Project Proposal Instructions

7/29/2019 Project Proposal Instructions

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Project proposal

Instructions for preparing a preliminaryproposal and full proposal

ACIAR project proposals are evaluated in two stages; the preliminary proposal and the full

proposal. The project framework developed in the proposal is carried forward into annualreports and the final report.

Preliminary proposals should not exceed 12 pages. Full proposals should not exceed25 pages (excluding budget and appendices). Proposals exceeding the recommendedlength will be returned for editing.

This template should be used in conjunction with the Project Development Guidelines andProject Budget Proforma (spreadsheet that calculates project budget including countrysplits, collaborating organisations, etc).

The project proposal template is a blank Word file that contains the basic headings andformatting styles for preparing the preliminary and full proposals for an ACIAR project.

These instructions describe what to consider in developing the content and how to use thetemplate formatting. All headings in the template must be addressed as required. Youmay add headings at level 2-4 as required.


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Project proposal: Instructions for preparing a preliminary proposal and full proposal

Summary of contents and number of pages in the project proposal

Section Heading Preliminaryproposal

Full proposal

1 Project outline 1-2 pages 1-2 pages

1.3 Project summary 600 words 600 words

2 Justification

2.1 Partner country and Australian research and developmentissues and priority

max 1 page max 2 pages

2.2 Research and/or development strategy and relationship toother ACIAR investments and other donor activities

max 1 page max 3 pages

3 Objectives max page max 1 pages

4 Planned impacts and adoption pathways

4.1 Scientific impacts max page max 1 page

4.2 Capacity impacts max page max 1 page

4.3 Community impacts max 1 page max 3 pages

4.4 Communication and dissemination activities max page max 1 page

5 Operations

5.1 Methodology max 1 page max 3 pages

5.2 Activities and outputs/milestones max page complete tables

5.3 Project personnel max page max 1-2 pages

5.4 Intellectual property and other regulatory compliance max page complete IP form

5.5 Travel table not applicable complete tables

6 Appendix A: Intellectual property register complete questions complete questions

7 Appendix B: Budget complete tables budget proforma

8 Appendix C: Supporting documentation desirable as appropriate

1 Project outlineproject number Assigned by ACIAR

project title Title should be descriptive and concise (max 257 characters)

ACIAR program area

proposal stage Preliminary or full

commissioned organisation The commissioned organisation is the lead organisation in Australia, or formultilateral projects, the lead International Agricultural Research Centre (IARC)

project type Bilateral or multilateral; small, medium or large

geographic region(s) Do not include Australia

country(s) List overseas countries in which project activities will take place

project duration

proposed start date

proposed finish date

time to impact Projects are classified into three 'time to impact' categories depending onwhether they are likely to have significant community impact within 5 years(category 1), 510 years (category 2) or >10 years (category 3)

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1.1 Funding request

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS provide annual estimates in the table.

ForFULL PROPOSALS complete the table using the six-monthly payments from theBudget spreadsheet.

Give totals for each financial year and specify years in the form 200x0y.

Note that for projects expected to commence on 1 January, funding for the first financialyear will be for the first six months of the project.

1.2 Key contacts

ForPRELIMINARY and FULLPROPOSALS, list each collaborating institution receivingACIAR funds. In some instances it may also be appropriate to list a key collaborator who

is funded from other sources.

One lead participant per institution is required. Copy sections as required, e.g. for multiplecollaborating organisations. The title of the nominated person (e.g. Project Coordinator,Collaborating scientist) should reflect their role in the project.

The Administrative Contact in the Commissioned Organisation should be a contact officerwithin the organisation who can assist with administrative details of the project includingthe provision of payment acquittals, reports and invoices.

1.3 Project summary

ForPRELIMINARY and FULLPROPOSALS, provide a project summary (maximum 600words). The summary is used for other purposes where readers do not have access to thefull document, so should contain:

Background statement (12 paragraphs) on the problem, the priority, the general aimof the proposed project and the proposed collaborators

A statement of the specific objectives and expected outputs

A summary of the likely community impacts (economic, social and environmental),and the likely time for those impacts to be achieved; adoption pathways anddissemination of project outputs; and significant capacity enhancements

A paragraph on how the project will be undertaken, including methodology.

2 Justification

2.1 Partner-country and Australian research and developmentissues and priority

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum 1 page) provide information on 'what' and'why'.

ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 2 pages) give a clear statement of the problem andits context by addressing the following matters

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the agricultural or natural resource problem or opportunity targeted by the project, andthe potential beneficiaries of the project outputs

the size and value of the production system involved, quantification of the cost of theproblem, and/or the value of the new opportunity (a detailed assessment of plannedeconomic impacts will be provided in section 4.1 summarise the broader issues

here)

relevant community needs, aspirations, cultural practices and customs, includingfactors that might inhibit participation in the project or its benefits, such as insufficienttraining, limited literacy, lack of credit availability, labour shortages at key times andoff-farm opportunities

the researchable issue or development/extension priority

the origin of project idea (meeting, visit, previous project, project review, etc.)

alignment with priorities expressed in the ACIAR Annual Operational Plan for thepartner country/ies, and/or with the IARC Strategic Plan, and for the Australian sector.Provide other justification if the project falls outside these priorities.

2.2 Research and/or development strategy and relationship toother ACIAR investments and other donor activities

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum 1 page) outline proposed research ordevelopment/extension strategies:

whether and why this is the most appropriate approach

how the approach was developed

whether the proposal builds upon previous projects.

Comment: Please note that 'strategies' does not mean 'methodologies'. Tell us why youhave chosen particular strategies over alternatives to address the problem. For instance,top-down vs bottom-up, systems vs component research, on-farm management vsregulation, vaccine development vs eradication, etc. The chosen methodology will bedescribed in detail in Section 5.

ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 3 pages) address the following matters:

The proposed research or development/extension strategies; why they are preferredover other possible approaches to address the problem; whether these strategieshave been tried before.

Knowledge underpinning the problem, particularly in the context of the proposedapproach. This should include relevant work not yet published, for exampleknowledge arising from related ACIAR projects. Up to eight literature references maybe included. In some circumstances, ACIAR may request that a fuller literature reviewon the subject be appended to the proposal.

Proposed approaches to promoting adoption of project outputs, and strategies toovercome constraints to adoption (constraints could include issues such as insecureland tenure, common land use, conflicts of interest for people/agencies responsiblefor resource management, distorted market systems, multiple rights to resources,etc.).

The balance between research, extension and capacity building (for example, trainingof researchers, enhancing infrastructure); why this balance is appropriate to theproblem and country/ies involved; the probability of success; and factors that mayreduce the chance of success.

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How the activities in this project interact and/or draw from existing, previous andproposed related projects on the problem, including previous or current ACIARprojects. If appropriate, append a list of related projects (agency, project number,project title), including projects supported by ACIAR, IARCs, Rural Industry Researchand Development Corporations, AusAID, NGOs or other agencies in Australia oroverseas. For development projects led by an NGO, briefly describe how the projectactivities will contribute to and be integrated with the existing longer term communitydevelopment process of the commissioned NGO.

Details of any planned direct or indirect co-funding.

3 ObjectivesForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum page), list the Objectives and Activitiesas dot-points.

ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 1 pages), state the Objectives and subsidiary

Activities. Outputs are addressed comprehensively in Section 5.2.

ACIAR uses a hierarchy to describe the intended achievements in the general (Aim) andspecific (objectives) senses, and how they are proposed to be accomplished (Activities).

Aim: The statement of an aim, which might describe the longer term intended impacts,can usefully establish the framework for the project. An example is The aim is to improvefarmer profitability and reduce demands on river flow by developing regional regulationsand on-farm practices for more efficient irrigation water use.

Objectives: Objectives are specific statements of intent that will ultimately be judged to

have been achieved or not. In our example, an objective might be To develop on-farmcrop management practices for rice and wheat that reduce irrigation water use by at least30%.

Projects generally have several Objectives. In this example, another Objective would beassociated with the regional regulations aspect of the project. Where communication,dissemination and community participation is a significant aspect of the project, as wouldbe likely for projects within the


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4 Planned impacts and adoption pathwaysACIAR investments are intended to achieve impacts that are assessed from a communityperspective, i.e. economic, social or environmental impacts, or in terms of capacitybuilding or scientific impact. Greatest weight is given to economic impact. A fulldescription of these impacts and the rationale for the emphasis on economic impact isprovided in the Project Development Guidelines.

Scientific and capacity building outputs are rarely the drivers of ACIAR projects, butwhere this is the case, provide more information in the relevant sections to justify thisemphasis.

As indicated in the Project Development Guidelines, ACIAR has developed procedures tosharpen its focus on the achievement of impacts.

Projects will be classified into three time toimpact categories depending on whetherthey are likely to have significant community impact within 5 years (Category 1), 5-10years (Category 2), or >10 years (Category 3) of project conclusion. As a yardstick, for themajority of projects the measurement of significant community impact will be when thevalue of the impact exceeds the cost of achieving that impact by at least three-fold. Youshould indicate which category you consider appropriate for the project, using informationin Appendix 1 of the Project Development Guidelines to support your judgment. ThatAppendix outlines characteristics of projects in each category and can be a useful toolwhen you are considering the target groups for your project outputs. Use the expectedcategory as a guide to the level of detail to include in these sections.

Adoption pathways: The purpose of Section 4.4 is to explain how the proposed

dissemination and communication strategies are expected to lead to uptake and use ofthe project outputs and so deliver the planned impact.

4.1 Scientific impacts

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum page)ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 1 page)

Describe what novel scientific discovery might flow from the project and how that outputwould be applied post-project by other scientists beyond the immediate project team.

4.2 Capacity impactsForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum page)ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 1 page)

Document how the research and development capacity of the project participants andinstitutions in partner country/ies and Australia will be enhanced, and how increasedcapacity will be utilised and sustained after the project is completed.

In most projects capacity-building initiatives are embedded within the array of activitiesand tasks. In these cases this section should be used to present these initiatives in aconsolidated fashion. In some other projects, capacity building may have warranted a

separate Objective, so the detail will be presented in Section 5.1. In such cases refer tothat section.

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4.3 Community impacts

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum 1 page)ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 3 pages)

4.3.1 Economic impacts

Economic impacts are defined as changes in the financial status of the individual, familyor group. Examples of economic impact would be farmer families having a higherdisposable income as a consequence of:(i) adopting a new crop variety;(ii) policy changes that opened up new markets;(iii) higher prices for market-oriented products; or(iv) more efficient use of resources.

Provide an estimate of the expected economic impact of this project for the partnercountry/ies and Australia (where relevant), taking into consideration factors such as:

the size of the particular sector or issue at the country and/or target region level

significance of the research or development problem in terms of its effect onproductivity, efficiency, trade, use of natural resources, etc

the importance of the target commodity/issue to the wellbeing of the poor

potential project-induced changes in such things as production through yield/qualityincreases or disease amelioration, post-harvest benefits, trade opportunities

necessary changes in costs associated with achieving the benefits at the farm orwider level

farm-level price changes due to changes in factors such as the quality, quantity ormarketing efficiency of the commodity

the adoption lag and the maximum adoption rate of the technology within and outsidethe target area.

Comment:

The precision of your estimate, and the weighting you give to these factors, will depend toa large degree on which time to impact category the project fits.

Projects with a long lead time to impact may only be able to define the industry/sector andeconomic impact in general terms, and might need to draw on data concerning the

adoption patterns for similar technologies to estimate uptake rates. Economic impacts forprojects with long lead times will need to be discounted over time.

Projects that aim to deliver impacts in a shorter period will, by their very nature, be able toprovide more precise estimates of economic impact because the target audience is likelyto be well defined, the communication and dissemination strategies will be geared toachieve certain uptake rates, the on-farm response levels and any cost changes are likelyto be known from previous studies, data may be available on changes in whole-farmprofitability, and some market knowledge may be available.

In the policy arena longer term projects might address a known or anticipated problem for

which there is no obvious answer, while a shorter term project might address animmediate need from a policy/regulatory agency where appropriate answers are known,but need local adaptation. The potential economic impact of the latter should be easilyand well defined, while the former might be less precise.

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Ultimately, your analysis should be consistent with other elements of the project proposal,including the collaborators, research strategy, and communication and disseminationprocedures. Ensure that your assumptions and discussion are consistent with the time toimpact category you designate in Section 4.4.

You should justify the various data used in the analysis, and also discuss any criticalassumptions regarding important enabling conditions (e.g. input supplies, markets) thathave been applied. Consideration can also be given to economic impact from spill-oversto other regions or countries not actively involved in the project where there is an obviousor clear pathway for that to occur.

4.3.2 Social impacts

Outline the expected social benefit for the partner country/ies and Australia (whereappropriate) from the project, including any significant equity, cultural, health, gender,religious, political, ethnic or demographic impacts. Include any possible negative socialconsequences - consider which sections of the community stand to benefit, and which

may suffer negative effects.

Be wary of overstating or assuming certain social benefits, particularly in circumstanceswhere the proposal does not include documentation of these issues.

4.3.3 Environmental impacts

If environmental impact is a significant focus of the project for the partner country/ies andAustralia, provide an estimate of the anticipated impact. If the value of that impact hasalready been expressed in economic terms, you should describe here the environmentalbenefits in qualitative terms. Issues such as the likely direct positive and negative effectson the physical, chemical or biological environment where the technology is adopted or

elsewhere (off-site externalities) should be considered. Such effects can arise throughchanges such as erosion, pesticide residues, nutrient pollution or biodiversity.

Clarify the regulations applying to relevant environmental matters and the likelihood ofcompliance or steps to ensure compliance if these are seen as important issues that couldconstrain adoption and benefit flows.

If there are potential spin-off environmental benefits from the project, do not overstatethem, particularly in circumstances where the project does not include study anddocumentation of these issues.

Document any potential negative environmental impacts. The Environment Protection and

Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) S160 requires ACIAR to seek formalassessment and approval from the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources onaid projects that are likely to have a significant environmental impact anywhere in theworld. Consideration of negative environmental impacts should be in the context of theDepartment of Environment and Water Resources document Referral of Proposed Action,available at(http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/assessmentsapprovals/referrals/form.html).

4.4 Communication and dissemination activities

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum page)

ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 1 page)

Document the communication and dissemination strategies that will be used to promoteadoption of project results in order to ultimately derive the economic and other impacts in

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http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/assessmentsapprovals/referrals/form.htmlhttp://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/assessmentsapprovals/referrals/form.html


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the partner country/ies and/or Australia. Indicate which time to impact category is beingtargeted.

Comment:

The nature and scope of the communication and dissemination procedures outlined in this

section should closely align with the intended time to impact category for the project. Forinstance, projects in the


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5 OperationsThe purpose of this section is:

to indicate the methodology to be used, sufficient to justify the budget and timeestimates

to demonstrate the collaborative nature of the work.

The major risks to successful achievement of objectives should also be considered, withattention to how they will be managed.

There should be a good linkage between the detail provided in this section and that in thebudget.

5.1 MethodologyForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum 1 page)ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 3 pages)

Following the order and terminology of the Objectives and Activities, provide details on:

the methods to be adopted, noting that these, especially in the latter stages of theproject, could be uncertain if they depend on earlier progress in the project orelsewhere; alternatives should be anticipated where possible, although withoutextensive detail. Sufficient detail is needed to demonstrate that the proposed problemsolution is technically sound and to justify the budget

resources needed and the geographic deployment of project activities. Methodsrelevant to capacity building should be described

any co-funding arrangements or linkages with other projects, including descriptionand distinction of the components of the work to be handled within other relatedprojects

specific details of the planned communication and dissemination activities to supportthe discussion in Section 4.4 and to justify expenditure.

In large or complex projects, it may be useful to more systematically break down activitiesinto sub-activities or tasks and plot them against a timeline (e.g. Gantt Chart), illustratingresponsibilities for, and dependencies between, individual tasks.

All planned project activities, including dissemination activities, are required to be coveredin budget documentation.

5.2 Activities and outputs/milestones

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum page), list the outputs anticipated foreach objective as dot points.

ForFULL PROPOSALS use the outputs and milestones table (see example below).

This is a critical table, as it will be the point of reference in assessing project progress.Annual reports and final reports will be centred on reporting against clearly definedoutputs and milestones. These should be SMART, i.e. specific, measurable, achievable,realistic and time-bound. This means including reference to due dates (no time ranges),

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quantification where possible, and an indication of who will be responsible for delivery.Depending on the size and complexity of the project, it is likely that 2-6 outputs ormilestones will be required for each reporting year. As a guide, there should be at leastone output or milestone against each activity, but not necessarily in each year.

Columns in the table should address the Outputs, Risks/Assumptions and Applications ofeach objective/activity. Issues to be considered under Risks/Assumptions are thosebeyond the projects control that must be fulfilled for outputs to be realised. Where there isa significant level of risk (e.g. travel to the project areas may be restricted by governmentwarnings, or negotiations concerning important IP have yet to be resolved), strategies formanaging these risks should be included in the Methodology section.

Activities: Each objective may be supported by a number of activities that are necessarybuilding blocks leading to the accomplishment of the objective. In this example they couldinclude Adapt and parameterise the SWIM water balance model for soils in the westernYellow River basin and Conduct field experiments with rice to measure the effects oftillage methods on groundwater loss under flooded conditions.

The following incomplete example describes the outputs from a project aiming to developregional regulations and on-farm practices for more efficient irrigation water use that leadto improved farmer profitability and reduced demands on river flow. This will be attainedthrough a research strategy involving changes to farming practices and the developmentof new regulations relating to water use.

Objective 1: To develop on-farm crop management practices for rice and wheat thatreduce irrigation water use by at least 30%

Activities Outputs/

milestones

Due date ofoutputs /milestones

Risks / assumptions Applications ofoutputs

Activity 1.1:

Adapt andparameterise theSWIM water balancemodel to select bestbet tillage options forsoils in the westernYellow River Basin

Documented data setsused to parameterisethe model (PC)

Yr 1, m6 Existing data isaccessible andsufficiently reliable foruse in modelparameterisation

Use of model toconduct scenariomodelling to selectbest-bet soil-management optionsfor testing on-station(input to Activity 1.2 selection of best-bettrial treatments)

Updated SWIM modelcapable of predictinghydrological behaviourof five major soil typesrepresentative of theYellow River Basin (A)

Yr 1, m8 Model capable of capturing keyhydrologicalprocesses

Scenario analysiscompleted and besttillage options selected(A)

Yr1, m10

Four collaboratorstrained in the basic useof the SWIM model (A,PC)

Yr 1, m6 Collaborators can beidentified who arecapable of usingSWIM and who willhave time dedicatedto use model

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Activity 1.2:

Conduct fieldexperiments with riceto measure theeffects of tillagemethods ongroundwater lossunder floodedconditions

Possible best-bettillage options identified(A, PC)

Yr1, m10 Selection of best-betoptions for testing on-farm

One rice field trialestablished on each ofthe five representativesoils (PC)

Yr1, m12 Suitable on-stationsites available for allsoil types; equipmentavailable in Chinacapable of deliveringright tillagetreatments

Lead farmersselected for on-farmevaluation

Yearly trial resultscompiled anddocumented (A, PC)

Yr2, m10

Yr3, m10

Yr4, m10

Seasonal conditionspermit normal cropgrowth

Successful tillageoptions tested andcommunicated tofarmers and extensionagency staff (PC)

Yr3, m12Yr4, m12

PC = partner country, A = Australia

Objective 2: To develop regulations for implementation by Local Government onthe delivery and pricing of irrigation water

Activities Outputs/

Milestones

Due date ofoutputs /milestones

Risks / assumptions Applications ofoutputs

Activity 2.1:Conduct a survey ofcurrent regulations atthe LocalGovernment level thatapply to irrigationwater.

Survey scheduledeveloped, surveyorstrained and surveyconducted (A, PC)

Yr1, m6 The regulations arewell documented andaccessible.

Information fed intodrafting ofrecommendedchanges to regulatoryframework

Survey resultscomplied, analysed,and variability ofregulations betweenLG authoritiesidentified anddocumented (A)

Yr2, m3 Farmers and staff from the regulatoryagencies are willingto provide factualinformation.


5.3 Project personnel

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum page) only complete the first fourcolumns of information for major project participants in Section 5.3.1.

ForFULL PROPOSALS (maximum 1-2 pages) provide the information in Sections 5.3.1-5.3.3.

5.3.1 List of participants involved in the project

It is usual for the commissioned organisation and overseas institution to contribute to thesalary of their respective project leaders (usually at least 20% of project leaders time).

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In the partner country, it may be necessary to distinguish between an overall projectleader and a day-to-day project coordinator.

Multiple funding may apply for some individuals, e.g. a person allocating 60% of their timeto the project, with half funding by ACIAR (30% of annual salary) and half by their agency.

5.3.2 Description of the comparative advantage of the institutions involved

Information you provide here is intended to answer the question Are these the bestinstitutions to address these problems?

5.3.3 Summary details of the role of each participant involved

Curricula vitae are required as an attachment for the senior participants in the project(max 1 page per person and usually only 3-4 people.) The description of the role ofindividuals within the project should be consistent with the time allocation.

5.4 Intellectual property and other regulatory compliance

ForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (maximum page) indicate briefly whether there arelikely to be significant IP issues, and how they will be addressed.

ForFULL PROPOSALS, provide a more comprehensive discussion as required.Appendix A must be completed and accompany the proposal.

ACIAR, the commissioned organisation, and the collaborators must fulfil all relevantobligations under international arrangements on intellectual property (IP) and biologicalresources (for example, the Convention on Biological Diversity) to which Australia is asignatory.

Intellectual property includes the actual or future legal ownership of techniques orinformation (via patent, materials transfer agreement or copyright) or living germplasm (viapatent or plant variety rights or international treaty). ACIAR aims for equitable sharing ofnew IP between Australia and the partner countries, and between collaborators, and forthe free flow of knowledge. In accordance with its mandate, ACIAR especially seeks readyaccess to new technologies arising from its projects for the benefit of poor farmers inpartner countries. The full details of ACIARs policy on IP in projects it funds are athttp://www.aciar.gov.au/web.nsf/doc/ACIA-5K32WH. Projects involving IARCs must alsofulfil agreed IARC Intellectual Property policies, as determined in consultation with theIARC partner.

In addition to IP matters, a project may have to comply with other legal requirementsrelated to the research or development and technology. These include regulations forgermplasm transfer, quarantine on plant, soil and animal movement, biosafety,recombinant DNA release, and animal rights. If any of these are relevant, details ofcompliance with applicable regulations should be outlined, and supported by a coveringletter from the commissioned organisation. The final ACIAR agreements request theproject's collaborating organisations to warrant that in carrying out the project they willcomply with any such regulations.

This clause must be completed. It is not sufficient to refer to Appendix A.

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5.5 Travel table

This section is only required for FULL PROPOSALS.

The travel table provides details of planned international and domestic travel. The traveltable forms the basis for calculating travel budgets and must correspond with thefootnotes of each budget section in the Excel spreadsheet, for easy cross-checking.

Quote the trip number from the Travel Table in the budget footnotes.

A chronological listing of travel is preferred, including scheduled major projectplanning meetings and internal mid-project reviews.

Country and organisation should be specified for each traveller.

The timing of project coordination and reporting meetings should take into accountthe required annual reporting to ACIAR.

Medium and large projects may require a final external project review beforeconclusion or soon thereafter, and five-year projects may need a mid-term externalreview before being approved to proceed to completion. Costs for project staffparticipating in these meetings or reviews should be included in the project budget(ACIAR only covers costs of its staff and any external reviewers). A review is oftencombined with an end-of-project workshop.

(Parts A, B and C indicate the section under which the item is listed in the budgetspreadsheet. Please ensure that this table and the travel footnotes in the budgetspreadsheet are consistent, and that payments for travel are in the correct paymentcolumns.)

PART A Commissioned organisation or IARC

Trip # Person or position Estimated dateof travel

From / to Purpose Duration

(days)

1 Project leader (name) (A) Yr 1, m1 Sydney toBeijing

Project planning 4

2 Etc.

PART B Australian collaborating organisation/s



(days)

3 Project scientist,modelling (A) Yr 1, m1 Brisbane toBeijing Project planning &training 25

4 Etc.

PART C overseas partner organisation/s



(days)

5 Project scientists x 3(PC)

Yr 1, m8 Beijing toSydney

Training, procedureverification

20

6 Project scientist,economist (PC)

Yr 2, m2 Lanzhou toBrisbane

Policy developmenttraining

14

7 Leader and two scientists(PC) Yr 3, m9 Beijing toSydney &Brisbane

Workshop 7


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6 Appendix A: Intellectual property registerThis section is only required for FULL PROPOSALS.

ACIAR maintains a register of Intellectual Property developed either in ACIAR-funded

projects or derived from prior IP, including that of third parties that may be required toenable the results of ACIAR-funded research to be applied. The register contains detailsof actual or future legal ownership of techniques or information (via patent or copyright) orgermplasm, as identified in the IP proforma.

The intent of ACIARs IP register is to ensure that developing-country partners have thefreedom to operate in order to utilise the outcomes of ACIAR-funded projects. Theregister (i) identifies constraints that will affect the application of the results of ACIARprojects especially by developing countries; (ii) provides triggers to address theseconstraints in project development (or, in certain cases, at a later stage agreed betweenthe project participants and ACIAR); and (iii) ensures that the ownership of plantgermplasm exchanged in projects is identified and tracked.

In completing the IP proforma, the commissioned organisation has a responsibility todiscuss its content with any Australian collaborating and overseas collaboratingorganisations and to provide those organisations with a copy of the appendix. ACIARrequires copies of all Materials (including germplasm) Transfer Agreements and certainother documentation (as specified in ACIARs Standard Conditions of Agreement, whichalso has important clauses relating to IP) before the project can commence.

Any information that is classified Commercial-in-Confidence should be provided as aseparately annexed document.

Where deemed necessary, a separate agreement signed between collaborators andcovering their understanding of access to and the sharing of background and new IP, willneed to be seen and accepted by ACIAR before final approval of the project. Thisagreement comes under, but is separate from, the project agreement between ACIAR andthe commissioned organisation.

Examples of the major types of IP in projects in each program area include:

Animal Sciences: germplasm (forages and sometimes livestock); diagnostics (targetDNA/protein sequences and DNA and antibody probes and molecular markers); vaccines(methods of production, target sequences, expression systems); rumen microbes;processes used for livestock feed formulations and modifications; information systems;processing technologies.

Crop Sciences: germplasm, transgenic crops (enabling technologies and marker genes),diagnostics (antibody- and DNA-based and molecular markers), fungal and other specieswith bio-control properties; insect and weed control techniques; information systems.

Economics Programs: decision support systems for water allocation; CGE and othereconomic models; copyright in reports; confidential information on markets and marketingof particular commodities; databases (e.g. industry price and production data, GISdatabases).

Fisheries: genetic resources; new technologies for hatchery, grow-out and dietformulation; new technologies for disease management and production enhancement inaquaculture; diagnostic tests.

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Forestry: germplasm (especially of Australian trees); nursery and propagationtechnologies; processing technologies for wood and non-wood forest products; bio-activesfrom forestry products; molecular markers; diagnostic tests for diseases; bio-controlagents; models, databases and information systems.

Horticulture: germplasm; decision-support systems; analytical techniques (includingantibodies); bio-control methods; natural disease protectants; disinfestation technologies;market information; product-processing technologies.

Land and Water Resources: equipment design for tillage and cropping beds; softwarefor managing irrigation systems; diagnostic keys for nutrient deficiencies; engineeringtechnology for wastewater management; decision support systems; crop simulationmodels; remote sensing/GIS data sets and data sets for cropping systems simulation;germplasm/fermentation/application technology for rhizobial inoculants and bio-fertilisers.

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7 Appendix B: BudgetForPRELIMINARY PROPOSALS use the tables in the template to provide an indicationof the total funds required and distribution over financial years (1 July 30 June). Thisinformation will help ACIAR judge how the planned expenditure matches the strategiesoutlined in the proposal.

ForFULL PROPOSALS use the ACIAR budget proforma and guidelines to provide adetailed budget.

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8 Appendix C: Supporting documentationThis section is only required for FULL PROPOSALS.

The following information must be attached:

Letters of support

Letters of support from each national research institution and/or government planningagency of the partner country/ies, IARCs (if involved in the project) and the Australianinstitution/s should be attached if possible, although in some cases these are notobtainable until the proposal is approved by ACIAR. Letters of support should include astatement confirming that the project leader will be available for the percentage of his/hertime indicated, and will not be absent from the project for significant times (usually greaterthan two months) during the project without prior agreement with ACIAR.

Letters of approval

Letters of approval for use of Genetically Modified Organisms, and/or experimentalanimals if relevant. Document procedures required in all countries where suchexperiments will be undertaken and attach copies of approvals obtained.

Letters confirming compliance

Any letters confirming compliance with regulations related to germplasm transfer,quarantine on plant, soil and animal movement, biosafety, recombinant DNA release,animal rights, etc as addressed in Section 5.4.

Curricula vitae

Short (max 1 page) curricula vitae (resumes, biodata) of the key project staff for theAustralian commissioned organisation, collaborating organisations and the partnercountry/ies and IARCs (if involved in the project). CV for the leaders and key researchersfrom each collaborating institution would usually be sufficient. Publication lists need not beincluded.

Privacy Statement(the Privacy Statement is also included in the Project Proposal Template)

ACIAR, as a Commonwealth government agency, is required to comply with the elevenInformation Privacy Principles as set out in Section 14 of the Privacy Act 1988(www.privacy.gov.au/publications/ipps.html). These are based on the 1980 OECD

guidelines governing the protection of privacy and trans-border flows of personal data.

The personal information provided in this project proposal, including CVs, is stored in hardcopy and electronic format in ACIAR. The information is reproduced internally for thepurpose of meetings to consider project proposals. It is reproduced for restricted externalpurposes as part of the contractual documentation exchanged with the commissionedorganisation, collaborating institution(s) and partner-country government(s).

Personal information (individuals contact details) is also stored in ACIARs projectinformation system. ACIAR endeavours to keep this information as up to date as possible,with the assistance of the individuals whose details are recorded.

The names and contact details of Project Leaders may be listed with project details on theACIAR web site, provided to other databases and media in the context of briefings and

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publicity on the ACIAR project portfolio, and used for mailouts of ACIAR corporatepublications.

ACIAR does not divulge any other personal information to third parties for any otherpurpose.

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ACIAR Template formatting styles

Enable macros

The ACIAR templates use macros. You will need to enable the macros when you create anew document based on any of the templates.

ACIAR form

The ACIAR form appears when you open any of the ACIAR templates. The fields on theform correspond to the title page. Once completed, the title page will become populated.

Tip: To access the form again, click the Show ACIAT form button from the ACIAR stylestoolbar.

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Formatting stylesYou can only use the pre-defined styles when you prepare your ACIAR projectdocumentation.The pre-defined ACIAR styles can be accessed using the following methods:

Microsoft Word Formatting toolbar. ACIAR styles toolbar.

Tip: If the toolbar is not visible, select View | Toolbars | ACIAR styles.

Microsoft Word Styles and Formatting task pane on the right-hand side of thescreen.

Tip: If the task pane is not visible, click the Styles and Formatting button onthe Formatting toolbar.

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ACIAR styles

The ACIAR toolbar has been specifically created for you with all of the pre-defined styles.

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Show ACIAR form Displays the ACIAR form. See above.

Heading 1

9 Heading 1, auto-numberedHeading 2

9.1 Heading 2, auto-numbered

Heading 3

9.1.1 Heading 3, auto-numbered

Heading 4

Heading 4

Heading 5Heading 5

Normal Normal text Normal text Normal text Normal text Normal text Normaltext Normal text Normal text Normal text Normal text Normal text

Normal indent Normal indent text Normal indent text Normal indent text Normalindent text Normal indent text Normal indent text

Normal hang indentNormal hang indent text Normal hang indent text Normal hang

indent text Normal hang indent text Normal hang indent text

ACIAR bold Normal text

ACIAR italics Normal text

ACIAR subscript subcript text

ACIAR superscriptsuperscript text

ACIAR bullet 1 Bullet text 1

Bullet text 1ACIAR bullet 2

Bullet text 2

Bullet text 2

ACIAR numbered L11. Numbered text level 1 (auto-numbered)

2. Numbered text level 1 (auto-numbered)

ACIAR numbered L21. Numbered text level 2 (auto-numbered)

2. Numbered text level 2 (auto-numbered)

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Date post:	03-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
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Project Proposal Instructions

Documents