2014University Research Seed Grants
GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS
Applications Close: 5pm Friday 6th September 2013
1.Introduction
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) advises that funding will be made available to support high quality research proposals from individuals and small research teams that will build the longer term research profile of the University. These grants will be known as University Research Seed grants (URS). Projects with budgets below the minimum funding threshold should be submitted to School based schemes.
Funds will be divided as follows: 50% to Early Career Researchers, 50% to other Research Productive Staff:
Early Career Researchers are defined as “staff at Academic Level A or B within 5 years of obtaining their PhD, or at Level A or B and within 5 years of commencing employment with UNE”.
Research Productive Staff applies to UNE academic and research staff meeting the minimum criteria as defined in UNE’s Research Productive Staff Criteria[1]
All applications will be considered by the URS Panel (chaired by the DVCR). Applications will be considered competitively on their merits and no pre-established percentage of the grant funding is allocated per School or Faculty.
2.Aims of the Scheme
2.1.To focus and accelerate research productivity at UNE, by achieving a larger proportion of high quality publications and by substantially improving UNE’s success in relation to Australian Competitive Grants (ACG) funding.
2.2.To support, on a competitive basis, high quality projects to be carried out by researchers of proven excellence. Projects showing research concentration and those in identified priority or developing priority areas (ERA assessed) will be given a higher priority.
2.3.To support productive researchers demonstrating clear evidence of applying for external research grants but with limited success (with higher priority given to recent near-miss ACG applications), with the seed grant providing the opportunity to investigate the feasibility of a large-scale project.
3.Funding Allocations
3.1.The University is expected to provide an allocation of approximately $650,000 to support the URS scheme in 2014.
3.2.Funding for projects will be a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum of $20,000 (ex-GST). Applicants must submit budgets within this range to be eligible for consideration.
3.3.Total funding requested may not be awarded in full if the URS Panel deems components non-essential to the completion of the project and/or are not satisfactorily justified.
3.4.If the project has previously received funding through anAustralian Competitive Grant (ACG)[2]scheme and not been completed (i.e. additional funds would be required to bring the research to completion), the applicant is to attach to their application a one page Progress Report on the research carried out to date (see point 15.2 for further information).
3.4.Aproject will be funded for one year only. For continuation of project funding/request for additional funding, see 7.1. For an extension of time/request to carry over 2014funding, see 9.4.
4.Eligibility and Funding
4.1.Applications from individuals and small teams (including cross-disciplinary teams) are acceptable. Currently employed academic and research staff who meet the below eligibility criteria, are encouraged to consider submitting an application. Higher Degree Research students currently enrolled at UNE are not eligible to applyunless they are also continuing staff members.
4.2.Staff may apply for and receive only one University Research grant, either singly or as part of a research team, per funding round.
Staff Eligibility Criteria
4.3.Academic and research staff who hold full-time or fractional-time appointments at UNE, and have the potential to enhance the research profile of the university.
4.4.Post Doctoral Fellows who are able to demonstrate that the proposed URS project is substantially different to their post doctoral project.
4.5.Current applicants for Australian Competitive Grants (e.g. ARC or others listed on the Australian Competitive Grants Register) are encouraged to submit applications to this Scheme. However, please note that researchers cannot concurrently hold an ACG and a URS for what is essentially the same project.
5.Criteria for Selection
5.1.The primary criteria used for assessment will be:
•the quality of the proposed research project;
•the quality of the research track record, from 2009 onwards, of the researcher or research team;
•outcomes from any previous internal research grant support; and
•the likelihood of the proposed research project leading to significant publications and enabling the applicant to submit a competitive application to an ACG scheme or other external funding.
•Applications may be made for the support of research projects in any field; however projects in identified priority or developing priority areas (ERA assessed) will be given a higher priority.
6.Research that will be Supported
6.1.Research projects or programs for which support is sought must demonstrate:
•the research aims to discover new knowledge, and/or provide the solution to an important practical or theoretical problem, and/or be a significant conceptual advance in the field of study;
•the methodologies employed in carrying out the research are consistent with best international practice in the field of study, or represent significant methodological advances in the field;
•the results or outcomes of the research will be communicated in an appropriate form to the field of inquiry; and
•the research conforms to ethical practices in research.
6.2.In the context of the performing and creative arts, these criteria will be applied to projects that generate artistic products capable of peer assessment.
7.General Conditions
7.1.Funding will be available for one year only. If a continuation of the project is sought for a second year (i.e. further funding is sought, not an extension of time to carry over funds), a new application form will need to be lodged with a progress report on the 2014 project component.
7.2.In cases where appropriate justification is made, funds may be allocated to support the visits of researchers from other institutions, e.g. travel and accommodation.
7.3.Funds will not be provided for scholarship stipends or support.
7.4.Applications will be accepted only if submitted electronically on the forms provided by Research Services.
8.Endorsement
8.1.Endorsement of an application must be obtained from the Head of School or Director which is then regarded as evidence:
•of approval for an applicant to undertake the research project proposed within the School/ Faculty/Centre;
•of the School's willingness and ability to provide the basic support services necessary for the project; and
•of the School agreeing to any necessary changed workload arrangements to enable the staff member to undertake the research project.
8.2.The Head of School/ Director may seek, at their discretion, internal peer review of a URS application in making a decision to endorse the application or not.
9.Administration of Grants
9.1.Grantees have discretion as to the disbursement of grant funds, subject to the general conditions of the grant. Grants will be allocated an account number within Financial Services with a budget equal to the value of the award. All expenditure against this account number will be subject to University financial delegations and the availability of funds in the account.
9.2.Any over-expenditure will be the responsibility of the grantee and the Head of School/Director.
9.3.If a grantee leaves the University, unexpended funds are to be returned to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) for possible reallocation.
9.4.Funds will be awarded for 12 months from the date of award. If an extension on the funding period (i.e. time only or a carryover of funds) is required, the grantee should email an amended application form to Research Services outlining the reasons for the request. Research Services will seek endorsement from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and will notify the applicant of the outcome.
9.5.If an application is to seek funding for the continuation of an existing URS project, a new application form including all supporting documentation is required to be submitted by the deadline (see point 7.1).
9.6.Any equipment purchased through a URS grant remains the property of UNE and cannot be transferred to another institution.
10. Assessment of Applications
10.1.The URS Panel; comprising the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) (Chair) and Faculty Research Directors or PVC/Dean nominees will consider applications and make recommendations to the Academic Board Research Committee. The Chair of the panel will be a voting member.
10.2.The URS Panel will use a common ranking system of 1 (low) to 5 (outstanding) on both (a) Excellence of Project and (b) Excellence of Applicant(s).
10.3.The URS Panel will be critical in its assessments and realistic in its recommendations to the Academic Board Research Committee given the limited amount of money available.
10.4.The Academic Board Research Committee will make the final determination on grants and the amount awarded.
10.5.Eligible members of the Research Committee and the URS Panel may apply but will be asked to withdraw from the assessment when their application is considered.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING URS APPLICATIONS
11.Completing the Application
11.1.Applicants are advised to present their applications in language that may be clearly understood by non-specialist readers. Particular attention should be given to clarity of expression and it is recommended that theoretical information be confined only to the Methodology section, while jargon should be avoided.
11.2.Applicants must state clearly what they plan to do, how they will do it, and what outcomes they expect.
11.3.Applicants must attend to detail in completing the form and answer all questions. Particular care should be taken when providing the ‘Plain English’ Summary of the Project requested in Q.5.
12.Application Components and Page Limits
Refer to the application formand Investigator Details Formfor page limits that must be adhered toApplication Form
Project Description / No more than 4 pages
Budget Justification / 1 page
Investigator Details Form (for each investigator)
Track record / No more than 10 pages
Progress Report(on the template provided)
(Needed for 2nd year URS applications and Australian Competitive Grants held between 2009-2013) / 1 page
13.Budget
13.1.An itemised budget must be supplied. It is essential that the priority of every item be indicated as follows:
Aconsidered essential for the project to be undertaken;
Bnecessary to maintain a reasonable rate of progress in bringing the project to completion;
or
Cother items which would be useful in supporting the project.
13.2.Personnel: Requests for funds to appoint research support personnel for the project should use the UNE rates which are obtainable from the UNE Human Resource Services (HRS) web page:
13.2.1.Justification of the level of expertise required must be given and the relevant rate should be used in the calculation of the Budget. The Position Descriptors for General Staff can be consulted at the HRS web page.
Researchers are allowed time to undertake research, therefore requests for employment of research assistants should be kept to a minimum
13.2.2.Applications for Time Release/Teaching Relief will only be considered if such a request is supported by the Head of School. Applicants will need to provide evidence that Time Release is essential for the completion of the project.
13.3.Equipment: Equipment includes non-consumable hardware items with an individual item value of $1,000 or more. The cost should be based on the latest prices that can be obtained from the supplier and free of any component of customs duty. Applicants should retain quotes as the information may be requested at a later stage.
13.4.Maintenance/Operating: NOTE: It is the responsibility of a School to provide infrastructure support such as maintenance and photocopying. The Research Committee will only consider requests for such support in exceptional circumstances and where such a service represents the major fundable resource required.
Running costs associated with the daily operation of a piece of equipment are also regarded as routine maintenance for which the School, in which it is housed, is responsible. However, it is recognised that the use of certain equipment is based on cost recovery, so should you need to use such equipment, you should itemise and justify these charges in this section.
Include in this category consumables, including equipment items, costing less than $1,000.
Bibliographic Materials: All books, journals, reference works which are to be purchased (or borrowed for a fee) specifically for this project should be listed, together with an itemised cost.
Computing: In general, computing expenditure (i.e. hire of computing time, computer programs, preparation and storage of data) is seen as a support facility to be provided by the School. However, it is recognised that a School may have difficulty in financing a project with a major dependence on computing. For this reason, a project for which the primary need is for funds for computing may be considered for assistance.
Applications for computers will only be considered in exceptional cases and under the heading of “Equipment” where their purchase is central to the feasibility of the project and part of the research equipment infrastructure. Applicants lodging requests for the purchase of computers are advised firstly to check the availability of such equipment in the School, and secondly to seek the advice of ITD regarding the suitability of particular items of equipment.
13.5.Travel and Related Subsistence: Researchers are encouraged to seek the cheapest fares available. Requests for subsistence will only be considered in connection with research travel. Conference travel will not be funded by the URS Scheme.
13.6.Justification of Budget:Each item in the budget must be justified and its priority explained.
14.Project Description
14.1.Aims and Significance: A clear explanation of the nature of the problem or topic to be studied and an indication of the relationship of the project to work done elsewhere in the field should be given. Applicants should make a compelling case as to why their application should be funded, referring, with references, to the current conceptual context of the proposed research, and the advances that this project may make.
14.2.Research Plan: A description of the experimental design and methodology to be used should be provided. It is not sufficient just to say, “The XYZ method/technique will be used”. Remember some members of the URS Panel may not be familiar with particular methods used within your research area.
15.Publications and Previous Grants
This information is to be included in the “Investigator Details Form” required for all named investigators.
15.1.Track Record:This should include a list of publications in reverse chronological order and a brief statement which gives the URS Panel additional information relative to the opportunities available. Applicants should indicate any circumstances which may have delayed or slowed down their research and publication in this period. Please do not include a full CV.
15.2.Progress Report:To be provided if the project has been funded in2011-2013 by an ACG or URS/other internal Grant (see point 3.3). This report should be no longer than one page in length.
16.Feedback to Unsuccessful Applicants
16.1.Initial feedback will be given to applicants in the letter of advice. Applicants may request, through Research Services, more detailed feedback from the URS Panel to enable them to improve future applications. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to seek this assistance.
17.Appeals
17.1.The Research Committee has established an appeals mechanism for unsuccessful applicants.
17.2.Appeals will be heard on procedural grounds only.
17.3.Appeals should be lodged in writing with Research Services within 28 days of receipt of notification of the URS Panel’s decision.
17.4.Appeals will be considered by an independent appeals committee. The Chair or nominee of the URS Panel will be in attendance at the appeals committee meeting to provide information and advice to the appeals committee.
17.5.Appeals should include the following information:
17.5.1.The basis or grounds for the appeal.
17.5.2.Details of the appeal specifying the reasons why the applicant believes he/she has grounds for appeal, and the specific procedure the applicant believes to be relevant to the appeal. N.B. New information relevant to the assessment of the URS application cannot be used as the basis of the appeal.
18.Additional Information
18.1.Applicants are not required to nominate assessors.
18.2.The application form is available in electronic format by:
•accessing the Research Services website; or
•via email, contact
18.3.Each application must be submitted as one combined document (preferably pdf), including the HOS/Director endorsement
19.Deadlines and Dates
19.1.Research Services Closing Date: 5pmFriday6th September 2013.
19.2.Late applications will not be considered. All supporting documentation must be provided with the application, i.e. late submission of supporting material will not be accepted.
19.3.The URS Panel will meet October 2013.
19.4.Advice to Applicants will be provided by Friday 8 November 2013. The Chair of the URS Panel will notify applicants in writing of the outcome of the URS Panel’s consideration of their application.
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[1]
[2]Any grant/scheme listed on the Australian Competitive Grants Register –