Following on from the launch of the Research Funding Solution (RFS) in v6.2, we have continued to expand our new suite of pre-award functionality and introduce new award management functionality.  Highlights from this release include: 

• Functionality for tracking application submissions to funder 

• Capturing funder outcome details

• Support for multi-stage proposals (e.g. Expression of Interest through to full Proposal)

• Contract Review workflows

With this release, we have completed the initial delivery phase of all pre-award functionality, supporting the full pre-award lifecycle from Funding Opportunity creation and publication, through to capturing the funder outcome, and initiation and monitoring of contract review activities.

Image : The pre-award workflow for external funding calls (optional expression of interest stage included)

This release includes support for multi-stage proposals (e.g. Expression of Interest through to full Proposal), supporting a number of possible workflows (both internal and external) in the proposal preparation, approval, and award process.

Further details are available here.

With this release, RFS now also supports tracking application submission to funder and capturing funder outcome details.  This includes the introduction of new statuses ('Ready for submission to funder', 'Submitted to funder'), new metadata fields for capturing submission details and funder outcomes, and new processes for managing EOIs / Proposals through the various funder interactions.  Further details are available here.

In a future release, we will be expanding the submission to funder and funder outcomes content available in the reporting database, with the aim of producing stock reports that will include analyses such as success rates (by Opportunity, by Funder, by Group).

This release also includes functionality to support the contract review process for successful applications.  This includes capturing contract documentation, assigning internal reviewers, and tracking communications with the funder.  Further details are available in this support article.

The new RFS integration monitoring screen included in this release enables System Administrators, Research Funding Administrators, and Symplectic support colleagues to more easily troubleshoot any issues with the interaction between Elements and the RFS server.  Further details are available in this support article.

We have delivered additional improvements:

• Addition of Proposal and Review data to the Elements Reporting databases, and the Elements API

• GRID integration improvements (for sourcing external organisations such as Funders and external collaborators)

• Updates to review and approval functionality

• Support for Māori macrons and other special characters

• Updates to existing stock registered reports and data extractsas more content is becoming available in the RFS, and the addition of two new reports on Review data:

  • All funding reviews (data extract): Details of all reviews and approvals for submitted Proposals.

  • Funding reviews - managing group (formatted report): Summary tables of all reviews (by status, by Proposal, full details).