Research support

Accepting research funding

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Accepting ARC and NHMRC funding

Acceptance of grant

For Australian Research Council (ARC) and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants awarded to UQ as the Administering Organisation, UQ Research and Innovation (UQ R&I) will notify the successful applicant (first-named Chief Investigator) by email and provide detailed instructions on the grant acceptance and establishment process. Applicants are required to return the UQ Acceptance of Offer form to the Research Office to initiate the acceptance process.

For ARC and NHMRC grants that are administered by another institution and on which UQ is a collaborating organisation, UQ R&I will at a minimum require a UQ Funding Coversheet (DOTX, 70.6 KB) and a copy of the full and final application. 

In some cases, you may also need to provide instructions to enable your Research Partnership Manager (RPM) or Legal Services  (Research & Intellectual Property) to draft, review or negotiate appropriate agreements for your project. In other cases you may be able to use a standard form of agreement that is pre-approved by Legal Services (Research & Intellectual Property)

Special conditions

Any special conditions attached to the offer of grant are outlined in the ARC Letter of Award or the NHMRC Schedule. Special conditions may relate to the budget, travel (including International Collaboration Awards), fellowship commencement and other matters, and researchers are responsible to ensure that they comply.

Multi-Institutional Agreements, Letters of Agreement and other contractual requirements

For both ARC and NHMRC grants, an agreement will be established between UQ and other collaborating organisations where the grant is multi-party. In many cases, a Multi-Institutional Agreement (MIA) is entered into between UQ and all other Australian collaborating institutions on the grant, as well as international organisations in some circumstances. The MIA is used to govern the conduct of the grant and, where applicable, disbursement of grant funding between the institutions where other CIs are located.

An MIA is required with all Australian collaborating institutions, even if no funds are to be disbursed to those institutions. In the case of most international organisations, a Letter of Agreement (LOA) will be put in place instead of an MIA. If funds are to be disbursed to an international participating institution on an NHMRC grant, an MIA is required. As MIAs, LOAs and other contractual requirements are grant specific, the UQ Research Office will contact successful applicants with instructions on the individual requirements that apply to their projects.

It is strongly recommended that first-named CIs start compiling collaborative agreements with their designated Research Office contact point or their RPM as soon as possible after the Acceptance of Offer. Executing agreements with international partners can sometimes be a lengthy process due to differing international laws. UQ recommends that if an MIA is required with an international collaborating organisation, first-named CIs contact the Research Office to discuss the possibility of deferring the commencement of the grant.

Accepting other research funding

Acceptance of grant

Accepting an offer of research funding involves a number of steps to ensure that all UQ and funding body requirements are met and that the grant can be established as a research project at UQ. Although specific requirements vary from scheme to scheme, applicants communicate their acceptance to the Research Office, who accepts the offer from the funding body.

If the Research Office receives notification of a successful application outcome from a funding body, we will contact the successful applicant (first-named Chief Investigator) by email, with instructions on the acceptance requirements for that particular grant. In the case of ARC and NHMRC funding, and some other schemes, applicants are required to return a UQ Acceptance of Offer form to the Research Office in order to officially register their acceptance of the grant at UQ.

When you receive notification of an award of funding directly from a funding body, it is important to forward all correspondence and associated documents to the Research Office so that grant establishment can commence. If the funding body requires you to accept the grant directly, copy the Research Office on your acceptance (if by email) or forward a copy of the acceptance documentation (if by post). A UQ Funding Coversheet and a copy of your application will be required as part of the acceptance process.

If you are seeking to delay commencement or vary another aspect of the grant for any reason, please advise the Research Office as soon as possible.

Contractual requirements

Acceptance of research funding may also require the execution of an agreement between UQ and the funding body. UQ can only be bound to agreements by a limited number of delegates throughout the organisation, and Chief Investigators do not typically have authority to sign an agreement on behalf of UQ. 

For funding other than most ARC and NHMRC grants, you will need to provide instructions to enable your RPM or Legal Services (Research & Intellectual Property) to draft, review or negotiate appropriate agreements for the funding of your project. However, in some cases you may be able to use a standard form of agreement that is pre-approved by Legal Services (Research & Intellectual Property). If you are unsure about any specific requirements relating to your agreement or whether legal review is required, contact the Research Office or your RPM for advice.