FINAL REPORTS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

All Participants should read the relevant Funding Rules, Funding Agreement and the
Instructions to Applicants for the year of funding received.

Information regarding the Research Management System (RMS) is available at
http://www.arc.gov.au/applicants/system_default.htm, or contact rms@arc.gov.au for
assistance.

Participants should direct all queries regarding ARC Final Reports to their Administering
Organisation’s Research Office or equivalent in the first instance. If further information is
required, the Research Office or equivalent should contact final.reports@arc.gov.au.
Table of Contents
1.
Searching for Projects ................................................................................................................... 2
2.
Entering Information in RMS ........................................................................................................ 3
3.
Submitting Reports ....................................................................................................................... 4
4.
Other ............................................................................................................................................. 4
1.
Searching for Projects
1.1.
How do I find a Final Report in RMS?
Once you have logged into RMS, select ‘Final Reports’ under the ‘Projects’ heading on the
main page. Double check that you have the correct Project ID and that you are searching in
the correct Scheme Round. If you have the correct details, confirm that the form for the
relevant Scheme has been uploaded into RMS with your Research Office. If the Report is still
not appearing, please have your Research Office email the Project ID to
final.reports@arc.gov.au.
1.2.
How can I tell if a Final Report appearing in RMS was submitted via GAMS?
Please have your Research Office email Final Reports and the status of the Report will be
verified. The form will then be removed from RMS if a Final Report was already submitted
via GAMS.
1.3.
The form for my Final Report is not appearing in RMS but the Report is due now, will this
affect my eligibility?
If your Final Report is not appearing in RMS because the Scheme form has not been made
available by the ARC, this will not affect your eligibility when applying for future grants.
1.4.
As a Research Office, how can I see the status of all Final Reports for my Organisation?
The Reports section available from the main page of RMS allows you to extract information
about all of the Final Reports for your organisation.
Once in the Reports section of RMS, select “EXCEL - Final Reports Extract”. You can then
select by Scheme Round and/or Status. If you select “Valid Submitted to Research Office” (as
demonstrated below) and then click ‘Generate Report’, an Excel file with a full list of
applicable projects will be created for you to download.
Final Reports Frequently Asked Questions
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2.
Entering Information in RMS
2.1
Who completes the Final Report?
All named personnel on the Project as well as the Administering Organisation’s Research
Office have access to enter information into a Final Report in RMS. However, only the Lead
CI can submit the Report to the Research Office for submission to the ARC.
2.2
Major review output: What does this mean?
The major review output is a place to record any published independent reviews of Project
outputs (such as books and creative works) and any symposia on Project outputs including
special issues or sections of journals and conference proceedings.
2.3
Project outputs: How do I complete this section if I don’t have an exact publication date?
The form requires a full date to be entered; however it is acceptable to approximate the
date to the closest possible day/month/year of publication or release for entry in RMS.
2.4
Project outputs: How can I include a publication if the Primary author is not listed on the
Project?
The ‘Project outputs’ question only allows named participants to be selected as the Primary
author/contributor. The ARC believes that this question should allow non-named
participants (such as students or withdrawn participants) to be selected and steps are being
taken to fix this issue in the immediate future.
2.5
Project outputs: There are a lot of publications for this Project; is there another way to
enter them into the Final Report?
Currently there isn’t an alternative way of entering publications into the Final Report. The
ARC has taken feedback on this matter into consideration for future development of RMS.
2.6
Funding contribution: What is the difference between Cash commitment, Actual
contribution amount and In-kind contribution amount?
 Cash commitment is the cash committed to the Project at its commencement.
 The Actual contribution amount is the actual cash contributed to the Project at its
completion.
 The in-kind contribution amount for schemes such LP, LE, FF are to only be listed in
the In-kind contribution amount field. Note: No in-kind contributions are to be
included in the Actual contribution amount.
If you are trying to ascertain whether a budget items should be identified as cash or in-kind,
you should first refer to the original Proposal submitted to the ARC. For example, if a CI's
time was in the budget justification in the original proposals as a cash contribution, it should
be reported as cash in the Final Report. If it was listed as an in-kind contribution, then it
should be reported as in-kind. You should also refer to any changes requested through a
Variation of Funding Agreement (VFA) submitted during the course of the Project when
making this assessment.
Final Reports Frequently Asked Questions
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3.
Submitting Reports
3.1
When is my Final Report due?
Each relevant Funding Agreement will note when a Final Report is due. As there may be
variations across scheme and funding year, it is always best to consult the Funding
Agreement for exact details relating to each Project. Funding Agreements are accessible via
this page of our website: http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/
3.2
No money was spent on this Project; do I need to submit a Final Report?
If no money was expended, a Final Report is not required for the Project and the form can
be removed from RMS. Have your Research Office contact the ARC noting the Project ID and
the Project will be verified and removed from RMS if appropriate.
3.3
Can I have an extension for my Final Report?
Extensions for Final Reports can be requested via your Research Office. The request must
note the Project ID and explain the extenuating circumstances.
3.4
Can I update something in a Final Report that I have submitted to the ARC?
If you need to edit a Final Report after submission, your Research Office can request that the
Final Report is de-submitted back to them.
3.5
Can the ARC waive the Final Report for a Project?
If you have a Project you would like the Final Report to be waived for, email your Research
Office with the Project ID with the justification as to why the request is being made. The
Research Office can then submit the request to the ARC.
4.
Other
4.1
Why aren’t the tabs working in my Final Report?
RMS is only 100% compatible with Internet Explorer 8 or above. Current versions of Firefox
& Chrome are both compatible but using an old version of Internet Explorer will mean the
tab functionality will not work.
4.2
Can you send me a Final Report that was submitted via GAMS?
Unfortunately we are not able to provide copies of Final Reports from GAMS. Research
Offices were asked to take copies of any records they required before GAMS was shut down
in 2012. Final Reports can no longer be extracted from this system.
This document was last updated 12/09/2013
Final Reports Frequently Asked Questions
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