CAREER DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS. Advice and Instructions to Applicants. for funding commencing in 2014

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1 CAREER DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS Advice and Instructions to Applicants for funding commencing in 2014 Applications Open: 15 January 2013 Applications Close: 6 March 2013 at 5:00 pm AEDST Late applications will not be accepted. Once submitted to NHMRC, an application will be considered final and no changes will be accepted. This document should be read in conjunction with the NHMRC Funding Rules incorporating the Career Development Fellowships scheme for funding commencing in Applicants should read all instructions and other accompanying documentation, and consult with their own Research Administration Officers or technical team before contacting the NHMRC Research Help Centre (RHC). The RHC can help with: specific information regarding funding schemes; filling out application forms; and difficulties with logging into and using RGMS Research Help Centre Ph: help@nhmrc.gov.au Last updated: 15 January 2013

2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction Overview What does a Career Development Fellowship application include? RGMS Application Changes to the RGMS application process Naming and Formatting of PDF Documents Templates Viewing or printing your application Referencing Publications Responsible Conduct of Research Starting a New Application Part A Application Detail Part A Home Part A-RT: Research Team and Commitment Part A-NF: Intended NHMRC Funding Requests Part A-OF: Intended Other Funding Requests Part A-A2: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Research Part A-IAcc: Institution - Access Part A-IAct: Institutions Actual Part A-NHP: National Health Priorities Part A-NRP: National Research Priorities Part A-RC: Research Classification Part A-SEO: Socio-Economic Objectives Part A-BoD: Burden of Disease Part A-CD: Community Details Part A-EG: Ethics - General Part B Application Detail Part B-AESC: Application Executive Summary (CDF) Part B-AICDF: Application Information (CDF) Part B-CD: Career Disruption Part B-PhDEq: PhD Equivalent Part B-PR: Proposed Research Part B-PPRC: Publications, Papers, Reports & Contribution Part B-COL: Collaboration Part B-RSM: Research Supervision and Mentoring Part B-IP: Industry Partner (CDF) Budget summary Application Certification RAO Certification Profile and CV Requirements for Career Development Fellowships PROFILE SECTION Pro-PD: Personal Details Pro-PU: Peer Review Unavailability Pro-A: Address

3 7.1.4 Pro-RE: Research Interests Pro-FR: Fields of Research CV SECTION CV-ES: Executive Summary CV-QAP: Qualifications, Awards and Prizes CV-EH: Employment History CV-A: Appointments CV-CD: Career Disruption CV-PM: Professional Memberships CV-CP: Conference Participation CV-CE: Community Engagement and Participation CV-P: Patents CV-TPP: Translation into Policy/Practice CV-CN: Contribution to NHMRC CV-JR: Editorial Responsibilities CV-SM: Supervision and Mentoring CV-RF: NHMRC Research Funding CV-ORF: Other Research Funding CV-Pub: Publications CV-W: Workload CV-AI: Additional Information

4 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Overview The purpose of this document is to provide advice to applicants and Administering Institutions Research Administration Officers (RAOs) for the completion and submission of applications for National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Career Development Fellowships (CDFs) for funding commencing in This document should be read in conjunction with the: 1. NHMRC Funding Rules incorporating the Career Development Fellowships scheme for funding commencing in 2014 (referred to herein as the Funding Rules ), which provides information on the objectives and underlying principles of Career Development Fellowships. The Funding Rules can be found in the Research Grants Management System (RGMS) LIBRARY User Information, Instructions and Templates Applicants Scheme-Specific Documentation 2013 Application Rounds Career Development Fellowships folder and are also located at: 2. RGMS Tutor, which is composed of training tutorials and can be accessed from the NHMRC website at: The RGMS webpage also provides other useful information including answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Applicants should read all instructions and other accompanying documentation, and consult with their own RAOs or technical teams before contacting the NHMRC Research Help Centre (RHC). However, if something remains unclear or a problem still persists, please contact the RHC via at help@nhmrc.gov.au or by phone on during business hours. NHMRC s Research Grants Management System (RGMS) must be used to access/enter your Profile and CV, and submit your Career Development Fellowship application. Applicants who are not yet registered on RGMS can do so via the New to RGMS? link on the RGMS login page ( or obtain assistance by contacting the RHC at help@nhmrc.gov.au or on What does a Career Development Fellowship application include? A complete Career Development Fellowship application must consist of the following: 1. The relevant information in your RGMS Profile and CV 2. Completion of Parts A and B of the CDF application form 3. The following uploaded PDF documents: Proposed Research PDF (uploaded to Part B-PR: Proposed Research) Supervision and Mentoring PDF (uploaded to Part B-RSM: Research Supervision and Mentoring) Employer Letter of Support PDF (uploaded to Part B-AICDF: Application Information) if application is for a part-time CDF. Evidence of Career Disruption PDF(s) (uploaded to Part B-CD: Career Disruption) if career disruptions exist. Industry Partner Letter of Support PDF (uploaded to Part B-IP: Industry Partner) if application is in the Industry category. 4

5 Any scanned documents should be at low resolution. For all sections of the Career Development Fellowship application, applicants must not include links to additional information on any website in their application, apart from references to published, peer reviewed journal articles that are only available online. It is essential that you update your Profile and CV. Relevant information from your Profile and CV will be imported into snapshots of your CDF application and used for assessment of your application. Additionally, NHMRC uses information from the Profile to contact you. Although it is not necessary to complete all information requested in the Profile and CV, applicants should complete the minimum requirements as outlined in Section 7 of this document. Advice on completing the Profile and CV components of RGMS is also available in Section 7 of this document. 1.3 RGMS Application The Detail tab of the RGMS application is divided into two parts, Part A (common for all funding schemes) and Part B (scheme specific). The sections included within these parts are as follows: Part A Part A Home A-RT: Research Team and Commitment A-NF: Intended NHMRC Funding Requests A-OF: Intended Other Funding Requests A-A2: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Research A-IAcc: Institution Access A-IAct: Institutions Actual A-NHP: National Health Priorities A-NRP: National Research Priorities A-RC: Research Classification A-SEO: Socio-Economic Objectives A-BoD: Burden of Disease A-CD: Community Details A-EG: Ethics General (leads to A-EH: Ethics Human and A-EA: Ethics Animal) Part B Career Development Fellowships Part B Home B-AESC: Application Executive Summary (CDF) B-AICDF: Application Information (CDF) B-CD: Career Disruption B-PhDEq: PhD Equivalent B-PR: Proposed Research B-PPRC: Publications, Papers, Reports & Contribution B-COL: Collaboration B-RSM: Research Supervision and Mentoring B-IP: Industry Partner (CDF) page will only appear if you are applying for an Industry CDF Important Note: While completing your application, it is important to keep in mind the Selection Criteria against which all CDF applications will be assessed and ranked. All criteria are assessed relative to opportunity (refer to the Funding Rules, Part 1 NHMRC Funding Rules, Section 3.6 Relative to Opportunity). The Selection Criteria for the CDF scheme are: 1. Track record relative to opportunity. Components of track record may include: Publications Grants Peer recognition 5

6 Prizes and awards Research translation Contributions to research training Contributions to professional activities Industry engagement. Note: It is recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants often make additional valuable contributions to policy development, clinical/public health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, and are often representatives on key committees. If applicable, these contributions will also be considered when assessing research output and track record. 2. Potential for further career development in health and medical research. 3. Quality of career development strategy. 4. Quality of the research proposal, taking into account interface with the aims of the CDF scheme. 5. Quality of the research environment relevant to the proposed project and, for Industry applicants, the Industry Partner. In preparing an application, you are also advised to consider carefully the Statements of Expectations and Research Performance Descriptors, which are available at Appendix B and Appendix C of the Funding Rules. 1.4 Changes to the RGMS application process The following changes have been made to this year s Career Development Fellowship application process: Part B-AESC: Application Executive Summary (CDF) has been subdivided into separate text boxes to address each CDF selection criterion separately. Part B-CD: Career Disruption has undergone the following improvements: o Application form functionality has been enhanced to automatically calculate the accumulated days of an entered career disruption. o A process has been introduced and detailed for dealing with sensitive career disruptions. o More guidance has been given on completing this section. Part B-PhDEq: PhD Equivalent now asks applicants to include the date the equivalent qualification was obtained if relevant. As referee reports and external assessments are no longer part of the CDF peer review process, the requirements to nominate an independent referee and researchers you do not wish to assess your application (i.e. non-assessors), have been removed. The Snapshot Report formats have been streamlined to encompass formatting improvements, feedback from the 2012 application round and ease of use considerations. 1.5 Naming and Formatting of PDF Documents The following guidelines are to be adhered to: All documents to be uploaded must be in PDF format. Each PDF file must not exceed 2 Mb in size. PDF files must be named using the following convention: APP#######_Applicant s Surname_Document Type/Name.pdf E.g. Proposed Research PDF: APP _Smith_Proposed Research.pdf. 6

7 Do not include links to websites containing additional information. However, references to published peer review journal articles that are only available online are accepted in the references component of a PDF. Applicants are advised to retain a copy of each PDF file they submit. The formatting requirements for PDFs as listed in Table 1 must be strictly adhered to: Table 1: PDF formatting requirements Component Header Footer Margins Font Diagrams, Graphics and Images Labelling Graphs and Images Tables Line Spacing Character Spacing Requirements Applicant First Name, Middle Name, Surname and Application ID in at least 12 point, in top right-hand corner. Type of attachment, e.g. Proposed Research, in at least 12 point in top left-hand corner. The header is allowed outside the margin rules but must be at least 1cm from the top of the page. Page number is to be included at the bottom right-hand corner. The footer is allowed outside the margin rules but must be at least 1cm from the bottom of the page. All margins must be at least 2cm. Must be Times New Roman. At least 12 point. Colour diagrams, graphics and images may be included. However, you should keep in mind that the electronic file may be printed and photocopied in black and white for distribution to the reviewing panel and there may be some loss of definition and colour in the images. Scan all documents at low resolution to ensure that your PDF file meets the 2 Mb size limit. Labelling of axes of graphs and labelling of parts of images may be in a reduced font. Description and/or legends of all graphs and images must be no smaller than 12 point Times New Roman. Tabulated information containing text is not considered to be an image or diagram. Therefore, text within tables must be no smaller than 12 point Times New Roman. Line spacing must be set to single. Character spacing must be set to normal. Scale must be set to 100%. 1.6 Templates Word templates (RGMS Offline Forms) for the application have been provided for your convenience. You can use these templates to fill out your application off line and then copy and paste your finalised draft text from the template into RGMS and click Save. The templates can be found in the RGMS LIBRARY User Information, Instructions and Templates Applicants Scheme-Specific Documentation 2013 Application Rounds Career Development Fellowships folder, and at: 7

8 Note: These templates are provided as an aid only. They cannot be completed and ed to NHMRC. All applications must be submitted through RGMS. Applicants choosing to use the available forms should note the discrepancy between Microsoft Word character counter and the character counting within RGMS. To aid you in conforming to RGMS character limits, the following URL has been provided as a guide: Viewing or printing your application The Snapshot Reports function provides three types of snapshots: a Summary Snapshot (used for the assignment of applications to peer review panels and assessors, and identification of conflicts of interest); an Application Details Snapshot (Parts A and B of your application); and an Assessor Snapshot (used for the peer review of applications and contains sections of Part A, all of Part B of your application and the relevant sections from your Profile and CV as listed in Section 7). For instructions on how to run a Snapshot Report, applicants should refer to the RGMS User Guide for Applicants in the RGMS LIBRARY User Information, Instructions and Templates Applicants General Documentation folder. Snapshots are viewed in the Snapshot Reports tab at the top of the RGMS application screen. Uploaded documents, ( Proposed Research, Supervision and Mentoring, Employer Letter of Support, Evidence of Career Disruption(s) and Industry Partner Letter of Support ) will also be accessed via the Snapshot Reports tab. This will allow users to print or view a document version of their application (either in part or in full). 1.8 Referencing Publications Each publication entered into your CV will be given an identification number by RGMS to assist applicants in referring to their publications. Applicants should use this number when referring to specific publications in their application, particularly in text boxes where characters are limited. Please do not use the Sequence Number as this will change upon the addition of new publications and/or publication uploads. 1.9 Responsible Conduct of Research Applicants are reminded that research funded by NHMRC must comply with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2007), which can be found at: Applicants, or persons acting on their behalf, must not directly contact Peer Review Panel (PRP) members or assessors in relation to their application, or the peer review process. If they do so, PRP members/assessors must inform NHMRC, and NHMRC may exclude their application from further consideration. Similarly, PRP members/assessors must not contact applicants. All applicants are to direct any queries to their Administering Institution s RAO in the first instance. 8

9 1.10 Starting a New Application For step by step instructions on how to start a new Career Development Fellowship application refer to the RGMS User Guide for Applicants in the RGMS LIBRARY User Information, Instructions and Templates Applicants General Documentation folder. To begin a new application click on Applications from the Main Menu and then click the New button found at the bottom of the page. Complete all questions on the Create Application screen as instructed below and then click the Save button. Initiative The initiative to select is Career Development Fellowship (formerly CDA). Round The round to select for Career Development Fellowships is 2013_Career Development Fellowships_funding_commencing_2014. RGMS Application ID Each application will have its own unique application identification number which is system generated. Please use this ID number (e.g. APP ) to identify your application in any correspondence when referring to your application. Administering Institution While there may be instances where a proposal is carried out in more than one location, there can be only one Administering Institution for each grant. You must ensure that the institution you intend to choose as your Administering Institution is the correct one for your application. If in doubt, contact the RAO at your proposed Administering Institution to confirm its status as an NHMRC Administering Institution and ensure it has the facilities to administer your application. For further information refer to Application Title Scientific The scientific title will be used to identify the application at all times during the assessment process and should accurately describe the nature of the proposed project. (Maximum of 250 characters, including spaces and line breaks) Application Title Simple The simplified application title is used in media releases and the annual publication of successful awards. It should be easily understood by the general public while still conveying the general nature of the proposed research. (Maximum of 250 characters, including spaces and line breaks) RAO Edit Access If you wish to allow your RAO to have edit rights to your application, you should select Yes and Save. NHMRC provides this functionality to support researchers and RAOs in managing the application process. NHMRC does not accept any responsibility for errors or omissions arising from the use of the RAO edit function and strongly recommends that the RAO, applicant and Administering Institution discuss the management of RAO Edit Access before selecting this function. Minimum RGMS Profile Data Entered? If particular core fields within your RGMS Profile are incomplete, you will be prevented from creating an application until you have entered information into these fields. 9

10 Only once you have entered the required Profile information and the Minimum RGMS Profile Data Entered? this field displays Yes will you be able to Save this page and create your application. 2. PART A APPLICATION DETAIL Part A of the RGMS application is generic to all NHMRC funding schemes. 2.1 Part A Home Application Information Media Summary Describe your research activity in terms suitable for release to the media. Avoid the use of highly technical language. Be brief and describe the overall aims of the research and expected outcomes in a manner the general public will understand. This information will be made available, if requested, to members of the public, journalists, etc. and may be used for the purposes of reporting on grants to Parliament. Note that this information plays an important part in relaying research outcomes to the public and, as such, should be written in a manner appropriate for the intended audience. (Maximum of 500 characters, including spaces and line breaks) Synopsis The Synopsis should accurately, and briefly, summarise the research proposal as provided in the Proposed Research upload. The Synopsis is extracted into the Summary Snapshot, which is used to assign applications to review panels and assessors, and for the identification of conflicts of interest. (Maximum of 2000 characters, including spaces and line breaks) Application Consent Do you consent to this application and associated reports being referred to other funding agencies, including within your own institution, for consideration? If you choose Yes to this question, you will be giving NHMRC permission to provide certain information, on request, to other funding agencies seeking information from NHMRC about high ranking but unfunded applications in areas of research that they may wish to fund. If you choose No, that information will not be released and access to an alternative funding opportunity may be missed. This permission is essential because of the confidential nature of the grant application. 2.2 Part A-RT: Research Team and Commitment Although you may be part of a larger research team, do not enter details for other team members as this information is not required for People Support Schemes. Your details will appear as CIA by default. Click on the Properties icon ( ) to display the sub-menu. 10

11 Researcher Details: General Your details will appear as CIA by default. Qualifications & Skills information is not required for applicants to People Support Schemes. Proposed Workload: General Will you be based in Australia for the duration of the grant? Applicants for Career Development Fellowships do not have to be currently based in Australia to apply. However, if successful, applicants must be based in Australia for the duration of the award (except Industry CDFs who may conduct their industry placement overseas). For further information refer to the Funding Rules, Part 2, Section 9.5 Citizenship. Please provide details of any expected domestic and/or international absences from the project. Applicants for People Support Initiatives do not need to provide information here. Refer to the Funding Rules for details on the circumstances in which leave from an award can be taken. (Maximum of 500 characters, including spaces and line breaks) % NHMRC Research Time This Application % In the case of Career Development Fellowships, where the grant funds the salary rather than the research, you should enter 'zero' (0) percent for the proposed amount of your research time per week you will spend on your Career Development Fellowship, i.e. 'This Application'. This will ensure that the percentage of time spent on research associated with your fellowship is not duplicated. Please note this information will not be reviewed by assessors. Other Applications % This information is not required for applicants to Career Development Fellowships. Workload Comments This information is not required for applicants to Career Development Fellowships. 2.3 Part A-NF: Intended NHMRC Funding Requests Provide details of any other NHMRC funding you have requested (or plan to request) which has not yet been approved. If the precise details are not known, enter indicative details or the best information you have available. Failure to disclose full information may result in this application being removed from any further consideration by NHMRC. 2.4 Part A-OF: Intended Other Funding Requests Provide details of any planned or actual requests for funding from sources other than NHMRC which have not yet been approved. If the precise details are not known, enter indicative details 11

12 or the best information you have available. Failure to disclose full information may result in this application being removed from any further consideration by NHMRC. 2.5 Part A-A2: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Research As part of its commitment to advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research, NHMRC has established certain requirements and processes which are designed to ensure that research on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is not only of the highest scientific merit but that it is beneficial and acceptable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NHMRC has committed to a target of at least 5% of its total research funding being allocated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research. Your responses to the following questions enable NHMRC to accurately monitor its performance relative to this target. The questions in this section enable applicants to identify research that is specifically motivated by a desire to investigate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues. They are also designed to enable NHMRC to identify those research proposals which will require assessment for their benefit and acceptability to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. Research proposals that specifically relate to the health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples must address the Criteria for Health and Medical Research of Indigenous Australians (the Indigenous Criteria) as part of their application. The statement addressing the Indigenous Criteria is integral to the peer review process and will be assessed by an external assessor with expertise in Indigenous health. Applicants submitting proposals for research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples must refer to the following guidelines: 1. Criteria for Health and Medical Research of Indigenous Australians available at: 2. Values and Ethics - Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research available at: 3. NHMRC Road Map II: A Strategic Framework for Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health through Research available at: Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander Research or Capacity Building Does this research proposal include Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health research and/or capacity building? (This question also enables applicants to identify specific components of their proposal that relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.) If you answer Yes to this question: a) You are asked to identify how much of the overall research funding is budgeted for that component, and to describe what proportion of your research effort and/or capacity building activity will be directed to this component. b) Your application will be assessed against the Indigenous Criteria. In preparing your application you must address all six elements of the Indigenous Criteria which are: Community Engagement Benefit Sustainability & Transferability Building Capacity 12

13 Priority Significance (Maximum of 2000 characters, including spaces and line breaks per criterion) If you answer No to this question, you will need to enter N/A against the six indigenous criteria fields (Community Engagement, Benefit, Sustainability & Transferability, Building Capacity, Priority and Significance) in order to save this page and move to the next section of the application. 2.6 Part A-IAcc: Institution - Access Chief Investigator(s) Select Yes if you are currently receiving, or applying for, support from an institution or centre which receives research funding (not infrastructure funding) directly or indirectly from the Australian Government for the same health and medical research as that proposed in this application. Provide reasons why NHMRC should accept this funding application. Explain why this proposal is not funded, or is not expected to be funded, through current Australian Government research initiatives. Failure to address this requirement can result in your application being excluded from further consideration. (Maximum of 1000 characters, including spaces and line breaks) 2.7 Part A-IAct: Institutions Actual In some cases, the institution that will administer your application may differ from the institution in which you will actually conduct the proposed research. For example, many universities administer research, which will be conducted in an affiliated teaching hospital. You may enter several Actual Institutions but the percentages entered against Research Effort (%) must total 100% and reflect the sharing of the research effort amongst the institutions you have listed. To add an Actual Institution, click on the New button. Actual Institution Research Effort (%) Enter the research effort percentage you will spend at that Actual Institution and Department. Institution Click on the Browse ( ) button and select the Actual Institution from the pick list. If the Actual Institution does not appear in the list, please the Institution name to help@nhmrc.gov.au so that it can be added to RGMS. Department Enter the Department at which the research will be conducted within the nominated Actual Institution. (Maximum of 100 characters, including spaces and line breaks) 13

14 2.8 Part A-NHP: National Health Priorities Select the relevant National Health Priority (NHP) area(s) and enter a percentage against each to describe that portion of your proposed research relevant to the selected priority area. The total percentage should not exceed 100% but may be less. 2.9 Part A-NRP: National Research Priorities Select the relevant National Research Priority (NRP) area(s) and enter a percentage against each to describe that portion of your proposed research relevant to the selected priority area. The total percentage should not exceed 100% but may be less. Descriptions of the NRPs are available at: Note: While the application is not required to address a NRP area, information regarding which priority area(s) this research proposal may address will assist NHMRC to capture appropriate data for reporting purposes Part A-RC: Research Classification The Guide to Peer-Review Areas, Broad Research Area, Field of Research and Research Keywords/Phrases may be used in the peer review process to assist with the selection of the expert peer reviewers for your application. It may also be used for analysis of NHMRC s funding profile. When completing this section refer to the Fields of Research (FoR) and Broach Research Areas documents as well as the Australian Standard Research Classifications and NHMRC Keywords and Phrases available at: Using the Browse ( ) button or the drop down lists you must make the selections that best describe your research proposal. Guide to Peer Review Areas: Choose at least one selection from the list. This will provide you with the opportunity to indicate your preferred research area for peer review of your application, and assist with the allocation of your application to an appropriate peer review panel. Broad Research Area Fields of Research Fields of Research subcategory Research Keywords/Phrases: You must select a minimum of five (5) and a maximum of ten (10) keywords. Additional information that best describes research interests Please describe in more detail your research interests or areas of expertise. This could include areas of student supervision and areas in which you have published. (Maximum of 2000 characters, including spaces and lines breaks) 2.11 Part A-SEO: Socio-Economic Objectives The Socio-Economic Objectives (SEO) of research allows your proposed research to be classified in line with your perceived purpose in undertaking the particular study. This is 14

15 different to the nature of the research, i.e. Research Classification. From the drop down lists provided, select a minimum of one and a maximum of three SEO by category then subcategory. NHMRC acknowledges that any particular piece of research may be relevant to and have more than one purpose. Allocate the percentage of research that is applicable to the specific objective. The sum of the percentage (%) allocations must not exceed 100% Part A-BoD: Burden of Disease Using the Browse ( ) button, select a Burden of Disease (BoD) that best describes the area of research of the application. You can select up to three BoD types and you must allocate a percentage of time against each. The sum of the percentage (%) allocation must not exceed 100% but may be less Part A-CD: Community Details Community Details Does this research involve consumer and/or community participation? If you answer No to this question, you will need to enter N/A against the remaining questions in order to save this page and move to the next section of the application. If you answer Yes to this question you must then: 1. Describe how you will ensure that research participants will have access to their own results, and how you will be accountable to participants for the overall results of the research. (Maximum of 1000 characters, including spaces and line breaks) 2. Describe how you will ensure that consumers will be involved in the research, and how you will communicate the results of the research to participants and the community. (Maximum of 1000 characters, including spaces and line breaks) Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) and NHMRC, in partnership with consumers and researchers, developed the Statement on Consumer and Community Participation in Health and Medical Research. The Statement on Participation was developed in recognition of the contribution that consumers can make to research, as well as their right to participate in research. Applicants should refer to the CHF and NHMRC Statement on Consumer and Community Participation in Health and Medical Research available at: Part A-EG: Ethics - General Note: By selecting Yes to either the Ethics (Human) or Ethics (Animal) questions on this page and clicking Save, one or both of these links will appear in the left hand side menu: A-EH: Ethics Human A-EA: Ethics Animal Click on the links to these pages to provide relevant information. 15

16 The Funding Rules, Part 1 NHMRC Funding Rules, Section 10 Approvals and Licences provide important information regarding requirements for ethics and other approvals and should be read prior to completing this section. Clinical Details Will this research involve direct interaction between investigators and a patient or subject? If you answer Yes, this information may be used to identify research that involves clinical research. Is this an application to conduct a clinical trial? If you select Yes, this information will be used to identify research that involves a clinical trial. A clinical trial should be considered as the evaluation of any health care intervention (including prevention, early detection, treatment, health service, pharmaceutical, behavioural change) in a human population with disease or at risk of disease. The clinical trial will usually involve the comparison of a new treatment or intervention against a standard care/management assessing the impact of each on health outcomes or intermediate endpoints, using a controlled design. A trial could also involve early phase 1 or phase 2 trials without a control group. Ethics (Human) Does this research proposal require submission to a human research ethics committee? If you select Yes, another sub-page (A-EH: Ethics - Human) will appear in the left hand menu with the following five questions after you select Save : 1. Does this program involve the use of personal information obtained from a Commonwealth Department or Agency (including former repatriation hospitals)? If you answer Yes to this question, enter the name of the Commonwealth Department or Agency involved. (Maximum of 50 characters, including spaces and line breaks) 2. Does this program involve the administration to humans of drugs, chemical agents or vaccines? If you answer Yes to this question, provide detailed information on these drugs, chemical agents or vaccines administered to humans including the alternative or complimentary medicines. (Maximum of 50 characters, including spaces and line breaks) 3. Do any activities in this research proposal require a licence for the use of excess ART embryos under the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002? If answering Yes, researchers in this area are strongly advised to familiarise themselves with the requirements of both the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 (the RIHE Act) and Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction Act 2002 (the PHCR Act). The RIHE Act and the PHCR Act were passed by Parliament in December 2002 and amended in December These Acts establish a strong regulatory framework to prohibit certain unacceptable practices including human cloning for reproduction, and to regulate activities that involve the use of certain human embryos created by assisted reproductive technology (ART) or by other means. 16

17 Further information regarding research using human embryos can be found from the NHMRC website at: or by ing 4. If the research involves humans, are there equal numbers of males to females? You must provide a brief explanation of the sample size and ratio of males to females in the study. (Maximum of 2000 characters, including spaces and line breaks) 5. Please explain the ethical implications of research involving humans. For research involving humans, provide a brief statement of the ethical issues that arise from such research, and an explanation of how these issues will be addressed. (Maximum of 2000 characters, including spaces and line breaks) Note that it is not sufficient to state that the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans (the National Statement) will be observed. The research plan must include sufficient detail to enable the project to be fully assessed in respect of ethical issues by an independent human research ethics committee. Ethics (Animal) Does this research proposal require submission to an institution s animal ethics committee responsible for animal research? If you answer Yes another sub-page (A-EA: Ethics - Animal) will appear in the left hand menu with the following three questions after you select Save : 1. To which institutional animal ethics committee has, or will, this proposal be submitted? Identify the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee to which the application has been or will be referred. (Maximum of 200 characters, including spaces and line breaks) 2. Provide a brief description justifying the use of animals in these experiments, addressing the general principles of replacement, reduction and refinement. Give a brief statement justifying the use of animals in the experiments related to the application. The statement should address the general principles of replacement, reduction and refinement. (Maximum of 2000 characters, including spaces and line breaks) 3. Animal usage (Species & Strain). From the drop down boxes select the animal type and strain and enter numbers to be used in the research. This information is designed to help institutional Animal Ethics Committees to provide statistical information to NHMRC on the use of animals in medical research. Ethics (Other) Does this program involve organisms being genetically manipulated such that they fall under current guidelines issued by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator? Select Yes to this question if the research will involve organisms being genetically manipulated, as defined under the Gene Technology Act 2000, and may require the proposed 17

18 work to be assessed by an Institutional Biosafety Committee, or approved by the Gene Technology Regulator, before commencement. Does this program involve the use of carcinogenic or highly toxic chemicals? Select Yes to this question if the research will involve the use of carcinogenic or highly toxic chemicals. Research Involving Stem Cells Will this research involve the use of human stem cells? If you answer Yes to this question, select from the pick list if these human stem cells are Adult, Embryonic or both. Will this research involve the use of animal stem cells? If you answer Yes to this question, select from the pick list if these animal stem cells are Adult, Embryonic or both. 18

19 3. PART B - APPLICATION DETAIL Part B of the application is specific to Career Development Fellowships. This part of the application differs to that for other NHMRC schemes. 3.1 Part B-AESC: Application Executive Summary (CDF) While the CV Executive Summary (where applicants can include career highlights) will also be drawn from the CV as part of the Assessor Snapshot, the Application Executive Summary (AESC) focuses on the applicant s justification for appointment to the CDF scheme. In the AESC, applicants must summarise their claims against the Career Development Fellowships selection criteria. The AESC provides an opportunity for the applicant to highlight the most compelling evidence to support their application and should focus on their case for appointment as a Career Development Fellow. Applicants should use the named fields of Track Record, Potential, Career Development Strategy, Research Proposal and Research Environment to address each criterion specifically. (Maximum of 1000 characters per criterion, including spaces and line breaks) All applicants will be assessed and ranked against the selection criteria listed below. All criteria are assessed relative to opportunity (see the Funding Rules, Part 1 NHMRC Funding Rules, Section 3.6 Relative to Opportunity). Guidance on specific issues that applicants may wish to address in their AESC in reference to the selection criteria is provided in Table 2 below. Table 2: CDF Selection Criteria and the AESC CDF Selection Criteria 1. Track record relative to opportunity. Components of track record may include: Publications (e.g. quality and number, quality of publishing journals, role as author) Grants Peer recognition Prizes and awards Research translation Contributions to research training Contributions to professional activities Industry engagement. Note: It is recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants often make additional valuable contributions to policy development, clinical/public health leadership and/or service delivery, community activities and linkages, and are often representatives on key committees. If applicable, these contributions will Application Executive Summary Guidance for the applicant: Do not repeat information provided in your application CV sections. Provide career highlights in your CV Executive Summary. Focus on your case for appointment to the CDF scheme Provide a brief summary of your most significant contributions to your field of research including to policy development, clinical/public health leadership and/or services delivery Highlight the significance of your community activities and linkages Summarise evidence of peer recognition (publications, grants, prizes, awards, speaking invitations) Highlight your contribution to research translation Highlight your industry engagements as they relate to your proposed research Summarise the opportunities you may have had in order to guide the Peer Review Panel in assessing your track record relative to opportunity. Do not include details of your career disruptions here as they will be covered in 19

20 also be considered when assessing research output and track record. 2. Potential for further career development in health and medical research. 3. Quality of career development strategy. 4. Quality of the research proposal, taking into account interface with the aims of the CDF scheme. 5. Quality of the research environment relevant to the proposed project and, for Industry applicants, the Industry Partner. Part B-CD: Career Disruption. Refer to the Funding Rules, Part 1 NHMRC Funding Rules, Section 3.6 Relative to Opportunity and Section 3.7 Career Disruption for definitions. Guidance for the applicant: Comment on the trajectory of your research career Discuss your ability to successfully gain competitive peer review funding to support your career development Outline how your supervisory roles relate to your potential to build a research team Summarise evidence that demonstrates your growing national and international standing Guidance for the applicant: This is an important part of the AESC since it is not addressed specifically elsewhere in the application. Define your career development strategy in the short and long term Relate your career development strategy to the aims of the CDF scheme Guidance for the applicant: Do not repeat details of your research proposal provided in your Proposed Research PDF (Part B-PR: Proposed Research) Describe briefly how your research proposal relates to the aims of the CDF scheme Guidance for the applicant: Outline your access to facilities needed for your proposed research and evidence of the quality of those facilities Describe relevant support systems in your proposed research environment including mentoring opportunities and the potential for team building Outline the suitability of your proposed Industry Partner and their relationship to the aims of the CDF scheme 3.2 Part B-AICDF: Application Information (CDF) Level and category of award Level From the drop-down list, select the Level of CDF you are applying for: 1. Applicants at CDF Level 1 will normally have at least 2 years and less than 7 years (as at 31 March of the application year) from the date of the letter advising that their doctoral thesis was passed unless career disruptions exist (refer to Funding Rules, Part 1 NHMRC Funding Rules, Section 3.7 Career Disruption). 20

21 2. Applicants at CDF Level 2 will normally have at least 7 years and less than 12 years (as at 31 March of the application year) from the date of the letter advising that their doctoral thesis was passed unless career disruptions exist (refer to Funding Rules, Part 1 NHMRC Funding Rules, Section 3.7 Career Disruption). Category From the drop-down list, select the Category of CDF (refer to Funding Rules Part 2, Section 10 Categories of Awards) you are applying for. The options are: R.D. Wright Biomedical Clinical Population Health Industry Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Part-Time Employment Co-funding From the drop-down list indicate if you wish to be considered for a co-funded award (refer to Funding Rules, Part 2, Section 11 Co-funded Career Development Fellowships). For the purposes of the Privacy Act 1988, applicants (and other persons whose details appear in grant applications, e.g. other investigators) should be aware that if they indicate they wish to be considered for co-funding, NHMRC will provide their personal information, including all pertinent application documentation and peer review outcomes, to the co-funding body or bodies nominated by the applicant. The purpose of providing this information to the co-funder(s) is to enable them to assess the application s eligibility for funding under the relevant co-funding arrangement. Co-funders If you indicated you wish to be considered for a co-funded award, select the organisation(s) from which co-funding is sought by clicking Browse ( ). NHMRC does not require any additional information or attachments for applicants who are also applying for co-funding, however some of the co-funding partners may require further information or have an application form that the applicant needs to complete. Ensure you check the co-funding organisation s website for further details. Time commitment Time commitment component From the drop-down list, indicate whether a full or part-time CDF is being sought. Part-time fellowships are only available for applicants applying in the Clinical, Population Health, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and Part-Time Employment categories (refer to Funding Rules, Part 2, Section 10 Categories of Awards). Part-time If you are applying for a part-time CDF: 1. Indicate the percentage of time (30% - 70%) you will devote to the research associated with this award. Percentage of time must be in increments of 10%. 2. Using the Browse button, upload a letter of support from your employer confirming: For applications in the Clinical, Population Health or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Categories i. you hold (or have been offered) a complementary salaried position for the duration of the award, 21

22 ii. the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of this position, and iii. an undertaking that this employer will release you to conduct the research associated with this Career Development Fellowship. For applications in the Part-Time Employment Category i. you will do not work full-time and all of your employed time will be spent conducting the research associated with the CDF, not other paid professional work, and ii. the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of your research position. The letter must be provided on the employer s official letterhead and signed by the appropriate delegate. The letter be uploaded as a single PDF file using the following naming convention: APP#######_Applicant s Surname_Employer Letter of Support.pdf Note: In accordance with the Funding Rules, applicants for Clinical, Population Health or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander part-time Career Development Fellowships must include a written undertaking from their employer confirming that they will fund the balance of the applicant s time. PhD approval date Select Yes or No from the drop down list to indicate whether or not you hold a PhD. If you answered Yes, please indicate the date of the letter advising that your doctoral thesis was passed (not the date of the date of the conferral ceremony). This information will be used to assist in determining your eligibility for the Level of CDF applied for. Do you meet the requirements for the Level of CDF you are applying for in relation to the maximum time elapsed since the letter advising your doctoral thesis was passed? At 31 March in the year of application CDF Level 1 applicants will normally have at least 2 and less than 7 years from the date of the letter advising that their doctoral thesis was passed and CDF Level 2 applicants will normally have at least 7 and less than 12 years. Refer to the Funding Rules, Part 2 Section 9.1 Qualifications for further details relating to eligibility. If you answered No to the above question you will need to fill in Part B-CD: Career Disruption. Head of proposed laboratory/department/workplace State the name, position and institute of the person who will be your immediate supervisor if you are successful in obtaining a CDF. Bioinformatics or biostatistics Do you specialise in bioinformatics or biostatistics? Select Yes or No from the drop down list. If you answered Yes, please describe your speciality in the free text box. (Maximum of 200 characters, including spaces and line breaks) Note: 1. There are no additional or separate funds for applicants who indicate they specialise in bioinformatics/biostatistics. Selecting Yes will only assist with allocating your application to an appropriate assessor. Please do not select Yes in this section if you do not specialise in these fields. 22