Veterans' Health and Wellbeing Research Grants Program

Applicants must:

• be a Queensland-based entity that conducts research as part of its core activities
• have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be registered for goods and services tax (GST)
• be seeking funding support for a research project that will support Queensland veterans
• be financially solvent and accept legal and financial responsibility for the grant.

More information about eligibility requirements is outlined in the program guidelines or at Veterans' Health and Wellbeing Research Grants page.

Yes. Joint applications will be considered as one application. While multiple organisations meeting all the eligibility criteria may apply for a grant together (as part of a joint application), one organisation must nominate to be the lead applicant and accept legal and financial responsibility for the grant.

No, you must apply for ethics clearance before submitting the application. All research funded under grants program must be approved by the appropriate ethics committee/s. Requests for ethics and governance approvals must be submitted prior to completing the grant application and approved within six months of the grant offer being made. The grant offer will be rescinded if ethics and governance approvals are not obtained. It is recommended you consult with the relevant ethics committee/s to confirm whether these timeframes are achievable.

For further information, visit the Department of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs Human Research Ethics Committee (DDVA HREC) website.

Information can also be found on the NHMRC website.

You must meet project deliverables by the deadlines specified in the executed letter of agreement. This may include six-monthly progress reports and a final report. The progress reports will outline the progress of your project against agreed milestones.

As part of the reporting process, you must also provide financial acquittal statements that detail expenditure against each source of project funding. A final report is also required.

Changes are only allowed in exceptional circumstances. Administering or applicant organisations must make a detailed request in writing to Veterans Queensland, Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) at least four weeks prior to the proposed effective date of change. This may include proposed changes to the project timeframe, use of funding, scope or the administering organisation.

The request will be considered by DPC and, if approved, a formal variation will be drafted. The variation will come into effect following execution by both DPC and the administering or applicant organisation.

You can commence your research project once the letter of agreement is fully executed. Research activities and expenditure cannot commence before the letter of agreement is fully executed.

It is anticipated that the outcomes of the grant program will be communicated in November 2023. Following the announcement of grants recipients, DPC will work with successful administering and applicant organisations to confirm project schedules and execute agreements. It is anticipated the agreements will be fully executed in December 2023.

Projects funded under the grants program are expected to commence from 2 January 2024 and be fully completed by 30 June 2025.

Applications will close at 5pm (AEST) on Monday 19 June 2023. All applications must be submitted through SmartyGrants.

SmartyGrants is an online grants administration program that provides a centralised grant application and management system. All applications must be submitted through SmartyGrants. Applications that are posted, emailed or faxed will not be accepted. The link to the SmartyGrants application form is available on the Veterans' Health and Wellbeing Research Grants page.

After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email from SmartyGrants, which will include a PDF copy of your application. If you have any queries or problems completing your SmartyGrants application, please contact Veterans Queensland, DPC on 07 3003 9398 or by email at veterans@premiers.qld.gov.au.

Veterans Queensland, DPC can provide general information and advice on completing your application. However, to maintain the fairness and integrity of the application process, Veterans Queensland cannot provide applicants with individual support or assistance in completing applications.

You may apply for and receive funding in addition to this grants program. However, funding sought under this grants program must not:

• duplicate funding sought or received from any other source for any items (including salaries)
• impact the time committed to this project. Staff funded under this project must dedicate at least 20 per cent of their Full Time Equivalent (FTE) hours to this research project.

Yes, a reference list can be included at the end of the application.

The grants program offers funding from $25,000 to $150,000 (excluding GST) per grant to deliver research projects that directly relate to veterans’ health and wellbeing. A detailed budget and quotes must be included in the application form.

The program guidelines provide a non-exhaustive list of items that may be eligible for funding. Provided the items you are seeking funding for are directly connected to the project, you should include them for consideration. Any ineligible expenses may be covered through other funding sources, and will be excluded from the funding offered under this grants program.

Any expenditure incurred prior to 2 January 2024 is ineligible for funding. DPC is not responsible for any expenditure incurred prior to the letter of agreement being fully executed. If your application is unsuccessful, DPC accepts no responsibility for any expenditure incurred.

Travel costs for the principal investigator that are essential to the program of research are capped at $5000 (excluding GST) for the entire project.  Other members of the research team or collaborators are not entitled to claim travel costs.

No. The eligibility criteria require administering or applicant organisations to be registered for GST:

• You are required to calculate the GST exclusive component of the cost of any items or service purchased for the proposed project.
• You must provide the final total GST exclusive amount in your grant application.
• Administering or applicant organisations can claim an input tax credit through the applicant’s Business Activity Statement (BAS) to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), for the GST component of any purchased items or services.

You are advised to seek independent professional advice on taxation obligations or assistance from the Australian Taxation Office or on 13 28 69. Veterans Queensland cannot provide advice on taxation circumstances.

Yes, you must provide quotes to support your application. All applications must include a completed project budget table in the online application form, outlining the proposed expenditure.

All eligible and compliant applications will be submitted to an independent grants assessment panel for evaluation. The grants assessment panel will review each application against the criteria and requirements outlined in the program guidelines. The grants assessment panel’s recommendations will be submitted to the Director-General, DPC, for approval.

Weighted scoring allows key components of the assessment criteria to be prioritised. Applicants are encouraged to carefully consider the weighting applied to the assessment criteria.

It is anticipated the outcomes of the application process will be communicated in November 2023, following completion of the grants assessment process. It is not possible to provide information about the status of individual applications prior to completion of the assessment process.

Timeframes for the grants program are listed in the program guidelines. In some instances, due to the volume and complexity of applications, timeframes may be modified.

Applicants can seek feedback from DPC within three months after the announcement of the grants program’s outcomes. All requests for feedback should be emailed to veterans@premiers.qld.gov.au.

More information about the grants program can be found in the program guidelines or by visiting the Veterans' Health and Wellbeing Research Grants page.

If you have any further questions, please email veterans@premiers.qld.gov.au.