Transcript Funding your research with Government money

Funding Your Research
With Faculty Money
John Piggott
19 September 2003
Overview
The Faculty funds two schemes each
year:
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Faculty Research Grant Program (FRGP)
Modest cost research as a prelude to larger
external funding
Close 7 October 2003
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Special Research Grants (SRG)
For small scale projects and for staff
relatively new to academia
Close 31 October 2003
Funding your research
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Both schemes are primarily for early career
researchers who are expected to have a
continuing role in Faculty (especially
academics level A to C)
View both schemes as building blocks for
gaining external funding down the track
Academics level D and E will only be
considered for funding in exceptional
circumstances (eg., career interruption,
change in research stream).
FRGP Overview
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Up to $20,000 pa
One round per year
Average worth of grant is $12,000 - $15,000
Success rate approx 50%
6-8 awarded each year
Minimum budget for 2004 is $50,086,
maximum total allocation will be approx
$100,000
Up to three years but almost always for 12
months
UG and PG students may be listed as AIs.
SRG Overview
Up to $5000 for 12 months
 Two rounds per year
 Average worth is $3000 - $5000
 Success rate approx 60%
 14 – 16 awarded each year
 No minimum budget, total funding is
around $80,000 per year.
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The research project
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The basic idea
 Model
development
 New data set
 Methodological innovation/building block
 Unresearched issue
 Topical issue.
The general application
strategy
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In terms of both FRGPs and SRGs:
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Go it alone or,
Decide on a research team
This decision will depend on:
The scale of the project
 Your track record
 The track record of the potential team member
 If partner is external to FCE, matching funding
from partner organisation must be available.
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Some possible approaches
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Go it alone:
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majority of applications are from sole
investigators. This will work if:
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you have some experience in the area in
which you are researching
you are an early career researcher (within 5
years of your doctorate)
you are in the process of establishing a good
track record relative to career opportunity.
Some possible approaches
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Go with a colleague/senior FCE
researcher/mentor:
 This
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can work if:
the partner has a successful record of grant
application
the partner’s involvement makes sense in
terms of the integrity of the project.
The FRGP application strategy
What’s important in an FRGP application?
Background
 Significance and innovation
 Approach
 Expected outcomes
 Description of personnel
 References
 Budget justification
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The SRG application strategy
What’s important in a SRG application?
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Aim
Significance
Methodology and research plan
Relationship to previous research
Project budget
Category of grant –developmental, mentored and
general – bearing in mind associated outcomes:
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Developmental – structured database and/or a working
paper
Mentored – a publication in a recognised outlet (the role
of the mentor is to guide the research to this outcome)
General – a publication in a recognised outlet and/or a
successful larger research grant application
What to ask for
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Physical resources (software, databases)
Casual research assistance
Travel for data collection/peer consultation
(inbound and outbound)
Translation costs
In the case of FRGPs, scholarships or partial
funding for higher degree research students.
Students should not be listed as CIs or AIs if
receiving scholarship funding
NB: If requesting software, applicants must
log request with TSG prior to submitting
application as Faculty may already have site
licence.
What not to ask for
Teaching relief
 Conference travel
 Budget items that academic units
should reasonably supply (eg.,
computer hardware)
 Salaries for CIs or AIs
 Journal submission fees.
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What to do next
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For FRGPs, download guidelines, application
forms and instructions from the UNSW
Research Office (www.ro.unsw.edu.au, click
on Funding > Internal Schemes)
For SRGs, download the policy and
application form from the Faculty Research
Office
(www.fce.unsw.edu.au/research/staff)
Look at previous successes (held by the FCE
Research Office) to see if one fits your
model.
What to do next
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Write something up
 Show
it to your HOS, or the Postgraduate
Research Coordinator in your school
 FRGPs are due 7 October 2003
 SRGs due 31 October 2003
 You can apply for both schemes at once
but projects must be distinctly different.
You should note in your SRG how that
project differs from the FRGP.
Some hints on writing up
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DO:
 Write
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clearly and concisely
Sections should be written for intelligent
academics who are non-specialists in your
field - motivation, demonstrating how the
project will contribute to knowledge, and
where it fits in the broader picture will help
 Document
clearly your contribution to the
field so far, and those of others
 Justify and explain the budget details
 Estimate your RA expenses as accurately
as possible. Use HR rates for casual
general staff (rather than ARC rates).
Some hints on writing up
 Make
sure the application looks
professional and well thought out - reflect
on how you react to well presented and
badly presented essays
 Be realistic with expected outcomes and
in relation to SRGs, keep in mind the
outcomes associated with the category to
which you are applying.
 Be realistic as to what an RA can achieve
in the specified timeframe.
Some hints on writing up
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DON’T:
 Use
overly technical jargon
 Dismiss with contempt alternative
approaches to the issue you plan to
research
 Leave it all until the day before. It is
obvious when an application has been
hastily prepared.
 Generalise what you propose to
accomplish and how – be specific.
Assessment Weightings
The primary assessment criteria for
FRGPs are:
 Investigator(s)
(40%)
 Project content
(60%)
There are no prescriptive weightings for
SRGs.
Assessment Committee
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Members of the Assessment Committee
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Allocation of Assessors to each application
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One rep from each school plus ADR and Presiding
Member
Same members for both FRGP and SRG
Two per application
Assessment reports by assessors
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Tabled to the Committee at the assessment
meeting
General discussion by entire committee
Applications are ranked and budgets allocated.
FRGP Assessment Criteria
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The FRGP Committee addresses the
following:
 Is
the proposed research original and
innovative?
 Is the project soundly based in concept
and planning?
 Is the project feasible, bearing in mind
the expertise of the applicants and the
available time and infrastructure?
 Is the budget justified and appropriate?
SRG Assessment Criteria
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The SRG Committee addresses the
following:
 A clear
delineation of and justification for
resource support
 Provision of information in relation to
project methodology and argument as to
the reasonableness and efficacy of the
processes posited
 A clear specification of the expected
outcome, relative to the category of grant
under which the applicant has applied
SRG Assessment Criteria cont.
 A detailed
statement (including budget) of
how the applicant would propose to
achieve the specified outcome
 Argument supporting the relevance of the
outcome to the wider literature and to the
discipline
 In the case of Mentored Grants, a clear
delineation of the roles that both
researchers would play in terms of the
specified outcome.
Final notes
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Unsuccessful Discovery Projects may be
considered for FRGP funding
Unsuccessful FRGPs may be considered for
SRG funding. If so, investigators may be
asked to submit a scaled down version for
SRG funding
Budget constraints may preclude the award
of both an FRG and SRG to the same
applicant in the same round
Don’t assume that Faculty grants are easy to
win – they are competitive
Ethics clearance only if grant awarded.