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PROGRAM OVERVIEWThere is an increasing need for organisations to ensure that their programs and practices are informed by and grounded in relevant, up-to-date research and evidence.

The Melbourne Disability Institute’s Community-Based Research Scheme aims to meet the research needs of community organisations by providing research support and evaluation for strength-based and innovative programs that are making a difference in the lives of people with disability, their families and carers.

We encourage people with a disability to help identify organisations who they think are providing valuable support and services, and to pass on the opportunity for them to apply.

Research support provided through the Scheme may include a scoping report, literature review, data analysis or a small research project. Research can lead to outcomes such as improved service delivery, the development of new services, improved ability to advocate effectively or improved capacity to undertake future research projects.

The program is targeted at small to medium-sized community organisations that currently have limited capacity to conduct research.

CONTEXTCommunity-based organisations are at the forefront of delivering innovative programs services and support that provide opportunities for people with disability to lead engaged, self-directed and fulfilling lives. These programs often have anecdotal evidence of local demand and positive outcomes but sometimes lack documentation of impact to support their continuation or expansion.

The Community-Based Research Scheme aims to collect and share evidence about how program or services are having a positive impact on people with disability, their families and carers.

Research and evaluations can be powerful tools in understanding the context and effectiveness of innovative programs for people with disability. This information can be useful beyond the project itself to guide program development across the sector and provide useful evidence to help people with disability decide which programs might suit them.

SUPPORT

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Each community organisation will be matched with a researcher from the University of Melbourne with relevant expertise. The Melbourne Disability Institute and the researcher will work hand-in-hand with the community organisation to help design a feasible project and to deliver the following activities:

An initial workshop or meeting to understand the program and its context

A review of relevant academic literature to help frame the research and provide an overview of current knowledge

A customised research plan (including Ethics applications)

A collection of data through surveys or interviews

A meeting to discuss findings and what they mean for the organisation

A plain language report and a visual summary (infographic), where applicable

An end of year presentation

Additional support will be provided by the Melbourne Disability Institute to assist throughout the project and disseminate research findings.

The purpose of Community-Based Research Scheme is to support research and evaluation of innovative ideas that build social capital; to share practices; and to replicate or scale up ideas. It is not to evaluate a core business or service.

ELIGIBILITYWe are inviting applications from organisations who are providing support or services for people with disability, their family or carers, to live engaged, self-directed and fulfilling lives.

We value the voice of people with a disability, and it is essential that they are involved in the research process.

To be eligible for the MDI Community-Based Research Scheme your organisation must:

Provide support or services to people with a disability, their family or carers.

Be of small to medium size (less than 200 employees)

Have limited capacity to conduct research Be based in Victoria, or the program must

be based in Victoria Include a statement how people with a

disability, their family or carers are involved in your organisation, and how they will be involved in the research project.

Innovative programs that fall outside these criteria may be considered. But you will need to demonstrate how this research will assist and why it cannot be funded in any other way. Please contact the Program Manager to discuss prior to submission.

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SELECTION CRITERIAApplications must show how:

The program or service aims to build the capacity of people with disability, their family or carers to live engaged, self-directed and fulfilling lives.

People with disability will be involved in assessing the impact and value of the program or service.

The research question or questions have been chosen or informed by people with a disability, their families or carers.

People with disability and their families and carers will be involved throughout the research project.

The research will lead to knowledge that can be used by the community organisation as well as other organisations to benefit people with disability.

Selected programs will receive in person support through Melbourne Disability Institute, and funding for University of Melbourne researchers to design and conduct an evaluation of the program.

AWARD AND USE OF FUNDING Research should be completed within 12

months, in consultation with UoM researchers.

Funding will be provided directly to researchers involved in the project.

A small amount of funds may be requested by the organisation to assist with costs directly related to the project, such as extra staff costs or travel.

Grants will be awarded for new research only and not for deficit financing of existing research.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTSSuccessful applicants will work together with the researcher and the Melbourne Disability Institute to produce a report and visual summary that and outlines findings and key

learnings. The purpose of this Scheme is to produce research for ‘public good’ so all successful applicants must agree to the open and accessible publishing of any shareable findings. All Community-Based Research Scheme recipients will be given an opportunity to share their project and their learnings with the broader disability community in our yearly online Showcase.

Researchers interested in translating findings for academic publication must do so in conjuction with the community-based organisation.

HOW DO I APPLY? Key Dates

Applications open: Monday 12th July Applications close: Thursday 12th August Notification of outcomes: Thursday 9th Sept

Application

We recommend calling or emailing Campbell Message, Program Manager to discuss your idea and make sure it meets the scheme’s objectives before submitting an application.

Download the application form at disability.unimelb.edu.au/home/funding/community-based-research and submit to campbell.message@unimelb.edu.au

Applications close at 5pm on Thursday 12th August.

Assessment

Each application will be assessed against the Eligibility and Selection Criteria outlined above.

Contact

If you have any questions about the program or the application process, please contact:

Campbell MessageProgram ManagerMelbourne Disability Institutee. Campbell.message@unimelb.edu.au p. +61 3 9035 7775

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