Project Approval Form
1. DESCRIPTION1.1 / Project Title
1.2 / Funding Body (e.g. NSW Environmental Trust)
1.3 / Scheme (e.g. Environmental Research Grants)
1.4 / Have YOU submitted the application to the funding body? / Yes No (Double click to check box)
1.5 / Do you need Research Services to submit the application on your behalf? / Yes No (Double click to check box)
1.6 / If your project is successful, will UNE or the funding body draft the contract? / UNE Funding Body (Double click to check box)
1.7 / Proposal Type / Research Funding (Research Grant or Research Consultancy) (Non-ACGR funding is subject to 20% DVCR fee)
Fee-for-Service (no research – including non-research Consultancies)
Travel Grant (Funding for travel expenses ONLY – not subject to 20% DVCR fee)
Scholarship or Student Project (Directly related to PhD/degree – not subject to 20% DVCR fee)
1.8 / Proposal Status / Accepted Proposal (The full proposal has been accepted and is ready for a contract)
Proposal submitted, awaiting outcome
1.9 / Institutional Leadership / UNE-led project (UNE is sole lead and UNE controls the Final Report)
Jointly-led project (UNE and other institution share control of the Final Report) (please provide other institution details)
Other institution-led project (UNE is named on the application) (please provide lead institution details)
Other institution-led project (UNE is a subcontractor and NOT named on the application) (please provide lead institution details)
1.10 / Is International Collaboration involved? / If so, please specify which country/ies:
1.11 / Duration of Project / Proposed Start Date / Proposed End Date
2. PROJECT PERSONNEL - please name ALL personnel involved with the project
2.1 / UNE Staff Project team membership – (use enter key to add rows as required)
UNE Staff Team Members / School/Centre / Phone / Email
2.2 / UNE Student membership – (use enter key to add rows as required)
Title & Name of UNE Student / School/Centre / Student ID / Email / Phone
2.3 / Non-UNE Staff Project team membership – (use enter key to add rows as required)
Name & Title / Institution/Organisation / Email & Phone / Position/Role
e.g. external collaborator, co-investigator, supervisor, casual, independent contractor[1]. / Funding Amount[2]
3. RESEARCH CLASSIFICATION - Ignore this section if project is Fee-for-Service (no research)
3.1 / Find the 6-digit FOR and SEO Codes on the ABS website. Please enter at least one and no more than 3 codes in the boxes provided. If more than one code applies, please provide the % weight per code.
*If you only provide a 4-digit code, we will use the default ‘99’ category when entering the code into our database. It is up to you, the researcher, to ensure this detail is captured accurately.
FOR Code / SEO Code
6 digit Code / % / 6 digit Code / %
TOTAL / 100% / TOTAL / 100%
3.2 / Percentage of Research
Applied research / Original work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge with a specific application in view. It is undertaken either to determine possible uses for the findings of basic research or to determine new ways of achieving some specific and predetermined objectives / %
Experimental development / Systematic work, using existing knowledge gained from research or practical experience, that is directed to producing new materials, products or devices, to installing new processes, systems and services, or to improving substantially those already produced or installed / %
Strategic basic research / Experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge directed into specified broad areas in the expectation of useful discoveries. It provides the broad base of knowledge necessary for the solution of recognised practical problems / %
Pure basic research / Experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge without looking for long term benefits other than the advancement of knowledge / %
TOTAL / 100%
4. CONFIDENTIALITY & STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
4.1 / Will a student be accessing confidential information on this program? / Yes / No
4.2 / Will a student be creating Intellectual Property in this project? / Yes / No
4.3 / Will a student be employed via the HR process to work on the project? / Yes / No
4.4 / Will the project include an advertised, competitive student scholarship? / Yes / No
5. ETHICS - Undertaking research involving Animals or Humans? Then you will probably require Ethics approval.
5.1 / Is Animal ethics approval required? / Yes / No / Is Human ethics approval required? / Yes / No
5.2 / Will ethics approval be sought through UNE’s ethics committee/s? / Yes / No
5.3 / If ‘no’, please specify from where you will seek your ethics approval, and why you will not be going through the UNE ethics committee/s (please be aware that if this is a UNE student project, ethics approval must be sought from the UNE ethics committee/s)
If your application is successful and you require ethics approval please visit: Ethics and Grants website for further instruction.
6. RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT - for more information please read UNE’s Research Data Management Policies.
/ All of the project research data must be stored on Cloud.UNE, UNE’s data storage platform.
/ Within 12 months of project completion, all project data must be curated and archived in the University repository in accordance with UNE’s Management and Storage of Research Data and Materials Procedures. For assistance, please contact the Research Advisory and Engagement Services team in the Library on
7. BUDGET
7.1 / Is the Funding Scheme listed on the Australian Competitive Grants Register (Category 1)? / Yes / No
7.2 / Is the funding from a Commonwealth-funded Research Centre (CRC) in which UNE is a participant? / Yes / No
7.3 / If neither of the above, has UNE’s 20% DVCR Research Sustainability fee been built into the budget? Note: The 20% fee will come off the total amount of funding received.
(NB - If you would like to request a waiver of the 20% DVCR Research Sustainability Fee, please email for instructions on how to apply) / Yes / No
7.4 / If ‘no’, please clarify:
7.5 / FUNDING BODY / UNE / Externally-funded Scholarship/Student Projects
Year / Total Cash Requested
(do not include GST) / Cash Contribution / Source of Funding?
(e.g. DVCR/School)
Please attach evidence / Stipend / Operating Expenses
2018 / $ / $ / $ / $
2019 / $ / $ / $ / $
2020 / $ / $ / $ / $
2021 / $ / $ / $ / $
TOTAL / $ / $ / $ / $
7.6 / Will any UNE personnel take any payment into an APF account? / Yes / No
7.7 / If ‘yes’, please provide full disclosure here, including APF account number:
7.8 / Will any UNE personnel receive any payment in addition to their normal UNE salary as a result of their involvement in this project? / Yes / No
7.9 / If ‘yes’, please provide brief details. You will also need to contact Human Resource Services.
7.10 / Is there are budget included with the grant application/contract? (UNE Finance will not open an account for the project unless a budget is provided). / Yes / No
7.11 / If the budget is not available yet, please explain:
7.12 / Does the project income fully cover the budgeted costs? / Yes / No
7.13 / If the budget does not fully cover the costs, please explain:
8. RISK ASSESSMENT - UNE researchers must be familiar with the University of New England Code of Conduct for Research (UNECCR). The UNECCR is based on the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2007 (ACRCR). Research projects should also be risk-assessed prior to commencement and risk-managed throughout the project’s duration.
8.1 / Are there material risks* associated with the project?
If there are material risks relevant to the project, beyond the everyday risks within the University, these should be discussed with the Head of School before applying for the project and risk management actions agreed upon. The Research Grant Risk Assessment form will also need to be completed, signed and retained by the School before commencing the project: http://www.une.edu.au/about-une/leadership/executive/une-legal-and-governance/audit-and-risk. / Yes / No
*A risk is considered ‘material’ if it threatens the success of any significant part of the University in any pertinent way. Material risks may include employing contractors, financial risk, IP restrictions, contract liabilities, project management risk & travel to dangerous places.
For work off-campus contact HRS Workplace Health & Safety: Workplace Health & Safety - University of New England (UNE)
8.2 / Does the research relate to goods, services or technologies that are controlled under the Defence and Strategic Goods List (DSGL)?
If ‘Yes’, researchers are obliged to obtain the necessary permit/s, in consultation with Research Services. This relates to the Defence Trade Controls Act 2012. For information go to: https://compliance.une.edu.au/overview.php?id=68 / Yes / No
9. DECLARATION OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
9.1 / Are any of the team members in a business, personal or family relationship with other members of the research team? / Yes / No
9.2 / If yes, please list the members here:
9.3 / Will any of the members listed here be receiving payment from the project funds (including sub-contractors)? / Yes / No
9.4 / Are there any other conflicts of interest as per the examples in the Conflicts of Interest Procedure? / Yes / No
9.5 / If yes, please explain:
9.6 / Have you emailed your Head of School, explaining the nature of any conflicts of interest, and a proposed solution for managing the conflict/s as per the Conflicts of Interest Procedure? / Yes / No
10. RATIFICATION & SUBMISSION
10.1 / Sign-off by UNE project leader
I confirm that all of the details provided above are complete and correct to the best of my knowledge, and that I have fully disclosed all relevant material, including any conflicts of interest, to the authorising officer.
Signature / Date
10.2 / Sign-off by UNE authorised supervisor (Head of School/Director)
I confirm that I have verified the contents of this form, including conflicts of interest, reviewed the project costing, risk-evaluation and authorise the project as outlined.
Signature / Date
Please submit the fully signed Project Approval Form (PAF) with a complete copy of your application in accordance with UNE’s Collaborative Research Policy to:
Research Services’ Grants Team
6th December 2017 - 4 -
6th December 2017 - 4 -
[1] Please note UNE’s research output is only assessed on funding which remains with UNE. For details, please refer to the ‘Income involving other parties’ section of the latest HERDC Specifications: https://education.gov.au/higher-education-research-data-collection
[2] If the cost exceeds $10,000 please contact UNE Finance (Procurement) for latest procedures and forms regarding quotes/exemption.