Grant Conditions

Grant Conditions

Children's Cancer CoLab utilises pro bono legal services to prepare our grant agreements and, as a result, we are unable to accept material changes to our agreement template. The full grant agreement template will be provided at the time of invitation for full application, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to liaise with their administering institution to confirm acceptance of the terms and conditions. The section below provides high-level information on key terms and conditions associated with accepting grant funds from Children's Cancer CoLab.

Administering institution requirements

The administering institution must be a Member B as defined in the Children's Cancer CoLab Constitution for the entire duration of the grant. In addition, the administering institution is required to be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) throughout the grant period to ensure compliance with financial and tax obligations.

Grant funding management

Funds provided by Children's Cancer CoLab must be used exclusively for the approved project or activity and in accordance with the relevant funding policy and any specific conditions outlined in the project schedule. Use of funds for purposes outside the approved project scope is not permitted without prior written consent from Children's Cancer CoLab, and funds must not be spent on any prohibited items or activities as specified in the grant guidelines.

Any unused funds remaining at the end of the grant period must be returned to Children's Cancer CoLab, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed upon. If funds required to be repaid are not returned within the specified timeframe, interest will accrue on the outstanding amount until fully repaid. Expenditure exceeding the approved funding amount is the sole responsibility of the funding recipient, and Children's Cancer CoLab will not reimburse any excess costs.

Interest earned on grant funds is considered part of the grant and is subject to the same usage and reporting requirements. It must be used exclusively for the approved project, reported in financial statements, and any unspent interest at the end of the funding period must be returned to Children's Cancer CoLab unless otherwise agreed.

The payment schedule is agreed upon at the time of contract execution and is linked to the achievement of specified milestones or deliverables. Salary support is paid upfront as agreed, while payments for consumables and other costs are made in arrears, following milestone reporting and proof of incurred expenses, unless alternative arrangement have been agreed upon. Payments are only approved upon receipt of satisfactory reports demonstrating that agreed milestones have been met. Children's Cancer CoLab reserves the right to withhold payments if reports are unsatisfactory or if milestones are not achieved.

The administering institution is responsible for issuing accurate and complete invoices, which will be paid within 20 working days upon confirmation of milestone acceptance. Any overpayment of funds must be reported to Children's Cancer CoLab within 20 working days, and Children's Cancer CoLab may recover or offset overpaid amounts against future payments.

Project reporting requirements

All projects are required to provide regular annual updates using the reporting template supplied by Children's Cancer CoLab, regardless of whether these updates coincide with milestone reporting. This process ensures we are kept informed of the general progress of each project. In addition, all project reports must be completed using the Children's Cancer CoLab template to maintain consistency and comprehensive data collection. Reports must be submitted by the deadlines specified in the grant agreements to support compliance and ongoing project monitoring. Children's Cancer CoLab may also request further information or clarification to ensure all reporting requirements are fully met.

Financial reporting requirements

Grant recipients are required to maintain accurate financial records and submit financial reports as specified by Children's Cancer CoLab – noting that a clear justification is required for any variation from the proposed budget in the financial report. Any variation exceeding 20% of the allocated amount in a budget category may require prior approval from Children's Cancer CoLab.

Depending on the value of the grant, different levels of financial oversight are required. For projects receiving less than AU $250,000 in funding, an institutional signoff from the CFO or other appropriate authorised individual is required. Projects receiving more than AU $250,000 require a statutory declaration by an authorised officer or director, and those receiving over AU $1 million may be subject to an independent audit, with Children's Cancer CoLab covering the reasonable cost of the audit.

As part of the financial reporting, grant recipients must ensure that the combined full-time equivalent (FTE) allocation for any personnel funded under a Children's Cancer CoLab grant, when aggregated with other funding sources, does not exceed 1.0 FTE at any time. Recipients are responsible for monitoring FTE allocations and must immediately notify Children's Cancer CoLab if this limit is exceeded. Compliance with this condition must be declared under a statutory declaration, and any breach may result in adjustments or recovery of grant funds. Additionally, grant recipients must inform Children's Cancer CoLab if similar research or activities are supported by other funding sources.

Acknowledgement of funding

Grant recipients are required to acknowledge the funding from Children's Cancer CoLab, and our funding partners, in all publications, presentations, and communications related to the supported project. This includes the appropriate and prominent use of the Children's Cancer CoLab logo, as well as the logo of our funding partner, in accordance with provided branding guidelines. Email us to access the Children's Cancer CoLab logo and branding guidelines.

Publicity

Grant recipients are required to support Children's Cancer CoLab’s mission by allowing information about their funded projects, including outcomes and outputs, to be used for charitable purposes. This may involve sharing project details with funding partners and the broader childhood cancer community. Importantly, any information shared will not include confidential information or anything that could jeopardise the project’s intellectual property. Grant recipients are also expected to collaborate with Children's Cancer CoLab in creating materials that communicate the impact of their projects, such as news stories and project or investigator profiles.

Grant recipients are also responsible for ensuring all necessary rights and permissions are obtained for any images, videos, or materials provided to Children's Cancer CoLab for publicity purposes. In the case of personnel fully funded through the Future Leaders Impact Program, naming rights will be granted to recognise Children's Cancer CoLab’s support. Additionally, these requirements may extend to Children's Cancer CoLab’s funding partners, allowing for co-branding or joint recognition as appropriate.

Intellectual property and commercialisation

Intellectual property (IP) generated from projects funded by Children's Cancer CoLab remains with the grant recipient or administering institution. However, in line with our funding requirements, recipients must prioritise the benefit of Australian and Victorian communities in any commercialisation or clinical trial activities arising from Children's Cancer CoLab-funded projects. Additionally, relevant Victorian Government entities are given first or concurrent visibility into investment opportunities related to commercially developable IP.

Whilst Children's Cancer CoLab does not require prior consent for commercialisation of Children's Cancer CoLab-funded IP, it is essential that administering institutions continue to tell us about their IP-related activities.

As a charitable organisation, Children's Cancer CoLab has a legal obligation to ensure that any private benefits resulting from our funding are appropriate and aligned with our mission. To fulfil this responsibility, we generally take a share of any revenue or equity generated by grant recipients / administering institutions through the commercialisation of IP funded by us. This income is then reinvested to further our charitable objectives.

In line with this approach, if commercialisation of Children's Cancer CoLab-funded IP generates revenue or equity, Children's Cancer CoLab must receive a share of the net financial return, typically 17%, to reinvest in the childhood cancer research ecosystem and support future research initiatives. Net financial return is defined as gross income from commercialisation activities, minus direct costs and applicable taxes. When Children's Cancer CoLab is not the sole funder, revenue sharing is calculated on a pro-rata basis, reflecting both the inventive contributions and the proportion of funding provided by Children's Cancer CoLab and other funders.

Compliance with laws and regulations

All projects funded by Children's Cancer CoLab must obtain and maintain all necessary institutional approvals, including relevant ethics clearances, for the duration of the grant. Grant recipients are required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including international sanctions where relevant.

To uphold our values, we do not support projects or organisations with direct or indirect affiliations to industries that conflict with Children's Cancer CoLab’s mission, such as tobacco, alcohol, or gambling companies. We also require that all grant recipients maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct, with zero tolerance for fraud, corruption, bribery, or any unethical practices by staff or collaborators.

Transparency is essential; recipients must not accept anonymous donations or funds from unverifiable sources, to prevent money laundering and ensure accountability. We are committed to child safety and require a zero-tolerance policy for any form of child exploitation, abuse, or neglect in all programs, operations, and partnerships. Additionally, we expect all funded organisations to avoid conflicts of interest, maintain the charity’s independence, and ensure non-discriminatory practices in hiring, program delivery, and partnerships.