Research and Innovation Act 2024

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Assessment of applications, and awards of funding, for research and innovation

37. (1) The Chief Executive Officer shall arrange for the assessment, in accordance with subsection (2), of proposals for research and innovation contained in applications received by the Agency pursuant to section 36 .

(2) The assessment of proposals for research and innovation contained in applications—

(a) shall be undertaken by an assessor or assessors, with the required expertise to do so having regard to the purpose of the funding scheme concerned, who are nominated by the Chief Executive Officer for that purpose,

(b) shall be conducted in an independent and transparent manner in accordance with the terms of that funding scheme and this Part, and

(c) shall include an assessment and evaluation of the standard and quality of the proposals by the assessor or assessors so nominated for that purpose by peer review on an international basis, by reference to an international standard or by any other review process that is equivalent to international good practice.

(3) An assessor or assessors shall, upon completion of the assessment of the proposals for research and innovation under subsection (2), make recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer as to the standard and quality of those proposals, their suitability for an award of funding and, where appropriate, the conditions subject to which such an award ought to be made.

(4) The Chief Executive Officer shall, as respects applications for funding—

(a) consider the recommendations made by an assessor or assessors under subsection (3),

(b) consider information (if any) as respects the applications and the applicants obtained by him or her under section 36 (5),

(c) having regard to—

(i) the objects and functions of the Agency specified in sections 8 and 9 respectively,

(ii) the objectives, outputs and related strategies in the corporate plan of the Agency under section 23 , and

(iii) the proposed activities and performance targets related to those activities in the annual plan of the Agency under section 24 ,

consider how, and the extent to which, awards of funding for those applications would achieve an appropriate balance as regards the disbursement by the Agency of moneys at its disposal for the funding of research and innovation.

(5) The Chief Executive Officer, having considered the matters referred to in subsection (4) as respects the applications, shall make a recommendation to the Board as to whether or not an award of funding ought to be made to each applicant and, where appropriate, the conditions subject to which such an award might be made.

(6) The Board shall consider the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer under subsection (5), together with the matters referred to in subsection (4) to be considered by the Chief Executive Officer in making those recommendations, and shall determine the applicant or applicants (if any) to whom an award of funding shall be made by the Agency and the conditions subject to which such an award shall be made.

(7) The Chief Executive Officer shall, by notice in writing, inform each applicant of the determination of the Board regarding the application of the applicant under subsection (6).

(8) If an application is approved, the Agency shall award funding (in this Act referred to as an “award of funding”) to the applicant (in this Act referred to as a “recipient of funding”) in accordance with the determination of the Board under subsection (6) in the manner so determined and subject to the conditions referred to in subsection (9).

(9) The conditions of an award of funding that a recipient of funding under a funding scheme shall comply with (in this Act referred to as the “conditions of funding”) shall include a requirement on the recipient of funding—

(a) subject to section 39 , to use the funding for the purpose for which it is awarded,

(b) to undertake the research and innovation for which the funding is awarded to a standard and quality to be assessed and evaluated in a manner, in accordance with good international practices, that is specified by the Agency,

(c) to provide financial information relating to the award of funding to the Chief Executive Officer,

(d) to use the award of funding in a cost effective manner,

(e) to operate with regard to the award of funding according to standards of good governance,

(f) to comply with financial requirements as respects the award of funding,

(g) to provide information to the Agency to enable it to assess and evaluate the outcome and, where appropriate, the impact of the research and innovation undertaken for which funding is awarded,

(h) to comply with the funding scheme, this Act and regulations made thereunder, and

(i) to comply with such other conditions as may be determined by the Board.

(10) The Chief Executive Officer shall inform a recipient of funding, by notice in writing, of the terms of the award of funding, including the conditions of funding with which the recipient of funding shall comply.