MNHS Investigator Grant Webinar with Professor Anne Kelso 17 December 2020

The final NHMRC Investigator Grant webinar in our 2020 series will focus on issues relating to gender, equity, and career disruptions. The webinar will be joined by Prof Anne Kelso, CEO of the NHMRC, who will give a presentation about how the NHMRC is addressing gender issues in Investigator Grants.

The webinar will also feature a panel of MNHS researchers, including Prof Carol Hodgson (EL2, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine), Dr Kate McArthur (NHMRC Early Career Fellow, Biomedicine Discovery Institute) and Prof Dena Lyras (GRP Member, Biomedicine Discovery Institute). There will be discussion on how these issues affect Investigator Grant applicants, as well as how the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences can support them to ensure greater equity in future success.  

• Date: 17 December 2020
• Time: 12:00-1:30 PM
• Venue: Via Zoom

Please register here for the Zoom link. The webinar will be recorded and placed on the MNHS Intranet for those who are unable to join us live. Please send any questions regarding the session to medicine.research@monash.edu.

ARC Discovery Indigenous 2022 (IN22) - Applications Open in RMS

The Discovery Indigenous scheme provides grant funding to support research projects led by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researcher.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• COVID impacts - the ARC has published guidance on the impacts of COVID-19, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).  
• Following the updated ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidential Policy, there are some new mandatory questions which must be completed via the Personal Details tab of each RMS user profile.

Key Changes Summary

Please note the following key changes to the IN22 Application in RMS, relative to last year:

• A3 - Organisation Participant Summary: it is not mandatory for a PI’s organisation to be listed as a participating organisation, unless the organisation is providing cash or in-kind contributions.
• A6 - National Interest Test (NIT) Statement: your NIT statement will not appear in the PDF version of the application.
• B8 - Enter the number of all student places that will be filled as a result of this project, not just those requested in the budget for funding.
• D1 - Project Description section includes new sub-section of “Project Aims and Background”. 
• D1 - “Investigator(s)/Capability” is moved ahead of “Project Quality and Innovation”.
• F17 - Previously "Academic Interruptions" are changed to “Career Interruptions”. Three new categories are added: Disaster Management and Recovery; Limited or no access to facilities or resources; Community obligations, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural practices and protocols

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of all changes. 

KEY DATES

ACTION	DATE
Initial Deadline for Complete MRO Review (Via Pure Pre-Approval)	2 Mar 2021
RNTA due to MRO (due to ARC)	25 Feb 2021 (3 Mar 2021)

ARC Submission Close	17 Mar 2021
Anticipated Rejoinder Period	17 June 2021 - 30 June 2021

LINKS TO FURTHER INFORMATION

All IN22 ARC documentation can be obtained from Grant Connect (GO4534).

MRO guidance is available via our Discovery Indigenous intranet page, including our Guide to entering Research Outputs into RMS and the MRO Submission Process for ARC Proposals.

Additional links to important info from the ARC:

• Important Dates for ARC Grant Application Process
• ARC Eligibility matters overview

Please contact mro-applications@monash.edu if you have any queries about this funding opportunity.

ARC Discovery Projects 2022 (DP22) - Applications Open in RMS

The Discovery Projects scheme objectives are to support excellent basic and applied research and research training by individuals and teams, support national and international research collaboration, and enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas. The intended outcomes of the Discovery Projects scheme are an expanded knowledge base and research capacity in Australia and economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• COVID impacts - the ARC has published guidance on the impacts of COVID-19, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) .  
• Following the updated ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidential Policy, there are some new mandatory questions which must be completed via the Personal Details tab of each RMS user profile.

Key Changes Summary

Please note the following key changes to the DP22 Application in RMS, relative to last year:

• A6 - National Interest Test (NIT) Statement: your NIT statement will not appear in the PDF version of the application.
• B8 - Enter the number of all student places that will be filled as a result of this project, not just those requested in the budget for funding.
• D1 - Project Description section includes new sub-section of “Project Aims and Background”. 
• D1 - “Investigator(s) / Capability” is moved ahead of “Project Quality and Innovation”.
• F16 - Previously "Academic Interruptions" are changed to “Career Interruptions”. Three new categories are added: Disaster Management and Recovery; Limited or no access to facilities or resources; Community obligations, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural practices and protocols

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of all changes. 

KEY DATES

ACTION	DATE
Initial Deadline for Complete MRO Review (Via Pure Pre-Approval)	2 Feb 2021
RNTA due to MRO (due to ARC)	4 Feb 2021 (10 Feb 2021)

ARC Submission Close	24 Feb 2021
Anticipated Rejoinder Period	8 June 2021 - 22 June 2021

LINKS TO FURTHER INFORMATION

All DP22 ARC documentation can be obtained from Grant Connect (GO4502).

MRO guidance is available via our Discovery Project intranet page, including our Guide to entering Research Outputs into RMS and the MRO Submission Process for ARC Proposals.

Additional links to important info from the ARC:

• Important Dates for ARC Grant Application Process
• ARC Eligibility matters overview

Please contact mro-applications@monash.edu if you have any queries about this funding opportunity.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE - MRFF Investigator Eligibility (caps on number of applications)

IMPORTANT MESSAGE to the Monash MRFF Community 

Especially anyone currently preparing any MRFF application in an open round.

Anyone leading or agreeing to be a Chief Investigator on any MRFF grant to carefully check the funding rules in relation to the number of grants any CI.

The CIAs on all open grants, please double check that their team is abiding by the eligibility rules for that call.

Please note that for MRFF grants the rules are not always the same across grant rounds or the multiple funders that the MRFF use to administer grants, so it is vital that this be checked for every grant. 

Failure to follow the rules will deem both grants ineligible for assessment if any CI has breached the cap.

If anyone has any concerns or questions please let Karen McConalogue know.

COALAR Special Grant Round for 2020-2021 - Now Open [SEC=OFFICIAL]

Some exciting news is that a new Special Grant Round for COALAR for the 2020-21 year is now open until 23 December 2021 – please see here. The Special Grant Round will require a new application because there are new requirements.  This grant round has the focus theme of Economic Recovery; projects will need to span a six month period from 1 April to 30 September 2021 (with a further month for acquittal); and will need to meet special COVID-19 requirements. The  Additional Guidance note provides further information to assist with planning any application for the Special Grant Round.

Relevant information and links to the smartgrants form for applicants will be visible on the COALAR website, facebook page and GrantConnect.

If you have any questions, please email coalar@dfat.gov.au for a prompt response during business hours ADST.  

 

2020 Monash Technology Research Platforms (MTRP) User Feedback Survey

Every year the Office of the Vice-Provost (Research & Research Infrastructure) contact current users of the platforms (internal and external) to seek feedback on the performance and capabilities of the platforms. 

Your feedback is important, so PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO PROVIDE US WITH YOUR FEEDBACK. 

The Monash Technology Research Platforms provide you with access to cutting-edge research infrastructure and expertise. Please help us ensure we are providing the best research infrastructure, expertise and access to our platforms by giving us feedback on your experience in 2020.  

We appreciate your support of the platforms and want to make sure we can meet your expectations and enable you to achieve research excellence.  

Follow this link to the Survey or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:

https://monash.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0U2gwZEIaZpZitv?Q_DL=GDES273AoRvwiSQ_0U2gwZEIaZpZitv_MLRP_0drCsclNwV58HR3&Q_CHL=email

SCS & Hudson NHMRC Investigator Grant Review 2020 - Call for submissions for 2021 grant proposals

You are invited to be part of the Hudson & SCS Grant Review process of NHMRC Investigator grant applications. Through this process you will receive advice on the strategic direction of your grant and will be allocated reviewers to assist with writing your grant.

To participate in this process, please register your interest by completing the Google Form by Monday 30 Nov, 2020. You will need to indicate whether the grant is a resubmission or new and proposed reviewers.

Published guidelines and Guide to applicants are estimated to be released by the NHMRC in Feb 2021. For last year’s guidelines please visit the Grant Connect.

Please do not hesitate to contact Vanalysa Ly and/or Mai Sarraj if you have any queries.

Gates Foundation grant opportunities and Grand Challenges Annual Meeting videos

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is still accepting applications through the Grand Challenges and Grand Challenges Explorations initiatives for the following three requests for proposals. Their goal is to harness innovation around emerging technologies for transformative solutions to key global health and agricultural development problems, and they seek to anchor the work with the investigators and implementors closest to the problems, who have the knowledge and perspective to direct the right approaches to the right parts of the problems to help ensure success. Please check the website at the links below for the different application deadlines.

• Integrating Tradition and Technology for Fermented Foods for Maternal Nutrition
• New Approaches to Integrating Molecular Surveillance into Malaria Control Programs
• Smart Farming Innovations for Small-Scale Producers

Opportunities from our Partners

Keystone Symposia Global Health Series has an upcoming conference. Free registration is available for individuals from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) working in science and medicine related fields, and this is open to all career stages:

• Tuberculosis: Science Aimed at Ending the Epidemic [Virtual Event] – application deadline is November 18, 2020. Learn more here.

Perspective on COVID-19

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation continues to work with the public and private sectors in the global response to COVID-19. To learn more about the foundation’s broader work and how COVID-19 is being addressed across the foundation, please visit the foundation’s website and sign-up for The Optimist newsletter.

Great Ideas Come from Everywhere

You are welcome to read summaries of the grants awarded to date through Grand Challenges initiatives with the Gates Foundation as funder or co-funder and to explore an interactive world map of projects across the broader Grand Challenges funding partner network.

If you have a great idea for one of the open opportunities, please apply.

MRFF Priorities 2020-2022

 Following the recent consultation, the MRFF has now released the updated Priorities for the next 2 years.

As the overarching MRFF Strategies will be reviewed in 2021 we expected very little change to the Priorities and that is indeed the case. The Priorities remain the same as the 2018-2020 document however the text for each one has been updated.

The New Priorities are now on the MRFF website.

https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/australian-medical-research-and-innovation-priorities-2020-2022

If wish to compare it to the previous version to see the changes please find the old version here.

If you have any questions please let Karen McConalogue know.

Current MRFF Grant Opportunities

 CLOSING DEC 2020

1)  2021 Frontier Health and Medical Research Initiative  (Re-Opened after pause in March 2020)

$110M pool

Closing Dec 11, 2020

CLOSING FEB 2021  

2) PPHRI- 2020 Efficient Use of Existing Medicines Grant Opportunity Guidelines  

$7.5M pool

Closing Feb 03, 2021

3) EPCDR Initiative – 2020 Childhood Cancer Research Grant Opportunity (Following the Ministers announcement over a week ago this call has now opened.)

$9M pool

Closing Feb 03, 2021

4) PPHRI- Quality, Safety and Effectiveness of Medicine Use and Medicine Intervention by Pharmacists MRFF Grant Opportunity 

also see https://business.gov.au/Grants-and-Programs/MRFF-2020-Quality-Safety-and-Effectiveness-of-Medicine-Use-and-Medicine-Safety-by-Pharmacists  

$13M pool  (NOW OPEN)

Closing Feb 23, 2021

5) Research Data Infrastructure Initiative -  2020 Primary Health Care Research Data Infrastructure grant opportunity 

also see https://business.gov.au/Grants-and-Programs/MRFF-2020-Primary-Health-Care-Research-Data-Infrastructure-Grant-Opportunity

$10M pool (NOW OPEN)

Closing Feb 23, 2021

 CLOSING MAR 2021    

6) Clinical Trial Activity Initiative - 2020 International Clinical Trial Collaborations Grant Opportunity 

 $6.3M pool (per round)

Round 2 Closing Mar 03, 2021

7) MRFF – 2020 COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Research grant opportunity  (EoIs) -Reminder

Round 3:closing 10 March, 2021

VBIC Network Event 2020 - Inaugural Awards

 

2020 NHMRC Equipment Grants - APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

NHMRC Equipment Grants are now open for application in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (FMNHS).  The allocated funds are to be used for equipment purchased in 2020 or 2021, but must be fully expended by the end of December 2021.

An individual is only permitted to be named as the Primary Chief Investigator (CIA) on ONE (1) application, and can be named as CIB or subsequent CI on up to ONE (1) additional application.

Objectives & Selection Criteria

Please ensure that you address the following points in Q7 and keep your answer within the 300-word limit.

The NHMRC’s objectives of the scheme are:

• to support institutions to be strategic in the purchase of larger items of equipment that will benefit health and medical research in Australia;
• to encourage the purchase of equipment that will be used collaboratively; and
• to support the purchase of Australian-made equipment where possible.

The NHMRC requires the following criteria to be met for the allocation of these funds:  

• the equipment should support the highest quality health and medical research funded by the NHMRC (or through another competitive grant process);
• consideration should be given to the lack of access to similar equipment in the institution or town/city to avoid duplication;
• thought should be given to the collaborative gain that can achieved through the use of the equipment e.g. multi-user equipment which crosses disciplines, research groups and departments.

The FMNHS will prioritise applications on the basis of:

1. Alignment with the Monash University Research Agenda 2020, particularly around the provision of advanced research infrastructure, and in the context of the Platforms, talent enhancement and cross-disciplinary research collaborations;  
2. Opportunity for multiple use;
3. Alignment with the long term investment policy of the Faculty; and
4. Encouragement of innovation.

Equipment purchases should not include the type of apparatus normally classified as ‘office infrastructure’ such as desks, cabinets, etc. Funds will not be provided for the purchase of computers and software, except where these are an integral component of a piece of laboratory equipment or are of a nature essential for work in the field.

Submission Process

Applicants are required to submit a copy of the completed and signed NHMRC Equipment Grants application form via email to medicine.research@monash.edu.

Submission deadline:  Sunday 29 November 2020 at 11:59PM (AEDT)

LATE OR INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.  HARD COPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

NOTE:  The Application Form will be used internally within Monash University only – do not enter this into Pure.

Questions about the scheme should be directed to medicine.research@monash.edu.

Funding Opportunity: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources - Citizen Science Grants Round 2 - Now Open

The objective of the Citizen Science Grants – Round 2 is to engage the public in science by offering opportunities to participate, as citizen scientists, in scientific research projects that have a national impact and include the collection or transformation of data in Australia.

The intended outcome of the grant opportunity is increased community participation in scientific research projects where participants learn new skills, form new networks, receive acknowledgement for their participation, and receive updates on their participation in specific research projects.

This round will support projects that contribute to areas of national significance by addressing these specific focus areas:

• disaster resilience and preparedness
• environmental change
• cyber security and artificial intelligence
• food and agribusiness.

The minimum grant amount is $150,000 and the maximum grant amount is $500,000 for science research projects. The grant amount will be up to 85% of eligible project expenditure.  Applicants are responsible for funding the remaining 15% of eligible project expenditure plus any ineligible expenditure.

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to read the funding guidelines before applying.

UNIVERSITY LIMITS AND EOI PROCESS

As Monash can only submit ONE application for this round, the MRO will be running an internal EOI process.  The EOI panel will select one application for full submission.

Applicants must complete the MRO EOI form and forward the completed form with their CV (maximum two pages) to mro-applications@monash.edu by Wednesday, 18 November 2020.

EOI results will be announced on Thursday, 26 November 2020.  The successful applicant will need to create a Pure record, upload the application and supporting documents and send it for pre-approval by Wednesday, 9  December 2020.

Please note that ONLY the application selected for submission through the EOI process will need a corresponding Pure record.

KEY DATES

ACTION	DATE
EOI due to MRO	Wednesday, 18 November 2020
EOI result announced	Thursday, 26 November 2020
Pure record to be sent for Pre-Approval	Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Full submission due to Funder	5pm Thursday, 17 December 2020

LINKS TO FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information about the Citizen Science Grants Round 2 can be found at the following link.

Please contact mro-applications@monash.edu if you have any queries about this funding opportunity.

Victorian Heart Institute Membership Program

JOIN AS A MEMBER OF THE VICTORIAN HEART INSTITUTE.

Raise your global profile. Turn discovery into action. Join as a member of the Monash Victorian Heart Institute and play a critical part in our mission to stop cardiovascular disease in its tracks.

THE MONASH VICTORIAN HEART INSTITUTE IS CALLING RESEARCHERS WITH AN INTEREST IN HEART HEALTH TO BECOME MEMBERS.

• Do you have an interest in cardiovascular disease or health?
• Would you like to explore how to enhance your research by connecting with like- minded people?
• Do you want to create the health care solutions of the future?
• Do you have a great technology that you think could be applied to the health care system?
• Are you excited about the potential to create impact in health through the brand-new Victorian Heart Hospital?

Officially joining us doesn’t change your current status or affiliation with other Monash groups, it simply connects you to like-minded individuals across our community, who are committed to changing the trajectory of heart disease in Australia. For good. CLICK TO JOIN

(Note: the online form will take less than five minutes to complete. We will need everyone to complete this form to allow us to include you in communications moving forward, so we encourage you all to join up!)

We are thrilled to welcome you to the Institute!

Contact Us 

E: vicheartinstitute@monash.edu

W: www.monash.edu/vic-heart-institute

Join our Workplace Group

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Pure unavailable weekend 14th-15th November

Pure will be unavailable from COB Friday 13th until 9am on Monday 16th November for essential maintenance work.

Anyone attempting to log into Pure during this time will receive this message:

Pure is currently down for maintenance between 5 PM Friday 13th and 9AM on Monday, 16th November 2020 AEDT. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. 

There will also be a notice placed on the myResearch website alerting users to the outage nearer the time.

2021 School of Clinical Sciences Awards for Teaching and Research Excellence CLOSES Tuesday 15 Dec 2020

The School of Clinical Sciences value the contributions made by staff towards the teaching and learning of our students, as well as research excellence. This year there will be 2 awards for teaching excellence and 5 awards for research. These awards recognise teaching and research excellence and are open to professional, academic, adjunct and teaching associate staff who are involved in the teaching and learning of students within the School of Clinical Sciences, and to those engaged in research. 

The successful recipients will receive a certificate and support to apply for the Faculty level awards in 2021. The SCS awards are aligned with Dean's and VC's teaching and research awards so are an ideal pathway to develop recognition for outstanding teaching and research.  

For more information please contact Simone Gibson (for teaching) and Vanalysa Ly (for research)  and/or see this link https://sites.google.com/a/monash.edu/school-of-clinical-sciences-intranet/research/research-grants-and-opportunities. 

ILC Building Economic and Community Participation Program Grant 2020-21

The Information, Linkages and Capacity (ILC) Building Economic and Community Participation Program Grant Opportunity 2020-21 is now open. Applications for this scheme can request a minimum of $250,000 (GST exclusive) and a maximum of $1.2million (GST exclusive) per project. Funding will be from 10 June 2021 to 9 June 2022.

The objective of the ILC Program is to increase social and community participation for people with disability. The ILC Program seeks to do this by:

• building the capacity of people with disability to participate in their community
• creating opportunities for people with disability to participate by creating more inclusive services and communities.

The Economic and Community Participation Program is one of four discrete and complementary programs delivered under the ILC Strategy. increasing the social and economic participation, including employment outcomes, of people with disability.

The aim of this grant opportunity is to improve the economic participation of people with disability, particularly in light of the impact of COVID-19.

As per the guidelines for this scheme, Monash University may only submit a total of two (2) applications, with one being a consortia (joint) application, and one individual application. To ensure that Monash doesn't exceed this submission quota, there will be a Faculty EOI process to review and rank the applications.

Intending applicants must complete the EOI Form and submit to medicine.research@monash.edu by 11:59pm on Tuesday 10 November 2020.

The top two (2) Monash applicants (one in each category i.e. individual/consortia) will be advised by 11am on Tuesday 24 November 2020 to proceed with their full application submission and entry of their application into Pure.  Final applications are due to the funder (Department of Social Services) by 11pm (AEDT) on Tuesday 8 December 2020.

Further information on this scheme can be found at the funding page.  

Monash Neuroscience in a Flash competition

Registration is CLOSING SOON for all Monash Neuroscience research students (Hons, Masters, Doctoral) to participate in the Monash Neuroscience in a Flash competition so please REGISTER TODAY (via the website) NOMINATIONS CLOSE FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER.

Don't forget to also check out the Monash Neuroscience network updates at the Workplace.  

Ian Potter Foundation Medical Research Equipment Grants CALL FOR EOI APPLICATIONS

The Ian Potter Foundation (IPF) has released their Medical Research round which supports funding for medical equipment. Applications are due to the funder on 22 January 2021.

The maximum funding available is $100,000. The IPF will usually only support up to 50% of the value of the equipment (i.e. to attract the full $100,000 amount the equipment would typically cost around $200,000 or more).

The IPF will accept two (2) applications from Monash University for medical equipment for the purpose of medical research, NOT clinical use. As such there will be an internal EOI process within FMNHS to review and rank the applications. The External Relations, Development and Alumni (ERDA) team will work with the 2 shortlisted applicants to develop their submission.

The IPF has highlighted the following:

• They will not fund programs that could be eligible for funding under NHMRC or ARC schemes.
• The equipment needs to be highly specialised and not something we already have. Equipment that helps the research move to the ‘next phase’, would be viewed favourably.
• They will prioritize applications where the equipment can be used by multiple research groups – collaboration is highly valued. This can also include collaboration with external research partners.
• Monash University can submit two (2) applications but they would be competing with each other.

Further information on the round can be found here.

Intending applicants must complete the EOI Form and submit to the medicine.research@monash.edu by 11:59pm on Sunday 22 November 2020.

For questions about the scheme, please contact Megan O’Connor, Deputy Director Development, Clinical and Biomedical Research, ERDA.

European Research Days 2020 Australia & New Zealand (Virtual)

European Research Days 2020 is the annual flagship event of EURAXESS Australia and New Zealand, in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to Australia and the Delegation of the European Union to New Zealand. This virtual event focuses on providing the research community with information and support for scientific exchange and collaboration with Europe. 

Topics include, but are not limited to: European funding (Horizon Europe, DAAD, European Research Council grants, Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, Erasmus+); the impact of Covid-19 on research and mobility; EU-Australia relations (speakers/panelists include European ambassadors to Australia and New Zealand); and the importance of international collaboration (speakers include Prof. Anne Kelso (CEO, NHMRC), Dr Mary Kelly (Executive Director, Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, ARC), Prof. John Shine (President, AAS) and Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon (Interim President, European Research Council). 

Date: 25-27 November 2020

Agenda: bit.ly/ERD-2020

Registration (free, but spaces are limited): bit.ly/ERD-2020-Register 

Twitter announcement: https://twitter.com/Euraxess_AusNZ/status/1323020438126186497?s=20 

Facebook announcement: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=476393209965597

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/SILBmu6ttQA

For questions, please contact Dr Adam Brotchie, Senior Research Development Officer - International, MRO.