Research

Tactical Research Fund

The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC established the Tactical Research Fund in 2017 to encourage the development of short duration research projects meeting the well-defined near-term needs of CRC end-user partners. The broad aim of the Tactical Research Fund is to provide a source of funding for short-term, end-user focused research projects, addressing strategic issues for the sector and that have national significance.

The Tactical Research Fund is highly competitive. The CRC typically allocates $250,000 (ex-GST) per year and on average funds three projects a year. Individual projects can request up to $100,000.

The 2019 Tactical Research Fund is now closed. Please be advised for the next round of funding by staying up-to-date with our website, Facebook and Twitter.

Refer to the Downloads column on the righthand side of the page for more information.

How to apply

The Tactical Research Fund is only for end-user partners who make cash contributions as part of their membership of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC. Not everyone can apply.

Only those proposals that can demonstrate a need for the proposed research outcomes and have a fully developed (ready-to-start) project plan endorsed by CRC end-user partners will be accepted for consideration. The CRC will prioritise project proposals that improve Australia’s disaster resilience, close capability gaps, align with the National Research Priorities for Natural Hazards and Emergency Management and have a clear pathway to utilisation by supporting end-user partners.

The application form is available in the Downloads column.

If you are unsure of your proposal’s eligibility, please see the Frequently Asked Questions document, contact David Boxshall david.boxshall@bnhcrc.com.au or contact a member of the CRC research team, details are listed here.

Applying for a Tactical Research Fund is a two stage process. The CRC will assess each application when received. The CRC will not wait until all applications have been submitted.

Proposal guidelines

What project types can be proposed through the Tactical Research Fund?

There are a variety of projects that can apply for funding through the Tactical Research Fund. These include:

New research initiatives, including scoping studies, synthesis studies and literature reviews
Project extensions that increase the value and benefit of existing research projects, but are not utilisation projects
Represent continuations or extensions of previously funded projects

Provide an avenue for new partners to link to the CRC

Projects are not to be

It is important to note that the following project types will not be accepted for funding:

Short term purely consultancy activities
Product testing.

Assessment Criteria

Applications are assessed on the extent to which proposals meet the CRC and Tactical Research Fund program objectives and will be prioritised in order of a proposal’s capacity to meet the following assessment criteria.

A. Generate new knowledge leading to improved outcomes for the sector and community

Encompasses clarity of research objectives and theoretical concepts
Demonstrates appropriateness and robustness of the proposed methodologies or research strategy

Is feasible within the proposed budget, personnel and timeline
Will contribute to improving disaster resilience within Australia
Align with the National Research Priorities for Natural Hazards and Emergency Management
Demonstrate value to the sector and wider community.

B. Promote effective transfer of research outcomes into policy and practice

The quality of the project to be translated from research into utilisation
The involvement of end-users in the planning, implementation and uptake of research outcomes
Demonstrate a commitment of supporting agencies to utilise research outcomes

C. Capacity to meet the Tactical Research Fund compulsory application requirements

(Note: applications will be rendered non-compliant if the following items are not sufficiently demonstrated)

Must support the CRC’s mission and objectives
Must be proposed by end-user partners, who make cash contributions as part of their membership of the CRC or by the CRC itself (see list of formal end-user partners here)
May be of any duration not exceeding 12 months
Can request up to $100,000 (ex-GST) in funding from the CRC

Complete and meet all requirements of the Tactical Research Fund eligibility check list (attached to the proposal application)
Read and accept the Tactical Research Fund contract Terms and Conditions under the Downloads column
Must have the written support of:

At least four end-user partners, who make cash contributions as part of their membership of the CRC, or
the formal written support of an AFAC Collaboration Group, or
the formal written support of AFAC Council or ACSES.

Each letter of support must include the following:

Be written on the end user's official letterhead.
Indicate why this research is important to the organisation and the sector
Indicate how the outcomes of this research will be utilised within their organisation
Indicate how much, if any, cash and/or in-kind will be contributed to the project from all the contributors, and who those contributors are
Signatory must indicate that they accept all details in the proposal including proposed approach, what is in scope and out of scope for the project
Must be signed by an authorised representative at Assistant Commissioner (or equivalent) level or above, or Chair of an AFAC collaboration group
Included as an attachment to the project proposal.

Recommendations

To be successful in your application, the CRC recommends the following

Following these recommendations may increase the likelihood of your project qualifying, but will not secure qualification. The CRC will prioritise applications that successfully meet the Assessment criteria, and those that progress through both stages

Read the Assessment criteria carefully and respond to each point when writing your application
Contact the CRC to seek advice on project suitability, scoping, resourcing and project planning

Set up a workshop or meeting with your application team: this should include the envisaged research team and end-user cohort to ensure proposal consistency, compliance, suitability, to identify and mitigate risks, and measure expectations
Get support: projects supported by additional funds and in-kind contributions from proposing groups will go a long way to demonstrating a need for their research
Read and accept the CRC’s standard contract Terms and Conditions in the Downloads column prior to submitting an application

Read the FAQ document in the Downloads column.

Considerations

Successful projects:

In earlier rounds, projects that successfully secured funding and maintained timelines did the following:

Provided a fully scoped project proposal, which was workshopped with project partners prior to applying for funding
Clearly defined out of scope parameters

Undertook a risk assessment
Project teams were ready to begin research upon signing of the contract
Project proposals fully budgeted.

Unsuccessful projects:

In earlier rounds of the Tactical Research Fund, the following issues have led to significant delays in the development of the final project:

Failure to consider the operations or cost implications of research outcomes, for example potential changes to Protective Personal Equipment (PPE) or retraining staff
Failure to get agreement to objectives with all stakeholders, not just proposers
Failure to consider external factors, such as political or bureaucratic requirements
Failure to engage with AFAC Groups early on
Failure to gain consensus from legal and contracting departments regarding agreement Terms and Conditions in the Downloads column

Failure to realistically consider risk variables such as the weather, ethics applications, access to external databases and staffing requirements
Failure to fully interrogate the scope of the project, including clearly defining all things out of scope.