Assessment of the Health Research Council’s 2022 Career Development Awards (CDAs) is currently underway – a process that involves a number of science assessing committees, including those convened to assess Māori and Pacific Career Development Awards. 

Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, which has had a significant impact on the Pacific community, the HRC will be delaying assessment of the Pacific Health Research CDAs by one month. 

Many Pacific health researchers who are contributing to our assessment process are currently involved in the response to the outbreak; as frontline health workers, supporting broader public health initiatives, or mobilising to support their communities in other ways. This short postponement will ensure they can focus on their current priorities and help us retain their valuable expertise which is pivotal to our robust assessment process. 

As a result, applicants for the Pacific Health Research Career Development Awards will be notified of results in early November 2021, and the outcomes of the funding round as a whole will be publicly announced soon after. This announcement will include all CDA categories – General, Māori health research, and Pacific health research.

The current COVID-19 outbreak and nationwide lockdown poses many challenges for our research community. Accordingly, we have prepared the following guidance for HRC-funded researchers.

Reporting timelines:

• There will be a blanket extension on all reports due while we are at Level 4 or Level 3 in any parts of the county. The new due date for those reports will be the first day at Alert Level 2 or lower across the country, plus an additional 4 weeks. Please note, we will not update due dates in HRC Gateway, so automated reminders will continue to be sent according to the original due dates. Also note that retention payments will still not be made until the final report is accepted by the HRC.
• If a late report becomes a barrier to a new application, please contact us so we can address this.

Contract variations:

• Variations related to COVID-19: No variation requests are required or will be processed until the first day at Alert Level 2 or lower across the country, plus 4 weeks. The exception is for contracts that may need to be terminated or suspended: in these cases an email request may be submitted to suspend the contract until further notice, if the contract holder wishes to avoid an overpayment and subsequent refund.
• Variations not related to COVID-19: Variation requests can continue to be submitted and actioned in the usual manner, but we will allow an extended timeframe of 6 weeks to receive variation requests for changes that would normally require a variation request to be sent promptly.
• All requests and communications should come through the contract holder organisation’s Research Office or equivalent (except in the case of independent researchers). These requests should be sent to Dr Deming Gong at dgong@hrc.govt.nz .
• Research Offices are welcome to contact us with any issues and/or different requirements to negotiate. Please allow as much time as possible, as our small team of HRC staff are based in Auckland and some will be experiencing additional challenges in lockdown.

Remember, for any general enquiries to the HRC, please email us at info@hrc.govt.nz and our administrators will forward your query to the most appropriate person.

Staff at the Health Research Council will be working remotely while New Zealand is at Alert Level 4.

At the HRC office, which is in Auckland, we are now familiar with adapting to alert level changes, and our staff are well-prepared for this. Every employee is equipped to work from home and has been working at least part of each week from home since the HRC introduced a flexible work location policy after the first nationwide lockdown.

Thanks to other policies introduced over the past year, such as holding committee meetings virtually, the HRC aims to operate under all alert levels with minimal disruption to workflows. We will continue supporting our research community as best we can in the current circumstances.

That said, we ask you to remember that our staff may be fulfilling whānau responsibilities alongside their HRC roles, just as other New Zealanders will be doing over the next few days, so we ask for a little patience and understanding as we respond to queries.

Should you wish to contact us, please email us at info@hrc.govt.nz and our administrators will forward your query to the most appropriate person.

Our existing protocols, application processes and assessment processes will remain in place. This includes requiring only online submissions of proposals on HRC Gateway – not hard copies.

If you have any concerns about research continuity or contracts during the days ahead, please reach out to us. And for the government's latest updates and advice, visit the COVID-19 website which has information for the public all in one place.

Thanks for your support and ongoing contribution as we all work through this situation together. Take care and stay well.