NHMRC – European Union
Collaborative Research
Grants
FUNDING POLICY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 3
2.
OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................ 3
3.
DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................................... 3
4.
ELIGIBILITY ............................................................................................................ 3
5.
FUNDING ................................................................................................................... 4
6.
APPLICATION PROCESS ...................................................................................... 4
7.
6.1
Application Form ................................................................................................ 5
6.2
Timing ................................................................................................................ 5
6.3
Certification ........................................................................................................ 5
SELECTION AND APPROVAL PROCESS .......................................................... 5
7.1
Selection Criteria ................................................................................................ 5
7.2
Assessment Process ............................................................................................ 5
7.3
Conflicts of Interest ............................................................................................ 5
7.4
Exclusion ............................................................................................................ 6
7.5
Assessment of Applications and Recommendations .......................................... 6
7.6
Offer of Funding ................................................................................................. 6
7.7
Deed of Agreement ............................................................................................. 6
7.8
Commencement of the Research ........................................................................ 6
8.
COMMISSIONER OF COMPLAINTS .................................................................. 7
9.
ADMINISTRATION ................................................................................................. 7
1.
Introduction
This document provides the NHMRC – European Union Collaborative Research Grants
Funding Policy for the provision of assistance from the Medical Research Endowment
Account, established under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 (the
NHMRC Act), to foster medical and public health research and training.
2.
Objectives
The NHMRC – European Union Collaborative Research Grants program aims to assist
Australian researchers to participate in projects with international researchers that have been
selected for funding under the European Union Framework for Research, Technological
Innovation and Demonstration Activities (Framework Programme).
3.
Description
The Framework Programme (FP) is the European Union's main instrument for funding
research and development. FPs have been implemented since 1984 and cover a five year
period with the last year of one FP and the first year of the following FP overlapping.
FP7 commenced on 1 January 2007 and will continue until 31 December 2013.
Under the NHMRC Act, the NHMRC is able to provide funds for researchers to raise the
standard of individual and public health throughout Australia. To promote international
collaborations the NHMRC provides funding support to researchers who are listed as partners
on European Union Grant applications relevant to the NHMRC. NHMRC funding support for
EU collaborations is provided only for high quality research that has successfully competed
for funding in the EU peer review process.
More information on the European Union Framework Programme is available from the
following websites:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/; and
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html
4.
Eligibility
Applications must be submitted by an NHMRC approved Administering Institution. The
NHMRC Administering Institutions Policy and Registration Form is available on the internet
at: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/policy/admininst.htm
To be eligible for NHMRC funding the Chief Investigator named on a European Union Grant
application will need to meet the following criteria:
 be based in Australia and actively engaged in a field of research eligible for funding
under the NHMRC Act;
 be engaged in either full or part-time research conducted in Australia;
 be an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident;
 be an employee of a registered Administering Institution;
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 be named in the original EU application which has been peer reviewed by the EU
assessment process;
 the application has been successful in gaining EU funding; and
 the proposed program of research is distinctly different to research currently being
funded by NHMRC.
Holding an NHMRC - European Union Collaborative Research Grant does not affect a Chief
Investigator’s ability to hold other NHMRC Grants.
5.
Funding
As required by the NHMRC Act, the Australian Minister for Health and Ageing will
determine the number of applications funded and the level of funding allocated to each
application.
Applicants are required to provide a detailed budget to justify their funding request. The
NHMRC CEO will make recommendations regarding the funding level following the
European Union peer review assessment process (Note: While these grants are peer reviewed
by the European Union, the NHMRC CEO makes recommendations based on the
Australian component only).
The funding period sought must be identified in the application and cannot be more than 5
years. At present, the NHMRC has allocated a total of $1 million per call for applications
(there are normally two calls made by the EU every year) and a maximum of $200,000 per
year may be applied for by the Australian Chief Investigator.
The following items are not eligible for support under the scheme:

capital works;

small pieces of equipment that should be funded by the institution; and

rental of accommodation.
The NHMRC may liaise with other funding agencies to discuss any overlap between
applications in order to avoid duplication of funding.
6.
Application Process
The application is the prime source of information available to the NHMRC CEO. The
application must contain all the information necessary for consideration of the proposal
without the need for further written or oral explanation, or reference to additional
documentation, including the internet. All details in the application, particularly concerning
any successful grants, must be current at the time of application.
Australian researchers who are named in an application being submitted to the EU, in any
round under the EU Framework Programme, must notify the NHMRC and forward a copy of
the final application presented to the EU, to the NHMRC within two weeks of its submission
to the EU.
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6.1 Application Form
At the same time that the Australian Chief Investigator submits a copy of the EU application
to the NHMRC, they must also complete and submit the NHMRC application form ensuring
they have addressed the selection criteria and the budget justification. The application form is
available on the NHMRC website at:
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/types/granttype/strategic/austeu.htm
If the application has been peer reviewed by the EU and is recommended for funding, the
Australian Chief Investigator must forward evidence that the application has been successful
to the NHMRC.
6.2 Timing
There are normally two calls made by the EU each year for applications. Information on the
timing of these calls is available on the EU website at:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7home_en.html
6.3 Certification
It is the responsibility of the Administering Institution to obtain the required original
signatures on the application form.
7.
Selection and Approval Process
7.1 Selection Criteria
The following selection criteria apply to applications for funding under the NHMRC –
European Union Collaborative Research Grants program:
 relevance of the research to health or health related outcomes;
 value of the Australian contribution to the EU research; and
 value to Australian research from Australian participation.
7.2 Assessment Process
All applications will be assessed against the selection criteria by the NHMRC.
7.3 Conflicts of Interest
The NHMRC has procedures for declaring conflicts of interest and for members of the
NHMRC to withdraw from considering particular applications.
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7.4 Exclusion
Exclusion of ineligible applications for NHMRC support may take place at any time during
the selection process. Applications may be excluded under the following circumstances:
 the application is inconsistent with objectives of the Act (Section 3) and the purposes of
the Medical Research Endowment Account (Section 51) of the NHMRC Act;
 the application contravenes, or is inconsistent with, this funding policy;
 the application was not submitted through the appropriate Research Office of an
NHMRC approved Administering Institution;
 the application does not address the selection criteria;
 the application includes any incomplete or misleading information; and/or
 the Australian component of the application was either not part of the application peer
reviewed by the EU or was not successful in gaining EU funding.
7.5 Assessment of Applications and Recommendations
Once an application has been successful in gaining EU funding, the NHMRC will conduct an
assessment of the application including any final checks of eligibility. Each application is
assessed against the selection criteria and a recommendation forwarded to the CEO through
Research Committee.
A recommendation from the CEO is then sent to the Australian Minister for Health and
Ageing for consideration. The Minister determines which applications will be offered
funding.
7.6 Offer of Funding
The NHMRC will advise the Chief Investigator and notify their Research Administration
Office of the outcome of the application as early as possible following approval by the
Minister.
7.7 Deed of Agreement
Administering Institutions in receipt of NHMRC research funds must meet the obligations set
out in the relevant NHMRC Deed of Agreement. Applicants for Australian – European
Union Collaborative Research Grants should familiarise themselves with the Deed of
Agreement –NHMRC Research Funding Schemes which is available on the internet at:
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/funded/manage/policy/deeds.htm
The Administering Institution must sign the Deed of Agreement before payments can be
made.
7.8 Commencement of the Research
Provision of the activities and/or facilities must commence within 6 months of the offer of
funding. Failure to do so may result in termination of funding.
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8.
Commissioner of Complaints
A person whose interests are affected may at any time lodge a complaint under s59 of the
NHMRC Act to:
NHMRC Commissioner of Complaints
GPO Box 1421
CANBERRA ACT 2601
The complaint must be:
 in writing;
 signed by the complainant;
 describe the action complained about; and
 specify the nature of and grounds for the complaint.
Appeals can only be considered against administrative process and not the merits of a
particular decision. The Grounds of Complaint are listed at section 58 of the NHMRC Act.
Further information can be found at:
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/policy/commissioner.htm
9.
Administration
It is the responsibility of the Administering Institution to manage the post-award process as
set out in the Deed of Agreement.
Administering Institutions are required to submit these documents to the NHMRC:

Annual Financial Reports;

Progress Reports; and

Final Report.
The NHMRC may suspend payment of further instalments of any current grant until the
appropriate reports have been received and assessed as satisfactory.
Where an institution fails to submit satisfactory reports, as required, the Minister may
terminate funding and determine that all or part of the funding must be repaid. In this case,
the NHMRC may withhold the remainder of the institution’s payments under the program for
the current year or initiate recovery of funding.
Requests to vary the terms of the Grant must be forwarded in writing by the institution’s
Research Office, or equivalent, to the NHMRC.
Applicants are required to obtain and maintain, for the duration of any research projects or
animal breeding program, clearance and approvals as prescribed in the Deed of Agreement,
for research involving:
 humans;
 animal experimentation;
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 use of radioactive substances, ionising radiation, recombinant DNA, biohazardous
material, potent teratogens or carcinogens;
 administration to humans of drugs, chemical agents or vaccines;
 import of experimental organisms;
 storage of biological materials; and
 genetic manipulation.
It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that a copy of the application is referred to the
relevant Institutional Ethics Committee or other approval body. It is also the responsibility of
applicants to ensure that the completed approval form is forwarded to the Institution's
Research Office who will hold a copy of the form. The Research Administration Officer who
is responsible for the application must advise the NHMRC when ethics clearances have been
granted by the relevant Ethics Committees.
The NHMRC may request all information relating to decisions regarding ethical issues arising
from an application and the institutional response to the application. Provisional approvals
are not acceptable.
Funding under the scheme may be forfeited if ethics approvals are not obtained and advised to
the NHMRC within 6 months of the offer of an NHMRC-European Union Collaborative
Research Grant.
Subject to appropriations, payment of funds will be made to institutions in regular
instalments, in accordance with approved payment arrangements made for assistance
provided from the Medical Research Endowment Account. Funds must be used only for
purposes approved by the Minister for Health and Ageing and in accordance with the
Deed of Agreement and the NHMRC Act.
Documents containing personal information are handled and protected in accordance with the
provisions of the Privacy Act 1988, which sets out standards for the collection, storage, use
and disclosure of, and access to, personal information. Personal information is disclosed only
with permission of the individual to whom it relates or where the Privacy Act allows.
Information comprising the names of successful grant applicants and their Administering
Institutions, together with the title of the research project and the funding awarded, are
published in the NHMRC Annual Report and are available through the NHMRC’s website.
The NHMRC may also release information about the areas of research of the grant and a brief
description of the grant provided by the applicant.
Section 80 of the NHMRC Act requires Council and committee members, assessors, and staff
assisting committees or the Council not to disclose confidential commercial information,
unless the disclosure is made in the performance of duties under the NHMRC Act.
Information which may properly be regarded as confidential commercial information should
be designated as such.
Applicants must agree to comply with the National Principles of Intellectual Property
Management for Publicly Funded Research, which is available on the internet at:
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/policy/ipmanage.htm
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To support datasets for use in research, applications for funding must comply with the
Minimum Guidelines for Health Registers for Statistical and Research Purposes, which is
available on the internet at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/9792
Under section 136.1 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code, it is an offence to provide false or
misleading information to a Commonwealth body in an application for a benefit, punishable
by up to 12 months imprisonment. In addition, if an application contains information that is
false or misleading, it may be excluded from any further consideration for funding.
If the NHMRC believes that omissions or inclusion of misleading information are intentional
the NHMRC will refer the matter for appropriate legal action. The Australian Government is
committed to protecting its revenue, expenditure and property from any attempt, either by
members of the public, contractors, sub-contractors, agents, intermediaries or its own
employees to gain financial or other benefits by deceit.
Examples of false or misleading information in an application include, but are not restricted
to:
 providing fictitious track records; and
 falsifying claims in publications records (such as describing a paper as accepted for
publication when it has only been submitted).
For further information, the Administering Institution’s Research Office should be contacted
in the first instance.
Enquiries about NHMRC – European Union Collaborative Research Grants may be addressed
to:
Director
Australian-European Union Collaborative Research Grants
National Health and Medical Research Council
Research Investment Branch - Research Activity
GPO Box 1421
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Email: euFP7@nhmrc.gov.au
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