Information on completing the 2025 Institutional Annual Compliance Report (IACR) survey
The Institutional Annual Compliance Report survey
The 2025 IACR survey is being conducted using Citizen Space, an accessible online survey platform.
The 2025 IACR survey questions relate to events and activities that occurred from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 (the reporting year), unless otherwise specified.
To support this process, NHMRC has provided an offline version of the survey. NHMRC recommends that Administering Institutions prepare the offline version of the survey to enable input of all responses at the same time.
IACR survey due date
All Administering Institutions must submit a response to the IACR survey every year. Failure to submit by the deadline may delay NHMRC’s monthly grant payments, and/or affect your institution’s Administering Institution status.
The IACR is due 17:00 AEDT on 20 March 2026.
Information in the IACR survey
You are required to answer all relevant questions that appear in the IACR survey, even if your Administering Institution did not administer NHMRC funding in the reporting year.
Some questions in the offline version of the survey may not appear in the online survey. The online survey is dynamic and will only display questions that are relevant based on your responses. For instance, if your institution does not conduct animal research, the follow up questions about research on animals will not appear in the online survey. However, the offline version of the 2025 IACR survey will include all questions from the online IACR survey.
The online survey questions must be completed in order and you cannot skip a section to come back to later. To prepare for this, please use the offline version of the survey to collect all your answers before starting the online survey.
Citizen Space allows you to save your survey at the end of a completed page using the 'save and come back later' button. You will be asked for your email address. You will receive an email with a return link, individual response ID and a ‘response key’. Ensure you keep these details as you will need them to resume your survey later.
As you proceed through the survey, you can navigate back to previous responses using the 'first' button once all questions on the current page have been answered.
Part M: Confirmation of nominated individuals by Administering Institutions
NHMRC requires Administering Institutions to confirm that the contact details for all their nominated position holders are correct.
A dashboard is available in Sapphire for users who have Administering Institution access (i.e., RAO, RO, FO, CFO), to allow for more effective management of institutional position roles.
The dashboard is called This Institution’s Position Roles and can be found under the Dashboards section in Sapphire (see below). It will only display information relevant to the institution. Please keep these position holder details up to date.
Each Administering Institution must review all listed position holders and confirm that:
- they are still employed by the Administering Institution
- their contact details are correct or,
- if the details are wrong, the institution has asked NHMRC to update them or remove/add individuals.
A completed Sapphire Institutional Account access form must be completed for any new staff members who require access to Sapphire or for the reassignment of positions.
The NHMRC Research Help Centre oversees and manages access to institutional position roles within Sapphire. To update position roles, email help@nhmrc.gov.au.
Part N: Certification and feedback
This section of the survey asks the respondent to identify themselves on behalf of the Administering Institution and to certify that information provided in the IACR survey is accurate and complete.
Administering Institutions are responsible for complying with the NHMRC Funding Agreement. If an institution does not comply, or provides false or misleading information in the IACR, NHMRC may suspend all or part of the institution’s funding.
Frequently asked questions
What is the offline version of the survey? Why does it look different to the online version?
The offline form is available as an Excel document. As such, it does not mirror the Citizen Space survey exactly but is a close approximation that contains all the relevant content. The offline version serves as a useful tool that supports Administering Institutions to collate responses from various areas within the institution before completing the survey online. NHMRC recommends that Administering Institutions answer all relevant questions in the offline form and retain it for their internal records.
What should I do if more than one person will be completing the survey?
The online survey must be completed in order, and you will not be able to progress until all the mandatory questions are answered. It is best to prepare all your responses offline first before entering them into the online version of the survey. You can save your progress throughout the online survey, but you must answer every question on the page before using the ‘save and come back later’ button. More information is available on the Citizen Space website.
Do I have to answer all the questions in the survey?
You must provide a response to all the questions that are relevant to your organisation. The survey was updated this year so that Administering Institutions that did not administer funding in 2025 will be presented with fewer questions.
What do I do if I submit an incomplete or incorrect survey response?
If you submit an incomplete or incorrect survey, please contact NHMRC at administering.institutions@nhmrc.gov.au to request your response be deleted. You must complete the IACR survey again and resubmit it before the due date.
Who do I contact if I need an extension?
Please contact NHMRC at administering.institutions@nhmrc.gov.au.
Will the survey save my responses as I go?
Citizen Space allows you to save your survey and come back to it later. If you have started filling in the survey, click the ‘save and return’ button. You will be asked to enter your email address. After that, you will receive an email with a return link, your individual response ID and a ‘response key’. You can use these details to resume your incomplete response at any time.
To go back to a previous question, you must first complete all questions on the current page so that your answers can be saved.
What if I am unable to save the survey?
If you are unable to save the survey, make sure you have answered all questions on the page before trying to save and exit.
I am unable to move to next page of the survey and receive the following error message:
If you encounter this error, please follow these steps:
- Confirm that your WIFI network has internet access by opening a search engine such as Google (https://google.com.au) or another reputable site. Then, try accessing the provided link again.
- In Google Chrome, if you receive a notification about third-party cookies being blocked, allow them for this reputable site.
- If the issue continues in Google Chrome, try using Microsoft Edge as an alternative browser.
- If the issue still persists, use a computer that is not connected to your institution's network.
Terms and definitions in the ICAR survey
| Term | Definition |
| Administering Institution (AI) | Administering Institutions have the status of NHMRC Administering Institution for administering NHMRC funding. |
| Sapphire | NHMRC’s grant management system to support end-to-end management of NHMRC administered grant opportunities. |
| Research Administration Officer (RAO) | The officer nominated by the Administering Institution as its contact person for the purpose of this Agreement and the primary contact for researchers at the Administering Institution relating to the submission of NHMRC applications, grant acceptances and management. The RAO acts as the intermediary between researchers from the Administering Institution and Participating Institutions and NHMRC on matters relating to grants administration. |
| Financial Officer (FO) | The officer appointed by the Administering Institution as its primary contact person for the financial reporting of grants. |
| Chief Financial Officer (CFO) | The person with principal responsibility for accounting and financial management within the Administering Institution, or the person nominated by the Administering Institution, who is a qualified public accountant or a member of one of the following organisations, CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, or the Institute of Public Accountants. |
| Responsible Officer (RO) | A senior manager (e.g., Chief Financial Officer, Pro-Vice-chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), Executive Director) or a person appointed by the Administering Institution to be accountable for the administration of the Funds, the conduct of a Research Activity or other matters. |
| Participating Institution (PI) | In relation to a Research Activity, a PI is an organisation that contributes to the Research Activity in accordance with its Formal Agreement with, and under the leadership of, the Administering Institution and where the context permits, includes its employees, advisers, officers, agents, and contractor staff. |
| NHMRC Approved Standards and Guidelines | NHMRC Approved Standards and Guidelines are those listed on the NHMRC Approved standards and Guidelines page of the NHMRC website This page may change as new requirements or guidelines are introduced, amended or replaced from time to time by NHMRC in accordance with clause 17.3. |
Contact
Email questions about the IACR survey to administering.institutions@nhmrc.gov.au.