The A to Z of Commonly used Terms in Research and Research Management
Acquittal
Statement of Revenue received less Expenditure incurred resulting in a remaining
surplus/deficit balance for the research project
Administering
Organisation
The organisation that submits a proposal for funding and is responsible for the
administration of the funding if the project is successful
Animal Ethics
Compliance with the Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for
scientific purposes, including in teaching, research and experimentation
Audit/Independent
Audit
Examination of project financials by a registered company auditor under Corporations
ACT or a qualified CA or CPA member who is not an employee of UC.
Authorised Signatory
A designated representative authorised to execute a binding agreement on behalf of
an organisation
Background
Intellectual Property
(IP)
Know-how, confidential information, inventions, discoveries, and IP rights identified
prior to the signing of the agreement that have been developed, invented or acquired
by the University prior to the commencement date of the agreement.
Breach of contract
Failure by one party to a contract to uphold their part of the deal or the agreed
obligations. A breach of contract will make the whole contract void and can lead to
damages being awarded against the party which is in breach
Cash Contribution
The total fixed cash funding from any party to be provided for the conduct of a
research project
Chief Investigator (CI):
The Researcher identified by the University or named in the relevant Research Grant
Agreement or Contract as taking the lead responsibility for the project
Conditions
Major terms in a contract. Conditions are the basis of any contract and if one of them
fails or is broken, the contract is breached
Commercialisation
The process of bringing intellectual property to the market in order for it to be
exploited in return for business profits and growth
Confidential
Information
Any confidential information or data, whether or not in material form, which by its
nature is confidential or which is designated as confidential, and which is obtained or
acquired by a Party during the Research Services, except if the information, date or
materials are already in the public domain.
Confidentiality/NonDisclosure Agreement
An agreement made to protect confidential information if it has to be disclosed to
another party. The parties are legally obligated not to pass on that information
whether or not the actual contract is ever signed
Conflict of Interest
A situation in which financial or other personal considerations have the potential to
compromise or bias professional judgment and objectivity. This may include an
apparent conflict of interest, in which a reasonable person would think that the
professional judgment is likely to be compromised, or a potential conflict of interest
whereby a situation may develop into an actual conflict of interest
Copyright
The protection of the original expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves, that gives
the owner an exclusive right for a set amount of time to reproduce, perform, publish
or distribute a work. Copyright applies automatically as soon as something is written
down or recorded
Deed
A written document by which a person transfers ownership of real property to
another. A deed must be properly executed and delivered in order to be effective
Deficit
The amount by which expenses exceed income in a cost centre
Dispute Resolution
Procedures for settling disputes by means other than litigation; e.g., by arbitration,
mediation, or mini-trials
Direct Costs of
Research
Costs that are integral to the objectives of a funded project. These costs are
specifically identified within a research project and are charged as project
expenditure. Examples of direct costs include salaries, travel expenses, cost of
material/equipment required to conduct the project
A specific 6-character code that each UC business unit has, which enables the business
unit to group funding and income into desired categories. Each cost centre must be
linked to a Discipline Code. This field is essential for reporting of income.
Dis Code
Ethics Clearance
Approval from the relevant ethics committee for the conduct of a research project
that involves the use of animals or human participants
Excellence in Research
for Australia (ERA)
An initiative administered by the Australian Research Council which aims to identify
and promote excellence across the full spectrum of research activity. The initiative
entails the submission of information about research activities, including details
relating to staff, publications and other research outputs, awards, research income,
and applied measures such as patents and research commercialisation income
Field of Research (FoR)
code
A classification system which allows Research and Development activity to be
categorised according to the field of research. The FoR Code system has three
hierarchical levels ranging from Divisions (at the broadest 2-digit level covering the
broad subject areas), to Fields (at the finest 6-digit level).
Final Report
A report that CIs are usually required to submit by the funding body at the completion
of the project
Fund Scheme
Name of the Scheme under the funding Body. This is applicable for Funding Bodies
that run multiple schemes and in multiple years e.g. Australian Research Council runs
funding schemes such as the Discovery Projects and Linkage Projects each year. Each
fund scheme is named by an acronym and year in which funding will be disbursed. A
Discovery Project that will commence funding in 2014 is thus called DP14 in University
records as well as by the Funder ARC.
Funding/Funds
The amount or amounts payable under a research contract/agreement for a specified
project
Higher Education
Research Data
(HERDC):
An annual data collection exercise comprising the submission of the university’s
publications (books, book chapters, refereed journal articles and conference
publications), and research income data for the previous year. The statistics from this
exercise are used by the government to allocate funding to universities
Human Research
Ethics
Compliance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research for
the conduct of research using human participants
Indemnity
A promise by a third party to pay a debt owed or repay a loss caused by another
party. The right to indemnity and the duty to indemnify ordinarily stem from a
contractual agreement, which generally protects against liability, loss, or damage.
The obligation to indemnify another for the loss or damage is generally reduced in
proportion to the act or omission of another person which contributed to the loss or
damage
Infrastructure and
Indirect Cost of
Research
Institutional overhead costs that support research activity. These costs represent the
dollars being spent by the University in support of programs. Examples of indirect
costs include items such as operation and maintenance of facilities, expenses of
general administration
In-kind Contribution:
The non-cash contribution (valued in AUD) to be provided by any party to support the
conduct of a research project. This may include the contribution of services (CI time)
or goods, such as equipment and commodities
Intellectual Property
(IP):
The property of your mind or intellect, including your knowledge, creations and
discoveries. It can take many forms, such as reports, publications, patents,
confidential information or trade secrets, know-how and trademarks
Intellectual Property
Rights (IPRS):
The general term for the assignment of property rights through patents, copyrights
and trademarks. IPRS provide protection for creativity or innovation in the
marketplace and allow the owner to potentially benefit from the practical applications
of their ideas
Knowledge Transfer
The means by which expertise, knowledge, skills and capabilities are transferred from
the knowledge-base (e.g. a university or college, a research centre or a research
technology organisation) to those in need of that knowledge (e.g. a company, social
enterprise or not-for-profit organisation).
Liability (Contractual)
The state of being responsible for something. A person or business deemed liable is
subject to a legal obligation. A person/business who commits a wrong or breaks a
contract or trust is said to be liable or responsible for it
Limited Liability
This usually refers to limited companies where the owners' liability to pay the debts of
the company is limited to the value of their shares. It can also apply to contracts
where a valid limitation clause has been included in the terms
Moral Rights
The right of integrity of authorship (that is, not to have a work subjected to
derogatory treatment), the right of attribution of authorship of a work, and the right
not to have authorship of a work falsely attributed, as defined in the Copyright Act
1968
Multi-Institutional
Agreement
An agreement between the Administering Organisation of an NHMRC or ARC funded
project and its collaborating organisations (referred to collectively as collaborating
parties). The MIA outlines the roles and obligations of the Administering Organisation
and each collaborating party, the cash and in-kind contributions to the project and the
distribution and use of the project funds
Novation Agreement
A legal instrument that formalises an arrangement for the replacement of the original
party with a new party or the replacement of the original contract with a new
contract. A novation requires the consent of all parties
On-costs
A cost that an employer has when they employ someone in addition to the cost of the
person’s salary i.e. supplementary costs such as superannuation, payroll tax, leave
loading etc. It is the cost of putting the person in the seat.
Overhead costs
Also known as indirect costs or infrastructure costs, the indirect recurring costs of
running a project that are not linked directly to the goods or service produced and
sold. Overhead costs can include the cost of office premises, utility bills, employees'
salaries for support services (for eg. University Finance, HR, Research Services Office).
University of Canberra has accepted 20% of the total cost of the project as an
acceptable average of overhead costs
Peer review
Impartial and independent assessment of research by others working in the same or a
related field
Post-award
Continuum of activities that occur following the award of funding and contract sign
off, including the establishment of a cost centre for the project and the creation of
project reporting and financial alerts, the monitoring of performance, and the
recording of project compliance
Pre-award
Continuum of activities that occur prior to the award of funding, including
identification of a funding opportunity, the development and review of applications
documents, faculty authorisation of the application, and submission of the application
Pre-Existing
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property that is developed and is owned by a staff member, student or
affiliate prior to the date of their employment, enrolment or engagement at the
University
Primary Personnel
The key person on a project who is listed as responsible for the project. In the
University context, this can be different in the contract signed for the project, or the
grant application and in the University Research Services Office. The Grant application
and or the contract may list a Primary Personnel who will be responsible for the
project to the external funder but the person listed internally in the RSO may be an
administrative staff member who has been nominated by the Research Team Leader
to be responsible for managing the project for the Team Leader. The RSO system
allows only one Primary Personnel to be listed
Progress Reports
Reports that CIs are periodically required to submit by the funding body at key points
during the project
Project IP/Agreement
Material
All material brought or required to be brought into existence as part of, or for the
purpose of, performing the research project including, but not limited to, documents,
equipment, information and data stored by any means
Research Activity PreAward Clearance
(RAPC) form
An internal form that must be completed by the Chief Investigator and signed by the
Dean/ADR or Director of the CI’s Faculty/URC at the time of application for external
research funding. The form serves as Faculty/URC approval for the CI to undertake the
research project or consultancy.
Research Award
Acceptance (RAA)
form
An internal form that must be completed by the Chief Investigator and signed by the
Dean/ADR or Director of the CI’s Faculty/URC at the time of acceptance of external
research funding
Research Consultancy
The purchase by an external organisation of the services of University Staff in the
provision of expert advice, specialist knowledge or objective review within a particular
research field and/or access to University equipment or facilities to work on a specific
project
Research
Contract/Agreement
A contract to provide funding for a specific research project or set of projects to be
undertaken by the University. It may be funded by a company, government body,
charity or other body, and will contain terms and conditions governing the conduct of
the project, as well as obligations incumbent upon the University and the funder
Research Cost Centre
A cost centre that relates to a project which is for research purposes as determined by
the Research Services Office. Revenue for these cost centres is classified as Category 1
to 4 as per HERDC reporting guidelines
Research Grant
Funding for a research project available from a variety of different sources including
Federal, State or Territory Government, the public or private sector, and charitable
organisations. The funding may cover a variety of items, including but not limited to
project costs, travel, teaching buy-out, equipment
ResearchMaster
A software system that supports research management. It allows the university to
manage research outputs, externally funded research projects, and research ethics
applications
Research Professional
Fees
Amount included in a Research Consultancy budget that represents the value of the
research team’s time in undertaking the specified project
Research Tender
A formal offer to carry out a stated research project for an agreed price
SEO Codes
A classification system that allows R&D to be categorised according to the purpose or
outcome of the R&D, consisting of discrete economic, social, technological or
scientific domains for identifying the principal purposes of the R&D
Specified Personnel
The personnel (UC Staff and/ or personnel of the external party) required to
undertake the research or part of the work constituting the research
Sub-agreement/subcontract
An agreement that is written under the authority of a Head contract or agreement.
The sub-agreement/sub-contract outlines the specific portion of the research project
activities or services to be performed by another party, including the fees to be given
to the delivering or performing party
Funds remaining at the end of a project – which are determined only after all the
appropriate expenditures have been charged to the cost centre - resulting from either
cost saving measures undertaken to reduce project expenses (which have not
adversely affected the research outcome), changes to project activities approved by
the funding body and/or gains from changes in market rates on budgeted expense
items
Surplus/Unspent
Funds
Transactions listing
Types of Research
A detailed list of income and expenditures in a cost centre
Strategic basic research
Experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge directed
into specified broad areas in the expectation of useful discoveries. It provides the
broad base of knowledge necessary for the solution of recognised practical problems
Applied research
Original work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge with a specific
application in view. It is undertaken either to determine possible uses for the findings
of basic research or to determine new ways of achieving some specific and
predetermined objectives
Pure basic research
Experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge without
looking for long term benefits other than the advancement of knowledge
Experimental development
Systematic work, using existing knowledge gained from research or practical
experience, that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, to
installing new processes, systems and services, or to improving substantially those
already produced or installed
Variation
Any amendment to the research contract, including but not limited to change of
personnel, change in funding, change to approved budget items
Warranty
A promise made in a contract, but which is less than a condition. Failure of a warranty
results in liability to pay damages but will not constitute a breach of contract