Research Grant Regulations

RESEARCH GRANT REGULATIONS
The Research Grant Regulations specify the responsibilities of the Research Grant holder when making application for funding and in accepting funding from The Meath Foundation for Research purposes.
1.     Definitions
In these Regulations,
  • Foundation is The Meath Foundation;
  • Hospital is Tallaght Hospital or the Hospital’s Institutes;
  • Grant holder is the principal investigator of the research for which a Research Grant has been awarded by the Foundation;
  • Research Grant is a grant awarded under any of the schemes of research supported by the Foundation.
2.     Type of grants awarded
The following types of grants are normally awarded by the Foundation:
2.1.   Seed Grants
Seed Grants are grants awarded to conduct research on a specific topic; a seed     grant may, under certain circumstances, include postgraduate student stipends and fees for a Masters Degree by Research or a PhD.
The Meath Foundation provides “Seed Money” for one year to help start research and it encourages successful grant holders to seek external funding from other sources i.e. industries and government agencies to complete more full scale and robust programmes.
2.2.   Programme Grants
Programme Grants are grants awarded to carry out research on an agreed programme of work for up to a five year period.
3.     Conditions under which grants are awarded
The grant holder i.e. the principle investigator, must be employed in a defined capacity by the Hospital or hold a contract with another institution e.g. Trinity College, Dublin with a contractual arrangement to work in the Hospital.  If the grant holder is a qualified healthcare practitioner the Clinical Indemnity Scheme must cover the position held by the healthcare practitioner.
Grants will be assessed on the following criteria:
  • The originality of the research proposal (to avoid duplication of other research efforts)
  • Relevance to public health (a programme marketable to the General Public)
  • Have a clearly defined goal in terms of a population that will be positively affected by the programme.
  • Be compatible with The Meath Foundation’s Research Strategy and that of the Hospital.
All decisions of the Board of The Meath Foundation on the awarding of Research Grants are final.
3.1.   Research Staff
The grant holder shall ensure:
3.1.1 where the grant holder employ’s research staff  as well as students employed in or involved in any Foundation-funded research (research staff), that they receive training appropriate to their duties including Health and Safety training.
3.1.2 appropriate direction of research and supervision of research staff is provided.
3.1.3 all appropriate health and safety procedures are in place in relation to research staff
3.1.4 that payments to research staff are appropriately adjusted to reflect any changes in personnel, as well as any circumstances such as absences, illness or resignation.
3.1.5 all research staff including students have Garda clearance.
3.1.6 all research staff have professional indemnity insurance.
The Foundation shall, in the event of a grant holder resigning during the
period of tenure of the grant, play its role in trying to ensure that
postgraduate students supported by the grant are given every opportunity to
complete their degree.
3.2.    Financial arrangements
              The following are the financial arrangements pertaining to the granting of
              Research Grants:
  • Payments will be made through The Meath Foundation and will be disbursed according to the terms of the letter of award.
  • Where a grant holder employs research staff the Foundation can, if required/requested to do so, make arrangements for the payment of salaries/stipends. Grant holders should read the guidelines at Appendix 1 associated with this facility before making the request.
  • The Foundation reserves the right, at any time during the period of the grant, to obtain from the grant holder, a financial statement detailing disbursements from the grant and confirmation that the grant has been used for the purposes for which it was awarded.
  • The Foundation may, at its discretion and cost, decide to commission and conduct a separate audit of the grant holder and/or the systems used by the grant holder to administer foundation grants, including the system to procure equipment and materials.
  • Expenditure from the award shall be limited to expenses properly and necessarily incurred for the successful completion of the approved research project. The Meath Foundation as a Charity does not award overheads. All costs must be made transparent and agreed with the Foundation before the awarding of the grant.
3.3.   Intellectual property
3.3.1 The Foundation recognises that the primary responsibility for research
            and research outcomes rests with the Researcher(s). The Researcher(s)
            has a duty to The Foundation to ensure that discoveries and
            advancements in knowledge arising from research funded by The
            Foundation are translated for public benefit e.g. by publication, by
            patenting or through securing Intellectual Property Rights.
 3.3.2 The Intellectual property rights to any Research funded by The
            Foundation will be in line with the ICSTI’s published National Code of
            Practice and any Code of Practice that succeeds it.
3.4.   Acknowledgement
              The Grant holder undertakes to expressly acknowledge the support of The
              Meath Foundation in any published record of their research activities
3.5.   Good research practice
The Foundation expects that the research will be carried out in accordance
with the best practices and standards of research and in line with the
Hospital’s Research policy.
4.    Responsibilities of the grant holder
4.1.    Ethical approval
   The grant holder shall confirm, in writing, that ethical approval has been obtained from the Joint Tallaght Hospital/St. James’s Hospital Ethical Committee for any research for which an award has been approved by the Foundation.
4.2.    Financial arrangements
4.2.1 The recipient of a research grant shall not accept or receive funding for the same research project from any source other than The Foundation without prior permission from The Foundation.
4.2.2 The grant holder may, in consultation with the Foundation, modify the aims and objectives of an approved research project in order to follow scientific developments.
4.2.3 The grant holder may not use any amount of an award for purposes not related to the research project. To the extent that any amount is used for purposes not related to the approved research project, the same amount shall immediately become repayable to The Foundation.
4.2.4 Funds remaining unused and uncommitted at the end of the grant period shall be returned to The Meath Foundation.
4.3.    Review of Programme Grants
The grant holder and all those associated with a programme grant, for which a grant has been awarded by The Foundation, shall participate in a review of the progress of the research, its organisation, financing and any other relevant issues at a date decided by The Foundation. The grant holder must agree to implement any recommendations made by the review panel and verified by The Foundation.
4.4.    Reports and publications
4.4.1 The grant holder shall provide a final report to The Foundation on the
                  research for which the award was made within six months following
                  the end of the period for which the grant has been awarded. Grant
                  holders, who do not comply with this requirement, will be deemed
                  ineligible to apply for future Foundation research grants and such
                  failure will be brought to the attention of other Grant giving bodies in
                  the State. Failure to provide a Project Report will mean that the grant
                  holder will be held liable for all monies received.
 4.4.2 The grant holder must make themselves available, to all reasonable
           requests from The Foundation, for their participation in activities
           relating to furthering the aims of The Foundation e.g. Research
           Symposium, Foundation Meetings, Fund-raising events etc.
  4.4.3 The grant holder shall provide the Foundation with signed copies of all
            publications arising from research funded by The Foundation.
  4.4.4 The support of The Foundation must be expressly acknowledged in any
            publication, presentation, or report of research funded by The
            Foundation or in any publicity given to such research.
        4.4.5 The Foundation at all times reserves the right to publish a summary of
                  the research funded by The Foundation. Detailed information,
                  furnished to The Foundation, will be regarded as confidential until the
                  grant holder in question has published his/her results elsewhere.
4.5.    Transfer to another Hospital/Institution
         The grant holder shall not transfer the award to another Hospital/Institution
         without the prior written approval of The Foundation
5.    General terms
5.1.    Research staff
  No grant holder or personnel working on, in relation to or in connection with the research for which The Foundation has granted an award shall represent themselves or consider themselves for any purposes whatsoever to be an employee of The Foundation.
5.2.    Termination
   The Foundation reserves the right to terminate the award of a grant upon 30 days written notice to the grant holder. The award of a grant will terminate in the event of the grant holder breaching any of the Regulations contained herein. The grant holder will furnish all necessary reports of research completed or in progress through to the date of termination.
5.3.    Disputes
  The Foundation and the grant holder shall negotiate in good faith with a
  view to resolving any dispute arising from an award made by The
  Foundation, and if necessary involve an agreed third party for that purpose.
5.4.    Amendment of Regulations
               The Foundation reserves the right to amend these Regulations from time to
               time and will inform the grant holders thereof.
6.    Captions
Paragraph headings or captions are for ease of reference only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of these regulations.

 

Guidelines to Grant Holders when requesting The Meath Foundation to provide the facility to pay Research Staff
  1. Purpose of the Guidelines
The Guidelines are intended to provide assistance to recipients of Meath Foundation Research Grants when employing personnel whose income is derived from Meath Foundation research grants and who wish to avail of the facility provided by the Foundation to pay Research Staff.
2. Definitions
In these Guidelines,
  • Foundation is The Meath Foundation;
  • Hospital is Tallaght Hospital or the Hospital’s Institutes;
  • Grant holder is the principal investigator of the research for which a Research Grant has been awarded by the Foundation;
  • Research Grant is a grant awarded under any of the schemes of research supported by the Foundation.
  • Grant employee/research personnel shall refer to any person who is employed by a grant holder to provide research services, and who is paid either wholly or in part from grant funds
  1. Applicability of Guidelines
3.1 While The Meath Foundation expects grant holders to provide equitable  compensation and benefits for grant employees, control and direction over salary scales, the provision of benefits, hiring, firing and the assignment of duties rest solely with the grant holder.
3.2 The Meath Foundation has no commitment to a grant employee beyond the assistance it provides grant holders with the receipt and disbursement of grant funds.
3.3 Personnel whose income is derived from grant funds remain employees of the grant holder and not The Meath Foundation.
  1. Statement of Responsibilities
4.1 With respect to the employment of research personnel whose income is derived from Foundation research grants, grant holders shall exercise the following responsibilities:
4.1.1 The grant holder shall determine whether or not the services of         a grant employee are required.
4.1.2 The grant holder shall determine whether or not sufficient grant funds are available to permit the payment of wages and benefits to a grant employee.
4.1.3 The grant holder shall classify the grant employee’s position and rate of remuneration in accordance with the terms established in the research grant.  Where no such terms are stipulated, the grant holder is encouraged to ensure that grant employees receive remuneration and benefits appropriate to the tasks assigned.
4.1.4 Subject to any conditions established by The Meath Foundation, the grant holder shall exercise sole discretion over the decision to hire a grant employee.
4.1.5 The grant holder shall forward to The Meath Foundation a copy of the research grant employee’s appointment letter and completed appointment form. Such a requirement is necessary in order to enable The Meath Foundation to perform administrative and custodial services on the grant holder’s behalf.
4.1.6 It shall be the grant holder’s responsibility to authorise payment of salary to grant employees from the grant funds. The close off date will be the 15th day of the month for payment on the last day of the month.
4.1.7 Subject to any limits established by the grant, the grant holder’s decision shall be final regarding a grant employee’s pay and benefits, such as annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave, study leave etc.
4.1.8 The grant holder shall comply with all statutory obligations as the employer, including the obligation to provide statutory benefits.
 4.1.9 The grant holder shall exercise sole control and direction over the assignment of duties and the work performed by a grant employee.
4.1.10 The grant holder shall exercise sole discretion over the decision to terminate the employment of a grant employee.
4.2 With respect to grant holders employing personnel who are engaged under Meath Foundation grants, The Meath Foundation shall exercise the following responsibilities:
4.2.1 The Meath Foundation shall provide custodial and administrative services for the receipt and disbursement of grant funds.
4.2.2 Upon request, The Meath Foundation will assist grant holders by:
  • making available sample appointment letters.
  • maintaining employment records for grant employees
  • advising grant holders regarding their statutory obligations as employers.