1. Purpose of Guidelines
These guidelines provide information to applicants to optimise their ability to prepare successful applications for Internal Grant Schemes by ensuring they:
- fulfil procedural requirements
- plan for and prepare timely and accurate applications, and
- seek appropriate advice and mentoring
2. ‘Near-Miss’ Development Grants (NMDG)
2.1 Applications
2.1.1 Applicants with a competitive external grant application that was close to the funding margin but unsuccessful will be invited to submit a request for a specified funding amount by the Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Research and Innovation). There will be no open calls for applications.
2.1.2 Researchers submit completed requests to the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation).
2.2. Assessment of Applications
2.2.1 The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) reviews requests in consultation with the relevant Head of School or Institute or Centre Director along with the associated external expert assessments of the ‘near-miss’ grant application.
2.2.2 The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) may request clarification and/or resubmission of a request, which in its assessment may be worthy of funding following minor revision.
2.2.3 The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) will provide reasons for their recommendations.
2.3. Grant Management
2.3.1 Financial Services opens an account for each project, transfers the grant funds into the account, notifies the first named Chief Investigator of the account number and enters details onto the file and database.
2.3.2 No change may be made to any research project for which a grant has been awarded without prior permission.
2.3.3 Grants that are inactive as evidenced by no or low grant expenditure may be terminated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation).
2.4 Completion and Reporting
2.4.1 Financial Services notifies the first named Chief Investigator in advance when the final report is due for submission.
2.4.2 The first named Chief Investigator submits the report to Financial Services using the required template by the due date.
2.4.3 Financial Services submits the report to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) for approval.
2.4.4 The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) reviews the report and decides to approve or not.
2.5 Acquittal and File Closure
2.5.1 Upon completion of the project, Financial Services transfers unused grant funds into the Internal Grants Schemes Fund, closes the project account, notifies the first-named Chief Investigator of the project closure and enters the relevant details onto the file and the database.
2.6. Conflict of Interest
2.6.1 Where a member of the Scheme Review Committee believes they may have a conflict of interest in relation to an application being considered by the committee, that conflict must be declared and detailed prior to any consideration of applications.
2.6.2 Conflict of interest in this context refers specifically to a material connection to an application that provides a member with a clear benefit from a positive outcome for an application (such as a joint applicant). The authorisation of an application as part of a member’s administrative responsibility within USC would not necessarily constitute a conflict.
2.6.3 In the event of a conflict of interest a member will be required to absent themselves from consideration of applications for that round. If necessary, an alternate member will be nominated for the period of the assessment of applications.
End