The Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation, Science and Research (DIISR) requires universities to provide data pertaining to its research activity in order to calculate the Composite Index (see Block Research Funding) for each university. The collection of the Financial Research Data is coordinated by the Research Accounting in Business Services (Contact Research Accounting staff).

 

When is the Financial Research Data Collection Collected?

The Financial Research Data Collection is conducted in March of each year. 

 

How is the Financial Research Data Collection Collected?

A financial Data Collection Form is generated from the research database maintained by Research Accounting and forwarded to all departments that received Source Code 4 (Research) or Source Code 5 (Research Scholarships) income in the collection year.

Each department is required to either confirm or amend the data already included on the collection form and the HOD must certify the form.

Income automatically included in the Collection: any income posted to Source Code 4 accounts; income received for research scholarships posted to Source Code 5 accounts (exclude internal scholarships, APAs and IPRSs); and the Central Overheads component of research grant income posted to five Source Code 6 accounts.

Departments & Centres should scrutinise their Source Code 6 accounts to identify any contract research that fits the OECD definition of research and experimental development (see below) that can be included in the count.

 

RRTD is responsible for adjudicating as to whether a Source Code 4 account will be established for a particular source of funding. Generally a Source Code 4 account will be established where:

• the funding source is deemed external (non-operating grant) and includes donations and bequests for research from both Australian and non-Australian business, non-profit organisations and individuals;
   
• the research activity complies with the OECD definition of research & experimental development, which states:
  
  Research and experimental development comprises creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge of man (sic), culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications;
   

the income has been provided for a specific research activity (income received for a purpose other than research - profits from workshops, consultancy/testing service fees, clinic fees, fee-paying courses - must not be transferred or posted to a Source Code 4 account, even if the funds are spent on research activity).

Departments should contact the Research and Research Training Division if they are uncertain as to whether a Source Code 4 account should be established for a particular source of funding.

Shared Grants/Transfers

A shared grant is defined as one for which a component of the funding from an agency for a particular programme, project or grant is passed from an institution to one or more other institutions; and either:
 

 

• more than one institution is, or the staff of more than one institution are, named in the contract/agreement for the transfer of funds from the funding agency; or
   
• more than one institution is, or the staff of more than one institution are, named in the tender/application for funding.
  
  Shared grants should be apportioned between recipient institutions, so that the nett amount retained by each institution is reported. If, for example, institution A receives a grant of $50,000 of which $20,000 is transferred to UQ, institution A (if a university) should report $30,000 and UQ $20,000 in the data collection. It should be possible for the nett amount retained by each institution to be identified in its audited statement, so that double counting does not occur.
  
  Universities should claim a portion of a shared grant this way whether the other institution involved in a shared grant is a university or is another type of research establishment.
  
  The income should be assigned to the category from which the funding originated. (For example, if a State primary industries department passes $20,000 of a shared grant from the Rural Industries R&D Corporation to UQ, the receiving university should count the $20,000 as income from the Rural Industries R & D Corporation in Australian Competitive Grants, rather than as Other Public Sector Research Funding.)
  
  Where staff in receipt of a grant transfer to another university and carry the grant with them, this must be reflected in financial adjustments to the university's income. Any adjustments are to be reflected in the audited statements of the university. It is not necessary to identify these amounts separately.