Marine Mammal Health Fund

Australian Marine Mammal Centre

The closing date for applications is 27 January 2012.

Grant applications are sought for a project to establish a Marine Mammal Health Fund.

Scope of the Project

• There is increasing recognition that disease issues are becoming more important in marine mammal populations around Australia. Some aspects of disease may be linked to human activities and understanding these linkages are important if management actions might be considered to ameliorate effects.
• As such the AMMC Grant Scheme is seeking proposals to establish an effective and efficient cross-jurisdictional framework to facilitate the long-term collection, analysis and archiving of strategic samples from marine mammal populations to inform an understanding of the nature and extent of disease processes within these populations. This work will be facilitated through the establishment of the framework and an associated fund.
• In order to deal effectively with the difficult issue of linking disease to ecology and population health a national approach is necessary that links veterinary specialists to relevant ecologists and sets nationally consistent protocols for work investigations, data sampling, analysis tools and sample/data archiving.
• The grant can be used to convene a workshop which would include key stakeholders such as State Governments and relevant specialists. This workshop would determine the appropriate objectives scope, activities and oversight of the program and the fund.
• It is expected that the magnitude of the Marine Mammal Health Fund to be managed through this project will be approximately $80,000 to $100,000. It would be expected that the Project Manager would seek to supplement this fund from other sources.

This work has been specifically nominated for funding by the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Hon Tony Burke MP, due to the recent increase in baleen whale and bottlenose dolphin mortality events and recognition of the need for greater cooperation and coordination should further events occur in the future. This funding also directly addresses priority actions within the draft southern right whale conservation management plan (a recovery plan under the EPBC Act) as well as one of the Australian Marine Mammal Centre’s existing research priorities:

• Characterise and quantify threats to marine mammal populations, with a focus on understanding the nature and extent of interactions with humans such as:
  • the interactions between marine mammals and noise
  • the traditional use of marine mammals
  • marine mammal-fisheries interactions: Operational
  • marine mammal-fisheries interactions: Ecological
  • marine mammals and aquaculture
  • marine mammals and habitat degradation
  • environmental influences on marine mammal health
  • the interactions between marine mammals and vessels

Applications that demonstrate broad collaboration and maximise co-investment opportunities will be given favourable consideration.

The contact officer for all grant queries is:

Coordinator
Australian Marine Mammal Centre
ammccoordinator@aad.gov.au
Ph: 03 6232 3247

Project Requirements

1. Eligibility

The Grant is open to state government departments. Commonwealth bodies are eligible to apply for funding, however, only Commonwealth bodies under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies (CAC) Act 1997 [Word] are eligible to receive grant funds.

2. Application Form

All applications should be submitted by hard copy and one electronic copy in Word using the downloadable Application Form [Word]. Electronic copies are to be forwarded to the address on the Application Form. Please do not forward scanned Word documents.

The submission, examination and evaluation of work applications is time consuming for applicants and assessment committee members, but it is essential.

Please adhere to the format for each question as indicated in the Application Form and provide all applicable information.

Any grant documentation that is greater than the specified word limit will be truncated.

3. Closing Date

Applications are to be submitted electronically by 27 January 2012.

4. Period of Funding

An initial payment will be made upon signing the Funding Agreement. A final payment will be made after submission and approval of a final report and completion of a user acceptance testing process.

5. Completion of Budget Request

The Grant application and supporting information must be completed as follows.

5.1 Costing

Costs should be based on current market values, expressed in whole Australian dollars, and should be inclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST) where applicable. If costs are based on formal quotations please provide summary figures. Do not send quotation documents. Once a grant is approved it is not possible to provide any additional funds for that financial year, ie. for salary or equipment cost increases.

Co-investment is looked upon favourably during the assessment process.

5.2 Ineligible Expenses

Funds will not be granted for

• organisation overheads or administration fees
• consulting fees or honoraria paid to the Project Manager in addition to normal salary
• the hire of computer time on a computer within the applicant's own organisation, or
• attendance and/or presentations at conferences or workshops

5.3 Justification

You must provide a detailed justification for all items requested together with accurate costs. Failure to provide sufficient justification will jeopardise the success of your grant application. Applicants must NOT simply provide a list of itemised costs. Your justification should demonstrate the relevance of all requested items to the scientific and operational scope of your project. Summarise why each person or equipment item is essential for the successful execution of your project.

For example, for travel and accommodation, summarise why the travel is necessary and provide the type or class of travel, number of nights of accommodation and associated living costs. For work and technical personnel costs, provide the basis of payment such as local industrial awards or professional salary scales. Funds for personnel must be fully justified in terms of the nominated person's expertise and experience and the role they will play in creating successful project outcomes. For major equipment items or consumables summarise how the items will be used.

Funds may be requested for payment of an external auditor to meet the requirements of clause 9 of the Sample Funding Agreement [PDF]. Detail any funds requested from, or committed by, any other source and indicate if the acquisition of any item is contingent on contributions from a third party.

Funding previously received from the Australian Marine Mammal Centre Grant scheme is not eligible to be included as ‘Organisation Contributions’ or ‘Other Contributions’.

6. Project Personnel

6.1 General

All Project Team Members need to submit a CV (limited to one page only) outlining experience and history relevant to the proposal.

Applicants may request Australian Marine Mammal Centre Grant funding to pay all or part of the salary of personnel involved in their work project. Ordinarily, State government employee salaries will not be funded as part of a grant, however, decisions will be made on a case by case basis. Consideration will be given to the proposal in each case including, the hours the employee will work on the project, whether the project is one that would not be the primary responsibility of the State and whether the project aligns with the priorities of the Commonwealth and the Australian Marine Mammal Centre.

Salary will only be funded for that portion of time for which personnel are engaged in work for the particular project (eg. a technical officer spends 2 days a week engaged in work relating to the project in question, so funds for 40% of annual salary are sought).

Grants sought to fund a support position should show the official designation of the position and provide justification for the classification sought. Local practice is to be followed in respect of salary classifications and levels. Funds for part-time or short-term appointment may also be requested.

Salaries requested at consultancy rates must be clearly justified. If the person seeking a salary works for a University then the salary sought should be the salary received from the University. For each position requested the budget should show separately the actual salary of the position and the organisation's allowance for salary on-costs (worker's compensation insurance, payroll tax, leave loading, service allowances, etc).

A letter from the relevant organisation should be included with the application confirming the actual salary. Please note that salary on-costs will not be paid above the level determined by the Australian Work Council, approximately 28% of salary.

Salaries should be adjusted for inflation. The scheme does not automatically fund salary increases through promotion.

6.2 Assistance

Personnel engaged in support roles are expected to provide more general services in furthering the project. Support positions can include data programming, data preparation, technical assistance and work assistance.

7. Organisational Support

The Project Manager must nominate an organisation to administer the grant and to provide basic support, such as suitably equipped accommodation and office services, workshop support, and adequate computer time. The nominated organisation must hold an Australian Business Number (ABN). Australian Marine Mammal Centre Grants are subject to the Goods & Services Tax (GST).

Each application must be endorsed by the designated head of an organisation, certifying that basic facilities are available and that the audit requirements of the grant contract can be fulfilled. The Project Manager does not need to be an employee of the organisation, but the organisation must take responsibility as the employer of any personnel whose salaries are provided by an Australian Marine Mammal Centre Grant. When it is not clear from the organisation's title or Project Team Member's position, the relationship of the Project Manager to the endorsing organisation should be explained.

All organisations submitting an application may be assessed for financial viability on the basis of information provided with the applications. This process is used to minimise risk to the Commonwealth and is not used to measure the profitability of an organisation nor its potential for success in the employment and related services market.

Grants correspondence should be between the responsible officer of the organisation and the Australian Marine Mammal Centre Coordinator.

8. Sample Funding Agreement

Successful applicants will be required to sign a Funding Agreement. This agreement will cover the project budget, financial and performance reporting and acquittal, intellectual property, assets and data requirements.

By signing the ‘Certification’ section of the application form, applicants are agreeing to the clauses set out in the Sample Funding Agreement.

A link to the Sample Funding Agreement [PDF] is given to inform applicants of standard clauses.

Checklist

Some clauses particularly to note are:

• Clause 1 Interpretation Approved Auditor
• Clause 6 Organisations Contributions And Other Contributions
• Clause 9.2(e) Reporting
• Clause 11 Intellectual Property

9. Confidentiality

Applicant names and funding amounts will be announced for successful applications. This includes parties to successful applications of the Grant. The Department may publish, release or otherwise disclose the names of recipients of the grant, their region, the amount granted and the purpose for which the funds were granted. Information on individual grants will be published on the Department’s website immediately after the funding agreement takes effect.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment criteria and process

Applications will be assessed by members of the Department’s Marine Division and the Australian Antarctic Division. The recommended proposal will be submitted to the National Marine Mammal Advisory Committee for endorsement and to the Minister for final approval. The assessment criteria are listed below.

Conflict of Interest

The members of the assessment committee are required to divulge any Conflict of Interest in relation to:

• any financial interest in the grant applicants or applications;
• any relatives or friends with a financial interest in the grant applicants or applications;
• any personal bias or inclination which would affect a decision in relation to grant applicants or applications; and
• any personal obligation, allegiance or loyalty which would in any way affect a decision in relation to the grant program

If any Conflict of Interest applies the Committee member will not assess the relevant application.