Diabetes Queensland Research Fund Guidelines and Conditions 2012 Closing date: 5pm 1 November 2012. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Please note that this is the date for your application to reach the Diabetes Queensland Office. Diabetes Queensland is the peak body for people with diabetes in Queensland - providing a single, powerful and collective voice for the diabetes community. Diabetes Queensland supports more than 180,000 registrants and 42,000 financial members in Queensland and works to improve the lives of people affected by all types of diabetes. One of Diabetes Queensland key strategies to improve lives is through research. Application forms Application forms and guidelines for all Diabetes Queensland research awards may be obtained from: Our website www.diabetesqld.org.au Click on Health Professionals link By email research@diabetesqld.org.au Correspondence Diabetes Queensland Research Program GPO Box 9824 Brisbane Qld 4001 Email: research@diabetesqld.org.au Telephone: 1300 136 588 1 of 6
General Information Diabetes Queensland conducts and funds translational diabetes research that delivers a direct benefit for people with diabetes and those at risk of diabetes. Translational Diabetes Research is research that informs and investigates: Affordable prevention of type 2 diabetes in the community. Interventions to improve diabetes self-management. Health care delivery changes that improve diabetes outcomes. Health care system changes that improve diabetes outcomes. Targeting interventions high-risk populations. Diabetes Queensland priorities for Translational Diabetes Research are: Areas where the lack of evidence is restricting the evaluation, design or implementation of diabetes prevention or management programs. Areas that will support advocacy for policy or funding changes (of benefit to people with diabetes). Areas with real world applicability i.e. be able to be used within normal systems, settings and resourcing. Areas that consider populations that are at risk or hard-to-reach. Diabetes Queensland invites applications from individuals or research teams for grants in support of translational diabetes research projects. Duration and Size of Grants Grant funding amounts are up to $50,000 for one year. The funding year commences on 1 January and terminates on 31 December. Grant recipients may delay the start of the grant period by up to three months to allow time to find appointees to positions. If a grant is to commence later than 1 January of the year of award the administering institution should inform Diabetes Queensland by 14 January of the date of commencement. Grant funds are provided by Diabetes Queensland to the administering institute for appropriate research project-related expenditure, as determined by the chief investigator named on the grant application. Institute management and infrastructure costs are not to be supported by a levy on granted or expended Diabetes Queensland funds. Evidence to the contrary will preclude consideration of any future application from that institution. In the event that the research is terminated early or completed at a lower than originally envisaged cost, Diabetes Queensland must be advised and any unspent funds returned. 2 of 6
Diabetes Queensland reserves the right to offer a grant sum that differs substantially from that requested by the applicants. Role of Host Institute The host institution guarantees the infrastructure necessary to support the research will be available. The explicit support for, and commitment to, the application by the host institution is therefore an essential prerequisite. Diabetes Queensland will make grant payments to the administering institution nominated in the successful grant applications. That institution will be held responsible for the proper administration and expenditure of the grant and for ensuring that all reports required by Diabetes Queensland are made in the correct form and on time. In the event a need arises for the administration of a grant to be transferred from one institution to another, a written request for this transfer must be made to Diabetes Queensland giving reasons for the transfer. The transfer must not be affected without written agreement of Diabetes Queensland. Financial Grants will be paid for each grant year in two instalments. Payment will be made on receipt of a tax invoice from the Administering Institution. The first payment of a new grant will not be made until all the relevant documentation has been received by Diabetes Queensland, including the signed contract and a copy of ethics approval. The administering institution will submit an income and expenditure statement in respect of each research project grant by 31 January in the following year. Such a statement must certify that the grant has been expended solely for work on the program described in the application. Separate statements should be submitted for each Diabetes Queensland grant administered by the institution. Grant recipients are expected to expend funds within the period of the grant, but are not required to spend allocated funds evenly through the grant period. Funds cannot be carried forward past the expiration of the Term of the Agreement unless approval has been granted. Invoices received after the Term of Agreement has expired will not be paid. Upon request before the date of termination of the grant, up to 20% of the funds granted for the final funding year of a grant can be carried forward for up to 6 months from the date of termination. In exceptional circumstances, grant recipients may seek further carry-forward by applying in writing, with a sound justification, to Diabetes Queensland. 3 of 6
Any funds not expended by the end of the grant funding period, or, if carry forward has been requested, by the end of the 6 months carry forward period, must be returned to Diabetes Queensland. The withdrawal of ethics approval or failure to comply with the conditions of ethics approvals will result in the termination of the grant and the return of any unspent funds. Eligibility Applications will be accepted from appropriately qualified researchers who will be conducting the research at a host institution in Queensland. The institution can be within a university, affiliated to a university or major hospital, or an appropriate independent medical or scientific research institute. Applications will be accepted from Diabetes Queensland staff and assessed without advantage. Assessment Process A Diabetes Queensland Committee will read the applications and provide a score (no comments provided) based on the criteria of relevance to translational diabetes research, proposed methodology, impact, current and proposed research program and track record of the applicant. Recommendations from the Committee are then presented to the Diabetes Queensland Board for agreement. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in November. Results will not be given over the phone. Successful applicants are given administrative details about the funding. Intellectual Property Rights Diabetes Queensland acknowledges that intellectual property may be generated by Diabetes Queensland s grant recipients during the conduct of work funded in whole or in part by Diabetes Queensland. Diabetes Queensland endorses the NHMRC s policy on intellectual property in which ownership and commercialisation rights are seen to belong to the Administering Institute to which the Grant is made, as stated in the NHMRC policy document National Principles of Intellectual Property Management for Publicly Funded Research, May 2001. 4 of 6
Diabetes Queensland has a duty to its donors to ensure recognition of its involvement in any work that is commercialised. Diabetes Queensland requires that in any licence granted by the Administering Institution, or its commercialisation arm, to a patent covering intellectual property generated in whole or in part with a Grant from Diabetes Queensland, a clause is inserted that requires the licensee to ensure that any product produced pursuant to the licence carries a statement on the packaging or wherever the patent protection is acknowledged to the effect that Development of this product was funded in part by a grant from Diabetes Queensland.. Data Sharing With due consideration to ethics approvals Diabetes Queensland will require the right to access data produced as a result of the funded research. Application Applicants must complete the application form and provide all required supporting documentation. It is the applicant s responsibility to ensure their application is complete and accurate. In particular, electronic and hardcopy applications must include all supporting documentation. Applicants must ensure that the electronic copy is exactly the same as that of the hardcopy. Electronic applications must be submitted to Diabetes by the email research@diabetesqld.gov.au All scholarship applications will be treated confidentially and will only be viewed by assessors, research committee members and Diabetes Queensland Research Program staff. The Obligations of Fund Recipients In general terms, Diabetes Queensland expects researchers and institutions to assist Diabetes Queensland, within reason, in its goal of raising funds for research and promoting awareness of Diabetes Queensland s role in research. Reports, Publications and Publicity The Chief Investigator must submit a report on the research supported by 15 April of the following year. Diabetes Queensland will provide a template for this purpose. All publications arising from research carried out with the support of the Diabetes Queensland research fund must acknowledge this support in the manner specified by Diabetes Queensland. Two copies of each such publication must be supplied to Diabetes Queensland. 5 of 6
Diabetes Queensland s support must similarly be acknowledged when details of the research are released to the media. Researchers should notify Diabetes Queensland before any media release or statement, and Diabetes Queensland reserves the right to participate in formulation of the release and its communication to the media. Diabetes Queensland may require in the above acknowledgements not only the support of Diabetes Queensland but also the specific fund or bequest from which the support has come. Diabetes Queensland may also, at its own initiative, ask investigators to participate in release of details of their research to the media. Sensitivities relating to prepublication release will be respected in such requests. 6 of 6