Research Services Division
Research
The Research Grants Unit normally sets a deadline of at least ten days prior to an external funding agency's closing date. The purpose of the early deadline is to enable Research Grants Unit staff to review the administrative aspects of an application, including the eligibility of the applicant, the budget, the budget justification, the number of copies provided and other specific requirements of the funding agency. Applicants who submit their applications after the Research Grants Unit's deadline may not have the benefit of such close scrutiny. All applications (for other than ARC/NHMRC schemes) are to be accompanied by a Cover Sheet which ensures that the Research Services Division has all relevant data concerning matter such as support by the relevant Head of School or equivalent.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their application with colleagues before submitting it to the Research Grants Unit. The Grant Unit will undertake review of applications provided applicants provide sufficient time prior to the final submission date. Often internal review dates for schemes such as ARC Large Grants or NHMRC Project Grants will be advertised with the timetable for submissions. Some departments have established small groups to review the scientific and administrative aspects of applications before they are submitted. Applicants who have difficulty in obtaining academic advice about their applications should contact their Associate Dean (Research) or Faculty Research Administrator, who may be able to make the necessary arrangements.
Applications should have Head of School approval before submission to the Research Grant Unit. If the application is to a grant-in-aid scheme other than one included in the Australian Competitive Grants Register (ACGR) then a contribution towards the infrastructure costs should be included in the budget where the funding rules for the scheme permit. Consult the Research Services Division about this - David Bridge, Rose Firkin, Anne Brocklebank or Yvonne Lai. If the submission is a tender for a specific project then there must be a document on record with the Dean of Faculty which details the full costs for that project to comply with the requirements of the National Competition Policy (NCP). The designated NCP Officer for Deakin is the University Solicitor. The Grants Unit has a proforma for preparing costings which suit NCP requirements.
Applications submitted to the Research Grant Unit must include all the information and approvals required (other than that of the DVC(R) on one well presented original copy. The Grant Unit will make copies as required by the funding agency after ensuring that any mistakes have been corrected.
An increasing number of funding agencies are now requiring applicants to submit Expressions of Interest (EoI), rather than full applications, in the initial culling phase. Expressions of Interest should be submitted to the funding agency through the Research Grant Unit.
If the funding agency asks the applicant to develop the expression of interest into a full proposal, the applicant must provide the Research Grant Unit with the details of the request (unless the notification was received via the Research Grant Unit). The normal procedures and deadlines for the submission of grant applications apply.
Most funding agencies require applications to be signed by the applicant, the head of the department concerned, and a responsible officer of the University, usually the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), who signs on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor.
The University requires heads of department to certify that facilities will be made available to applicants for their research if their applications are successful. Applicants must provide a separate letter of endorsement from the head of department if there is no provision for the head of department's certification on the application form. A Coversheet has been prepared for this purpose. This form also provides additional data required to provide research management reporting.
The Research Grant Unit arranges for the application to be signed on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, before the application is submitted to the funding agency.
Although an offer will normally refer to a chief investigator and a specific project, the research is undertaken in the name of Deakin.
Students and staff, do not have authority to accept research grants or fellowships, or to accept conditions of award on behalf of the University. In many cases, funding agencies require chief investigators and heads of department to sign the funding agency's acceptance of offer form, but those signatures alone do not constitute a formal acceptance of responsibility by the University. The funding agency's offer form must be sent to the Research Grant Unit in all cases together with a completed Contracts Checklist Form obtainable from The Guide at (see within the Contracts Policy Document) . The Head of School should initial against each item in the checklist. An Acceptance of Grant/Contract form must be completed at this time. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) is the nominated officer with the authority to approve agreements accepting grants.
Chief investigators are required to state whether all clearances for matters such as animal welfare, human rights and biosafety issues, etc have been obtained. If a clearance is still pending, the chief investigator will not normally be given access to a University account (and should not in any case access funds) until he or she has arranged for that approval to be obtained and the approval reference provided to the Grants Unit.
Each approved research grant is given a separate account number by officers within the Finance Division at the request of the Grant Unit staff. Research grant accounts are managed by the grantees with ultimate signing authority for expenditure residing with the head of department. All communication with funding agencies on financial matters must be directed through the Research Grant Unit.
Clearances for human and/or animal experimentation and for research involving biological hazards (genetic manipulation, potent carcinogens and teratogens and ionising radiation) must be obtained before work commences on any grant. Application forms are available from the appropriate Committee Secretary or from our website.
Where written evidence of clearance is required by a funding agency and that is not available at the time of application, the chief investigator is responsible for sending a copy to the funding agency via the Grants Unit when the approval becomes. The Research Grant Unit must be so notified, so that access to the research account can be granted.
An increasing proportion of research grants are linked to complex research agreements which place obligations on the University in relation to intellectual property, publications and confidentiality. Some funding agencies also require the University to enter into further agreements with other parties where research is collaborative, or will be subcontracted out.
The University's Solicitor is available to provide advice on research agreements and contracts. As a general rule, the University will only accept agreements which allow intellectual property to be owned by the University, which do not impose restrictions on publication, and which do not impose other forms of confidentiality on staff and students. There are occasions, however, where confidentiality clauses may be necessary. For example, a period of confidentiality may be required to provide time to obtain patent protection before new discoveries become public knowledge; or a funding agency might request that no publicity be given to a particular project without its prior approval being obtained, with the proviso that such approval will not be unreasonably withheld. Staff and students should only sign confidentiality agreements which have been sanctioned by the University Solicitor.
