Announcement under Embargo
[TOC]
Arrangements
For the Research Grants Services’ purposes, an embargo is the prohibition of publicising information provided by the ARC or a Funding Entity until a certain date or until certain conditions have been met.
Wherever possible, RGS and Funding Entities will issue information about grant outcomes to Administering Organisations (Grantees) in advance of a Funding Entity or Minister’s announcement, under embargo.
Administering Organisations (Grantees) are responsible for managing the embargo period when it applies and must adhere to the embargo conditions.
When outcomes of applications are released under embargo, Administering Organisations (Grantees) will be able to access their outcomes through the relevant Funding Entity version of Research Management System (RMS). Successful and unsuccessful outcomes will be visible in RMS to staff at the Administering Organisation (Grantee) who have the following RMS roles in that version of RMS:
- Research Office Delegate
- Research Office EoYR Delegate
- Research Office Signatory
- Research Office Staff.
Conditions
- The exact date of announcement of successful outcomes is at the Funding Entities’ discretion.
- The exact date of announcement of successful funding outcomes is unable to be advised (which may be made in full or progressively announced).
- Funding outcomes are provided under embargo on the condition that the outcomes are not publicised, in any way, through media, journals, newspapers, social media/forums or on individuals’ or Administering Institutions’ websites, until the embargo is lifted.
- Under the embargo period, Administering Organisations can share outcomes with the research team and partner organisations (where applicable). However, they must also comply with the strict embargo conditions and must not publicise the information until the embargo has been lifted. This includes posting comments regarding outcomes in public domains such as social media forums, websites, journals or newspapers.
- Administering Organisations are also able to accept the Grant Agreement and Grant Offers in RMS.
- Failure of any organisation, its staff or researchers, to adhere to the embargo will place in jeopardy the advanced release of details for future announcements.
Allowable activities
- Administering Organisations (Grantees) may:
- accept Grant Agreements and Offers in RMS and proceed with planning.
- seek necessary approvals and commence recruitment of staff—if advertisement for positions during the embargo period is essential, this may occur provided it does not include reference to the ARC or Funding Entity; or reveal or promote ARC or Funding Entity grant outcome details prior to official announcement.
- Successful applicants may add grants to CVs for review (for example, as part of a new grant application) provided they add the words ‘under embargo’.
- The Funding Entity may counter-accept Grant Agreements and Offers in RMS.
- Research projects may commence in accordance with the requirements set out in the Grant Agreement.
- If approached, Administering Organisations (Grantees) may liaise with the Funding Entity to arrange announcement of their outcome, and provide input into media releases, provided embargo is maintained until that announcement occurs.
- University media teams may also be advised to assist in preparing media announcement material, provided embargo is maintained until that announcement occurs.
Embargo lifting notification
The Funding Entity and/or relevant Minister/s may announce the successful outcomes of a grant opportunity separately or as a joint announcement with other Funding Entities for related grant opportunities.
Information about unsuccessful outcomes remains under embargo until the relevant Minister/s and/or Funding Entities have completed all announcements for the relevant grant opportunities.
RGS or the Funding Entity will notify Administering Organisations through a RGS Update message when the embargo has been lifted at the time of full announcement of these outcomes. At this time, all successful outcome information will be published on the RGS website and also be available in the relevant RMS portal. Once this occurs, applicants may share any outcomes publicly.
Note: Appeals dates will also be published in the RGS Update message. The Appeals process will commence once all outcomes of a grant opportunity are publicly announced.