FAQ - Reach (Monash Malaysia)

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Lead Applicant

This is the principle investigator who is employed by and based at the Lead Applicant Organisation. This individual must be a citizen of permanent resident with a primary work affiliation in an eligible country.

Co-Applicant

Named individuals in the Core Team of the proposed research project, employed within the same organisation as Lead Applicant or by the Co-Applicant Organisation (if employed under a different organisation).

Core Team

Includes the Lead Applicant and up to five Co-Applicants. In addition, collaborators can be named, preferably not more than 4. This team provides the intellectual direction, technical and administrative support for the execution of the project.

Lead Applicant Organisation

Institution where the Lead Applicant is employed. The Lead Applicant Organisation must have a legal corporate registration in an eligible country. For proposals selected for funding, REACH will only enter into a funding agreement with the identified Lead Applicant Organisation.

Co-Applicant Organisation(s)

(In the event that the Co-Applicant(s) are not from the same organisation as the Lead Applicant) Institutions where the Co-Applicant(s) are employed, that are direct partners/collaborators in the research project and jointly share with the Lead Applicant Organisation the intellectual responsibility for and ownership of the knowledge and outputs produced.

• Q1 Is there a limit on the number of applications that an individual can be a part of? A Yes. Core Team members can be listed on a maximum of two applications. Example: An individual can be a Lead Applicant or Co-Applicant on one application and a Co-Applicant on another. However, one person cannot be Lead Applicant on two separate applications.
• Q2 How many Co-Applicants can there be in the Core Team of an application? A The Core Team includes the Lead Applicant (or Principal Investigator) AND no more than five Co-Applicants (or Co-Investigators). Having Co-Applicant(s) from different organisation(s) is not a requirement.
• Q3 Can the Lead Applicant or Co-Applicant be based in high-income countries? A No. Applicants employed by organisations in high-income countries are not eligible to apply as Lead Applicants, even if the organisation is located within the South or Southeast Asia region (refer list of eligible countries). However, participation as a Co-Applicant may be considered, provided no project funding is received by the Co-Applicant.
• Q4 Can individuals based in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that are outside the list of eligible countries (i.e., out of region) apply as Co-Applicants? A No. If you are based in a low- or middle-income country that is not in the list of eligible countries, you can apply as a Co-Applicant but without receiving part of the project funds.
• Q5 Are individuals from non-profits, community based organisations and universities (public or private) eligible to apply? A Yes, provided your organisation is based in the listed eligible countries and meets all the eligibility criteria. You can apply as a Lead Applicant or Co-Applicant.
• Q6 Are individuals from international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) eligible to apply as a Lead Applicant or Co-Applicant? A Individuals who work for INGOs are eligible to apply as a Lead Applicant if they are headquartered in the listed eligible countries. Individuals who work for INGOs are also eligible to apply as a Co-Applicant provided that they have regional chapters or offices with appropriate legal status to operate and manage funds in an eligible country.
• Q7 Can an individual from a government ministry or department be a Co-Applicant? A Yes, individuals from government departments can apply as Co-Applicants if they are located in an eligible country. Fund transfers will not be allowed.
• Q8 Can independent researchers be part of the Core Team? A No, the Core Team must consist of a Lead Applicant based at the Lead Applicant Organisation and Co-Applicants based at either the same organisation with the Lead Applicant or different organisation(s) (Co-Applicant Organisations).
• Q9 Are there any specific team-level expectations for the proposed research project? A Yes. The Core Team should collectively have extensive background in research projects focusing on health and climate change. See the eligibility evaluation criteria in the call.
• Q10 I have experience in climate change research but no experience in health sector research, or vice versa. Am I still eligible to apply? A Yes, provided you are partnered with Co-Applicant(s) who has expertise in the area that complements you to fulfil the required expertise.
• Q11 Can I include additional expertise from organisations in non-eligible countries? A Yes, additional expertise from non-eligible countries can be included as needed, however only as a collaborator, not as part of the Core Team (Lead Applicant and up to five Co-Applicants). Fund transfers will not be allowed.
• Q12 What specific country procedures, clearances or permissions are required? A As REACH is supported by the Canada International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to run this funding call, REACH is obliged to adhere to the regulations stipulated by IDRC. In some cases, IDRC has agreements for scientific and technical cooperation with the governments of the countries where IDRC supports the projects. Where such agreements exist, IDRC may require additional or alternative approval processes to be followed to comply with such agreements. Country procedures only apply to applications that are selected for funding and are not required prior to submitting a full proposal. Lead Applicants whose proposals are successful under the REACH funding call must comply with the IDRC regulations. REACH reserves the right to not pursue the funding of a selected project if the country's approval is not secured within six months after REACH officially announces approval of the project.
• Q13 Are these country procedures only applicable to the Lead Applicant Organisation? A No. As applicable, country procedures apply to the Lead Applicant Organisation and Co-Applicant organisation(s).
• Q14 Do Co-Applicant Organisation(s) need to meet all the eligibility criteria required of the Lead Applicant Organisation? A No. There are certain eligibility requirements that only apply to the Lead Applicant Organisation (see eligibility criteria). For example, the Lead Applicant Organisation is required to demonstrate that it is legally registered and headquartered in an eligible country. This does not apply to the Co-Applicant organisations. However, it is the responsibility of the Lead Applicant Organisation to ensure that it partners only with organisations that are legally registered.
• Q15 Is it possible to submit an expression of interest (EOI) without having all the required supporting documents at the time of submission? A No. All the requested information and supporting documents are essential as part of the eligibility assessment. Incomplete EOI submissions will not be processed.
• Q16 Should our supporting documents be translated to English if they are not originally in English? A If the legal documentation confirming your organisation's creation and independent legal status is not in English, it must be supplemented with a translated version. For all other documents, you may upload copies of the supporting documents in their original language, accompanied by translated versions in English when available. If translated versions are not available, please provide a cover letter for the document in English that summarises the documents’ contents. Applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal may be required to provide notarised translations of supporting or corporate documents on request.
• Q17 What is the main criterion to qualify to submit a full application? A Only applicants whose expressions of interest (EOI) are complete and meeting all the eligibility criteria will be invited to submit a full technical proposal. See the outlined eligibility criteria that will guide the EOI evaluation process.
• Q18 Are the eligibility criteria pass/fail or is it possible to still be considered even if 1 criterion is not met? A No. You must meet all the eligibility criteria.
• Q19 Would other individuals, teams or departments within the same institution as the regional hub be eligible to apply for this funding call? NEW A To avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest, researchers from the following units within the Regional Hub participating institutions are not eligible to apply: Monash University Malaysia • School of Medicine and Health Sciences • School of Arts and Social Sciences • School of Engineering Sunway University • Sunway Centre for Planetary Health Maldives National University • Faculty of Engineering, Science and Technology • Research Development Office In addition, REACH Associated Members and Advisory Committee Members are also not eligible to apply.
• Q20 Is a single organisation allowed to submit multiple EOIs if each EOI has a different lead applicant? NEW A Yes, there is no restriction on the number of applications by institution but there is a limit for individuals as applicants. Refer Question 1 under the Eligibility section above, for details.
• Q21 Do we have to choose only one of the two research themes, or can our project address both? NEW A Depending on your research question, you may submit a project proposal that covers both research themes. Otherwise, we recommend focusing on one theme, considering the project timeline and available budget, to ensure smooth project execution.
• Q22 For each research theme, does the proposal need to focus on one priority area, or can it address both? NEW A Depending on your research question, it is possible for you to submit a project proposal that covers both priority areas within a research theme. We would encourage careful planning of this in view of the project timeline and available budget, to ensure smooth project execution.
• Q23 Are WHO regional or country offices eligible for this funding call? NEW A WHO regional or country offices are considered offices of an international, multilateral organisation and hence individuals from these offices are not eligible to apply as either lead or co-applicant. They can be engaged as collaborators for consultation or steering committee members, with justification and depending on the needs of the proposed project. No fund transfer is allowed to these offices.
• Q24 Is India eligible to apply for this funding call? NEW A Given the limited resources available for this call, a set of countries will be supported by our funders. India has not been selected as an eligible country in this round. Interested individuals or organisations based in India may however join an application based in an eligible country(ies) as a consultant/collaborator. Kindly refer to Q11 on the Eligibility section above for details. We shall also include all countries in the South and Southeast Asia region regardless of eligibility for the capacity building activities that we planned to conduct.