Discovery and Innovation Grants support innovative research on dust diseases, aiming to foster novel approaches for significant advancements in understanding and treatment
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $1,500,000
- Application opened: 5 August 2024
- Application closed: 2 September 2024, 4:00 pm
Program objective
These grants are designed to support innovative and exploratory research that pushes the boundaries of our understanding and treatment of dust diseases.
They are intended to foster novel approaches that have the potential to lead to significant advancements.
Alignment with the The Dust Diseases Board (DDB) Strategic Priorities 2025-2029
Engage with the research community and refresh principles for funding allocation: This grant type supports the strategy's objective to engage more actively with the research community by funding innovative and exploratory research that encourages new directions and methodologies.
Increase agility and responsiveness to emerging needs: By supporting high-risk high-reward projects, these grants align with the strategic goal of adapting quickly to new and evolving research opportunities that could lead to significant breakthroughs in dust diseases research.
Alignment with the DDB Grant Strategy Guiding Principles
Worker and Family Benefits: Encourages innovations that could lead to breakthrough treatments and improve daily living for workers with dust diseases and their families.
Innovation and Early-stage Support: Strongly supports the exploration of new ideas, techniques, or technologies that are in the early stages but show potential for significant impact.
Novel Research and Pilot Programs: Focuses on funding cutting-edge benchtop research, experimental treatments, and pilot programs that could redefine care standards and outcomes.
Capacity and Capability Building: Aims to cultivate the next generation of researchers with skills in innovative and high-risk research areas related to dust diseases.
Collaboration and Impact: Encourages collaborative efforts that can leverage additional resources and expertise, amplifying the impact of the research and interventions funded.
This program is funded and administered by Dust Diseases Board.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria apply to both EOIs and full applications.
The Administering Organisation/Institution is responsible for ensuring that all applicants listed in the Specified Personnel Details section of the application form meet the eligibility criteria.
These criteria ensure that all applications meet the necessary standards and that the Specified Personnel involved in the project are suitably qualified and prepared to fulfil their roles.
It is important to review these requirements carefully to ensure compliance and eligibility for funding consideration.
There are various eligibility criteria including those that apply specifically to the roles of CIs and PIs.
Please refer to the
Types of projects funded under this grant
Funding is available for:
- Basic and Translational Research: Aimed at building foundational knowledge and transitioning laboratory research to patient care.
- Innovative Studies: Designed to foster pioneering research that proposes new theories, extends existing discoveries, or applies novel methodologies and technologies.
- High-Risk High-Reward Projects: Supports projects with the potential to revolutionise the field through groundbreaking findings.
- Epidemiological Research: Funds studies that analyse the patterns, causes, and impacts of dust diseases within populations, providing vital data to inform public health strategies and preventive measures.
Requirements include:
- Innovative Approach: Applicants must demonstrate a clear break from traditional research methods, proposing novel hypotheses or employing emerging technologies.
- Potential for Scalability: Projects should show potential for scalability or further development beyond the initial research phase.
- Interdisciplinary Teams Encouraged: Proposals from interdisciplinary teams that combine expertise from different scientific backgrounds are highly encouraged, fostering holistic and innovative research outputs.
- Sustainability Focus: The Dust Diseases Board (DDB) encourages applicants to develop solutions with effective long-term sustainability. The durability of innovations is paramount.
- Technology Integration: The DDB strongly advocates for the integration of advanced technology to enhance the efficacy and speed of research.
- Diversity and Inclusion: DDB encourages proposals that consider the diversity of affected populations, ensuring that research and interventions are inclusive and applicable to a wide range of demographics affected by dust diseases.
- Open Access: The DDB encourages, and may require, that all outputs of research be made available through open access channels, ensuring that findings are accessible to the wider research community and public.
What can’t you apply for
Grant funds from the DDB cannot be allocated to the following items:
- Indirect Expenses
Costs not directly tied to the project, such as professional membership fees, professional development courses, patent application and maintenance fees, entertainment expenses, insurance, and mobile phones.
- Salaries for CIs and PIs
- Salaries or on-costs for CIs or PIs, whether partially or fully funded.
- Stipends for CIs or PIs pursuing Higher Degree by Research (HDR).
- Consultancy Services
Fees for contracted research or consultancy services where external expertise is sought for tasks that involve minimal innovation or low risk.
- Non-Research Production Items
Creation of computer programs, research aids, data warehouses, catalogues, bibliographies, or teaching materials unless they qualify as ‘research’.
- Basic Facilities
Items and facilities expected to be provided and funded by the Administering Organisation/Institution, including:- bench fees or laboratory access fees
- basic library access
- work accommodation (laboratory and office space)
- basic computer facilities (desktops, laptops, printers, standard software)
- standard reference materials or abstracting services.
- Capital works and infrastructure
Capital works and general infrastructure costs.
- Educational Fees and Liabilities
Costs associated with international student fees or liabilities related to the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) and the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) for students are not permissible expenditures.
- Additional Non-Eligible Costs
- Administrative Overheads: General office supplies, rent, and utility bills.
- Personal Expenses: Any personal costs incurred by Specified Personnel.
- Entertainment Expenses: Costs related to entertainment or hospitality.
- Non-Essential Travel: Travel expenses not critical to the project’s success.
- Office Equipment: Purchases of office furniture and non-specialised equipment not directly related to the research project.
- Unapproved Equipment: Equipment not directly related to the project’s objectives.
What your application needs to include
You can download the full guidelines, frequently asked questions and expression of interest forms:
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: The Dust Diseases Board
EOIs which meet eligibility criteria will be assessed by the DDB.
The DDB will shortlist the successful EOI applicants and invite them to submit a full application.
Communications will be sent out mid-October 2024.
Support and contact
Please direct inquiries through your respective Research Offices.
If your organisation does not have a Research Office, please feel free to contact us directly at ddcgrants@icare.nsw.gov.au
Program evaluation
All projects awarded grants by the DDB are subject to mandatory progress reporting throughout the duration of the project.
Additionally, the DDB reports on the impact of its funded projects.
The DDB’s approach to impact assessment encompasses the entire Disease Lifecycle – from risk identification and prevention to treatment and quality of life – and the Research and Translation Lifecycle, covering all research methodologies. Impact assessment starts at the application stage, where applicants outline the issues or problems they will investigate.
For those awarded funding, impact assessment continues throughout the project, from experimental work through to project completion and the dissemination of research findings.
This plan, which will not be part of the assessment criteria, will be developed collaboratively with the Dust Diseases Care Research and Education Team in a co-design session with successful applicants. The DDB evaluates impact against four primary categories: Knowledge, Health, Economic, and Social impact.
Secondary impacts, considered “by-products” of these primary categories, include benefits in knowledge generation and innovation, capacity and capability building and fostering collaboration.