Synergy Grants

Overview

NEW! NHMRC has updated the Direct Research Cost (DRC) Guidelines and the 2024 Personnel and Salary Support Package rates for funding commencing in 2025.

The Synergy Grant scheme is to support outstanding multidisciplinary teams of investigators to work together to answer major questions that cannot be answered by a single investigator.

The expected outcomes are:

• multidisciplinary research that addresses major problems in all areas of human health and medical research, from discovery to translation, and
• highly collaborative teams of diverse researchers including by gender, career stage and cultural background, working together to address major problems in human health.

The minimum number of Chief Investigators (CIs) allowed on a Synergy Grants 2024 application is four and the maximum number is 10 (CIA – CIJ).

Please note that all NHMRC documentation relating to this scheme can be found via Grant Connect. If you don't already have one, you will need to create log in details for Grant Connect.

Further information and changes relating to this scheme can be found on the NHMRC Website.

Please pay particular attention to section 2.1 Key changes of the Guidelines (page 7).

Funding

A Synergy Grant provides a total and fixed budget of $5 million and will be awarded for a fixed five-year term.

Eligibility

Please see Section 4 Eligibility of the Guidelines (pages 8-11) to check eligibility for this scheme.

Changes to Capping Rules for NHMRC Investigator, Synergy, and Ideas Grants

The NHMRC have updated their capping policy for grants held and applied for across the Investigator, Synergy, and Ideas Grant schemes. The relevant changes are:

1. The capping limit of 2 grants has been streamlined, so there are no longer exceptions for CIs holding 2x ongoing Ideas Grants to apply for a third grant. CIs will no longer be able to hold more than 2 grants (CIs currently holding 3 grants will not be required to relinquish any existing held grants). For a full breakdown of how many applications a CI can submit based on the grants they currently hold, please see the NHMRC’s Eligibility Web Tool and Eligibility FAQs page.
2. If a CI is named on an excessive number of applications in a round, only the most recently submitted application(s) will be ruled ineligible. Previously, all applications in a round would be ruled ineligible, not just the excess application.
3. Eligibility will now be based on original end date of each held grant at time of award (i.e. not taking variations into account). This means some applicants previously capped may now be able to apply in this round.

RIC hosted a Zoom Information Session on Thursday 7 March 2024 to summarise the key changes to the capping rules. View the video recording and the slides on the NHMRC scheme seminars webpage.

Any questions regarding eligibility to apply for the 2024 Synergy and/or 2024 Ideas Grant schemes can be sent to nhmrc-project@unimelb.edu.au.

How to apply

Steps to be completed by Chief Investigator A (CIA):

1. Submit a Notice of Intent (NOI)

The NOI should be completed early to provide RIC with CIA contact details .

2. Activate Sapphire two-step authentication, complete/update Sapphire Profile and CV details

Each CI will need to activate Sapphire's two-step authentication via their mobile phone. Refer to the NHMRC guide.

Applicants (including all Chief Investigators and Associate Investigators) are required to submit a registration form available on the Sapphire Landing Page. NHMRC copied RGMS users’ CV/Profile data from RGMS for migration into Sapphire on Wednesday 12 February 2020 after 5.00pm (AEDT). Any changes made to an RGMS profile after this date have not been replicated in Sapphire.

3. Review the funding documents

The CIA should read the NHMRC Guidelines to Applicants available from Grant Connect (GO 06782).

4. Complete draft application

Complete draft application in Sapphire.

5. Email a draft application to RIC

Send a draft Grant Proposal and application preview documents (Profile Report, Application Report, Application Summary) to RIC via email nhmrc-project@unimelb.edu.au for review. Drafts are due by 10am 11 March 2024.

To obtain your Sapphire application preview documents, click the "Preview" button on the top right corner and a zip folder consisting of the preview documents will be downloaded automatically. A hardcopy is not required.

6. Complete the application after feedback

After taking feedback from RIC into consideration, complete the application in the Grant management system. Upload all documents as outlined in Guidelines to Applicants, paying special attention to formatting requirements. It is suggested to seek advice from colleagues, Faculty Mentors, etc. before finalising the application.

7. Certify the application in Sapphire

Certify the application via the ‘CI Certification’ function in the Grant management system. Snapshot reports will be automatically generated, please wait for these to be produced. The application will be locked once certified and status then will be Submitted to RAO.

***Please note that we have observed delays within Sapphire where the approvals tab to submit applications is taking ~15 minutes to load, as such there is a risk to the timely submission of your application if it is received after the RIC Final Submission Deadline. To minimise any delays or issues with the submission of your application we advise adhering to the RIC final submission deadline for this scheme.***

8. Submit the UOM Authority to Submit form

Submit a UOM Authority to Submit (DOCX 130.9 KB) form in one pdf document to RIC via email nhmrc-project@unimelb.edu.au before 10:00am on the final internal closing date, Wednesday 27 March 2024. The form should include:

• CIA signature
• Head of Department/Institute Director signatures

Written evidence (e.g. email) from all CIs and AIs is no longer required for applications submitted via Sapphire. Accepting an invitation to participate in an application constitutes a written agreement to be named on an application. CIAs cannot submit an application for RAO certification until all research team members on their application have accepted the invitation.

A hardcopy of the the Grant management system application is not required.

Note that this is an NHMRC requirement and the application cannot be submitted to NHMRC until RIC receives this form.

9. RIC will submit the application

RIC will submit the application to the NHMRC and the CIA will receive Sapphire notification when this has been done.

Supporting documents

NHMRC Documents

All NHMRC documentation relating to this scheme can be found via Grant Connect.

Direct Research Cost (DRC) Guidelines

Personnel and Salary Support Package rates

RIC Documents

UoM Authority to Submit form (DOCX 130.9 KB)

Seminars and Workshop

Grant Information Session -  18 March 2020 - Slides - Video

MDHS Townhall videos

NHMRC Open Access Policy

From 1 January 2024, all NHMRC grant holders must comply with NHMRC’s Open Access Policy. The policy requires full and immediate open access for NHMRC-funded research outputs.

For more information on how to comply refer to the UoM webpage on funder open access policies.

NHMRC Policy on Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Grant Applications

NHMRC has released some key advice regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in grant application and peer review. Please refer to the NHMRC policy page and note the following:

• Application drafting Information provided to generative artificial intelligence (such as natural language processing models and artificial intelligence technology tools) becomes part of a public database and may be accessed by unspecified third parties. If you use generative artificial intelligence to assist with the drafting of your application, you must ensure you are aware of the potential risks involved, such as those related to security, confidentiality, intellectual property, privacy, the accuracy of information generated and possible plagiarism.
• Peer review Use of generative artificial intelligence in peer review Information provided to generative artificial intelligence (such as natural language processing models and artificial intelligence technology tools) becomes part of a public database and may be accessed by third parties. Peer reviewers must not input any part of a grant application, or any information from a grant application, into a natural language processing and/or artificial intelligence technology system to assist them in the assessment of applications. Use of generative artificial intelligence may compromise the integrity of NHMRC’s peer review process and be in breach of its Principles of Peer Review, the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the confidentiality undertaking of peer reviewers.

Contacts

Manage Your Grant