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The Hospital Research Foundation Project Grants

Grant Round 2019

Guidelines V1

Round closes: September 25th 2019

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Table of Contents

1. About The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) ....................................................................... 3

2. About the Project Grant Round .................................................................................................... 3

3. Terms and Conditions for funding ................................................................................................ 3

4. Requirements .............................................................................................................................. 3

Affiliation requirements ......................................................................................................... 3

Early career and experienced streams ................................................................................. 4

Eligibility requirements .......................................................................................................... 4

5. Funding Available ........................................................................................................................ 5

Funding rules ........................................................................................................................ 5

Salary support ...................................................................................................................... 5

Direct research costs ............................................................................................................ 5

Administering Institutions (AIs) ............................................................................................. 6

6. Application requirements and submission .................................................................................... 6

7. Selection process ........................................................................................................................ 6

Initial assessment ................................................................................................................. 6

Final decision ..................................................................................................................... 11

8. How to apply .............................................................................................................................. 11

9. Round timetable ........................................................................................................................ 11

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1. About The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF)

The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) supports people in hospitals across South Australia

through vital health and medical research and improved patient care. In 2018 THRF distributed over

$25 million in grants into South Australian hospitals and research institutions, targeted at finding

cures and improving care for our community. This is only possible thanks to our generous donors,

corporate partners and ticket buyers in the Hospital Research Home Lottery.

2. About the Project Grant Round

The Project Grants are designed to support innovative and creative medical research projects and/or

ideas which address a specific question or problem.

The project should have a tangible, clearly explained expected impact. Projects may be targeted at

improving any of the following areas: advancing scientific knowledge; health policy; clinical and/or

social aspects of healthcare; quality of life for patients/consumers/community; healthcare system

processes and outcomes.

Projects Grants are intended to support medical researchers at all career stages and for all types of

medical research (basic science, clinical and public health research).

3. Terms and Conditions for funding

Only ONE application will be considered for each Chief Investigator A (CIA).

There can be up to three Co-Investigators. Assistant Investigators should not be listed.

Applicants are authorised to be Co-Investigators on up to three projects for the round.

Progress reports against agreed milestones, impact and follow-up reports will be expected

during the project and at project completion.

THRF standard Intellectual Property Agreement Clause will apply.

THRF funding is not to be used to support Intellectual Property and Patent costs.

Chief Investigators must also agree to:

o Sign an undertaking to acknowledge THRF funding support in all presentations and

papers etc

o Provide updates upon request about research progress to THRF Communications

and Marketing teams

o Participate in media opportunities coordinated by THRF where necessary, including

local radio and local and national media announcements. Relevant media advice

and preparation will be available via THRF’s Communications team; and

o Ensure THRF is consulted regarding any media opportunities led by the recipient’s

university, SA Health or other organisation.

4. Requirements

Affiliation requirements

Applicants must have a formal affiliation with one of the following Local Health Networks, Universities or Research Institutes. Researchers from any state in Australia are invited to join existing research groups at one of the following:

The Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN)

The Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN)

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The Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN): Royal Adelaide Hospital, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (The Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research), or SA Pathology

The Womens and Childrens Health Network

SA Country Health Networks

The University of Adelaide

The University of South Australia

Flinders University

SAHMRI

Applicants are only allowed to submit one application across all Health Networks, Universities or Research Institutes. For example, applicants are not permitted to submit one application for NALHN and one application for SALHN.

If the applicant has more than one Administering Institution affiliation with a Health Network, University or Research Institute, the applicant needs to choose only one affiliation for the purpose of this round.

Early Career and Experienced streams

This round is divided into two streams: an Early Career and an Experienced stream.

The assessment criteria and the assessment process will be identical for both streams. However,

applicants will be ranked according to the stream they applied for.

Applicants who are unsure of which stream they should apply for should contact their

Institution’s Research Office or THRF Research Office at savelives@hospitalresearch.com.au.

Eligibility requirements

The Chief Investigator A (CIA) must:

Have employment rights via:

o Australian citizenship, or

o permanent residency in Australia, or

o have a valid visa for the entirerity of the project period so that they can commence

their project no later than April 2020.

Hold a PhD - An English Language copy of the letter saying the applicant qualifies

academically for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (“award letter”) with a date is required

when submitting the application. Applicants who do not have the award letter yet are not

eligible

o Early Career stream: Applicants must have had their PhD awarded (based on the date

of the award letter) on or after September 25th 2014, with the exception of the Chief

Investigator A (CIA)’s career disruptions (see below for clarification on the CIA’s

career disruptions)

o Experienced stream: Applicants whose PhD was awarded (based on the date of the

award letter) before September 25th 2014, with the exception of the CIA’s career

disruptions (see below for clarification on the CIA’s career disruptions)

o Applicants may only apply in one stream or the other

o Only one application per CIA will be accepted.

Applicants who have applied for THRF Early or Mid Career Fellowship in 2019:

o If the THRF Early or Mid Career Fellow application was declined after the independent

panel review, these applicants are only eligible to apply for a Project Grant if the

project is significantly different from that in the proposal applied for in the Early or Mid

Career Fellowships and if they meet all other requirements. THRF will verify this

content requirement prior to acceptance of the Project Grant application for review.

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o Applicants who applied for a THRF Early or Mid Career Fellowship in 2019 and were

ineligible based on guideline requirements (ie. the application hasn’t been assessed

by the independent panel) are eligible to apply for the same project in that proposal if

they meet all other requirements.

o Applicants who have been awarded a THRF Early or Mid Career Fellowship in 2019

are not eligible for this grant round.

The round is open to basic medical science researchers, biomedical, medical, nursing and allied

health practitioners, bioinformaticians and epidemiologists.

The track record will be assessed relative to the CIA’s career disruptions.

The CIA’s career disruptions include major illness and/or carer responsibilities including parental leave.

Career disruption is not:

Employment outside the research sector including time spent working in industry

Clinical, administrative or teaching workload

Relocation of laboratory or clinical practice setting

Unemployment

Other similar circumstances that impact upon research productivity.

5. Funding Available

Funding rules

The maximum amount that can be requested is up to $130,000 for one year of funding.

A detailed budget must be supplied and will be assessed for validity.

The project duration is one year from date of commencement however extensions for a further six

months will be considered based on appropriate circumstances. The funding includes:

• Salary support

• Direct research costs.

The funding may include travel to named sites of the research project but does not include a travel

allowance for conferences or for study tours.

The funding does not include indirect costs/infrastructure levy.

Salary support

Early Career and Experienced Project Grant Applicants may apply for salary support for themselves

and/or additional staff (such as a research officer/assistant, an external biostatistician, etc).

The salary support includes the salary and on-costs (up to 25%) (such as accruals for annual leave,

carers leave and for superannuation guarantee contribution) and is capped within the $130,000.

The applicant will be appointed at standard award conditions; commensurate with experience

through University or SA Health Enterprise Bargaining Awards.

Direct research costs

Direct Research Costs may include consumables.

Direct Research Costs do not include equipment.

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Direct Research Costs are capped within the $130,000. If an applicant wishes to receive no salary

and use the entirerity of the funding for Direct Research Costs, they are welcome to do so as long as

they can provide confirmation of an alternative salary source if the application is successful.

Administering Institutions (AIs)

THRF will enter into a funding agreement with the administering institution (AI). Applications must be

made under the auspices of one of the following administering institutions:

• CALHN (Central Adelaide Local Health Network)

• CHLHN (Country Health Local Health Network)

• Flinders University

• NALHN (Northern Adelaide Local Health Network)

• Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH)

• SAHMRI (South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute)

• SALHN (Southern Adelaide Local Health Network)

• The University of Adelaide

• The University of South Australia

• WCHN (Women's and Children's Health Network)

There can only be one AI for the project.

If the applicant wishes to have another AI they should consult with THRF Research Office first by

emailing savelives@hospitalresearch.com.au.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to facilitate and ensure that the chosen AI can administer the grant

and is willing to accept THRF Grant Terms and Conditions of funding which includes execution of the

THRF Grant Funding Deed.

6. Application requirements and submission

Once the round closes, the submitted application cannot be amended.

Applicants are expected to submit on time (by 25th September at 4.00 PM ACST). The THRF

Research Office reserves the right to request additional information if deemed necessary for

evaluation, however THRF expects applicants to provide all necessary information to make the

evaluation possible on the SmartyGrants application form.

7. Selection process

Initial assessment

Applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt of the application by email following submission to the SmartyGrants platform. If the email is not received applicants should assume the submission hasn’t been recieved.

THRF Research Office will screen all submitted applications to ensure that eligibility criteria have been met prior to evaluation.

An independent review panel of esteemed research professionals will assess and rank all eligible submissions.

Selection will be merit based, relative to the CIA’s career disruptions. The ranking of applications will be based on the specific selection criteria weighting (see table below).

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Each panel member will make a recommendation about whether each project should be funded or not. However, funding will be allocated by THRF based on ranking and grant pool availability.

Each panel member will declare any perceived or actual conflicts of interest and withdraw from

considering applications where such conflict does or may be perceieved to exist.

Each panel member will contract to preserve the confidentiality of any information supplied and will

not make copies of or disclose information unless explicitly authorised by The Hospital Research

Foundation or required to do so by law.

THRF may enter into direct negotiations with applicants to seek further information or detail in relation to specific applications.

In the event that THRF deems any research applications to be similar or complementary to other applications received, THRF may request that the applicants consider some or greater cooperation between the researchers (where appropriate). There is no obligation imposed on applicants under this condition. Any cooperation that might arise from such a suggestion by THRF would be voluntary.

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Selection criteria:

Criteria Weight Indicators

Significance to human health, innovation and creativity, expected outcomes and impact – Early and experienced stream

45% 10 = The planned work addresses an issue of utmost importance to human health in a way that challenges

and shifts current paradigms. It will make a major contribution in the scientific community and/or in the

international practice of clinical medicine or public health

9 = The planned work addresses an issue of major importance to human health and introduces ideas that

challenge and shift current paradigms. It will make a highly significant contribution in the scientific

community and/or in the national and international practice of clinical medicine or public health

8 = The planned work addresses an issue of major importance to human health in a highly innovative and

creative way. It will make a very significant contribution in the scientific community and/or in the local and

national practice of clinical medicine or public health

7 = The planned work addresses an issue of high importance to human health in a very innovative and

creative way. It will make a significant contribution in the scientific community and/or in the local or national

practice of clinical medicine or public health

6 = The planned work addresses an issue of importance to human health. The work contains innovative and

creative ideas. It will make a moderate contribution in the scientific community and/or in the local practice of

clinical medicine or public health

5 = The application is average: the planned work addresses a relevant issue to human health and contains

a few innovative ideas. The work would make a small contribution in the scientific community and/or in the

local practice of clinical medicine or public health

4 = The planned work addresses an issue relevant to human health and contains at least one innovative

idea. However, on balance the impact in the scientific community and/or in the local practice of clinical

medicine or public health would be limited..

3 = The application displays some good features but is not competitive. The work would make a very minor

contribution in the scientific community and/or in the local practice of clinical medicine or public health

2 = The application is not competitive and would likely not have an impact the scientific community and/or in

the local practice of clinical medicine or public health

1 = The application is poorly written without any innovative or creative idea, that would not result in an

impact the scientific community and/or in the local practice of clinical medicine or public health

Scientific excellence and feasibility - Early and experienced stream

45% 10 = The proposal is clear in its objectives, exemplary in design and almost certain to be accomplished.

9 = The proposal is clear in its objectives and has a near-flawless design. There is a very high probability of successful accomplishment.

8 = The proposal has clarity of its objectives, with only minor reservations in the design. There is a very high probability of successful accomplishment.

7 = The proposal has clarity of its objectives, with some areas of minor concern in the experimental design or feasibility. There is a high probability of successful accomplishment.

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6 = The proposal has satisfactory clarity of its objectives, however there are several areas of concern in the experimental design or feasibility. There is a moderately high probability of successful accomplishment.

5 = The proposal has reasonable clarity of its objectives with one significant area of concern in the experimental design or feasibility. There is a moderate probability of successful accomplishment.

4 =The proposal has reasonable clarity of its objectives with several significant areas of concern in the experimental design or feasibility. There is a low probability of successful accomplishment.

3 = The proposal has little clarity of its objectives with several areas of major concern in the experimental design or feasibility.. There is a very low probability of successful accomplishment.

2 = The proposal has poor clarity of its objectives with multiple areas of major concern in the experimental design or feasibility. There is no probability of successful accomplishment.

1 = The proposal has no clear objectives with multiple areas of major concern in the experimental design and feasibility. There is no probability of successful accomplishment.

Track record– Early career stream The record of achievement includes but is not limited to: quality and influence of your publications, experience of attainment of prizes and awards, further funding, speaking at national or international conferences, etc.

10% 10 = The CIA and team have a highly significant record of achievement compared to their peers and are on

their way to establish a national and/or international reputation 9 = The CIA and team have a very significant record of achievement compared to their peers and are on

their way to establish a national reputation

8 = The CIA and team have a significant record of achievement compared to their peers and are on their

way to establish a local reputation

7 = The CIA and team have a solid record of achievement compared to their peers in the area requested

for funding

6 = The CIA and team have a good record of achievement compared to their peers in the area requested

for funding

5 = The CIA and team have a reasonable record of achievement compared to their peers in the area

requested for funding

4 = The CIA and team have a limited record of achievement compared to their peers in the area requested

for funding

3 = The CIA and team have a very limited record of achievement compared to their peers in the area

requested for funding

2 = The CIA and team have some research experience in the area requested for funding but no record of

achievement

1 = The CIA and team have no research experience in the area requested for funding and no record of

achievement

Track record – Experienced stream

10%

10 = The CIA and other CI’s have an established international reputation with a highly significant record of

impact across multiple categories

9 = The CIA and other CI’s have a growing national or international reputation with a very significant record

of impact

8 = The CIA other CI’s have a growing national reputation with a significant record of impact

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Research impact categories include: advancement of knowledge and dissemination of results, clinical implementation and healthcare practices, policymaking, economic impact and community impact

7 = The CIA other CI’s have a strong local reputation and are recognised nationally with a solid record of

impact in the area requested for funding

6 = The CIA other CI’s have a strong local reputation and are becoming recognised nationally with a good

record of impact in the area requested for funding

5 = The CIA other CI’s have a strong local reputation with a reasonable record of impact in the area

requested for funding

4 = The CIA other CI’s have some local reputation with a limited record of impact in the area requested for

funding

3 = The CIA other CI’s have little local reputation with a very limited record of impact in the area requested

for funding

2 = The CIA other CI’s have very little local reputation with some research experience in the area requested

for funding, but with no record of impact in the area requested for funding

1 = The CIA other CI’s have no research experience and no record of impact in the area requested for

funding

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Final decision

Final weighted scores will range between 1 and 10. Applications that score below an average

weighted score of 7 points will not be considered for funding.

Only the highest ranking applications for each stream will be considered.

8. How to apply

Researchers should complete and submit the electronic application form through THRF’s online application portal SmartyGrants. Only electronic submission of applications through the SmartyGrants system will be accepted.

SmartyGrants link to Early Career Stream: https://hospitalresearch.smartygrants.com.au/C-PJ-EarlyCareerStream

SmartyGrants link to Experienced Stream: https://hospitalresearch.smartygrants.com.au/C-PJ-ExperiencedStream

Round closes on Wednesday 25th September 2019 at 4:00 PM (ACST)

All queries should be directed to savelives@hospitalresearch.com.au

Incomplete or late applications will not be considered

9. Round timetable

Round opens Thursday 15th August 2019 at 1.00 PM (ACST)

Round closes Wednesday 25th September 2019 at 4:00 PM (ACST)

Notification to applicants: December 2019

Project to start Within six months of grant award