FLINDERS UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH GRANTS SCHEME (FCRGS) GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS These Guidelines outline the purpose and criteria for funding of collaborative research projects between academic staff at Flinders University and partner organisation(s). 1. Purpose of the Scheme The purpose of this scheme is to provide seed funding for collaborative research projects between academic staff at Flinders University and partner organisation(s) that will result in applications for further grant funds, in particular applications for funding pursuant to the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Projects scheme or the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnerships for Better Health Partnership Projects initiative. 2. Funding Funding of up to $25,000 may be provided by Flinders University for a project provided an equivalent or greater cash contribution is committed by the partner organisation(s). 3. Budget Budget items which directly support the project and may be funded are: 3.1 salaries of personnel; 3.2 student stipends; 3.3 equipment; 3.4 maintenance; 3.5 travel and accommodation costs. Budget items which will not be supported are: 3.6 salaries and/or on-costs of Chief Investigators. 4. Project Duration A project will normally be 12 months in duration. Projects are expected to commence by no later than the 1 st of September of the year for which funding is awarded. 5. Eligibility 5.1 Flinders University staff Applicants must be either: 5.1.1 academic staff members at Flinders University, who have a permanent or contract position with the university at a fraction of no less than 0.5; or 5.1.2 hold full academic status.
Applicants who are on contract must show that the proposed project would be completed by the expiration of their contract by attaching documentary evidence of the expiration date of their contract. An applicant may only be named as lead Chief Investigator on one application in a funding round. 5.2 External Partners An application must include at least one partner organisation. To be eligible an application must: 5.2.1 meet the criteria for ARC Linkage Projects namely: 5.2.1.1 have at least one Australian partner organisation; 5.2.1.2 an application that includes an overseas higher education institution, or a closely associated entity, must include at least one other partner organisation in the application; 5.2.1.3 partner organisations cannot be: i. an entity listed in Appendix A; ii. a controlled entity of an entity listed in Appendix A; or iii. an entity (for example a joint venture) where more than 50 per cent is owned by one or more one or more of the entities in Appendix A; OR 5.2.2 meet the criteria for NHMRC Partnerships for Better Health Partnership Projects namely: 5.2.2.1 include a partner organisation whose decisions and actions affect Australians health, health policy and health care delivery in ways that improve the health of Australians including an organisation: i. working in federal, state, territory or local government - in the health portfolio or in other areas affecting health, such as economic policy, urban planning, education or transport; ii. working in the private sector, such as employers, private health insurance providers or private hospitals; iii. major non-government organisations and charities; iv. community organisations, such as consumer groups; and v. provider and professional groups. 6. Application Submission Applicants must use the application form and include a letter of support from each partner organisation, which provides a brief profile of the organisation and details of its cash and in-kind contributions. Applications must be submitted in hardcopy or electronic copy format to: FCRGS, Research Services Office Flinders University Basement, Union Building Sturt Road, Bedford Park SA 5042 2
Email: research.grants@flinders.edu.au by 5 pm (local time) on 24 May 2013. Late applications will not be considered. 7. Selection and Approval Process The following criteria will be used to assess the applications: 7.1 extent and significance of the research including contribution to scholarship and benefit to industry and outside communities; 7.2 the research track record of each Chief Investigator; 7.3 likelihood of success in gaining future external funding (in particular ARC Linkage Projects or NHMRC Partnerships for Better Health Partnership Projects funding); 7.4 strength of partner organisation support; 7.5 satisfactory progress on previous FCRGS grants. Applications will be reviewed and ranked by an expert panel of senior researchers chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). The expert panel will determine which applications will be approved and the amount of funding for each approved application. Applicants will be notified by mid June of funding outcomes. 8. Appeals Process An appeal will be considered only against administrative process issues and not against an assessment outcome. An appeal must be lodged within 21 days of the date of notification of the outcome of the application by emailing research.grants@flinders.edu.au. 9. Conditions of Award 9.1 Publication of Funding Round Outcomes Flinders University may publish details of successful applications including but not limited to the names of Chief Investigators and any partner organisation, the title of the project, a summary of the project and the amounts contributed by the University and any partner organisation. 9.2 Research Collaboration Agreement A research collaboration agreement between Flinders University and the partner organisation(s) will need to be executed prior to commencement of an approved project. No funds will be released for expenditure until this agreement is finalised. If the Research Collaboration Agreement is not executed within six months from the date of offer of funding, then any offer of funding under this scheme will lapse. 9.3 Carry Forward of University Funds At the end of funding period for an approved project, any unexpended funds attributable to Flinders University s contribution will be returned to the research budget for reallocation, unless under 3
exceptional circumstances the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) has approved a carry forward request. 9.4 Reporting Requirements A Final Report must be submitted to the Research Services Office for an approved project within three months of the completion date of the project. The Final Report must be in the form provided. 9.5 Submission of an application for a National Competitive Grant An external grant application must be submitted to an appropriate external funding body (e.g. ARC, NHMRC) within twelve months of the completion date of an approved project. 4
Appendix A Ineligible entities The organisations listed below are ineligible to be a partner organisation under section 5.2.1 of these Guidelines. New South Wales Charles Sturt University Macquarie University Southern Cross University The University of New England The University of New South Wales The University of Newcastle The University of Sydney University of Technology, Sydney University of Western Sydney University of Wollongong Victoria Australian Catholic University Deakin University La Trobe University MCD University of Divinity Monash University Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) Swinburne University of Technology The University of Melbourne University of Ballarat Victoria University Queensland Bond University Central Queensland University Griffith University James Cook University Queensland University of Technology The University of Queensland The University of the Sunshine Coast University of Southern Queensland Western Australia Curtin University of Technology Edith Cowan University Murdoch University The University of Notre Dame Australia The University of Western Australia 5
South Australia The University of Adelaide University of South Australia Tasmania University of Tasmania Northern Territory Charles Darwin University Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education Australian Capital Territory The Australian National University University of Canberra Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) 6