1. Research Services Office
The Research Services Office (RSO) promotes, fosters, supports and administers quality research activity at Flinders.
The RSO is responsible for:
pre- and post-award administration of research grants
negotiating and administration of research contracts
coordination of the university's ethics and bio-safety responsibilities
collection and reporting on research performance data
development of research-related policy and advice for Senior Management
providing support for new research management initiatives.

2. RSO & Flinders Partners
The Research Services Office works with Flinders Partners, which takes research outcomes and expertise to market, providing services and resources to assist researchers (including students) to identify and respond to commercial opportunities
Flinders Partners Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Flinders University
Flinders Partners supports researchers with industry/ government linkage, consulting, contract R&D, IP management, partnering and other related needs.

3. Pre-Award Necessities - the basis for smooth Post Award management
Timing– Quality applications take time, so start well ahead of the deadline
Guidelines - read them, follow them – it will save you time in the long run
Review – seek feedback on your proposal from peers & mentors
Budget – check your figures – they must be correct (eg add up & include 25% levy if applicable
Internal Signoffs – Certification Forms, Co-investment Forms
Negotiate – discuss with your colleagues expectations re deliverables, budget distribution, work schedule, contingency plans (eg if not fully funded)

4. Internal Signoffs Certification Form
ALL Applications (and therefore contracts & Agreements)MUST be accompanied by a fully signed Flinders Certification Form
If there was no Cert Form at the time of application we will ask you for one as part of the post award process.
Co-investment
If the University is contributing cash towards the Project budget, you will also need to have sign off on this co-investment by your School/ Faculty and the DVCR via the Flinders Co-investment Form.

5. What happens when you receive an offer of funding
You should forward it to the RSO
It will be reviewed by the relevant Grants Officer or FP who will facilitate the negotiation of a mutually acceptable agreement eg
Check on the Cert Form & with you regarding
Student involvement
Ethics requirements
Budget/payment schedule
Background IP
Funds distribution
Refer it for legal review
Finalise agreed terms & arrange for signature
Ask you to confirm that you have understood and agree to abide by the terms of the agreement ( CI Certification)
Authorise account activation by Grants Finance when all required clearances are in place
Note: University policy is that ALL research contracts and agreements will be signed by the University – ie VC, DVCR, or delegate – not the researcher

6. After the Agreement has been signed
You are responsible for:
Meeting the milestones & deliverable that have been agreed in the timeframe specified
Providing Reports to the funding body/ies as specified in the agreement (copies to the RSO please)
Spending funds only as specified in the agreement
Notifying the funding body of any delays or changes that may be required to the agreement so that these can be formalised as variations to the project agreement if necessary
Maintenance and compliance with all ethics requirements
Financial Acquittal of the funds (Grants Finance will assist with this)
Final Report at the end of the Project

7. Who to contact in the RSO
Christine Maher, Acting Grants & Contracts Manager ARC, Faculty of Education, Humanities, Law and Theology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and Faculty of Science and Engineering Ext Perry Fiegert, Research Grants & Contracts Officer NHMRC and the Faculty of Health Sciences Ext Maya Roberts, Research Grants & Contracts Officer International portfolio and other than ARC and NHMRC Ext Amy Petty, Research Administration Assistant Pre and post-award administration of ARC and all other non-health-related funding schemes Ext Lee-Ann Thomas, Research Administratiion Assistant Pre and post-award administration of NHMRC and all other health-related funding schemes Ext Kay Chilton, Contracts Administration Assistant Ext Pre-Award - Research Applications – Post Award – Contracts & Agreements –