A lead agency for this research grant opportunity must be based in NSW. It can be a research institute, university, Local Health District (LHD), Specialty Health Network, non-government organisation or an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation
Yes. Lead agencies can apply for one or more grants.
Yes. They will be required to demonstrate how they will allocate their time and resources to each project. This includes the percentage of dedicated Full Time Equivalent (FTE) and sequencing of activities across all the projects.
Yes. Lead agencies can apply for a single grant covering multiple locations within one application or submit separate applications for each location.
The funding is available for three years, from financial year 2024/25 (year 1), 25/26 (year 2) and 26/27 (year 3). The grants will be administered as soon as practicable, to maximise the expenditure within FY24/25.
For Local Health Districts and Speciality Health Networks, partnering with an Administrating Organisation is important to ensuring that the funding can be used across financial years.
The project will commence once successful applicants sign a grant agreement, estimated to be in June - July 2025. The research project will start based on the lead agency’s implementation plan and negotiations with the Ministry of Health.
A smaller scale research activity refers to initiatives requiring funding of up to $300,000. While these projects involve less financial investment than larger scale research, they are not necessarily smaller in scope, complexity, or reach. The distinction is based on the funding amount requested.
Yes, applications can focus on a single priority area, a subsection of a priority area, or multiple priority areas. Applicants must clearly outline their focus in the relevant sections of the Schedule of Responses.
Lead agencies must describe their proposed partnerships. If the lead agency is a local health district (LHD), specialty health network (SHN), non-government organisations (NGO, and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO), they must partner with or demonstrate a formal affiliation with a NSW based research institute or university to conduct the research project.
Applicants must outline governance arrangements in their application. Additional information may be requested as part of the application assessment process.
The Ministry of Health provides funding through the EOLPC Research Grants Program, subject to overall budget availability and the selection process:
Funding is competitive and allocated based on program priorities and grant selection criteria.
The grants support research activities that enhance EOLPC services for patients, carers, families, and communities in NSW.
Successful applicants must achieve the outcomes outlined in the funding agreement and demonstrate performance against agreed measures. Funding can cover operational costs, including staffing, clinical duties related to the research project, administration, and general project delivery. Administrative costs are typically capped at 15% of the total budget.
Yes, applicants can request funding below the maximum outlined in the grant guidelines.
Yes, leveraging other funding sources is encouraged to optimise resources and support multidisciplinary teams.
No, there is no requirement for specific funding ratios. Budgets should align with the proposed research activities.
Value for money will be evaluated based on both financial and non-financial factors, including:
The lowest-cost proposal is not necessarily considered the best value.
Yes, applicants must use the Schedule D: Proposed Budget Template. Budgets should
Applicants must provide an annual breakdown in the Schedule D: Proposed Budget template, outlining the forecast budget for each year.
No, funding beyond the initial contract period cannot be guaranteed.
If an LHD is the lead agency and cannot fully expend Year 1 funds, there is a risk that unspent funds may be forfeited.
If the lead agency is a NSW Health organisation, grant funds must be administered by an organisation that can manage funds across financial years. An administering organisation is only required when the lead organisation cannot hold and manage the funds directly.
In such cases, the administering organisation will:
Roll over of small unspent funds (usually a small percentage of the overall budget) may be approved if the service provider demonstrates that the funds will be used to complete contracted service activities in the next financial year. However, year on year roll overs are unlikely to be approved.
Yes, the weightings for the requirements are listed in the Grant Guidelines
No, applications must align with the identified priority areas
We do not consider universities outside NSW with a site here to be eligible. This is because we are trying to build research capacity in NSW with our grants. Generally, the NSW Government prefers their budgeted funds to be spent here.
The Grant Guidelines provide an approximate length, but applicants have flexibility to respond effectively to the EOI requirements.
The primary research activities must be conducted within NSW. Consideration of the impacts of cross border activities, such a shared patient care models, can be included if the translation of findings is specific to the NSW context.
Yes, applicants can focus on local or broader areas as needed. There are no ratio requirements for geographical coverage
Priority will be given to all areas across NSW, including inner-city, metropolitan, rural and regional locations. Preference will be given to areas where there is evidence of need for research that improves EOLPC services for patients, carers, families, and communities
Regional and rural locations are defined by Local Health District boundaries. For more details, visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/lhd/Pages/default.aspx
The Grant Guideline include links to relevant guidelines and policies
Yes, word limits are clearly marked, and each text section includes a word counter. Where a word count is not stipulated, brief short answer responses are required.
Word limits indicate the level of detail expected. Exceeding the limit significantly, may attract a lower score. Instead of attaching lengthy documents, applicants should reference policies or program documents. However, letters of support may be attached and do not count toward the word limit.
Late applications will be registered as late responses. The Ministry of Health may assess late responses if the delay was due to circumstances beyond the applicant’s control.
An evaluation panel of experts will independently score each requirement response. The scores will be combined to determine the highest scoring applications.
You can visit the the End of Life and Palliative Care Research Grant Program webpage for updates. If you have further questions you can email: MoH-PalliativeCare@health.nsw.gov.au.
For advice regarding probity of the program, please contact the independent probity advisor:
Simon Taylor Procure Group Pty Ltd Telephone: 0423 431 606 Email: staylor@procuregroup.com.au