Co-Funding Partnerships Program
The Co-Funding Partnerships Program (Co-FPP) is a program of the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund.
The purpose of the Co-FPP is to establish collaborations and funding partnerships with funding organisations to bring genuinely new non-government funding or maximise the impact of existing charitable funding for health and medical research and innovation in WA, and to build a culture that supports co-operation and interconnectedness.
Advantages of partnering with the FHRI Fund, which is administered by the Department of Health, include:
- Leveraged funding in a shared area of interest, increasing impact.
- Reputational benefits of being involved in Programs supported by the FHRI Fund, which is the State’s premier and legislated vehicle to support health and medical research and innovation.
- Promotional opportunities to publicise co-funded programs, including through Ministerial media statements, the FHRI Fund website and extensive stakeholder distribution channels.
- Access to expert personnel to design bespoke funding programs that are transparent and competitive or choose from tried and tested FHRI Fund programs tailored for the co-funded program or initiative.
- Best-practice application review processes, including access to expert reviewers drawn from an extensive database including consumers, clinicians, academics and private industry.
- Unparalleled cross-sector reach, including into hospitals, universities, research institutes and industry to ensure high-quality applications are received.
- Robust grant award and management processes, ensuring co-funding is spent appropriately.
- Embedded evaluation, so that the benefits of the co-funding are tracked.
The Co-FPP has two streams:
- Stream A is open to all eligible entities who will contribute genuinely new funding to establish a new co-funded program.
- Stream B is for co-funding of an existing successful WA funding program and is open only to active charitable organisations listed on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission register.
Further information about the Co-FPP is provided below. If you would like to speak to someone, please email the Office of Medical Research and Innovation and a team member will get in touch with you.
Eligibility
Co-FPP applications may be made by an organisation. Partnerships will only be formed where the proposed use of partnership funds aligns with at least one of the Priority Goals and at least one of the Focus Areas.
Application process
Selection of co-funding partners will be through a two-step process:
- Potential partners submit an online Expression of Interest (EOI)
- If the EOI is found to be eligible and appropriate, the potential partner will be invited to submit a Proposal to Partner form.
The Office of Medical Research and Innovation will guide potential partners through the above steps.
Proposals to Partner will be reviewed by a suitably experienced panel and, if successful, the partner and the Office of Medical Research and Innovation will work together to design the new co-funded program.
Funding
Co-FPP proposals may request contributions from the FHRI Fund of between $500,000 and $1,000,000 per annum per proposal and the FHRI Fund contribution must be at least matched in cash by the Funding Partner. The co-funded Program cannot be ongoing.
The co-funded program
Co-funded programs could, for example, provide funding for fellowships, research projects, innovation activities or infrastructure. The Office of Medical Research and Innovation will work with partners to determine a co-funded program that suits the partner and the FHRI Fund.
Award of funding through the Co-FPP will be through open, competitive and transparent processes, with guidelines and conditions for applicants.
How to apply
Prospective funding partners may submit an expression of interest (EOI) form to co-fund a FHRI Fund program or initiative at any time. However, expressions of interest and proposals to partner received in the final month of a FHRI Fund funding program cycle will be considered after the next funding cycle commences.
An electronic EOI form may be requested by emailing the Office of Medical Research and Innovation
The Co-FPP Guidelines and Conditions can be accessed below:
Any queries related to the program can be directed to the Office of Medical Research and Innovation.
Information on other FHRI Fund programs can be accessed by subscribing to updates or checking the FHRI Fund current opportunities.
LAST UPDATED 21 July 2023
Do the Co-FPP funds need to be used within 12 months with unspent moneys returned?
The Co-FPP funding is used to form a funding pool (with matching partner funding) that is then distributed through a competitive process to recipients to spend on their research or innovation activity. Therefore, the co-funded program will have a contribution of $500,000 to $1 million from the FHRI Fund to award in a year, but the final recipient could spend the awarded funds over multiple years.
If the co-funded program does not award all available funds, or a final grant recipient does not expend all the funds provided to them, the remaining funds would be returned to each co-funding partner in proportion to their original contributions.
I am a researcher and a funding organisation has committed funding to a research project of mine. Can I apply to the Co-FPP for funding to match this funding organisation’s commitment?
No. Applicants to the Co-FPP will generally be organisations such as charities and not-for-profits: a researcher or innovator seeking funding to do their own work is not eligible to apply. In addition, the Co-FPP contribution must be for a program to which anyone can apply. See the Guidelines and Conditions for further details.
I am an organisation which runs an annual research funding program. Will the Co-FPP provide matching funding for this program?
Yes. Co-FPP Stream B has been introduced for this situation. Stream B is only open to charitable organisations, with an established and verifiably successful program, and the FHRI Fund support must be for a limited time. Please check the Guidelines and Conditions for further information.
I am a WA research organisation / research foundation and I want to co-fund a program with the FHRI Fund to which my researchers might apply. Is this allowed?
Yes, but only if the co-funded program is truly open and competitive. This means that researchers from other WA organisations must be able to apply and have an equitable chance of being successful. Please refer to the Guidelines and Conditions for further details.
I am an organisation that would like to submit two EOIs to the Co-FPP for two separate research/innovation funding programs. Is this allowed?
Yes. providing each proposed funding program separately meets all of the Co-FPP criteria. Each EOI would be assessed separately on eligibility and merit.