Applications must be prepared and submitted via our SmartyGrants platform. Each round will have a unique weblink. Please read the SmartyGrants Help Guide for assistance.

Below are the document templates which need to be completed and uploaded during the application process:

• Administering Institution Endorsement template – EOI stage
• Administering Institution Endorsement Template – Full Application stage
• Chief Investigator Biosketch Template

Progress, completion and follow-up reports will be required for all awarded projects and are to be prepared and submitted via SmartyGrants.

Below are the certification templates that need to be completed and uploaded when reporting on funded activities:

• Project Reporting Certification template
• Scholarship Reporting Certification template

Regular financial statements and acquittals from the Administering Institution will also be required for awarded projects.

Yes, you may apply. If you are applying as Chief Investigator A/Project Leader, you will need to make a case that your research experience is equivalent to at least that of a PhD or Masters by Research. Please provide evidence (for example, research project experience, publication record, clinical trials, research team leadership, and so on) for your claims of equivalence in the Biosketch.
All CIs must be able to demonstrate a track record relevant to the expertise they are bringing to the proposal.

No, students currently enrolled in a Higher Degree by Research are not eligible to apply as a Chief Investigator (CI). However, if suitable, you could be listed as an Associate Investigator or collaborator on the proposal.

Salary support may be requested for CIs and/or any other project staff as long as the request is well justified in terms of need and cost and is commensurate to the role the person will play in the project. Salary support may be requested for collaborating Associate Investigators, noting that such requests must be very well-justified.

All salary support requests must include statutory on-costs, such as leave accruals and the superannuation guarantee contribution. Such on-costs are limited to a maximum 30% of the base salary request. Applicants must verify the employing institution’s rate of on-costs before finalising budgets in the application form.

Please note that salary requests are considered carefully during assessment and may not be supported.

A unit is an item. Multiple units of the same equipment (e.g. VR headsets, iPads, specialised sensors etc.) may be requested if the per unit cost is less than the stipulated limit, and fits within the scheme’s overall funding envelope. Likewise, a modular system with several parts to be used together (e.g. a digital camera and a microscope for sample imaging) is allowable if each module is valued at under the limit.

The first-named Chief Investigator (CIA) is considered the Project Leader. As such, they bear the primary responsibility for the project and should be making a significant commitment of time and intellectual input to ensure its success. Other named CIs should provide a meaningful (intellectual; technical and/or operational) contribution to the successful delivery of the project, commensurate to their specific role. A description of the CI role/s is needed at both EOI and Full Application stages. In terms of time commitment, it is suggested researchers contributing less than 0.1 FTE may be more appropriately listed as Associate Investigators or collaborators.

Unless otherwise indicated in the relevant Guidelines, the CIA must hold a position within an eligible South Australian health and medical research provider. Other CIs may be from an interstate or international organisation.

No. Please ask your institution’s Research Office if they can share past successful applications with you.

The EOI should be written in plain English. It is important to make your EOI easily understandable, and we suggest you avoid technical jargon – it may not be reviewed by an expert in your particular field.

Successful EOIs address the areas of Unmet Need, Project Outline and Outcomes & Impact with appropriate information, describing and evaluating an unmet need in clinical practice and patient care; how that need will be addressed with the research you are proposing to conduct; and if the research is successful, what outcomes and impact the research findings could or will have on clinical practice and patient care. A well-articulated pathway to impact, including reference to actual or potential “next users” where appropriate, is an essential component of a successful EOI. Numbers, statistics and careful referencing will help you make your case for need and impact. Consumer engagement is strongly encouraged.

We strongly recommend that the wording and weighting of assessment criteria be taken into consideration when preparing your EOI. Please note that different competitive rounds may have different assessment criteria wording and weightings, so read the relevant Guidelines closely.

Please also note that THRF Group’s mission and objectives as a community-centred charity are different from those of the NHMRC, so a “cut-and-paste” from your latest “near-miss” NHMRC application is no guarantee of success!

Yes. THRF Group is open to funding research across all stages of the translation pathway, from advancement of knowledge to “on-the-ground” healthcare implementation. However, proposals need to have a clearly articulated impact pathway that identifies and describes the next steps needed to address the identified unmet need.

No. THRF Group has moved to making specific and targeted calls for research that reflect the wishes of our supporters and align with our mission. EOIs which do not clearly align with the round Guidelines are unlikely to progress or be funded. Please read the relevant funding round Guidelines carefully before applying.

The CIA must be a salaried staff member of the nominated Administering Institution. CIAs with more than one paid appointment must nominate the eligible health and medical research provider organisation that can agree to the specified time commitment of the CIA and ensure provision of the general facilities necessary for the project’s conduct.

Please see Document Templates above.

Applicants are required to provide CI Biosketches and AI endorsements on the prescribed templates. For advice regarding the appropriate authorised delegate(s) and processes for arranging AI endorsement, please contact the Research Office at your institution.

No. THRF Group grant funding is awarded for the specific purpose detailed in a (successful) full application.

Should CIs wish to materially change the funding purpose (e.g. by pursuing a research direction different from the original research plan) they must immediately contact their institution’s Research Office to liaise with THRF Group about the potential for variation. Until a variation has been approved in writing between THRF Group and the Administering Institution, the existing project budget and timelines for expenditure must be adhered to.

If funding is used for purposes not approved by THRF Group (whether in relation to the original research plan or any subsequent approved variation), then THRF Group will suspend or terminate the project and may reclaim the project funds.

Not necessarily. THRF Group encourages interdisciplinarity and is keen to see the inclusion of researchers from other areas, such as the humanities or engineering, when their skills are integral to the success of the proposed research. All investigators should have a demonstrable track record in the area of expertise relevant to their involvement in the proposal.

There is (currently) no formal limit, but investigator capacity is a factor in assessment of both feasibility and project team capability.

No – such requests will not be entertained. However, THRF Group does reserve the right to vary the closing date for a round in extraordinary circumstances, e.g. force majeure events such as natural disasters.

All publications must acknowledge THRF Group’s contribution to the project. A standard publication acknowledgement will suffice, such as: This work was supported by research grants from The Hospital Research Foundation Group.

For guidance on your obligations to acknowledge THRF Group via other dissemination channels, including in public announcements and public presentation of the research, please refer to your funding agreement in the first instance. If you are unsure or have any queries, please email [email protected].

Reporting obligations are outlined in the funding agreement. You will report in SmartyGrants against the agreed milestones (also normally found within the funding agreement) every 6 months and at the completion of the research project, with a follow-up report due 6-12 months after completion. The Administering Institution will need to certify each report, as well as provide regular financial statements of grant expenditure.

For projects awarded from 2020 and thereafter, the reporting schedule for your project is available in your funding agreement. If you are unsure or have any queries, please email [email protected].

The notification that a report is open and any subsequent reminders will be sent to the designated SmartyGrants user for the project. The report will usually be opened for submission a month before the due date.

Please see Document Templates above.

Where funding has been provided for a Higher Degree by Research student stipend exclusively, please use the scholarship version of the form.

Failure to complete the certification form properly will see it returned to you for resubmission. Your report will not be accepted, nor any extension requests considered, until appropriate report certification is provided.

Instructions are provided on the relevant certification template. Please read these carefully.

The Administering Institution Certification is commonly sought by contacting the Research Office (or the area responsible for graduate research, if reporting on a scholarship) at the AI. If the AI is a university, the signatory is most likely the DVCR or one of their authorised delegates. At a Local Health Network (e.g. CALHN) it is likely to be the CEO or one of their authorised delegates. In all other cases, it should be the person with authority to sign legal research documents at the AI.

A copy of the report that you intend to submit should be provided when seeking sign-off by your organisation. (A pdf of the report can be downloaded from SmartyGrants.) Please allow enough time within your organisation to enable sign-off before the due date for submission.

No. Reports will only be accepted via SmartyGrants, even for projects not originally applied for via SmartyGrants. You are still welcome to share timely news with us by email as we are always happy to hear from you, but the formal reports must be submitted via SmartyGrants.

All reports are reviewed with interest. The primary purposes of reporting are to:

• monitor the timeliness of progress against milestones. Projects that are delayed and likely to extend beyond the anticipated end date, as defined in the funding agreement, will need to be varied to enable funds to be expended beyond that date.
• communicate highlights of the research that might be of interest to our supporters and the broader community. In such cases, THRF Group’s Communications team may follow up with you and your AI.

The reports are held on SmartyGrants and used as a point of future reference for the THRF Group grants team, including in the consideration of any requests for extension or other variation.

Please refer to THRF Group’s Variation Request Guidance for advice regarding grounds for variation and the process of applying for one.

A variation should be requested as soon as you become aware that a change is necessary. In the first instance please contact your Research Office (or the area responsible for HDR student support in the case of scholarships) to act as liaison point for these discussions. THRF Group will consider all reasonable and well-justified requests, but these need to be certified/endorsed by the AI.

The funding agreement is a legal instrument signed by THRF Group and your AI that describes the purpose and duration for which funding is being provided, how it should be expended, project reporting obligations, and many other things. It is an important document ─ if you do not have a copy, please request one from your Research Office.

You can access THRF Group’s SmartyGrants portal at hospitalresearch.smartygrants.com.au

IMPORTANT: SmartyGrants is not compatible with Internet Explorer. Use another browser (e.g. Google Chrome) and save your progress every 10 to 15 minutes. The system will log you out automatically after 60 minutes if you have not saved your progress or navigated through pages.

Please contact the THRF Group Research Office at [email protected] with your new email address.

Log in to SmartyGrants and click on the “My Submissions” tab. The project ID number and due date should match with the information provided in the email you received announcing the report is open.

After logging in to SmartyGrants (or SmartyFile, if registered), go to the “My Submissions” tab. Look for the project ID number and/or title of the application of interest. Under the project ID number is every form that has been submitted in relation to the project. The original application is usually the first form listed.
If accessing applications via SmartyFile, you may need to click on the ID number or expand the box using the drop-down arrow on the righthand side to view the forms.

Please note: THRF Group expects the CIA of a project to oversee report submission and grant management, even if they are not the person submitting the report. It is the CIA’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of all information provided and that the report is submitted on time.

Only one person can be the assigned “user” for a project in SmartyGrants and have access to the forms associated with it. If you wish to change the user for a project, please provide the name, employing organisation and email address of the new user to us via [email protected]. Both you and the new user will receive a confirmation email once the access has been swapped.