Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Ministry of Health
Industry Alignment Fund
Category 2
(MOH IAF Cat 2)
Application Form
CLOSING DATE: 31 July 2015
The submission must comprise the endorsed original hardcopy application and its soft copy
(in Word & PDF format in a CD). Applications must be submitted to NMRC, MOH, through
the Research Office of the Principal Investigator’s (PI’s) Host Institution, to this address:
(Attn: Sharon Ling)
MOH IAF Cat 2
National Medical Research Council
11 Biopolis Way
#09-10/11 Helios
Singapore 138667
For further enquiries, you may contact Dr Sharon Ling at Sharon_Ling@moh.gov.sg.
Important:
MOH IAF
Relevant privileged or confidential information should be disclosed
to help convey a better understanding of the project. However, such
Category
2 Application
Checklist
information
must be clearlyForm
marked
in the proposal.
All information is treated in confidence. The information is furnished to the National Medical Research Council
(NMRC) with the understanding that it shall be used or disclosed for evaluation, reference and reporting
purposes. If your application is not successful, this form will be destroyed after the retention period deemed as
appropriate by the Council.
Page 1 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
1. Category of Proposal
a) Please indicate the relevant information if your proposal is a renewal or resubmission.
New Submission
Renewal (Grant number
Resubmission
(Application ID
)
& No. of resubmissions inclusive of current application
)
Application that has been previously submitted to other NMRC research
grants (Application ID
)
b) Please indicate the suitable category.
Preclinical studies
Clinical studies
Preclinical and Clinical studies
2.
Applicants
Please note that the definitions of a Principal Investigator (PI), Co-Investigator (Co-I) and Collaborator, as
indicated in the footnote. The terms of collaboration with overseas research institutions and private companies
must conform to NMRC’s existing policies. (* please add more rows if required)
Name
Role in Project (e.g. Principal
Investigator1, Co-I2,
Collaborator3, Industry
Collaborator4
Host
Institution5
% Effort
within
Project6
Total
100%
% Effort Within
Own Work
Commitments7
Please attach the CV of each member of the research team.
Please use the format below and indicate NA if the required information is not applicable (limit to 3 pages).






Name
Title
NRIC/Passport No.
Email
Contact No
Office Mailing Address
1Definition
of Lead Principal Investigator (Lead PI): The lead researcher who has the appropriate level of
authority and the responsibility to direct the research project being supported by the grant. He/she is
responsible and accountable for the proper conduct of the research project.
2Definition
of Co-Investigator (Co-I): An individual involved in the scientific development and execution of the
project, typically devotes a higher percentage of effort to the project as compared to a collaborator and is
considered a key personnel. He/she need to hold at least an adjunct position in a local public institution.
3
Definition of Collaborator: An individual involved in the scientific development and execution of project,
typically devote a specific percent of effort to the project. Researchers from overseas institutions or private
companies can only participate as collaborators.
4
Industry Collaborator are not entitled to receive (directly or indirectly) any portion of the grant.
5Definition
of Host Institution: the body or institution or administering organization named in the Letter of Award
as the “Host Institution” is the body responsible for undertaking and managing the Research and administering
the Funding.
6 NOTE: Represents percentage effort spent by the team members in the project relative to his/her other team
members. The total in this column must add up to 100%.
7
NOTE: Represents percentage effort spent by the team members on this project out of total work commitments
(e.g. other grants, other teaching and administrative responsibilities, clinical work etc.)
Page 2 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:









MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Current Position (provide full details, eg. joint appointments, other academic appointments
including those outside of Singapore)
Percentage of time spent in Singapore every year
Employment History
Academic qualifications (Indicate degree title, award year and institution name )
Research interests
Publications in last 5 years (include only publications of direct relevance to study, stating impact
factors where possible)
Patents held (related or unrelated to study)
Scientific Awards
Half page summary of research outcomes from all previous grants [eg. publications (full papers
only for past 5 years and highlight papers relevant to study), patents, awards, etc].
For co-Is and collaborators, please include these two items:
 Peer reviewed funding awarded as PI in last 5 years (from local and foreign agencies)
o Grant quantum, start and end date, funding agency and field of research
 Current and previous support from NMRC or other sources (include proposals pending approval)
3.
Title of Research (Limit to 300 characters)
4.
Field of Research
Please fill in the Health Research Classification (HRC) System below with reference to the list attached as
Appendix 1 in the IRG Guide. The HRC System is adapted from MRC, UK.
(A) Health Category
You may select up to 5 categories from below. Please use minimum number of codes to reflect main focus of
the research.
Blood
Cancer
Cardiovascular
Congenital Disorders
Ear
Eye
Infection
Inflammatory and Immune System
Injuries and Accidents
Mental Health
Metabolic and Endocrine
Musculoskeletal
Neurological
Oral and Gastrointestinal
Renal and Urogenital
Reproductive Health and Childbirth
Respiratory
Skin
Stroke
Generic Health Relevance
Other
(B) Research Activity Code
You may select up to 2 sub-codes from the followings, eg, 2.1.
1 Underpinning Research
1.1 Normal biological development and functioning
1.2 Psychological and socioeconomic processes
1.3 Chemical and physical sciences
1.4 Methodologies and measurements
1.5 Resources and infrastructure (underpinning)
2 Aetiology
2.1 Biological and endogenous factors
2.2 Factors relating to physical environment
2.3 Psychological, social and economic factors
2.4 Surveillance and distribution
2.5 Research design and methodologies (aetiology)
Page 3 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
2.6 Resources and infrastructure (aetiology)
3 Prevention of Disease and Conditions, and Promotion of Well-Being
3.1 Primary prevention interventions to modify behaviours or promote well-being
3.2 Interventions to alter physical and biological environmental risks
3.3 Nutrition and chemoprevention
3.4 Vaccines
3.5 Resources and infrastructure (prevention)
4 Detection, Screening and Diagnosis
4.1 Discovery and preclinical testing of markers and technologies
4.2 Evaluation of markers and technologies
4.3 Influences and impact
4.4 Population screening
4.5 Resources and infrastructure (detection)
5 Development of Treatments and Therapeutic Interventions
5.1 Pharmaceuticals
5.2 Cellular and gene therapies
5.3 Medical devices
5.4 Surgery
5.5 Radiotherapy
5.6 Psychological and behavioural
5.7 Physical
5.8 Complementary
5.9 Resources and infrastructure (development of treatments)
6 Evaluation of Treatments and Therapeutic Interventions
6.1 Pharmaceuticals
6.2 Cellular and gene therapies
6.3 Medical devices
6.4 Surgery
6.5 Radiotherapy
6.6 Psychological and behavioural
6.7 Physical
6.8 Complementary
6.9 Resources and infrastructure (evaluation of treatments)
7 Management of Diseases and Conditions
7.1 Individual care needs
7.2 End of life care
7.3 Management and decision making
7.4 Resources and infrastructure (disease management)
8 Health and Social Care Services Research
8.1 Organisation and delivery of services
8.2 Health and welfare economics
8.3 Policy, ethics and research governance
8.4 Research design and methodologies
8.5 Resources and infrastructure (health services)
5.
Abstract
In no more than 300 words, concisely describe the specific aims, hypotheses, methodology and approach of the
research proposal including its importance to the furtherance of medical science, in particular clinical significance.
The abstract must be self-contained so that it can serve as a succinct and accurate description of the research
proposal. Note that the abstract may be disclosed to other funding agencies.
6.
Research Proposal
In no more than 15 pages (page limit excludes the reference section), please briefly describe the following
sections in the research proposal. Please use Arial font size 10 for all text.
a.
Background & Preclinical/Clinical Need


Describe the background and the significance of the preclinical/clinical need/gap identified which the
platform/programme intends to fill.
Describe the current treatment/solutions and their shortcomings.
Page 4 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
b.
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Industry Partnership Interest
The pre-requisite for the application to MOH IAF Cat 2 is to provide evidence of industry recognition and interest
in the platform:
(i)
Letters of Intent from at least 2 industry partners, validating and elaborating on the relevance of the
proposed Platform/Programme to industry research and needs.
(ii) Letter of Intent from an industry sponsor8 who will articulate the need that the proposed
Platform/Programme will address and
Elaborate on how it is envisioned that industry will partner and collaborate with the fully developed
platform/programme,
Be consulted on a regular basis as part of progress reports and reviews.
In addition to the Letters of Intent, you may attach other documents eg. ongoing Research Collaboration
Agreements (RCAs) Service agreements, contract agreements, or other indications of industry interest.
Please attach the Letters of Intent and/or other documents as supporting documents to this section of the
proposal.
c.
Description of Platform/Programme
Give a concise description of the proposed Platform/Programme covering the following areas:





Describe the need and rationale of developing the Platform/Programme
Describe the methods/approach and components of the Platform/Programme. Include the
description of underlying technology, processes and manpower capability (if any).
Describe the alternatives that have been or can be considered (if any)
Provide an account of the PI’s/Industry’s preliminary studies (if any) or any other information that will
help to establish the importance of the research and the experience and competence of the
investigator pursuing the proposed project.
Highlight any technical challenges of the proposed approach and explain how/why such challenges
have prevented other from making similar attempts and contingency plan where technical challenges
cannot be overcome.
(i) Application(s) of Platform/Programme


Describe the applications of the Platform/Programme, such as its uses in the understanding of
disease biology, translating research into commercially relevant solutions or how it would provide
solutions for the needs/problems highlighted in a. There could be more than one application.
Emphasize the key applications that will be utilised and can attract industry funding within the first
3 years.
(ii) Uniqueness of Platform/Programme


Indicate direct competitors (if any). Identify other research institutes or groups (academia or
industrial) in the world which have comparable capabilities.
State the differentiating factor(s) of the Platform/Programme – the reason why industry wants to
work with this applicant as compared to the competitors.
(iii) References
d.
External Validation of Platform/Programme
Submit report(s) of un-biased external assessments of the scientific strengths of the proposal (if any). Examples
include reports from Scientific Advisory Board, independent market assessment, TTO assessment, business
development office assessment, etc.
e.
Implementation Plan
Briefly describe the management of the collaboration ie. who will take the lead for each area, a plan for regular
meetings, strategy for the set up of networks, arrangement for access and upkeep of equipment and data, how
newly generated data will be preserved for sharing, etc.
8
The industry sponsor may be the same party in 6b(i) who has provided a Letter of Intent or equivalent written
document of support.
Page 5 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
f.
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Sustainability of Platform/Programme
We acknowledge that some of the platforms are still at development stage and may not be able to attract industry
investment immediately. This section is to articulate a clear industry engagement plan going forward to attract
industry funding (short and long term) so as to ensure self-sustainability of the Platform/Programme post-funding.
(i) Industry Engagement and Business Plan



This could include jointly developing a plan with the host institution TTO office, business
development team or equivalent.
You may wish to outline the organization structure of this Platform/Programme. Who would
oversee and coordinate industry engagement plans?
Development of materials/capacity and interaction platforms over the 3 years to engage
companies. Some concrete examples include:
Some of the industry engagement platforms include organizing round table focus groups to
invite industry , meeting industry during conferences, etc
Easy-to-understand marketing slides to provide an overview of the technology platform.
This material can be forwarded to IDG/EDB for industry engagement purposes.
Identify companies that the platform team would aim to meet which would be interested to
in the platform.
(ii) Proposed Financial and Commercial KPIs




g.
Intellectual Property Management



7.
You may propose any financial and/or commercial key performance indicators (KPIs) to
demonstrate the ability to attract industry (or other) funding prior to the end of the support
period.
These KPIs are entirely dependent on the projects which are initiated and are unique to the
Platform/Programme. These KPIs should be realistically set since the projects may not be
initiated until the basic infrastructure is in place.
Examples are service or contract agreements with industry partner(s) to use the
Platform/Programme for their commercial needs, ability to attract X dollars of industry funds in
collaboration to develop the Platform/Programme for their needs, etc.
These proposed KPIs will be included and reviewed in annual progress reports.
Briefly describe any possibility of intellectual property generated from the Platform/Programme
Briefly describe how the Research Team intends to manage and exploit the IP it has filed/or
intends to file.
You can provide a description of the Research Team’s track record to substantiate your
description eg. list of patentable components, patents filed (status), spin-off companies, income
generated from commercialization of intellectual assets.
Ethical Considerations and Containment
Fund disbursement is subjected to ethics approval if the project involves any of the below.
Please declare the
participating institutions
where study requiring
ethics approval is
conducted:
Please tick accordingly if programme involves any of the following:
a) Human Subject
Yes
No
b) Use of Human Material/
Yes
No
Animal Tissues or Cells
from Primary Donors (i.e. subject/volunteers recruited for project)
c) Use of Commercially Available
Yes
No
Human Material/Animal Tissues or Cells
d) Animal Experimentation
Yes
No
Page 6 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
e) Requirement for Containment
Yes
No
f)
Yes
No
Multi-centre trial(s)
(If yes, please state all participating institutions/centres:
A copy of the ethics approval is attached
8.
Funding
8.1
Period of Support Requested
8.2
Funding Request Total Amount: SGD
)
Yes
Number of years:
No
(Max. of 3 years)
(capped at SGD 3M / project inclusive of 20%
indirect costs)
8.3
Budget
List the budget of the funding requested in the format below and provide the relevant justifications. Please refer to
NMRC Policy Document on Financial Regulations (Annex 1).
8.3.1 Manpower
Please budget for all the manpower required for the project including part-time personnel and those to be shared
with other projects. State whether they are existing personnel in your institution or new staff to be recruited.
Please use salary scales provided by the Institution or Hospital Administration as a reference. The cost should
include annual increments, National Service increment, staff welfare, medical and other related benefits as per
the Human Resource policies of your institution.
Staff Category
Existing/New
Technologist
New
Research
Assistant
New
Research
Officer
New
Research
Associate
New
Research
Nurse
New
Postdoctoral
Fellow
New
Visiting
Consultant
New
Others:
(please
specify)
New
No
Remarks
Total
Total cost
$0.00
8.3.2 Equipment
Please budget for all scientific equipment you need to purchase to directly carry out the project. Indicate
sharing of equipment with other projects, if any. For equipment costing more than $100,000 each, please
indicate the estimated utilization of the equipment (e.g. 70% usage throughout the project period; only 85%
usage in the 2nd year for analysis purpose, etc).
Title of Specific Research Theme:
Page 7 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
Qty
Equipment
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Estimated Utilization Rate
for Equipment more than
$100,000 (to be justified)
Unit Cost
Total
Sub-Total
$0.00
8.3.3 Other Operating Expenses (OOE)
This covers other expenses directly related to the project such as the purchase of animals, consumables,
laboratory manuals, literature searches, and maintenance of equipment. Conference travel will be funded only
if a presentation or an article is presented and is capped at $6,000 per trip per requested year. The
presentation or article must be directly related to the project and NMRC’s support must be acknowledged.
Title of Specific Research Theme:
Item
Item Description
Cost
Materials &
Consumables
Overseas Travel
Others:
(please specify)
*Please add rows for more items
Total
$0.00
Grand Total: SGD$0.00
8.3.4 Details and Justifications for Budget Requested
Please provide breakdown for all categories if this is not indicated in the previous tables.
Manpower Justifications
Equipment Justifications
Other Operating Expenses (OOE) Justifications
Materials & Consumables
Page 8 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Overseas Travel
Others e.g. Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI) cost
Page 9 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
9.
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Milestones/Timeline
Provide the timeline and proposed milestones for the proposal.
This section is required for the assessment of the progress of the study and shade the appropriate box(es) to indicate the year and at which quantum of the year of funding that a
particular milestone is expected to be met. You can add or delete rows as appropriate.
Note: The proposed milestones will be subjected to review by a post-award committee at the end of each FY during the period of the grant award. The
progress of a project is a critical pre-requisite for the continued disbursement of funds.
Year 1
Research Milestones/ Deliverables
Q1
Q2
Q3
Year 2
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Year 3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
1. Lead PI
Milestone 1
Milestone 2
Etc.
2. Co-I
3. Collaborator
Page 10 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
10.
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Expected Outcomes
Please indicate your realistic expectations on the outcomes of this grant. Please state ‘NA’ where indicator is not
applicable.
Performance Indicators
Indicate
number /
value
Master’s research students trained
PhD students trained
Training R&D
manpower for
industry
Master’s research and PhD students trained and spun
out to local industry as RSEs (Research Scientist &
Engineer)
Research staff spun out to local industry as RSEs
Post-doctoral (within 3 years of the PhD award)
researchers hired
Joint programs/projects with prestigious international
research organizations
Joint programs/projects with local universities
Invention disclosures
Capability
Indicators
Proof-of-concept studies in man
Other Clinical trials
Developing
long term R&D
capability *
Kick-start clinical treatments/therapeutics
Patents filed
Patents granted
Patents commercialized
Papers published in international journals (To state
impact factor)
Presentations at international conferences
Awards for research at national and international level
R&D
collaboration *
Industry
Relevance
Indicators
R&D projects with industry cash funding
Industry dollars received to fund R&D projects
Revenue from royalties and licensing agreements
Outcomes *
Spin-off companies registered
New products or processes commercialized
* NMRC places special emphasis on these targets
11.
Other Support
Please provide the following details for the grants currently held or being applied for by the PI only. Attach
additional pages if necessary. Please attach the scientific abstracts of each grant listed below in (a) – (c)
and required additional information as Annex A for NMRC’s reference. Missing abstracts / KPIs /
attachments will render this application incomplete.
(a) Support from any industry partner(s)
Please provide details on the funding/drug(s) or other resources provided by any participating industry partner(s)
that the PIs have existing collaboration with.
Page 11 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
Items Supported
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Form of Support
Source of
Support
In-Kind
9
Cash Contribution10
(SGD)
Support Period
(Year)
Yes/No
Yes/No
(b) Peer Reviewed Funding Received in the Past 5 years as PI (from local and foreign
funding agencies)
For Investigator-led grants, e.g. CS-IRG, CBRG, etc, please only include funding awarded in the capacity as a
lead PI. For programmatic grants or equivalent grants, e.g. TCR Flagships, B&B, please include only the amount
awarded in the capacity as theme PI or Co-PI.
Specifically for NMRC-funded projects, please indicate the NMRC project number and provide the latest research
outcomes (Key Performance Indicators) as Annex A.
Amount of Fund
Funding
Agency
Title of Research
Approved/
Received ($)
Balance
Available ($)
Support
Period
(Year)
Expiry
Date of the
grant
(c) List all grants applied for (e.g. NMRC, NRF, A*STAR, MOE, Clusters, etc) where
outcome is pending
For all NMRC grant applications, please indicate application ID. Please indicate all the grants applied of similar
proposal where the applicant and is involved as PI, Co-PI, Co-Investigator or Collaborator and provide any
overlapping sections in the proposals as Annex A.
Title of Research and
PI’s role in project
Application ID
Funding
Agency
Amount of fund
applied for ($)
Support Period
(Year)
(d) Potential Overlap of Support/ Funding
Please highlight if there is any potential overlap of the above mentioned funding. Note that double-dipping is
strictly prohibited. For any overlap, please explain how it would be dealt with.
12.
Peer Review
(a) Inappropriate Reviewers (Conflict of Interest)
Please provide name and contact information of individuals who might have conflict of interests or commercial
sensitivity with your current research proposal.
S/N
Title
Name
Details
(Institution and e-mail address)
Reason for
exclusion
(b) Suggested Names of Reviewers
Reviewers who are co-authors with the PI(s) in publications are generally not to be included. Note that suggested
reviewers must not have conflict of interest or involvement (direct and indirect) with the proposed project. NMRC
has the final discretion whether to select the suggested reviewers for the evaluation of the grant proposal.
S/N
9
Title
Name
Details
(Institution and
Relationship to PI
Please delete as appropriate
10
Please specify amount
Page 12 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
e-mail address)
13.
Undertaking by Principal Investigator
In submitting the MOH Industry Alignment Fund Category 2 (MOH IAF Cat 2) Application,
the Principal Investigator and all Co-Investigator(s) & Collaborator(s) UNDERTAKE, on any
Grant Award, to:










Declare that all information is accurate and true.
Declare that he/she is free from any financial conflicts of interest.
Not send similar versions or part(s) of this proposal to other agencies for funding.
Submit supporting documents of ethics approval obtained from the relevant
Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Animal Ethics Committee for studies involving
human subjects/human tissues or cells, and animal/animal tissues or cells
respectively, before any funding can be confirmed.
Be actively engaged in the execution of the research and comply with all laws, rules
and regulations pertaining to safety, animal and human ethics, including the
Singapore Good Clinical Practice guidelines.
Ensure that National Medical Research Council (NMRC) funding is acknowledged in
all publications and presentations.
Ensure that all publications arising from research wholly or partly funded by NMRC
will be forwarded to NMRC.
Ensure that the requested equipment/resources are not funded by another agency or
research proposal.
Ensure that there is a reasonable effort in accessing available equipment/resources
within the host institution or elsewhere within Singapore.
Adhere to NMRC’s general guidelines on competitive funding and NMRC’s Terms
and Conditions.
-----------------------------------------------------Name and Signature of PI
Date:
---------------------------------------------------------------Name and Signature of Co-I/Collaborator* 11
Date:
---------------------------------------------------------------Name and Signature of /Co-I/Collaborator*
Date:
(*Please add more if required)
14.
Undertaking by Head of Department (HOD) & Host Institution of the PI
In submitting the Grant Application, the Institution UNDERTAKES, on any Grant Award, to:
11
*Delete as appropriate
Page 13 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:

MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Discuss with immediate supervisor of applicant that the following will be complied
with:
o The proposed research will be conducted in the host institution
o Adequate resources will be provided to the applicant for the entire grant
period (e.g. lab space)
o The applicant is independently salaried by the institution for the entire period
of the grant
o The research abides by all laws, rules and regulations pertaining to national
and the institution's research operating procedures and guidelines
o Confirm the accuracy and completeness of information submitted, including
budget, ethics, other funding sources, etc.
o Confirm that budget is clear (e.g. no double funding/ excessive purchase of
equipment), and is aligned with host institution HR and other policies
o There is no financial conflict of interest
----------------------------------------------------------Name and Signature of Head of Department12
--------------Date
--------------------------------------------------------Name and Signature of Director of Institution13
--------------Date
12
If the PI is the Head of Department, UNDERTAKING by the HOD’s Reporting officer is required.
13
If the PI is the Director of the Institution, UNDERTAKING by the Director’s Reporting officer is required.
Page 14 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Annex 1 Budgeting Requirements
Type of Expenses
Description
EOM Related Expenses
Salaries, CPF and
fringe benefits
including medical,
dental, contribution to
welfare fund, etc.
Allowable as part of overall compensation to employees provided
such costs are incurred under formal established and consistently
applied policies of the host Institution.
The manpower funded as part of the direct cost should be directly
involved in the research work of the project.
The salaries offered to staffs should be reasonable, in line with local
market benchmarks and comply with formal established pay scale
of the host Institution that is consistently applied regardless of the
source of funds.
Core manpower fundable under the direct cost only:
- Research fellow,
- Research engineer/scientist,
- Research assistant/associate,
- Specialist laboratory technician,
- Biostatisticians,
- Nurses, and
- Technical officer.
All other manpower will fall under IRC.
Case by case consideration will be given if the PI can justify that the
required manpower should be funded under the direct manpower
cost.
Annual leave
Allowable for employees. The number of days of leave accorded to
staff must be in accordance with formal policies of the host
Institution that is consistently applied regardless of the source of
funds.
Bonus / Incentive
payments,
Allowable as part of a total compensation package, provided such
payments are reasonable and are made according to a formal
policy of the host Institution that is consistently applied regardless of
the source of funds.
Staff insurance
Allowable as part of overall compensation to employees provided
such costs are incurred under formal established and consistently
applied policies of the host Institution.
Page 15 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Type of Expenses
Description
Participation of
overseas experts
Allowable.
Expenses incurred for overseas experts invited to participate in the
project and staying in Singapore for at least 6 months per year must
be budgeted separately in the project budget under the category for
Visiting Professor/Expert.
For other overseas experts staying for less than 6 months per year,
the cost of his/her stay is allowable if the costs are specifically
provided for and approved in the project grant.
Examples of such costs are honoraria, salaries, staff relocation,
settling-in allowances and other related cost
For staff relocation, settling-in allowances, etc, it will be allowable
for senior expatriate R&D staff if the costs are specifically provided
for and approved in the project grant.
However, superannuation contributions for such staff are not
allowed under both direct cost and IRC.
Staff recruitment and
related cost
Not allowable under direct cost. Examples of such costs are
advertisement and recruitment agency cost.
These expenses can be claimed under IRC.
Stipends and course
fees of full-time and/or
part-time graduate
research students
Not allowable under both direct cost and IRC.
PI’s & co-investigators’
EOM
Not allowable under both direct cost and IRC.
Only student attachment and top-up for research students are
fundable under IRC.
Equipment Related Expenses
New equipment
Allowable if needed specifically for the project.
Each equipment must be individually identified and its total cost
inclusive of bank charges, delivery and installation, etc estimated.
Page 16 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
Type of Expenses
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Description
For equipment costing more than S$100,000, they will be classified
under “Exceptional Items” (see para 2.4 to 2.6 in the Administrative
Guidelines). For purchase of such equipment, 3 quotations must be
provided in the budget along with full justifications for the need to
purchase the equipment.
General purpose IT
and communication
equipment
Not allowable under direct cost. Examples of such costs are
computers, office productivity software, PDAs, mobile phones, etc.
The cost of such equipment can be claimed under IRC. The
procurement of such equipment must be reasonable and make
according to the formal established and consistently applied policies
of the host Institution.
General furniture and
office equipment
Not allowable under direct cost. Examples of such costs are fax
machines, photocopier machines, workstations and printers, etc.
The cost of such items can be claimed under IRC. All procurement
of such items must be reasonable and make according to the formal
established and consistently applied policies of the host Institution.
Consumables Related Expenses
Consumables
Allowable.
Examples of such costs are supplies and materials, laboratory
consumables, animals and drugs which are necessary for the
successful execution of the funded project.
All procurement of such items must be reasonable and are made
according to the formal established and consistently applied policies
of the host Institution.
Drug costs and medical
procedures for patients
and volunteers
Allowable.
OOE Related Expenses
Bank charges
Allowable as long as it is specifically related to the payments for
consumables and equipment used in the project.
Customs and import
duties
Allowable as long as it is specifically related to importation of
consumables and equipment used in the project.
Page 17 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Type of Expenses
Description
Books and specialised
journals relevant to the
research
Allowable.
GST
Allowable for expenses incurred for the project.
Local & Overseas
conferences
Allowable, if conference is directly relevant to the research area or
necessary to accomplish the project objectives for PI, coinvestigators, collaborators, researchers and research students
funded under the project grant.
If the host Institution has a library, books and journals should be
obtained from the library and PI should refrain from purchasing the
same books or subscribing to such journals.
The expenses for such conferences may include registration fee for
the conference, air tickets, per diem and other allowances. Such
payments should be in accordance with the formal policies of the
host Institution.
If the conferences are conducted overseas, the travel policy of the
host Institution must be consistently adhered to. However, total
expenses for travel per trip per person must not exceed $6,000.
The PI must submit a copy of the abstract when claiming
reimbursement for such expenses and append to their annual/ final
report.
Photocopying and
printing charges
Allowable.
Publications
Allowable.
Page charges for publication of manuscript in professional journals
are allowable if they adhere to the formal established policy of the
host Institution, where applicable.
The costs of reprints and publishing in other media, such as books,
monographs and pamphlets are not allowable unless specific
approval has been obtained from the NMRC.
Repairs and
Allowable if specifically budgeted for in the project and the
Page 18 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Type of Expenses
Description
maintenance of
research equipment
equipment is used extensively for the benefit of the research
project.
Stationery & printer
consumables
Allowable.
Examples of such costs are printer cartridges, etc.
Training
Allowable.
Funding for training is allowable for the PI, co-PIs and the
collaborators. For funding of the research personnel, it should be
restricted to the personnel employed under the project grant and for
training that is of direct benefit and specific to the research project.
Transportation,
postage & courier
services
Allowable.
Use of services,
equipment rental or lab
spaces within the host
Institution’s central
facilities
Allowable.
This includes postage, courier and freight charges for bringing in
equipment and specialised research consumables and
reimbursement for staff transportation.
The cost for the use of the services and central facilities owned by
the host Institution such as animal holding units, central laboratory
services are allowable and must be based on host Institution’s fee
schedules which are consistently applied regardless of source of
funds.
Host Institution may be requested to certify that the fee structure is
applied consistently.
Payment to volunteers
and research patients
and other related cost
Allowable for payment to volunteers and research subjects provided
this is the scope of the research and has been provided for and
approved in the grant. Examples of such payments may include
inconvenience fees, transport and meal reimbursement, etc.
Press advertisements for patients are allowable under IRC only.
Audit fees
Not allowable under direct cost. This includes both internal and
external audit fees.
Page 19 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
Type of Expenses
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Description
These expenses can be claimed under IRC.
Entertainment &
Refreshment
Not allowable under direct cost.
These expenses can be claimed under IRC.
Fines and penalties
Not allowable under both direct cost and IRC.
Insurance premiums
Not allowable under direct cost. Examples of such costs are for
equipment, workmen compensation, professional indemnity of
researchers funded under NMRC/NRF grants.
These expenses can be claimed under IRC.
The host Institution is responsible for the insurance of the
equipment, relevant workmen compensation and professional
indemnity insurance which are in line with the host Institution’s risk
policies.
Legal fees
Not allowable under direct cost and IRC.
Outsourcing
Not allowable under direct cost unless specifically provided for and
approved in the grant.
Overhead expenses rental, utilities,
telephone charges,
facilities management,
repairs and
maintenance, etc
Not allowable under direct cost.
Patent-related
expenses
Not allowable under direct cost and IRC.
These expenses can be claimed under IRC.
Such cost should be borne by the host Institution.
Professional fees
(including fees to
consultants)
Not allowable under direct cost.
These expenses can be claimed under IRC.
Page 20 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Type of Expenses
Description
Professional
membership fees of
PIs /RFs /RAs funded
from the grant
Not allowable under direct cost.
Staff retreat
Not allowable under direct cost.
These expenses can be claimed under IRC.
These expenses can be claimed under IRC.
Cost of capital works
and general
infrastructure
Not allowable under direct cost unless specifically provided for and
approved in the grant.
Page 21 of 26
Name of PI:
Amount Applying for:
MOH IAF Category 2
Application Form
Non-Fundable Items
EOM Related Expenses
1 PI’s & co-investigators’ EOM
2
Stipends and course fees of full-time and/or part-time graduate research students
3
Superannuation contributions for senior expatriate R&D staff
OOE Related Expenses
4 Fines and penalties
5
Legal fees
6
Patent-related expenses
Others
7 Non cash items such as depreciation cost, amortization cost, loss on revaluation, etc.
Exceptional Items (not taken into account for IRC computation):
i.
Major equipment costing more than S$100,000;
ii.
Intellectual property that is needed to carry out the proposed R&D work;
iii.
Subcontracting of non-research work (e.g., the development of tools for the
research);
iv.
Payment to volunteers and research patients; and
v.
Infrastructural work that is approved (following strong justifications) as a direct cost of
the research grant.
Page 22 of 26
Name of Lead Applicant:
Clinical Trial Grant
Amount Applying for:
Letter of Intent
APPENDIX
Summary
Item
Direct
Cost
Indirect
Research
Cost
Non
Fundable
Specifically
provided for
and approved
in grant
EOM Related Expenses
Salaries, CPF and fringe benefits
including medical, dental, contribution
to welfare fund, etc.
√
Annual leave / Bonus / Incentive
payments
√
Staff insurance
Participation of overseas experts
√
√
Student attachment and top-up for
research students
√
Staff recruitment and related cost
√
PI’s & co-investigators’ EOM
√
Stipends and course fees of full-time
and/or part-time graduate research
students
√
Superannuation contributions for senior
expatriate R&D staff
√
Equipment Related Expenses
New equipment
General purpose IT and
communication equipment
General furniture and office equipment
√
√
√
Page 23 of 26
Name of Lead Applicant:
Clinical Trial Grant
Amount Applying for:
Letter of Intent
APPENDIX
Item
Direct
Cost
Indirect
Research
Cost
Non
Fundable
Specifically
provided for
and approved
in grant
Consumables Related Expenses
Consumables (e.g. supplies and
materials, laboratory consumables,
animals and drugs)
√
OOE Related Expenses
Bank charges
Customs and import duties
Books and specialised journals
relevant to the research
GST
Local & overseas conferences
√
√
√
√
√
Outsourcing
Photocopying and printing charges
Publications
Repairs and maintenance of research
equipment
Stationery & printer consumables
Training
√
√
√
√
√
√
Transportation, postage & courier
services
√
Use of services, equipment rental or
√
Page 24 of 26
Name of Lead Applicant:
Clinical Trial Grant
Amount Applying for:
Letter of Intent
APPENDIX
Item
Direct
Cost
Indirect
Research
Cost
Non
Fundable
Specifically
provided for
and approved
in grant
lab spaces within the host Institution’s
central facilities
Volunteers and research patients and
other related cost
Press advertisements for patients
Audit fees
Entertainment & refreshment
Insurance premiums
Overhead expenses (eg. rental,
utilities, telephone charges, facilities
management, repairs and
maintenance, etc)
√
√
√
√
√
√
Professional fees (including fees to
consultants)
√
Professional membership fees of PIs
/RFs /RAs funded from the grant
√
Staff retreat
Fines and penalties
Legal fees
Patent-related expenses
Cost of capital works and general
infrastructure
√
√
√
√
√
Page 25 of 26
Name of Lead Applicant:
Clinical Trial Grant
Amount Applying for:
Letter of Intent
APPENDIX
Item
Direct
Cost
Indirect
Research
Cost
Non
Fundable
Specifically
provided for
and approved
in grant
Others
Non cash items such as depreciation
cost, amortization cost, loss on
revaluation, etc
√
Page 26 of 26