Data dictionary

A

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research

Research that promotes the wellness and health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants

The definition of applicants of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent typically follows the guidelines provided by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). According to these guidelines, an applicant is considered to be of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent if they meet the following 3 criteria:

• Descent: The individual is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
• Self-Identification: The individual identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.
• Community Acceptance: The individual is accepted as such by the community in which they live or have previously lived.

Administering Institution

NHMRC funding is awarded through Administering Institutions (AIs), which include universities, hospitals and medical research institutes that meet defined research governance requirements. The role of AIs is to support NHMRC by ensuring that research activity is conducted in accordance with NHMRC’s objectives and legislated responsibilities. NHMRC makes payments for grants directly to the AI as per the Funding Agreement. The actual research work of a grant may be performed externally to an AI at a Participating Institution. Further information is available at Administering Institutions.

Application

NHMRC applications are requests for funding submitted to NHMRC via our Sapphire grants system by Administering Institutions. Various rules and restrictions apply depending on the Grant Opportunity in which applications are submitted. Further guidance is available at Find funding.

Application ID (App ID)

The distinct, unique application identification number assigned by NHMRC for applications created in our grants system (Sapphire). This identification number is automatically generated.

Application title

The name of an application provided by applicants that describes the nature of the research proposal.

B

Broad Research Area (BRA)

A classification used by the NHMRC to track and report funding across different health and medical research fields. Established in the 1980s, it helps applicants choose the category that best fits their expertise or research proposal. Further information is available at Australian standard research classifications and research keywords.

Burden of Disease

Burden of Disease is used to describe the diseases or health conditions to which research relates. The Burden of Disease classification is based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Further information is available at Australian standard research classifications and research keywords.

C

Career Disruption

A prolonged interruption to an applicant’s capacity to work, due to pregnancy, major illness/injury and/or carer responsibilities. Career disruptions are considered during some peer review processes, such as during track record assessment (where applicable) and in determining an applicant’s eligibility. Further information is available at Relative to Opportunity Policy.

Career Stage

How far progressed applicants are in their research careers based on the time since completion of their PhD or equivalent. 
Further information is provided at Relative to Opportunity Policy.

Category/Level (in Investigator Grants)

The Investigator Grant scheme comprises 2 categories or levels – Emerging Leadership (EL) and Leadership (L). The EL Category comprises 2 salary levels (Levels) (EL1 and EL2). The L Category comprises 3 Levels (L1, L2 and L3). Further information is available at Investigator Grants.

Chief Investigator (CI)

A Chief Investigator is a named researcher/investigator on an application or grant and who contributes significantly to the conception, design, execution and/or interpretation of the research. There can be multiple CIs on a single grant, all of whom share responsibility for the research project’s success. After the Chief Investigator A (CIA), subsequent CIs are often referred to as CIB, CIC, CID, and so on.

Chief Investigator A (CIA)

The first named Chief Investigator on each application and grant is referred to as the Chief Investigator A. This person acts on behalf the Chief Investigator team for each application and grant and has primary responsibility for the scientific oversight and the management of the research project. This individual is sometimes referred to as an 'applicant'. Various eligibility rules and obligations apply to CIAs. Further information is available in the NHMRC Funding Agreement.

D

Date Announced

The date on which Ministerial announcement for funding of a grant or Grant Opportunity is provided.

Direct Research Cost (DRC)

Expenses that are essential and directly related to achieving the specific goals of a research project. Further information is available at Direct Research Cost Guidelines.

Disease, research and health areas/topics (DHR)

The disease, health and research topics are based on the International Classification of Disease (ICD) produced by the World Health Organisation.

F

Fields of Research (FoR)

Fields of Research (FoR) are used to describe common knowledge domains and/or methodologies used in research and experimental development (R&D). The FoR used by NHMRC are defined by the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), which was developed for use in the measurement and analysis of R&D undertaken in Australia and New Zealand. 

Funding round

See Grant Opportunity.

G

Gender

Applicants may choose to self-identify their gender in their Sapphire profiles using one of the options outlined in the ABS 2020 Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, or elect to withhold their gender from their profiles. In this standard, man or male refers to persons who described their gender as man or male, while woman or female refers to persons who described their gender as woman or female.

The gender category of ‘Other’ comprises applicants who selected a gender of ‘Not stated’, ‘Prefer not to answer’, ‘Non-binary’ or ‘I use a different term’ in their Sapphire profile or if the gender field in their profile was not completed (for instance, null).

'Not Stated' refers to persons who elect not to identify their gender within Sapphire.

Further information is provided at ABS 2020 Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variable.

Grant

A successful application where NHMRC provides funds to an Administering Institution to conduct or support research.

Grant ID

The distinct, unique identification number assigned by NHMRC for funded applications created in our grants system (Sapphire). This identification number is automatically generated.

Grant Opportunity

A funding round wherein health and medical researchers submit applications for NHMRC funding. All Australian Government Grant Opportunities are published on GrantConnect to make it easier for individuals to locate opportunities and submit applications.

Grant Review Panel

A Grant Review Panel (GRP) or Peer Review Panel (PRP) is a group of suitably qualified health and medical researchers that is convened to peer review and assess grant applications submitted to NHMRC grant opportunities against specific assessment criteria.

Grant title

The name of a grant provided by applicants that describes the nature of the research.

Grant value

The full amount of funds awarded to a grant. This is sometimes referred to as the 'Funded Amount', 'Amount Awarded' or 'Total Grant Value'. It refers to the full amount of funding awarded to the grant across its duration, as stated at date the grant was announced. This figure may vary from the actual funds paid to Administering Institutions due to indexation of payments and other post award funding variations. Figures are typically GST exclusive.

Grants

Applications that are approved for funding.

M

Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA)

A Special Account established under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 (NHMRC Act). The MREA is funded through government appropriations, which are allocated annually in the Federal Budget. These funds are transferred to the MREA to support research activities that align with the objectives of NHMRC's schemes and grant opportunities.

O

Other Research Costs

Research costs other than direct research costs or salaries are captured as other research costs. 
Further information is provided at Direct Research Cost Guidelines.

P

Participating Institution

Organisations that contribute to undertaking the research activities of a grant. For instance, this may be the location where research is undertaken or whose employees undertake activities. The obligations and roles of Participating Institutions are specified in a Formal Agreement with the Administering Institution who manages a grant. Further information is available in the NHMRC Funding Agreement.

Peer review areas

An individual's peer review areas reflect the self-identified fields, topics or research disciplines that they have suitable expertise to review grant applications. These peer review areas are used to match applications with reviewers who have the appropriate expertise to assess the quality, relevance and impact of the proposed research.

Personnel Support Packages

Salary costs provided on research grants are provided as Personnel Support Packages (PSP), except for Investigator Grant CIAs. 
Further guidance, such as the appropriate level of a PSP, is available at https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/direct-research-cost-guidelines.

Plain description

A short summary of the research being undertaken which has been provided by the grant applicants on application. Not all applications include a plain description.

Primary Institution

An applicant's Primary institution typically refers to the main institution where they are affiliated or conduct their primary research or academic activities. In the case of CIAs, this is often the Administering Institution of a grant or funding application while Primary institution of other CIs may be a Participating Institution. Applicants provide their Primary institution in their Sapphire profiles.

R

Research Keywords (Res KW)

The Research Keywords provided by applicants that best describe the research being undertaken and the possible health benefits of the research.

S

Salary/Salary Support Packages (SSP)

NHMRC Investigator Grant CIA Salary, NHMRC Fellowship CIA Salary and NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship Stipends are provided as Salary Support Packages (SSP) at a fixed rate and may only be expended to support the salary and specified salary on-costs of the CIA, Fellow or Scholar. Further information is available at Direct Research Cost Guidelines.

Sector

The area within the health and medical research community that an institution most appropriately belongs. NHMRC categorises institutions into the sectors of:

• Government (including Commonwealth, State or Territory agencies)
• Hospitals and Health Services
• Research Institutes (for instance, Medical Research Institutes)
• University and Other (including Charities and Philanthropic, Commercial, Professional Bodies, Networks, Associations, non-Government agencies and not for profit organisations).

State/Territory

The jurisdiction in which an institution is located. This usually refers to the location of an Administering Institution, Participating Institution or applicant's primary institution.

Structural Priority funded grants

Structural Priority funding is an intervention used to reduce disparities in funded rates and assist in achieving NHMRC's broader goals.

Sub Type (Grant)

The category of a grant for a funding scheme allocated by NHMRC.

T

Team size

The total number of Chief Investigators listed on a single application or grant.