and CIs, see NHMRC’s website.

10.5 PaymentsPayments will commence once all outstanding obligations (e.g. conditions, eligibility rules or data requirements specified in the Schedule to the Funding Agreement, relevant grant guidelines or letter of offer) have been met by the CIA and the Administering Institution.

10.6 Suspension of grantsNHMRC funding may be suspended for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, requests made by the CIA. Variations will generally only be granted if allowed in the grant guidelines and the NHMRC Grantee Variation Policy available on the NHMRC website.

Funding may also be suspended by NHMRC when it is reasonable to consider there has been a failure to comply with a Policy or Guideline, or on the basis of a Probity Event or an investigation of alleged research misconduct, as set out in the Funding Agreement.

10.7 Tax implicationsAll amounts referred to in these Grant Guidelines are exclusive of GST, unless stated otherwise.

Administering Institutions are responsible for all financial and taxation matters associated with the grant.

10.8 Processes specific to the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers

Additional administrative obligations and processes specific to the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers grantees are outlined in the following sections. Unless otherwise stated, these are in addition to the general requirements set out in these guidelines, the NHMRC Funding Agreement and on the NHMRC website .

Shortlisted EOI applicants will be interviewed by the peer review panel. EOI applicants who are successful will be provided with seed funding and are required to attend a workshop to meet and collaborate with other EOI grantees. EOI grantees will be required to work together to submit a single application to NHMRC for the full $10m grant.

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11 Announcement of grantsGrant outcomes are publicly listed on the GrantConnect website within 21 calendar days after the date of effect as required by the CGRGs.

12 How NHMRC monitors grant activity12.1 Variations

A variation is a change (including a delay) to a grant. There are specific circumstances under which grantees should report and seek approval of a variation to an NHMRC grant (including the Research Activity) relative to the peer reviewed application. Requests must comply with the grant guidelines and the NHMRC Grantee Variation Policy. Requests to vary the terms of a grant should be made to NHMRC via the Grantee Variation portal in NHMRC’s granting system. For information on grant variations see NHMRC’s Grantee Variation Policy available on the NHMRC website.

Grant variations cannot be used as a means to meet NHMRC eligibility requirements.

12.2 Reporting Administering Institutions are required to report to NHMRC on the progress of the grant and the use of grant funds. Where an institution fails to submit reports (financial or otherwise) as required, NHMRC may take action under the provisions of the Funding Agreement. Failure to report within timeframes may affect eligibility to receive future funding.

The grantee for this National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers will be required to provide a detailed progress report annually. The report must discuss how the project is (or is not) meeting milestones. A panel will assess the report and provide feedback and advice to the CIA, via NHMRC, as necessary. This reporting process is a collaborative effort between the panel and the grantees, through NHMRC, in a two-way exchange of ideas and information designed to ensure that the grantees are provided with appropriate support if required.

12.2.1 Financial reports

Annual financial reports are required in a form prescribed by NHMRC. At the completion of the grant or upon transfer to a new Administering Institution, a financial acquittal is also required. Refer to NHMRC’s website for details of format and timing.

12.2.2 Non-financial reports

The Funding Agreement requires the CIA to prepare reports for each Research Activity. Scientific reporting requirements can be found on NHMRC’s website. While having outstanding obligations from previous NHMRC grants does not disqualify applicants from applying for other NHMRC grants, it is a condition of funding that outstanding obligations from previous NHMRC grants, including submission of a Final Report, have been met prior to acceptance of a new grant.

Information included in the Final Report may be publicly released. Use of this information may include publication on NHMRC’s website, publicity (including release to the media) and the promotion of research achievements.

All information provided to NHMRC in reports may be used for internal reporting and reporting to government. This information may also be used by NHMRC when reviewing or evaluating funded research projects or funding schemes, or designing future schemes.

12.2.3 NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research

Grantees undertaking research related to dementia must contribute their expertise to the NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research, which is responsible for strategically expanding, coordinating and translating the national dementia research effort. The NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research is drawing on the expertise of researchers and other dementia

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stakeholders via a membership model to drive Australia’s dementia research and translation effort, and work together to maximise the impact of research.

Additional reporting on NHMRC funded dementia research will also be sought from Administering Institutions as required to inform the Institute’s work plan and subsequent research activities.

12.3 Evaluation of the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers scheme

NHMRC undertakes periodic evaluations of the performance and administration of its grant opportunities to determine their effectiveness and to identify where improvements can be made.

12.4 Open Access PolicyNHMRC supports the sharing of outputs from NHMRC funded research including publications and data. The aims of NHMRC’s Open Access Policy are to mandate the open access sharing of publications and encourage innovative open access to research data. This policy also requires that patents resulting from NHMRC funding be made findable through listing in SourceIP. NHMRC’s Open Access Policy is available on NHMRC’s website.

Combined, these approaches will help to increase reuse of data, improve research integrity and contribute to a stronger knowledge economy. Open access will also assist with reporting and demonstration of research achievement, improve track record assessment processes for the long term and contribute to better collaborations.

All recipients of NHMRC grants must comply with all elements of NHMRC’s Open Access Policy as a condition of funding.

13 Probity13.1 Complaints process

Applicants or grantees seeking to lodge a formal complaint about an NHMRC process related to funding should do so via the Administering Institution’s RAO, in writing, within 28 days of the relevant NHMRC decision or action.

Each complaint is to be directed to the Complaints Team at: complaints@nhmrc.gov.au. NHMRC will provide a written response to all complaints. NHMRC will not review the merits of a funding decision, but it will investigate complaints about the administrative process followed to reach a funding decision. Refer to NHMRC’s Complaints Policy and the Commissioner of Complaints webpage for further information.

Applicants or grantees may complain to the Commonwealth Ombudsman if they do not agree with the way NHMRC has handled their complaint. The Ombudsman will not usually look into a complaint unless the matter has first been raised directly with NHMRC.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman can be contacted on:

Phone (Toll free): 1300 362 072Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.au Website: www.ombudsman.gov.au

13.2 Privacy: confidentiality and protection of personal informationNHMRC treats applicants’ personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles, and the Privacy Act 1988. The NHMRC Privacy Policy details the types of personal or sensitive information that may be collected by NHMRC and how it will be handled. Applicants should familiarise themselves with the NHMRC Privacy Policy before providing personal information to NHMRC.

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Information which may properly be regarded as confidential information is to be specifically identified as such by applicants and grantees and will be received by NHMRC on the basis of a mutual understanding of confidentiality.

NHMRC may reveal confidential information to:

the peer review committee and other Commonwealth employees and contractors to help NHMRC manage the grant scheme effectively

employees and contractors of NHMRC to research, assess, monitor and analyse schemes and activities

employees and contractors of other Commonwealth agencies for any purposes, including government administration, research or service delivery

other Commonwealth, State, Territory or local government agencies in reports and consultations

NHMRC approved Administering Institutions’ Research Administration Offices

the Auditor-General, Ombudsman or Privacy Commissioner

the responsible Minister or Parliamentary Secretary, and

a House or a Committee of the Australian Parliament.

13.3 Freedom of informationNHMRC as a Commonwealth agency is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and is committed to meeting the Australian Government’s transparency and accountability requirements. Freedom of Information laws facilitate the general public’s access to documents held by national government agencies, including application and funding documentation relating to NHMRC researchers. This right of access is limited where documents, or parts of documents, are exempt under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

Researchers should familiarise themselves with NHMRC’s Freedom of Information procedures before submitting an application. Further information on the Freedom of Information Act 1982, NHMRC’s Freedom of Information application process and relevant contacts can be found on the NHMRC website.

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14 GlossaryTerm Definition

assessment criteria The specified principles or standards against which applications will be judged. These criteria are used to assess the merits of proposals and, in the case of a competitive granting opportunity, to determine applicant rankings.

date of effect This will depend on the particular grant. It can be the date the schedule to a grant agreement is executed or the announcement of the grant, whichever is later.

eligibility criteria The principles, standards or rules that a grant applicant must meet to qualify for consideration of a grant.

Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017 (CGRGs)

The CGRGs establish the overarching Commonwealth grants policy framework and the expectations for all non-corporate Commonwealth entities in relation to grants administration.

final year The final 12 calendar months of a grant.

Funding Agreement For NHMRC MREA grants, the grant agreement is the NHMRC Funding Agreement and the Schedule to the Funding Agreement.

grant A grant is an arrangement for the provision of financial assistance by the Commonwealth or on behalf of the Commonwealth:

under which relevant money, or other consolidated revenue funds, is to be paid to a recipient other than the Commonwealth

which is intended to assist the recipient achieve its goals

which is intended to help address one or more of the Australian Government’s policy objectives

under which the recipient may be required to act in accordance with specified terms or conditions.

grant activity Is the project /tasks /services that the grantee is required to undertake with the grant money. It is described in the schedule to the NHMRC Funding Agreement.

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Term Definition

GrantConnect GrantConnect is the Australian Government’s whole-of-government grants information system, which centralises the publication and reporting of Commonwealth grants in accordance with the CGRGs. It is available at www.grants.gov.au.

Non-corporate Commonwealth entities must publish on GrantConnect to meet the grant publishing requirements under the CGRGs.

Where information is published in more than one location, and there are inconsistencies, GrantConnect is the authoritative, auditable information source.

grant opportunity A notice published on GrantConnect advertising the availability of Commonwealth grants.

grant program Is a group of one or more grant opportunities under a single entity Portfolio Budget Statement Program. This is referred to as a scheme in this document.

Grantee An individual/organisation that has been awarded a grant.

Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA)

The purpose of the MREA is to provide assistance to Federal and State Government Departments, institutions, universities and/or persons engaged in medical research.

NHMRC’s granting system NHMRC’s electronic grants management solution for grant application, assessment and administration.

Peer reviewers Individuals (peers) with appropriate knowledge and expertise who review grant applications.

Portfolio Budget Statement (PBS) Program

Described within the entity’s PBS, PBS programs each link to a single outcome and provide transparency for funding decisions. These high level PBS programs often comprise a number of lower level, more publicly recognised programs, some of which will be Grant Programs (schemes). A PBS Program may have more than one Grant Program (scheme) associated with it, and each of these may have one or more grant opportunities.

Probity Event Any event or occurrence which:

has a material adverse effect on the integrity, character or honesty of the Administering Institution, a Participating Institution or Personnel involved in a Research Activity; or

relates to the Administering Institution, a Participating Institution or Personnel involved in a Research Activity and has a material adverse effect on the public interest or public confidence in the Administering Institution, Participating Institution or Research Activity.

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Term Definition

Schedule The contract template used by NHMRC to form part of the Funding Agreement. The schedule sets out the research activity and is signed by NHMRC and the CIA’s Administering Institution.

value with money Value with money in this document refers to ‘value with relevant money’ which is a term used in the CGRGs and is a judgement that the grant proposal represents an efficient, effective, economical and ethical use of public resources, as determined from a variety of considerations.

When administering a grant opportunity, an official should consider the relevant financial and non-financial costs and benefits of each proposal including, but not limited to:

the quality of the project proposal and activities

fitness for purpose of the proposal in contributing to government objectives

that the absence of a grant is likely to prevent the grantee’s and government’s outcomes being achieved

the potential grantee’s relevant experience and performance history.

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Appendix A. NHMRC structural priorities and funding organisations

A1 NHMRC key structural priorities

Each year, NHMRC identifies key structural priorities for funding to help achieve its broader goals. NHMRC’s current key structural priorities are:

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health research and researchers

health services research, and

gender equality.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health research and researchers

NHMRC is committed to improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and encourages applications that address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Support for health and medical research and research translation is central to achieving improvements in this area. It is also important to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and recognise the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, and how this diversity relates to health issues in these communities.

As part of NHMRC’s stated commitment to advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research, NHMRC has established certain requirements and processes designed to ensure that research into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is of the highest scientific merit and is beneficial and acceptable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

Applicants proposing to undertake research that specifically relates to the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or which includes distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, biological samples or data, should be aware of, and must refer to, the following documents in formulating their proposal:

NHMRC Road Map 3: A Strategic Framework for Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health through Research

Values and Ethics: Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research, and

Keeping research on track: A guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples about health research ethics

Health Services Research

Increasing the number of health services research grants is a strategic priority. Of the total 1035 competitive grants awarded in 2018, only 7.3% of these grants were for Health Services Research, which is significantly lower than Basic Science at 46.9%, Clinical Medicine and Science at 29.0% and Public Health at 16.8%.

Gender Equality

Funding outcomes have highlighted the underrepresentation of female chief investigators across many of NHMRC’s funding schemes. This supports the need for a robust and sustainable approach to improving success rates for female researchers and to encourage more female researchers to apply to NHMRC funding schemes.

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Appendix B. National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers Category Descriptors

CategoryThe quality and likelihood of the National Network in successfully delivering on the outcomes and achieving the key objectives proposed (50%)

The necessary skills, expertise, networks and infrastructure available to the team to deliver on the outcomes and achieve the key objectives proposed (50%)

7 Outstanding The proposed National Network:

is highly relevant to the call

is without question, highly feasible and will successfully achieve the expected outcomes and key objectives of the call

has a model that is well-defined, highly coherent and efficient

has a near flawless implementation plan that also addresses the sustainability of the National Network beyond the funding period

has an outstanding governance model

will create a very high quality and well supported capacity and capability building system for researchers in the long term

will provide very innovative strategies in the building of a National Network that will likely be adopted by researchers in other fields

is highly comparable to some of the most effective National Networks internationally

is highly likely to have a significant positive impact on clinical medicine, public health or in health policy

will almost certainly result in highly influential publications and policy.

The applicant team:

has outstanding networks that will support the development of a sustainable National Network

has all the necessary skills and health expertise to build the capacity and capability of researchers at all levels

has an outstanding track record as researchers, clinicians and/or in policy making, in health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, to ensure the output of the National Network are translated into improvements in health

has very strong track record in governance of complex networks and organisations

6 Excellent The proposed National Network:

is very relevant to the call

is highly feasible and will successfully achieve the expected

The applicant team:

has excellent networks that will support the development of a sustainable National Network

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outcomes and key objectives of the call

has a model that is well-defined, coherent and efficient

has an excellent implementation plan that also addresses the sustainability of the National Network beyond the funding period

has a very well-developed governance model

will create a high quality and well supported capacity and capability building system for researchers in the long term

will provide some innovative strategies in the building of a National Network that will likely be adopted by researchers in other fields

is comparable to some of the most effective National Networks internationally

is likely to have a significant positive impact on clinical medicine, public health or in health policy

will result in highly influential publications and policy.

has most of the necessary skills and health expertise to build the capacity and capability of researchers at all levels

has an excellent track record as researchers, clinicians and/or in policy making, in health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, to ensure the output of the National Network are translated into improvements in health

has strong track record in governance of complex networks and organisations

5 Very Good The proposed National Network:

is relevant to the call

is feasible and will likely achieve most of the expected outcomes and key objectives of the call

has a model that is well-defined and coherent

has a very good implementation plan that also addresses the sustainability of the National Network beyond the funding period

has a good governance model

will likely create a well supported capacity and capability building system for researchers in the long term

may provide some innovative strategies in the building of a National Network that will likely be adopted by researchers in other fields

is comparable to some of the most effective National Networks

The applicant team:

has very good networks that will support the development of a sustainable National Network

has some of the necessary skills and health expertise to build the capacity and capability of researchers at all levels

has a very good track record as researchers, clinicians and/or in policy making, in health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, to ensure the output of the National Network are translated into improvements in health

has good track record in governance of complex networks and organisations

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nationally

will likely have some positive impact on clinical medicine, public health or in health policy

will result in influential publications and policy.

4 Good The proposed National Network:

is somewhat relevant to the call

raises some concerns regarding feasibility and likelihood to achieve the expected outcomes and key objectives of the call

has a model that is clearly outlined

has a good implementation plan but does not fully address the sustainability of the National Network beyond the funding period

has a governance model that has some concerns

will create a modest capacity and capability building system for researchers

may provide some innovative strategies in the building of a National Network

is comparable to some National Networks nationally

may have some positive impact on clinical medicine, public health or in health policy

may result in influential publications and policy.

The applicant team:

has good networks that will support the development of a National Network

has some of the necessary skills and health expertise to build the capacity and capability of researchers

has a good track record as researchers, clinicians and/or in policy making, in health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, to ensure the output of the National Network are translated into improvements in health

has modest track record in governance of complex networks and organisations

3 Marginal The proposed National Network:

is not particularly relevant to the call

raises several concerns regarding feasibility and likelihood to achieve the expected outcomes and key objectives of the call

has a model that is not clearly outlined

has an implementation plan with several concerns and does not address the sustainability of the National Network beyond the funding period

The applicant team:

has minimal networks that will support the development of a National Network

has significant gaps in the necessary skills and health expertise to build the capacity and capability of researchers

has a modest track record as researchers, clinicians and/or in policy making, in health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, to ensure the output of the National Network

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has a governance model that has many concerns

may create a modest capacity and capability building system for researchers

does not provide any innovative strategies in the building of a National Network

is not comparable to National Networks nationally

unlikely to have positive impact on clinical medicine, public health or in health policy

may result in publications

are translated into improvements in health

has poor track record in governance of complex networks and organisations

2 Unsatisfactory The proposed National Network:

is not particularly relevant to the call

raises major concerns regarding feasibility and likelihood to achieve the expected outcomes and key objectives of the call

has a model that is not clearly outlined

has a poorly outlined implementation plan with major concerns and does not address the sustainability of the National Network beyond the funding period

has a governance model that has many major concerns

will likely not create a capacity and capability building system for researchers

does not provide any innovative strategies in the building of a National Network

is poorly designed compared to most National Networks nationally

highly unlikely to have positive impact on clinical medicine, public health or in health policy

may result in publications

The applicant team:

has minimal networks that will support the development of a National Network

has significant gaps in the necessary skills and minimal health expertise to build the capacity and capability of researchers

has a poor track record as researchers, clinicians and/or in policy making, in health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, to ensure the output of the National Network are translated into improvements in health

has poor track record in governance of complex networks and organisations

1 Poor The proposed National Network: The applicant team:

has minimal networks that will support the development of a National

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is not relevant to the call

has a plan that does not appear to be feasible and will not achieve the expected outcomes and key objectives of the call

has a model that poorly designed

has a poorly outlined implementation plan with major concerns and does not address the sustainability of the National Network beyond the funding period

has a governance model that will likely not be functional

will not create a capacity and capability building system for researchers

does not provide any innovative strategies in the building of a National Network

is very poorly designed compared to most National Networks nationally

will not have a positive impact on clinical medicine, public health or in health policy

may result in publications

Network

has almost no necessary skills and minimal health expertise to build the capacity and capability of researchers

has a very poor track record as researchers, clinicians and/or in policy making, in health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, to ensure the output of the National Network are translated into improvements in health

has very poor track record in governance of complex networks and organisations

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Appendix C. NHMRC Relative to Opportunity policyPurposeThe purpose of this document is to outline NHMRC’s Relative to Opportunity Policy with respect to:

NHMRC peer review, and eligibility to apply for the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

researchers.

NHMRC’s objective is to support the best Australian health and medical research and the best researchers, at all career stages. NHMRC seeks to ensure that researchers with a variety of career experiences and those who have experienced pregnancy or a major illness/injury or have caring responsibilities, are not disadvantaged in applying for NHMRC grants.

Policy approachNHMRC considers Relative to Opportunity to mean that assessment processes should accurately assess an applicant’s track record and associated productivity relative to stage of career, including considering whether productivity and contribution are commensurate with the opportunities available to the applicant. It also means that applicants with career disruptions should not be disadvantaged (in terms of years since they received their PhD) when determining their eligibility for the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers and that their Career Disruptions should be considered when their applications are being peer reviewed.

In alignment with NHMRC’s Principles of Peer Review, particularly the principles of fairness and transparency, the following additional principles further support this objective:

Research opportunity: Researchers’ outputs and outcomes should reflect their opportunities to advance their career and the research they conduct.

Fair access: Researchers should have access to funding support available through NHMRC grant schemes consistent with their experience and career stage.

Career diversity: Researchers with career paths that include time spent outside of academia should not be disadvantaged. NHMRC recognises that time spent in sectors such as industry may enhance research outcomes for both individuals and teams.

The above principles frame NHMRC’s approach to the assessment of a researcher’s track record during expert review of grant applications and eligibility of applicants applying for the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers. NHMRC expects that those who provide expert assessment during peer review will give clear and explicit attention to these principles to identify the highest quality research and researchers to be funded. NHMRC recognises that life circumstances can be very varied and therefore it is not possible to implement a formulaic approach to applying Relative to Opportunity and Career Disruption considerations during peer review.

Relative to Opportunity considerations during peer review of applications for fundingDuring peer review of applications, circumstances considered under the Relative to Opportunity Policy are:

amount of time spent as an active researcher

available resources, including situations where research is being conducted in remote or isolated communities

TCR: National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Researchers Guidelines v Oct 2019 Page 32 of 52

building relationships of trust with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities over long periods that can impact on track record and productivity

clinical, administrative or teaching workload

relocation of an applicant and his/her research laboratory or clinical practice setting or other similar circumstances that impact on research productivity

for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants, community obligations including ‘sorry business’

the typical performance of researchers in the research field in question

research outputs and productivity noting time employed in other sectors; for example there might be a reduction in publications when employed in sectors such as industry

carer responsibilities (that do not come under the Career Disruption policy below).

Career Disruption considerations during peer review and eligibility to apply for the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchersA Career Disruption is defined as a prolonged interruption to an applicant’s capacity to work, due to:

pregnancy

major illness/injury

carer responsibilities.

The period of career disruption may be used:

to determine an applicant’s eligibility for a National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers

to allow for the inclusion of additional track record information for assessment of an application

for consideration by peer reviewers.

To be considered for the purposes of eligibility and peer review, a period of Career Disruption is defined as:

a continuous absence from work for 90 calendar days or more, and/or

continuous, long-term, part-time employment (with defined %FTE) due to circumstances classified as Career Disruption, with the absence amounting to a total of 90 calendar days or more.1

Career Disruption and eligibility to applyA Career Disruption can affect an applicant’s eligibility to apply for the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers. For such grants, the 10-year time limit on the number of years post-PhD may be extended commensurate with the period of the Career Disruption.

11 For example, an applicant who is employed at 0.8 FTE due to childcare responsibilities would need to continue this for at least 450 calendar days to achieve a Career Disruption of 90 calendar days.

TCR: National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Researchers Guidelines v Oct 2019 Page 33 of 52

Appendix D. National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers Guide to Applicants

1. Preparing an applicationThe following sections provide additional advice about parts of the application that are specific to the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers.

Applicants should refer to the RGMS User Guide - Introduction to RGMS for general instructions on how to apply for a grant in RGMS.

Scheme-specific policy and instructions for applying in RGMS (grey boxes) are provided in this Appendix. For further assistance during the application process, see section 7 “How to apply” in the grant guidelines.

Expression of Interest stage (2000 word limit)

Applicants must follow the requirements detailed in section 6 of this Appendix.

Applicants are encouraged to read and take into account the overall information provided in this Grant Guidelines document when preparing the EOI questions. Budget details are not required at the EOI stage.

Full application stage (12 page limit)

At the full application stage, successful EOI groups are required to collaborate as one team to submit a single joint proposal that follows the requirements defined in section 6 of this Appendix.

2. Application Requirements A complete EOI is comprised of:

Completed mandatory sections of My Profile and CV

Completed application form

Completed EOI

A complete full application is comprised of:

Completed mandatory sections of My Profile and CV

Completed application form

Grant Proposal and references as an attachment

Team capacity and capability as an attachment

Applications must comply with all rules and requirements as set out in the Guidelines. Failure to adhere to any of these requirements will result in non-acceptance or exclusion of your application (see section 4 Eligibility of the Guidelines).

3. Profile RequirementsWithin an applicant’s profile in RGMS, there is mandatory information that must be provided and/or updated prior to submitting an application (see section 7 How to Apply of the

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Guidelines). This information includes personal details, academic/research interests, and peer review information.

Mandatory Profile information is indicated by a red asterisk in RGMS. This requirement applies to all Chief Investigators named on the application. It is advisable to check that each of the CIs has completed and/or updated their profiles before an application is certified. Existing NHMRC grant holders cannot commence or be named on an application until all mandatory Profile fields are complete.

3.1 Pro-PD Personal DetailsProvide your most current details in this section. It is important that your title, names, phone and email details are up to date as these are the details on which NHMRC relies to contact you.

3.2 Pro-PN: Panel Nominations and InvitationsPlease indicate which, if any, schemes you have nominated or been invited to participate in as a potential peer reviewer.

3.3 Pro-PU: Peer Review UnavailabilityPeer Review is an integral part of NHMRC funding schemes. NHMRC grant recipients have obligations to contribute to the assessment of applications (as outlined in the NHMRC Funding Agreement). If you are not available to act as a peer reviewer, please provide a statement detailing your reasons, and the period for which you are unavailable. To maintain the list of available peer reviewers within RGMS, NHMRC requires that all applicants update their availability routinely. This will avoid unnecessary contact if you are unavailable.

3.4 Pro-A: AddressProvide details of the address you wish to use if NHMRC needs to contact you via the postal service. Home addresses are acceptable.

3.5 Pro-RE: Research InterestsSelect a Broad Research Area and 5-10 Research Keywords most applicable to your main area of research. In addition, provide 1-3 keywords to describe your core research methodologies or areas of methodological expertise (e.g. clinical trials, gene therapy, etc.). You may also provide further detail about your research interests or areas of expertise. This could include, but is not limited to, your research methodologies, student supervision and areas in which you have published (maximum of 2000 characters including spaces and line breaks).

Note: An opportunity is provided in the application to select research areas, fields of research and keywords that best describe your research proposal, as opposed to your personal research interests. The above information will not determine the peer reviewers selected for your application.

3.6 Pro-FR: Fields of ResearchYou can add as many Fields of Research as required. Indicate when you started your research in that field and whether the research is current or terminated. Individuals are encouraged to list all Fields of Research but highlight their main Field of Research as “current”.

4. CV RequirementsThe following sections provide advice about parts of the application that are specific to the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers. For the

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purposes of this grant opportunity, you are only required to complete the sections outlined below. Should you enter more information than is required, only the required information will be imported into your application.

It is important that relevant CV information for all CIs is up to date at the time of application submission, as it is used to contact applicants, imported into the application and used by peer reviewers. It may also be used for analyses of NHMRC’s funding profile and to capture grant outcomes. CV information can be updated at any time. However, any changes made to the CV profile for any CI after Chief Investigator A (CIA) certification will not appear in the submitted application.

Instructions for entering CV information in RGMS are provided in the RGMS User Guide - Introduction to RGMS

Note: You are required to list research outputs in relevant subsections of your CV profile. You are encouraged to link the entered research output to NHMRC Grant IDs, where applicable.

4.1 CV-QAP: Qualifications, Awards and Prizes

Click ‘New’ to enter each qualification, award and prize you have received. Select the appropriate type and enter additional details of your qualifications, awards and prizes. Click ‘Save’.

Your qualifications, awards and prizes will appear in reverse chronological order for assessors.

Generally, an award is recognition of an achievement with no associated remuneration whereas a prize is recognition of an achievement, with a form of remuneration.

Note: Paid fellowships or scholarships should appear in either CV-RF: NHMRC Research Funding or CV-ORF: Other Research Funding. Unpaid fellowships must be entered under this section as an Award.

4.2 CV-EH: Employment History

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry for each employment position. Fill out the relevant details about the employer, job title, employment type and the start and end date (if applicable). Part-time positions should also be included. Your entries will be listed in reverse chronological order.

4.3 CV-A: Appointments

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry for any current and/or previous appointments. Include any honorary appointments, government appointments, boards, committees, university, institute and professional responsibilities. Do not include employment in this section.

4.4 CV-CD: Career Disruption NHMRC is committed to ensuring that every applicant is treated fairly, and this means that it recognises some applicants will have had career disruptions that should be considered when evaluating their track record and eligibility. If applicable, applicants should use this opportunity to declare any career disruptions that may be relevant to their career history. This will ensure that applications are assessed objectively, and with all relevant factors taken into account.

The period of career disruption may be used to determine an applicant’s eligibility for a grant opportunity or to allow additional track record information to be considered during assessment.

Career Disruption

A career disruption is defined as a prolonged interruption to an applicant’s capacity to work due to pregnancy, major illness/injury and/or carer responsibilities. For guidance on what constitutes a career disruption and how it is considered, refer to Appendix C.

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To enter a Career Disruption, select the ‘New’ button. Enter the ‘Start date’ and ‘End date’ and RGMS will automatically calculate the number of days. Select a ‘Reason’ from the drop down menu. Enter the percentage (%) full-time equivalent (FTE) of the Career Disruption.

Career disruption claims will not be considered for applications that fail to comply with the following requirements.

Impact

Applicants are required to provide a brief explanation of the impact the career disruption(s) has had on their research, research achievements and associated productivity relative to their career stage. Applicants should not describe the nature of the career disruption in this field. Note that the information in this field will be provided to peer reviewers (maximum of 2000 characters including spaces and line breaks).

Additional Publication Outputs

Provide details of publications only that you would like to claim in relation to this Career Disruption (maximum of 2000 characters including spaces and line breaks).

Confirm, by selecting ‘Yes’, that you hold evidence to support this Career Disruption and are able to provide it to NHMRC if requested.

Dates

Applicants are required to nominate the periods when they have had a disruption (approximate dates).

4.5 CV-RO: Relative to OpportunityIf applicable, the applicant should use this opportunity to provide details of any relative to opportunity considerations and the effect they have had on their research and research achievements (see Appendix C).

Circumstance

Provide a brief explanation of the type of relative to opportunity circumstance (maximum of 200 characters including spaces and line breaks).

Impact

Provide a brief explanation on the impact this has had on your research and research achievements and associated productivity relative to stage of career (maximum of 1500 characters including spaces and line breaks).

Date

You are required to nominate the periods where you have had a relative to opportunity circumstance (approximate dates). Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order.

4.6 CV-PM: Professional Memberships

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry for any current or previous professional memberships and/or registrations you hold. You will need to provide the organisation name and the start and end dates of the membership. Tick the box to indicate if the membership is current.

4.7 CV-CP: Conference Participation

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry for any conference you have participated in. You should provide details such as conference title, country, your role at the conference and the year the conference took place. Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order. Do not have multiple entries for the same conference presentation, e.g. a Plenary or Keynote Speaker presentation should not be listed again as an Invited Speaker presentation. Keynote Speaker

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and Plenary Speaker are interchangeable terms and refer to stand-alone presentations by a single featured speaker.

Note: Do not provide the conference abstract in this section as this information is not required. Information entered in the Summary field will not be made available to assessors and will not be taken into consideration for this scheme.

4.8 CV-CE: Community Engagement and Participation

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry for any community engagement that you have been involved in.

You may wish to consult the Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research which has been developed to recognise the contribution that consumers can make to health and medical research and their right to do so. The Statement is available on the NHMRC website.

4.9 CV-P: Patents

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry for any patents for which you contributed more than 20% of the development effort. Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order. You will need to create separate entries for each patent.

General

Provide details of the patent number and select the country awarding the patent from the Patent Office drop down list. You will need to select the year in which the patent started, and indicate the patent’s current status. You should provide details of the named inventors of the patent in the free text box.

Funding Source for Research

In the provided tick boxes, indicate if the funding source was NHMRC, other Australian agency or international source.

Detail

Provide a brief description of the patent, i.e. the technology (maximum of 500 characters including spaces and line breaks).

Also provide details on the applicability and/or the impact of the patent (maximum of 500 characters including spaces and line breaks).

4.10 CV-TPP: Translation into Policy/Practice

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry for any activities which have resulted in research translation.

Provide details of any of your research that has resulted in changes to organisational or government policy, health care system, delivery of health care, treatments or interventions in diseases and conditions, and professional development for health practitioners. In addition to the impact on health policy, you may also include, if applicable, the wider impact that your research has had on policy and practices that affect society and the economy. Entries will always be listed in reverse chronological order.

General

Provide a relevant short name for the impact of your research on policy or practice (50 characters). Select from the drop down list the type of impact on policy or practice.

Your Research

You should provide a brief description of your research that led to this impact on policy or practice and the resulting outcomes (Maximum of 1500 characters including spaces and line breaks).

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From the two drop down lists indicate the year of the research results and your role.

Funding Source for Research

Select from the tick boxes if the research was funded by NHMRC, other Australian agency or an international source.

Details of Research Impact

Provide details of the organisation, government department etc. that benefited from the research (Maximum 200 characters including spaces and line breaks).

From the drop down lists select the geographical extent of this impact on policy or practice.

Indicate the year the change was translated/implemented and provide details of the changes which resulted (Maximum of 1500 characters including spaces and line breaks).

Note: For schemes that limit the information presented to assessors (e.g. “last five years”) the time period will be based on the date of translation (year of change), NOT the date of the original research.

You will need to create a new page for each impact.

4.11 CV-CN: Contribution to NHMRC

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry to specify the below:

The number of times in each indicated year that you have participated in a NHMRC Peer Review Panel

The number of times in each indicated year that you have participated in a NHMRC Grant Advisory Group, Assigners Academy or other listed activity

The number of external assessments that you have provided to NHMRC in any of the last 5 years. Please also provide details of your role and the year of participation.

You will need to create a new page for each contribution.

4.12 CV-ER: Editorial Responsibilities

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry of your journal and editorial peer review involvement. Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order.

4.13 CV-SM: Supervision and Mentoring

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry to provide details of how many students you have mentored or supervised.

Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order. You will need to create a new page for further entries.

4.14 CV-RF: NHMRC Research Funding

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry of any previous and/or current NHMRC funding, including offers received for future funding. Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order.

NHMRC grants previously awarded to you are automatically pre-populated. However, you should verify this information and notify NHMRC if there are any discrepancies.

Provide sufficient details to make clear what the funding was intended for, what you achieved and your role within these grants. You should ensure that your role is clearly defined on each grant, so that reviewers can readily identify your contribution to the grant.

This section is for eligibility purposes and will not be taken into account by peer reviewers while assessing applications.

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4.15 CV-ORF: Other Research Funding

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry of any previous and/or current funding from sources other than NHMRC, including offers received for future funding. Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order. Provide as many details as you can in the spaces provided.

Provide sufficient details to make clear what the funding was intended for, what you achieved and your role within these grants.

You should ensure that your role is clearly defined on each grant, so that reviewers can readily identify your contribution to the grant.

This section is for eligibility purposes and will not be taken into account by peer reviewers while assessing applications.

4.16 CV-Pub: PublicationsPublication information can be uploaded using a tab delimited file using Microsoft Excel® or by exporting your EndNote® Library as an .xml file. Further details on how to upload publications are provided in the RGMS User Guide - Introduction to RGMS and on the CV-PU: Publication Uploads page in RGMS.

NHMRC accepts nine types of publication: Journal Articles (Original Research), Journal Articles (Review), Books/Chapters, Research Report – commissioned by Government, industry or other, Technical Report, Text Book, Accepted for Publication, Editorials and Letters to the Editor.

Your publications will be grouped together by the type of publication. They will also automatically be given an RGMS Identification Number (ID). DO NOT use the RGMS ID number or RGMS sequence number created in the ‘Snapshot Reports’ to refer to specific publications in other sections of your application.

4.17 CV-W: Workload When filling out your workload as part of the CV section in RGMS, bear in mind that this is your current workload and does not include any intended changes in your division of hours/week, should your grant application be successful.

Provide your hours per week for your Teaching Load, Clinical Load, NHMRC Research Load, Other Research Load and any Administrative Responsibilities you may have currently.

4.18 CV-TPCO: Therapeutic Products and Commercial Outcomes

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry to provide details of any therapeutic products or commercial outcomes for which you contributed significantly to the development effort. Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order. You will need to create a new page for each product or commercial outcome.

4.19 CV-RD: Research Data

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry to provide details of research datasets that you have collected or created for your research. Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order. You will need to create a new page for each dataset.

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4.20 CV-RT: Research Tools

Click ‘New’ to start a new entry to provide details of any research tools (e.g. new or improved techniques, instruments, procedures) for which you contributed significantly to the development effort. Entries will be listed in reverse chronological order. You will need to create a new page for each research tool.

5. Part A: Application form requirements The following sections of the application form are specific to the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers and must be completed as part of your application. Step-by-step instructions for entering application details in RGMS are provided in the RGMS User Guide - Introduction to RGMS and in the RGMS User Guide – Applying for grants.

5.1 Creating an application

Click ‘New Application’ from the Applications tab of the main menu.

Initiative

Select National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers as the initiative.

Round

Select the funding round. For example, 2019 XXXX funding commencing in 2020.

Application Identification Number (RGMS ID)

Each application will have its own unique Application Identification Number (Application ID), which is generated by RGMS. Please use this Application ID number (e.g. APP#######) to identify your application when referring to it in any correspondence.

Administering Institution

Select your Administering Institution by clicking the ‘Browse’ ( ) icon. There can be only one Administering Institution for each application. You must ensure that the institution you choose as your Administering Institution is the correct institution for your application. If in doubt, contact the RAO at your proposed Administering Institution.

Application Title

The application title will be used to identify the application at all times during the assessment process and should accurately describe the nature of the research proposal (maximum of 250 characters including spaces and line breaks).

Note: This information will be used for reporting purposes. It is important that spelling is correct and that any acronyms are spelled out in full.

Grant Duration

Select the requested duration of your grant with reference to any limits specified in the Guidelines.

RAO edit access

If you wish to allow your Administering Institution’s Research Administration Officer (RAO) to have edit rights to your application, you should select ‘Yes’. NHMRC provides this functionality to support researchers and RAOs in managing the application process. NHMRC does not accept any responsibility for errors or omissions arising from the use of the RAO edit function and strongly recommends that RAOs, CIAs and Administering Institution(s) discuss the management of RAO edit access before selecting this function.

Click ‘Save and Return’.

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5.2 General Properties

This screen will be pre-populated from your selections in the ‘Create Application’ page:

Application ID Initiative Round Administering Institution Application Title Grant Duration Status

Mark for Deletion

Selecting the 'Yes' option will authorise NHMRC to delete this application. After clicking 'Save' the application will no longer be available for viewing or editing.

Aboriginal / Torres Strait Islander Health Research

This question enables you to identify research that specifically investigates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues. You should select ‘YES” for this application.

Synopsis

The synopsis should accurately, and briefly, summarise the research proposal. This information may be used to assign applications to panels and peer reviewers. It may also be considered in the peer review process (maximum of 2000 character limit including spaces and line breaks).

Plain English Summary

Describe the overall aims of the research and expected outcomes in simple terms that could be understood by the general public. Avoid the use of highly technical terms. This information may be used in grant announcements, media releases and other public documents, and by funding partners (where applicable) to determine whether the research proposal meets their priorities for funding (maximum of 500 character limit including spaces and line breaks).

Privacy Notice

Please ensure that you have carefully read and understood the NHMRC Privacy Policy, prior to completing the application. If you have not understood the Privacy Policy or require further clarification, please contact the NHMRC Privacy Contact Officer (NHMRC, GPO Box 1421, Canberra ACT 2601).

Consent to provide information to International Assessors

Under amendments to the Privacy Act 1988 that took effect in March 2014, NHMRC requires your consent to send your personal information overseas, for the purposes of peer review of applications.

5.3 A-P inst: Institutions - ParticipatingIn some cases, the institution that will administer your application may differ from the institution in which you will actually conduct the proposed research. For example, many universities administer research which will be conducted in an affiliated teaching hospital. This information is required by NHMRC to enable peer reviewers to identify potential institutional conflicts with your application.

Research Effort (%)

If the research will be conducted at more than one institution, enter the Research Effort percentage (%) allocated to each participating institution and department. The percentages (%) entered must total 100% (Maximum of 100 characters including spaces and line breaks).

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Institution

In this section you will need to list the Participating Institution and department where the proposed research will be conducted.

Complete this page for each institution if there is more than one. If the participating institution does not appear in the list please email the institution name to the RHC (help@nhmrc.gov.au).

5.4 A-RC: Research ClassificationThe details entered in this section will be used in the peer review process to assist with the allocation of your application to the most relevant peer review panel and to aid the selection of appropriate peer reviewers for your application. It may also be used for analyses of NHMRC’s Funding Profile.

You must make the selections that best describe your research proposal against each of the following fields:

Guide to Peer Review Areas

Three nominations are required and should be listed in order of relevance to the research proposal. You should also refer to the Australian Standard Research Classifications and NHMRC Research Keywords and Phrases.

Note: the same Peer-Review Area can be nominated three times, if appropriate.

Broad Research Area Field of Research Field of Research Subcategory Research Keywords/Phrases

5.5 A-RT: Research Team At the EOI stage, a team can have 10 (ten) Chief Investigators (CIs) with unlimited number of Associate Investigators (AIs).

At the single application stage, there are no number limits on the CIs and AIs.

In both stages, a minimum 50% of CIs must be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

For further information of the eligibility requirements for CIs and AIs, please refer to section 4 Eligibility of the Grant Guidelines.

CIs and AIs are not limited to health and medical researchers but may include Elders, community members, representatives from Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations, and other persons who are able to contribute meaningfully to the National Network.

List all members of research team including CIs, AIs, Professional Research Personnel and Technical Support Staff. Complete a separate entry for each member of the team by selecting ‘New’.

Researcher Details [Chief Investigators, Associate Investigators]

Position title [Chief Investigators, Associate Investigators]

This field is optional; you can use titles to identify specific PRP or TSS roles.

Person [Chief Investigators, Associate Investigators]

All CIs must have an active RGMS account in order to be listed as part of the CI team. Use the browse function to search active RGMS account holders for your team member.

CIs that cannot be located using the browse function will need to obtain an RGMS account.

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If the candidate is an AI and cannot be located using the browse function, then you may enter their details manually in the fields provided.

Role [Chief Investigators only]

Select CIB-CIJ from the drop down box.

Australian Based [Chief Investigators only]

Indicate whether the Chief Investigator will be based in Australia for the duration of the grant.

Qualifications and Skills [Chief Investigators only]

Outline the qualifications and skills relevant to the grant proposal for each Chief Investigator.

Professional Research Person

Position Title

This may be used for identifying a specific PRP or TSS role – i.e. Registered Nurse, Animal Handler etc.

Technical Support Staff

Position Title

This may be used for identifying a specific PRP or TSS role – i.e. Registered Nurse, Animal Handler etc.

[add further scheme specific information and options as required, e.g. cancel nomination, swap CI, Track Record]

5.6 A-RT: Research Team – Proposed SalarySalary contributions for research staff (CIs, Professional Research Personnel and Technical Support Staff) are provided as Personnel Support Packages (PSPs). The level of PSP requested in an application must match the roles and responsibilities of the position in the proposed research and the percentage of the PSP requested must reflect the required time commitment. Applicants must fully justify all requests for PSPs.

Further information about PSPs, including the levels, is available on the NHMRC website.

This section only needs to be completed if you are seeking salary for a particular position.

Once you have created an entry for a team member, hover over the properties tab at the top of the screen and select ‘A-RT: Proposed Salary’ from the drop down menu.

Salary

[Chief Investigators only]

For each CI listed you must nominate the requested Personnel Support Package (PSP) level and percentage (%) required for each year of funding.

Note: If you (or CIs on your team) are applying for salaries across multiple schemes which would ultimately exceed 100 percent (%) if awarded, you will need to identify in each application which salary support position you/they will retain if all applications are successful, in the ‘Qualifications and Skills free text field’. Refer to section 5 of the Guidelines for further details.

[For all members of the Research Team]

Level – indicate the PSP level for the candidate based on the level of work to be undertaken by the team member.

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Year % - Indicate the % of a full PSP package the candidate is to be paid for each year of the grant (in whole numbers only). Applicants must apply for the exact proportion of a PSP that is required for the research being proposed.

Reason

Provide detailed justification for the salary that is being requested for the candidate. The PSP level and the percentage of salary should both be well justified.

Note: When awarding a budget, the panel will consider whether the PSPs requested are fully justified and reasonable given the time commitment indicated for this application.

5.7 A-EG: Ethics GeneralIf you answer “Yes” to any of the questions, you will need to obtain ethics approvals and supply evidence of these to your research office in the event your application is funded. For further information, see Ethics and Integrity on the NHMRC website.

6. Part B: Application Form Requirements 6.1 B-GP: Grant Proposal

Applicants must not include in any part of their application:

• links to external websites, apart from references to journal articles, guidelines, government reports, datasets and other outputs that are only available online; where links are included, provide the URL in full (e.g. the NHMRC website https://www.nhmrc.gov.au)

• publication metrics such as Journal Impact Factors, consistent with the recommendations from the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment.

The grant proposal must be written in English and submitted in a Portable Document Format (PDF) file, using NHMRC’s Grant Proposal template, which will be available on GrantConnect. Applicants must use this template. The grant proposal must be uploaded into RGMS.

Grant Proposal (Upload)

To upload your Grant Proposal PDF, select the document from the location that it has been saved to by double clicking on it. The name will be displayed in the ‘Choose File’ field. Click ‘Save’ or ‘Save and return’ to upload the document.

To ensure that the document is displaying properly, applicants should open a copy of the uploaded document by selecting the open icon to the right of the document name after the document has been saved in RGMS.

Naming and formatting requirements for the grant proposal are listed in Table 1. Applications that fail to comply with these requirements may be excluded from consideration.

Details to be addressed in the grant proposal and associated page limits are set out in Table 2.

Table 1: Formatting Requirements

Component Component Requirements

File format The grant proposal must be saved and uploaded as a PDF file

File size The PDF file MUST NOT exceed 2MB in size

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File name The PDF file must be named using the following:

APP ID_Applicant’s Surname_Document Type/Name.pdf E.g.: APP1234567_Smith_Grant Proposal.pdf

Page size A4Header Application ID and Applicant surname must be included in the

headerFooter Page number must be included in the footer

Font NHMRC recommends a minimum of 12 point Times New Roman font. Applicants must ensure the font is readable.

Line spacing SingleLanguage English

Table 2: Grant Proposal Components - Expression of Interest stage

The EOI is limited to 2000 words, and must address the following components:

Component Item

Attributes of the Network

Vision and leadership

Provide a vision for an Indigenous-led the National Network

Describe the governance arrangements for the National Network.

Capacity building and research translation

Describe the ways in which the capacity and capability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers will be built and strengthened, including increased competitiveness for grant funding

Describe how the National Network will build culturally secure environment to support Indigenous researchers in their work

Describe the impact the National Network will have on researchers, policy and practice.

Community engagement

Provide a plan for the ways in which the National Network will engage with communities,

Describe how the National Network will value Indigenous knowledges and create excellence within that framework

Sustainability

Describe how the National Network will remain sustainable for the longer term beyond the current funding

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Any letters of support from experts, community leaders, professional and community organisations and groups in relation to the submitted EOI must be emailed separately to nationalnetwork@nhmrc.gov.au with the following details:

- Application Identification Number (RGMS ID)- Application Title- Round name- CIA name.

- Full application stage

The following are the components of the full application:

Component Page Limit

Joint Proposal 12 pages

References 2 pages

Team capacity and capability 10 pages

A brief description of each component is provided below.

Joint proposal – 12 pages

Component Item

Aims Describe the specific aims of your proposed National Network

Background Discuss your approach and design for the National Network

Attributes of the Network

Vision and leadership

Provide a vision for an Indigenous-led the National Network

Describe the governance arrangements for the National Network.

Capacity building and research translation

Describe the ways in which the capacity and capability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers will be built and strengthened, including increased competitiveness for grant funding

Describe how the National Network will build culturally secure environment to support Indigenous researchers in their work

Describe the impact the National Network will have on researchers, policy and practice.

Community engagement

Provide a plan for the ways in which the National Network will engage with communities,

Describe how the National Network will value

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Indigenous knowledges and create excellence within that framework

Sustainability

Describe how the National Network will remain sustainable for the longer term beyond the current funding

Timeline, milestones and key performance indicators

Provide a detailed timeline for the expected outcomes of the National Network along with justification for the duration requested. Key performance indicators must also be provided.

Risks and sensitivities Describe the any risks and sensitivities that may be associated with the proposed National Network and the strategies for managing them. Include details of how Associate Investigators (AIs) may help to mitigate or control risks and/or sensitivities.

Outcomes and Significance

Describe the planned outcome and the potential significance of the National Network.

References cited in this document are to be listed in the separate References section.

References – 2 pages

References for the Research Proposal must:

not exceed 2 pages provide a list of all references cited in the application in an appropriate standard journal

format (NHMRC prefers the Author-date (also known as the Harvard System), Documentary-note and the Vancouver Systems)

list authors in the order in which they appear in PubMed only include references to cited work must be written in English.

Team capacity and capability – 10 Pages

Describe how the team members will contribute to the objectives of and deliver on the outcomes of the National Network. The descriptions may (but is not limited to) the skills, expertise, networks, resources, influence and the infrastructure that the team brings to the National Network. The track record of the team should also be discussed to show previous achievements that will have direct relevance to the benefit of the National Network.

Any letters of support from experts, community leaders, professional and community organisations and groups in relation to the full application are not included in the page limit and must be emailed separately to nationalnetwork@nhmrc.gov.au with the following details:

- Application Identification Number (RGMS ID)- Application Title- Round name- CIA name.

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6.2 B-PB: Proposed Budget - DRC and Equipment Details on permitted uses of NHMRC funds and setting of budgets can be found in the Direct Research Costs Guidelines on the NHMRC website.

Provide details on:

• the item type (Direct Research Costs or Equipment Costs)

• the name/description of the item

• the total value of the item requested for each year

• a justification for the particular item requested.

This information must be aligned with the proposed aims of the study, be detailed on a yearly basis and be fully justified (including, in the case of equipment, why the equipment cannot be provided by the Institution).

Note:

• NHMRC funds the direct costs of research based on advice from peer review. Applicants should provide detailed justification of budgets requested. Poorly justified budgets run the risk of having their budget adjusted.

• Funding cannot be used for infrastructure.

• There is no provision to increase funds for any reason.

Equipment

Applicants can request funding to pay for equipment costing over $10,000 that is essential to the research. The total equipment requested cannot exceed $80,000. Individual items of equipment costing less than $10,000 must be requested within DRCs.

Applicants must clearly outline the total value of all items of equipment for each year, why the equipment is required for the proposed research and why the equipment cannot be provided by the institution.

For each item of equipment requested, a written quotation must be received and held with the RAO of the Administering Institution, and be made available to NHMRC on request. The Administering Institution must be prepared to meet all service and repair costs in relation to equipment funded.

Funds will not be provided for the purchase of computers except where these are an integral component of a piece of laboratory equipment or are of a nature essential for work in the research field, for example, a computer which is dedicated to data collection from a mass spectrometer, or used for the manipulation of extensively large datasets (i.e. requiring special hardware).

Entering DRC and Equipment Costs

You will need to create a separate entry for each cost.

Click ‘New’ to enter a cost.

General

For ‘Item Type’, select ‘Direct Research Cost’ or ‘Equipment’ from the drop down box.

Once you press ‘Save’ additional fields will become available.

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Item – include a brief name/description of the item (50 character limit including spaces and line breaks).

Budget Data

Outline the cost of the item required for each year of the grant proposal. Only the relevant years should be completed.

Justification

Provide a comprehensive justification for the cost here (500 character limit including spaces and line breaks).

6.3 B-PBRF: Proposed Budget – Research Facilities Applicants often need to receive services from research facilities to undertake their research.

Such facilities include but are not limited to: biospecimens and associated data from biobanks or pathology services, non-human primate colonies, the Australian Twin Registry, Cell Bank Australia, and the Trans-Tasman Radio Oncology Group and other organisations that provide clinical trials services.

Applicants will need to consult with research facilities to ensure that the services they require can be provided and that the charges included in the budget are accurately reflected (Part B-PB Proposed Budget – DRC and Equipment). Letters from research facilities confirming their collaboration must be submitted with the application.

Indicate in the drop down list whether you will be using services provided by a research facility to complete your research.

If you select ‘yes’, then upload your letter(s) from the research facility confirming their collaboration.

To upload the documents, select the document from the location that it has been saved to by double clicking on it. The name will be displayed in the ‘Choose File’ field. Click ‘Save’ or ‘Save and return’ to upload the document.

To ensure that the document is displaying properly, applicants should open a copy of the uploaded document by selecting the open icon to the right of the document’s name after the document has been saved in RGMS.

7. Certifying your applicationOnce all Profile and CV details, application form details and supporting documents have been entered/uploaded, the application can be certified and submitted in RGMS. Certification is required of both the CIA and Administering Institution. Refer to section 7.7 Certification and Submission of the Guidelines for further details.

Before completing these steps:

Review the application to ensure it is accurate and complete and meets all

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eligibility/application requirements. The following tools are available to assist applicants in checking their applications:

o An indicative eligibility checklist is provided in RGMS. This tool should not be solely relied upon to confirm eligibility prior to submitting an application. Applicants retain responsibility for confirming that their application satisfies the stated eligibility requirements.

o For funding schemes where the applicant has nominated a research budget, the summary tab automatically generates a summary of the requested budget from the relevant sections (see the RGMS User Guide - Applying for Grants).

o A checklist for applicants applying for NHMRC funding is provided at section 9 of this Appendix of this document.

o Ensure you have read and understood the assurances, acknowledgements and undertakings required of CIAs and Administering Institutions as part of this step. These are outlined in section 7.7: Certification and Submission of the National Network for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers Guidelines.

o Note that certification will lock down the application and prevent further editing. The final snapshot produced at this time will include relevant information from your Profile and CV, any subsequent changes to these areas of RGMS will not appear on the application. If changes are needed after CIA certification but before submission to NHMRC, your RAO will need to reject the application in order for you to make the changes.

Instructions for certifying and submitting an application in RGMS are provided in the Applying for Grants user guide available on the RGMS Training Program webpage.

Once submitted to NHMRC, your application will be considered final and no changes can be made unless the application is withdrawn for amendment prior to the closing date.

8. Checklist for applicants Before creating an application:

Ensure RGMS Accounts for all CIs are active and mandatory profile fields are complete.

Familiarise yourself with the Guidelines and RGMS User Guide - Introduction to RGMS and the RGMS User Guide – Applying for grants.

Check application lodgement close date and time.

Update your RGMS Profile and CV in accordance with requirements set out in this document.

Read the relevant ethical guidelines/associated documentation if ethics approval is required for the proposed application.

Inform your RAO of your intention to submit an application.

Be aware of any Administering Institution internal deadlines and requirements for submission.

During the creation of an application:

Check eligibility requirements.

Complete all parts of the application.

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Create and upload your Grant Proposal.

Identify any relative to opportunity considerations, including career disruptions, where applicable, within your application.

Consider any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander requirements your application may have, including addressing any additional selection criteria.

Make sure all required attachments are uploaded, including academic transcript, supervisor’s referee report and supervisor’s CV, if appropriate.

Before submitting an application:

Read and understand the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 . Submission of an application indicates that the Administering Institution and research team understand and will comply with all obligations set out in the Code.

Check your compliance with formatting and page requirements.

Ensure any Approvals or licences are acquired or applied for.

Check all information is correct and complete.

Familiarise yourself with your obligations should you be successful.

Certify the application and ensure RAO certification and submission occurs before the close date and time.

Remember, your RAO is your primary contact for advice and assistance. RAOs will contact the Research Help Centre for further advice if required.

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