Veterans' Health and Wellbeing Research Grants Program

The Queensland Government has committed $10 million over four years to deliver initiatives that recognise and support our veterans, including investing $500,000 in the new Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing Research Grants Program.

This grants program aims to support vital research to add to the understanding of veterans’ health and contribute to improved wellbeing for veterans.

I am pleased that Queensland researchers can contribute to this important work and I encourage eligible organisations to apply.

The Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing Research Grants Program is now open for applications and will close on 19 June 2023.

Successful applicants are expected to be announced later this year.

Thank you for working alongside the Queensland Government to support our veterans and their families.

Annastacia Palaszczuk MP
Premier of Queensland
Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Queensland Government has committed $500,000 for the Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing Research Grants Program (the Grants Program) to support research to identify new and better ways to strengthen and foster veterans’ health and wellbeing.

This document sets out the guidelines for the Grants Program.

This Grants Program will support Queensland-based researchers to undertake new research, or to expand the scope of existing research to improve understanding of issues impacting on veterans’ health and wellbeing.

The primary objective of the Grants Program is to support the veterans’ community in Queensland through facilitating research into veterans’ health and wellbeing.

The Grants Program aims to deliver the following outcomes:

• increasing awareness and understanding of veterans’ health and wellbeing issues
• contributing to a robust foundation of research in collaboration with and about veterans and their community
• translating research into outcomes for veterans, delivering tangible benefits and practical results for veterans’ health and wellbeing
• providing opportunities for researchers to pursue or continue research into veterans’ health and wellbeing
• supporting applied research and its development.

Projects funded under the Grants Program are expected to be delivered within 18 months, between 2 January 2024 and 30 June 2025.

Please note: the above dates may be subject to change. There may be opportunity to negotiate timeframes when the grant offer is made.

Funding between $25,000 and $150,000 (excluding GST) per grant is available. This funding supports the cost of conducting research that will support the health and wellbeing of Queensland veterans. This funding can be used for salary, equipment, undertaking consultation and other agreed expenditure items. (Refer to Section 5 - Eligibility for further details.)

Research project and priority areas

The proposed research project must add to existing understanding of veterans’ health and wellbeing, in areas including:

• veteran suicide and mental health issues
• drug and alcohol use
• prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and intervention for veterans’ health issues (e.g. management of
  service-related chronic pain)
• promotion of veteran resilience
• support for transition from the Australian Defence Force (ADF)
• impacts of ADF service on veterans’ partners and family members.

The administering or applicant organisation

The administering or applicant organisation must:

• be a Queensland-based administering or applicant organisation that conducts research as part of its core activities such as universities, research institutes and foundations
• be registered for goods and services tax (GST)
• possess a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be financially solvent and accept legal and financial responsibility for the grant.

All applications must have a named Principal Investigator (PI), who will be responsible for the proposed research and is the corresponding applicant on behalf of the lead administering or applicant organisation and all
co-investigators.

Applicants cannot apply for funding for items that have been funded from another source. Applicants will be asked to provide a detailed breakdown and justification of the funding requested in the application form.

Applicants with unresolved financial accountability, service delivery or performance issues for activities previously funded by the Queensland Government may be ineligible to receive funding under this Grants Program. Applicants are required to declare any issues during the application process.

Expenditure incurred prior to 2 January 2024 is ineligible for funding.

Applicants may be offered a smaller funding amount than applied for in their application. This may be due to factors including:

• items that are not eligible for funding being incorrectly included in the funding sought
• amounts included in the project budget that have been rounded up from quotes
• the Grants Program being oversubscribed.

Applicants will be required to indicate on their application form if they will accept partial funding.

Funding may be used for the following eligible costs:

• PI salary costs, including standard on-costs (leave loading, superannuation contributions, workers’ compensation contributions and payroll tax). Where the funding is used for salary costs, the PI’s total salary (drawn from all sources) is not to exceed the salary the PI would have received in their substantive position for the same full time equivalent (FTE) percentage. That is, the PI cannot use funds to pay for a stipend that increases their substantive salary.
• salary costs for co-investigators and other research/technical staff, including post-doctoral research staff
• project costs directly related to the proposed program of research including consumables
• partial funding to expand the scope of an existing research project to support a sub-study focused specifically on improving veteran health and wellbeing
• travel costs, for the PI only, that are essential to the program of research as outlined in the application (excluding relocation) up to a total of $5,000 (excluding GST). This includes economy class travel only, and reasonable accommodation, per diem and conference attendance expenses.
• equipment costs directly related to the proposed program of research up to a total of $10,000 (excluding GST) and equipment maintenance can be claimed.
• publication costs for quarter 1 and quarter 2 journals.

The proposed research must be conducted in Queensland; however, this does not preclude collaboration with experts elsewhere in Australia or overseas. The funding will only support the Queensland site/s of a collaboration.

Only eligible expenditure incurred on or after the commencement of the Grant can be claimed.

Budget items are open to scrutiny of the Grants Program assessment panel and a strong rationale for funding should be provided in the application. A detailed quote for service must be provided for applications seeking over $10,000 (excluding GST) to engage third-party services or skilled specialists, e.g. statistician.

Items not eligible for funding include:

• institutional on-costs above standard salary on-costs
• institutional overheads and operational costs, including general facility and accommodation related costs
• travel and conference attendance costs for co-investigators or associated research staff, other than the PI as outlined above
• costs associated with separate projects/programs of the lead administering or applicant organisation
• salary costs of the PI, co-investigators or other dedicated research/technical staff that are not directly related to the proposed program of research
• costs associated with administrative support staff. Requests for funding to contract research services that can be performed by the administering or applicant organisation will require a strong rationale.
• computers and laptops, unless highly specialised and essential to the project.

The Principal Investigator (PI) must include letters of support (maximum 2 pages per letter) from their current employer (administering or applicant organisation) and any partner organisation/s:

• From the Principal Investigator's current employer only—details of the research strengths of the organisation and the alignment of the proposed research activities with these strengths; confirmation of the Principal Investigator’s current employment arrangements including salary (If funding is being sought to cover Principal Investigator time) and the researcher’s proposed employment arrangements for the duration of the Grants Program; confirmation of any funded co-investigator's salary costs.
• From the Administering / Applicant Organisation and all collaborating agencies—support being given to the proposed program of research, including any cash and in-kind commitments; signature of the relevant organisational representative with appropriate authority to provide endorsement of the application, provided on a document with the organisation’s letterhead.

Letters of support should be included at the end of the application form.

It is essential that all research funded under the Grants Program be approved by the appropriate Ethics Committee/s. Requests for ethics and governance approvals must be submitted prior to completing the grant application and approved within six months of the grant offer being made. The grant offer will be rescinded if the ethics and governance approvals are not obtained.  In such instances, where funding has been paid in line with the execution of the Letter of Agreement, the funding will need to be returned to Office for Veterans, DPC.

In addition, many projects will require approval by the Department of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs Human Research Ethics Committee (DDVA HREC) and/or other health bodies or data custodians. Such ethics approvals must follow the guidelines of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) - Updated May 2015.

Researchers are encouraged to visit the DDVA HREC and HREC websites for additional information at:

• www.defence.gov.au/Health/HREC/
• www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-ethics/human-research-ethics-committees-hrecs

Other conditions

• The PI has primary responsibility for the oversight and management of the proposed research and is the corresponding applicant for the Office for Veterans. In submitting the application, the PI is certifying that all named investigators on the application have read the application in full and given their consent to be included in the research project.
• The PI must dedicate at least 0.20 FTE on the research project per week.
• Should the PI’s employment or personal situation change during the period of funding, a grant variation approved by the Office for Veterans, Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) will be required.
• Research funded under the Grants Program must be conducted in accordance with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) - Updated 2018.
• The research funding is non-renewable.
• Any proposed major changes to a research project plan or budget (e.g. change in project scope, aims, ethics approvals, change of research personnel, or project timeline extension) must be provided to the Office for Veterans, DPC for endorsement four weeks prior to the effective date of change.
• If the funds provided from the Grants Program do not cover the total cost of the research project, it is the responsibility of the applicant to meet any outstanding costs. The ability to meet these additional costs should be demonstrated in the Grants Program application.
• All unspent or surplus funds at the completion of the research program must be returned to the Office for Veterans, DPC.
• It is recognised that outcomes of the research undertaken (e.g. journal publications) may occur after the tenure of the funded grant, and the Office for Veterans, DPC reserves the right to request information on research outcomes beyond the date of funding completion.
• An acknowledgement of funding from the Queensland Government must be provided on all publications and promotion of research project and outcomes, namely “This research project is proudly supported by the Queensland Government”.

An application is not an agreement or contract. Meeting the assessment criteria does not automatically guarantee funding.

Applicants are encouraged to carefully consider the assessment criteria and the weighting applied to the assessment criteria.

Applications from eligible organisations will be assessed by an independent Grants Program assessment panel.

Applicants should prepare a thorough, detailed application and include all required information to assist assessors in their decision making.

Applications will be evaluated and rated against the following assessment criteria:

Criterion 1: Scientific quality, relevance, and merit of the project (30%)

To address this criterion, the applicant must:

• clearly outline the proposed research, specifying the research questions
• demonstrate why the proposed research is novel and include reasons for its importance and relevance to veterans’ health and wellbeing in Queensland
• demonstrate that the proposed research design is robust, consistent with and appropriate to the aims of the project, and achievable
• detail the methodology and data collection tools used to conduct the research
• identify the target audience
• provide standalone milestones that are measurable and easy to evaluate.

Criterion 2: Translation into outcomes for Queensland veterans and their community (30%)

To address this criterion, the applicant must:

• outline how evaluation will be undertaken for the research project
• provide clear, quantifiable outcomes/benefits that are expected to be delivered to the veterans' community in Queensland. Examples of these are new solutions, services, processes, procedures or social benefits. (Ensure that the outcomes and benefits are realistic and achievable)
• detail the timeframes for delivery of these tangible benefits for veterans' community.

Criterion 3: Investigator team track record (20%)

To address this criterion, the applicant must outline:

• the expertise of the PI and co-investigators and how this aligns with the proposed research topics
• the role of each investigator in the project, and what they will contribute to the project
• their experience in conducting/leading research projects and budgets to deliver projects on time and in line with agreed activities and milestones
• their capacity to engage and collaborate with external stakeholders
• their experience with translating research into practical outcomes.

Criterion 4: Meaningful collaboration (10%)

To address this criterion, the applicant must:

• demonstrate engagement with the veterans' community through co-design or other meaningful stakeholder engagement
• outline the complementary skills and expertise of key partners that will facilitate engagement with the veteran community
• identify the access to specialist equipment and supplies that can be provided by key partners (if any).

Criterion 5: Budget (10%)

To address this criterion, the applicant must:

• itemise the funding sought, with written quotes (where applicable)
• provide rationale for the appropriateness and impact of the expenditure.

All funded projects will be monitored and assessed by the Office for Veterans, DPC in line with the Letter of Agreement, to ensure the grant is achieving its objectives

Successful applicants will be required to provide progress reports as part of their key milestones and deliver the project within timeframes and in the manner specified in the Letter of Agreement.

Delays in submitting required reports may result in delayed payments to the applicant.

Successful applicants must complete bi-annual progress reports summarising grant outcomes and progress against milestones, and financial acquittal statements must be submitted to the Office of Veterans, DPC via SmartyGrants.

As part of the final reporting process, investigators must clearly outline the completion of their agreed research activities and details of the project outcomes.

The final report is to be provided within three months of the conclusion of the project.

Extensions to the approved project completion date may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants are required to formally request an extension via SmartyGrants, detailing the unforeseen circumstance/s impacting on project completion, the actions taken to minimise the impact and the adjusted project plan and milestones.

Funding under the Grants Program will be awarded through a competitive application assessment process.

Step 1: Check eligibility

Check that the applicant/s and project are eligible for funding by reviewing these guidelines and the frequently asked questions or by emailing veterans@premiers.qld.gov.au.

Step 2: Prepare supporting documentation

Applications must be accompanied by the appropriate supporting documentation for the research project.

Prepare the following documents and submit with the application (where relevant and/or applicable):

• detailed project plan with start and end dates, timelines for key activities, responsibilities and implementation milestones, key performance indicators
• detailed budget for project costs including written quotes (where applicable)
• signed letters of support from the lead administering or applicant organisation, and other collaborating organisations/ agencies or research partners of previous research projects (on letterhead), including confirmation of any financial and in-kind contributions. (Note: all funding must be confirmed at the time of submission.)
• details of any consultation undertaken to support the application
• other key documents that are relevant to the project via the application form (e.g. evidence of ethics submission, noting approval must be provided within six months of the grant offer).

Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Applications and all required supporting documentation must be submitted via SmartyGrants by the closing date.

Step 3: Apply online

Applications must be submitted online through SmartyGrants by 5pm on 19 June 2023. Late applications will not be accepted.

Applications will only be accepted through SmartyGrants. Applications will not be accepted in person, by email, post, fax, or once applications have closed.

The application form must be completed by a person authorised to submit the application on behalf of the applicant.

Applications can be saved and completed later.

Once submitted, applicants will receive an auto-generated email from SmartyGrants confirming submission with an application identification number that can be used as a reference. Please quote this number in all correspondence relating to the application.

If you do not receive this notification, please contact the Office of Veterans on (07) 3003 9398 to confirm that the application form has been submitted correctly.

Please note: The PI is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete and accurate. Giving false or misleading information may exclude the applicant from funding consideration.

Eligible applications will be assessed by an independent Grants Program assessment panel against the Grants Program objectives and assessment criteria.

Applicants may be asked to provide additional information to support their application.

Due diligence checking will be undertaken on the applicant, and outcomes from this process will inform project assessments.

The number and value of grants awarded is at the discretion of the Queensland Government.

Notification of outcome

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in writing.

It is not possible to provide information about the status of individual applications during the assessment process and prior to announcement of outcomes.

If applicants require further information, please email veterans@premiers.qld.gov.au.

Successful applicants will be sent a legally binding Letter of Agreement. The Letter of Agreement is the legal agreement between the Queensland Government and the successful applicant and contains project deliverables, milestone dates, payment terms and other conditions of the grant.

There is no binding agreement until the Letter of Agreement is signed by both the lead administering or applicant organisation’s delegate and a representative of DPC.

In managing the funding provided, the lead organisation must comply with the requirements of the Letter of Agreement.

Funding will be provided to successful applicants once they have entered into a Letter of Agreement and satisfied the milestones detailed in this agreement.

Grant funding will be released as follows:

• 30% upon provision of a fully executed Letter of Agreement, signed by both the applicant and a representative of DPC
• 30% upon receiving ethics and governance approval within six months of grant offer
• 40% upon completion of the final report and milestone/s being achieved.

Funding distribution may be varied on a case-by-case basis in line with the project requirements in the Letter of Agreement.

All funded projects will be monitored and evaluated by the Office for Veterans to ensure the Grants Program is achieving its objectives.

Grant funding is exempt from GST. Grant funding is GST exclusive and grant funding cannot be used to pay GST.

Milestone payments will be made directly into the organisation’s nominated bank account via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

The applicant is advised to seek independent professional advice or contact the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on queries relating to GST or other taxation obligations. The ATO can be contacted on 13 28 69 or online at www.ato.gov.au.

The Office for Veterans, DPC is unable to provide advice on an applicant’s taxation circumstances.

Applicants must seek and obtain written approval from the Department of the Premier and Cabinet prior to contacting or responding to the media or providing public statement of any kind in relation to the Grants Program.

If you have any queries, please contact the Office for Veterans by:

• telephone on: (07) 3003 9398
• email at: veterans@premiers.qld.gov.au

1. The Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing Research Grants Program is conducted by the State of Queensland acting through the Department of the Premier and Cabinet ABN 65 959 415 158 in accordance with the Grants Program guidelines and on the following terms and conditions.

Definitions

2. In these terms and conditions:
1. “applicant” means the organisation making the application
2. “application” means the official application for a grant submitted by the applicant as part of the Grants Program
3. “acquittal” means the discharge and settlement of the grant
4. “closing date” means 5pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on Monday 19 June 2023
5. “DPC” means the State of Queensland acting through the Department of the Premier and Cabinet
   (ABN 65 959 415 158)
6. “Grants Program” means the Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing Research Grants Program
7. “Letter of Agreement” means the written Letter of Agreement to be entered into between DPC and each successful applicant on terms to be further agreed
8. “milestone” means a marked progress point of activities that is outlined in the funding agreement for a milestone payment
9. “Minister” means the Minister with responsibility for the Grants Program
10. “project” means the research project detailed in the application for which the applicant is seeking a grant
11. “personal information” has the same meaning as in the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld).

Eligibility

3. Applicants must:
1. be a Queensland-based entity that conducts research as part of its core activities
2. have a valid Australian Business Number (ABN)
3. be registered for GST
4. be seeking funding support for a research project that will support Queensland veterans
5. be financially solvent and accept legal and financial responsibility for the grant.
4. Applications must:
1. be received by the closing date
2. contain all information specified in the application form
3. accompany the application with a project plan, and letters of support
4. be submitted online through SmartyGrants. Applications submitted through any other means will not be accepted.
5. Joint applications will be considered as one application. While multiple organisations meeting all the eligibility criteria may apply together as part of a joint application, one organisation must nominate to be the lead applicant and accept legal and financial responsibility for the grant.
6. Applicants must have no outstanding financial accountability, service delivery or performance issues for funding previously provided by the Queensland Government. Applicants with outstanding financial accountability, service delivery or performance issues for funding previously provided by the Queensland Government are required to declare this during the application process. Additional performance criteria may be imposed at DPC’s discretion.
7. DPC’s decision upon the eligibility of an application shall be final.

Withdrawals

8. Applicants may withdraw their application at any time up to and including the closing date. After the closing date, applicants wishing to withdraw their application must contact DPC by email at veterans@premiers.qld.gov.au.

Disclosure and publication

9. By submitting an application, the applicant/s:
1. authorises the use and/or publication of the applicant’s name and details of the project, in relation to any promotional or advertising purposes in conjunction with the Grants Program
2. consents to any information provided with the application being provided to Members of Queensland Parliament and the applicant’s name, address and details of funding awarded being provided to the media
3. acknowledges that DPC and its officers, employees, agents and sub‑contractors may use and disclose any of the information provided with the application, including personal information, to Queensland Government departments or agencies, Queensland Government bodies, non‑government organisations and/or the Commonwealth, states or territories for any purpose in connection with the administration of the Grants Program
4. consents to the applicant’s name, location and details of funding awarded (including purpose and amount of funding allocated) being published on the Queensland Veterans’ Portal and the Queensland Government Open Data Portal
5. acknowledges that the Right to Information Act 2009 (Qld) provides members of the public with a legally enforceable right to access documents held by Queensland Government agencies, subject to the exemptions under the Act
6. warrants that the applicant is not in breach of any law, constitution, or any other requirement the applicant is bound to comply with
7. warrants that the use of such information or material as above will not infringe the rights of any third party or any law.

Assessment

10. The Grants Program assessment panel will be comprised of Queensland Government employees and other persons external to the Queensland Government.
11. The Grants Program assessment panel will assess applications against the assessment criteria and will provide recommendations to the Director-General, DPC for approval.
12. Applicants are required to consent to information contained in their application being provided to the Grants Program assessment panel, the Director-General, DPC and the Premier and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
13. All decisions and recommendations are binding and final and there is no process of appeal.

Successful applications

14. Successful applicants will be required to:
1. enter into a Letter of Agreement with DPC within a reasonable time of being notified that the application has been successful. Provision of the funding support to the successful applicant will be subject to and conditional upon the applicant further agreeing to and executing the Letter of Agreement
2. obtain all appropriate documentation, e.g. approvals, bank details, evidential requirements, and provide copies to DPC on request and in accordance with the Letter of Agreement
3. provide DPC with the administering or applicant organisation’s banking details, for the purposes of verifying bank account details
4. acknowledge the Queensland Government’s contribution, including but not limited to:
1. logo acknowledgement (in print and online form)
2. funding acknowledgement in all relevant published material, media releases and public statements
3. actively promoting their research and providing and provide project information, if required
4. attend media/promotion events, if requested by DPC.
5. work with DPC on any matter related to advertising and promotion of the project
6. if applicable, ensure DPC is granted an appropriate licence to use, reproduce and communicate to the public any works produced in the course of or as a result of the project
7. complete the project by the date stated in the Letter of Agreement
8. advise DPC of all project changes immediately, including changes to programming and sponsors, project timeframes, project planning and design
9. fulfil all reporting and acquittal requirements as per the Letter of Agreement
10. return all unspent funds to DPC and repay funds spent on purposes not approved by the date of acquittal.

Payments and GST

15. This grant is not subject to GST. The grant is GST exclusive, and no part of the grant can be used for the payment of GST.
16. The total amount of funding committed to the applicant’s project will be paid by DPC as follows:
    1. 30% upon signature and execution of the Letter of Agreement
    2. 30%upon receiving ethics and governance approval within six months of grant offer
    3. 40% upon completion of the final report and milestone/s being achieved
    4. or as otherwise approved by DPC.
    Note: Funding distribution may be varied on a case-by-case basis in line with the project requirements in the Letter of Agreement.
17. Projects are expected to be completed within 18 months. If an application for a project exceeding 18 months (from the date of the Letter of Agreement to the nominated project end date) is successful, the applicant may be required to provide additional project status reports as requested by DPC. The above-mentioned milestone payments may be subject to DPC’s acceptance of these reports.
18. The applicant will be required to submit valid tax invoices to DPC in accordance with the GST legislation and reporting requirements.
19. Payments will be made via electronic funds transfer to the applicant’s nominated bank account.

Reservation of rights

20. Despite any provision of these guidelines to the contrary, DPC reserves the right to administer the Grants Program and conduct the process for the assessment and approval of applications to the Grants Program in such manner as it thinks fit, in its absolute discretion.
21. Without limiting the above paragraph, DPC retains all rights and powers to make all decisions and actions to achieve the Grants Program’s objectives and DPC reserves the right, in its absolute discretion and at any time, to:
1. change the structure, procedures, nature, scope or timing of, or alter the terms of participation in the process or overall Grants Program, including submission and compliance of applications, where in such circumstances DPC may, by direct notification to applicants or via the Queensland Veterans' Portal.
2. consider or accept, or refuse to consider or accept, any application which is lodged other than in accordance with these guidelines or is lodged after the relevant date for lodgement, or which does not contain the information required by these guidelines or is otherwise non-conforming in any respect
3. vary or amend the eligibility, assessment criteria, and the terms and conditions
4. take into account any information from its own and other sources, including other government agencies and other advisers
5. accept or reject any application, having regard to these guidelines, the eligibility criteria, the assessment criteria or any other item, matter or thing which DPC considers relevant, including the limitations on the funds available for the Grants Program
6. give preference by allocating weighting to any one or more of the eligibility criteria or assessment criteria over other criteria
7. seek clarifications or additional information from or provide clarifications or additional information to any applicant, or to negotiate or deal with or seek presentations or interviews from any applicant
8. conduct due diligence investigations in respect of any applicant and subject applications to due diligence, technical, financial and economic appraisals
9. require an applicant to clarify or substantiate any claims, assumptions or commitment contained in an application or provide any additional information
10. terminate the further participation of any applicant in the application process
11. terminate or reinstate the Grants Program or any process in the Grants Program
12. DPC reserves the right not to allocate the total amount of funding available in a funding round if, in the opinion of the Grants Program assessment panel, there are insufficient applications of suitable merit.

No relationship and liability

22. DPC’s obligations in connection with the application process are limited to those expressly stated in these guidelines.
23. The conduct of inviting applications does not give rise to any legal or equitable relationship. No contractual or legal relationship exists between DPC and an applicant in connection with the Grants Program, these guidelines or the application process or any stage of the Grants Program. An applicant, or its representatives:
1. has no authority or power, and must not purport to have the authority or power to bind DPC, or make representations on behalf of DPC
2. must not hold itself out or engage in any conduct or make any representation which may suggest to any person that the applicant is for any purpose an employee, agent, partner or joint venturer with DPC
3. must not represent to any person that DPC is a party to the proposed project other than as a potential funder, subject to the competitive application process detailed in these guidelines.
24. Except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law, DPC, including its officers, employees and agents is excluded from all liability, including negligence, for any loss or damage, including loss of opportunity or personal injury, whether direct, indirect, special, or arising in any way out of an application.
25. Applications received, including material and documents accompanying the applications, shall not be returned to the applicant.
26. No person shall be entitled to claim compensation or loss from DPC for any matter arising out of the application process, including but not limited to cancellation of the Grants Program or failure by DPC to comply with the Grant Program guidelines or these terms and conditions.

Participation at applicant’s cost

27. Each applicant participates in the application process at their own cost and risk.
28. To the extent permitted by law, no applicant will have any claim of any kind whatsoever against DPC (whether in contract, tort including negligence, equity, under statute or otherwise) arising from or in connection with:
1. any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities suffered or incurred by the applicant in preparing and submitting its application (including any amendments, requests for further information by DPC, attendance at meetings or involvement in discussions) or otherwise in connection with the Grants Program
2. DPC at any time exercising or failing to exercise, in its absolute discretion, any rights it has under or in connection with the Grants Program or
3. any of the matters or things relevant to its application or the Grants Program in respect of which the applicant must satisfy itself under these guidelines.
29. Without limiting the above paragraph, if DPC cancels or varies the Grants Program at any time or does not select any applicant following its assessment of the applications, or does (or fails to do) any other thing referred to under the Reservation of Rights in these guidelines, no applicant will have any claim against DPC arising from or in connection with any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by the applicant in preparing and submitting its application or otherwise in connection with or in relation to (whether directly or indirectly) the Grants Program.

Non-exhaustive

30. These guidelines have been prepared to give potential applicants background information in relation to the Grants Program, and do not contain all of the information that applicants may require in reaching decisions in relation to whether or not to submit an application.
31. Applicants must form their own views as to what information is relevant to such decisions.
32. Applicants must make their own independent investigations of the information contained or referred to in these guidelines. Applicants must obtain their own independent legal, financial, tax and other advice in relation to information in these guidelines, or otherwise made available to them, during the application process.
33. DPC accepts no responsibility whether arising from negligence or otherwise (except a liability that cannot lawfully be excluded) for any reliance placed upon the information provided by it in connection with the Grants Program or interpretations placed on that information by applicants.

Intellectual property

34. Any intellectual property rights that may exist in an application will remain the property of an applicant or the rightful owner of those intellectual property rights. Any part of an application considered to contain intellectual property rights should be clearly identified by an applicant.
35. The applicant grants to DPC (and will ensure relevant third parties grant) a non-exclusive, royalty free and irrevocable licence to use and reproduce the intellectual property for the purpose of administering the Grants Program.

Law

36. These guidelines are governed by the laws applicable in Queensland.

Acceptance

37. By submitting an application, each applicant:
1. warrants to DPC that the information contained in its application is accurate and complete as at the date on which it is submitted and not by omission misleading, and may be relied on by DPC in assessing the application
2. undertakes to promptly advise DPC if the applicant becomes aware of any change in circumstances which causes the information contained in its application to become inaccurate or incomplete in a material respect
3. acknowledges that DPC will rely on the above warranty and undertaking when evaluating the application
4. acknowledges that DPC may elect to remove an application at any stage as a result of material changes to the information presented in its application
5. acknowledges that DPC may suffer loss or damage if the applicant breaches the above warranty and undertaking and
6. is taken to have accepted these Guidelines, including these terms and conditions.

Other

38. Additional terms and conditions will be included in the Letter of Agreement.
39. For further information regarding DPC’s privacy practices please visit www.premiers.qld.gov.au/tools/privacy.aspx.
40. Further details of DPC’s complaints management policy can be found at www.premiers.qld.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/compliments-and-complaints.aspx.
41. Complaints relating to the outcome of an application should be addressed to:

Post:
Office for Veterans
Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
CITY EAST QLD 4002

Email:
veterans@premiers.qld.gov.au