Dust Diseases Prevention Grants support research identifying workplace dust risk factors and develop strategies to prevent and mitigate dust diseases
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $750,000
- Application opened: 5 August 2024
- Application closed: 2 September 2024, 4:00 pm
Program objective
Dedicated to supporting research that identifies risk factors relating to hazardous dust exposures in the workplace and develops strategies to prevent the onset of dust diseases, these grants focus on reducing the incidence and mitigating the severity of dust diseases through proactive measures.
Alignment with the DDB Strategic Priorities 2025-2029
Increase agility and responsiveness to emerging needs: These grants are dedicated to identifying and mitigating risks before they evolve into widespread health issues, directly aligning with the strategy’s emphasis on quickly responding to the changing landscape of dust diseases. This approach enables the DDB to proactively address new challenges and trends in dust disease prevention.
Revitalise the approach to research funding: Focusing on prevention research supports the strategy’s goal of revitalising how research funding is utilised by emphasising proactive measures. This not only addresses immediate needs but also anticipates future developments in the field of dust diseases, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and scope of the research funded.
Alignment with the DDB Grant Strategy Guiding Principles
Understanding of Dust Diseases: Funds research aimed at gaining insights into the epidemiology of dust diseases to develop effective prevention strategies.
Worker and Family Benefits: Supports interventions that directly prevent the occurrence or progression of dust diseases, thereby improving the life quality of workers and their families.
Innovation and Early-stage Support: Encourages innovative approaches to disease prevention, including novel risk identification and mitigation strategies.
Collaboration and Impact: Seeks collaborative projects that bring together experts from various fields to tackle prevention from multiple angles, enhancing the overall impact and effectiveness of prevention strategies.
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:
- Risk Identification: Funds research that identifies new or under-recognised risks associated with dust diseases (*as relates to hazardous dust exposures in the workplace).
- Prevention Research: Supports the development and testing of interventions designed to prevent the onset of dust diseases in at-risk populations.
- 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:
- Comprehensive Risk Analysis: Proposals should include a detailed analysis of current risks associated with dust diseases and how the proposed research will address these risks (*as relates to hazardous dust exposures in the workplace).
- Preventive Interventions: Projects must focus on developing or testing preventive interventions, detailing the methodologies and expected outcomes.
- Community and Worker Engagement: Proposals should demonstrate how they will engage with at-risk communities or workplaces to implement and evaluate preventive measures.
- Community Partnership: Projects should demonstrate effective partnerships with local communities, health departments, or other relevant organisations to ensure the successful implementation of prevention strategies.
- Sustainability Considerations: Projects should include considerations for the long-term sustainability of the proposed solutions or interventions.
- 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 in 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.