Final Report Preparation

Stage 1

The Research Provider will deliver to the FRDC an electronic copy of the draft final report. This draft must be an accurate representation of the Final Report, and must incorporate feedback obtained from any peer review undertaken. 

 

The following information outlines the required layout of your draft final report. However, for detailed instructions on completing your final report and access to FRDC logos, you will need to download a copy of the Final report design standard. For an example of a completed final report showing correct formatting and content - click here.

 

Final Report Layout

The Final Report will include the following minimum content. It must also include specific discussion of the extent to which each project objective has been achieved.

 

Cover Page

Include a cover page consistent in design with the FRDC Corporate Cover Design Standard. Photographs or diagrams may be included on the cover page as background. The FRDC logo is available in the final report design standard document (or sent via email) for inclusion on the cover page. The title must include the word draft before the title in the Project Agreement unless otherwise approved by the FRDC.

 

Title page

Include the title, author details, date, publisher, copyright statement, disclaimer (if required), ISBN or ISSN

 

Table of Contents

Include a table of contents for the report including page numbers.

 

Non-technical Summary

Provide a lay person's summary of no more than two pages. This summary is also to be presented in stand alone form which will be used to convey the results of the research and development to beneficiaries and the general media, Non Technical Summary: Pro-Forma.

 

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgment of any financial support or other work that enhanced the findings of the project. This must include any partnership arrangements with other institutions.

 

Background

Provide an introduction based on the background provided in the original application updated to reflect the final project, and any other relevant introductory material.

 

Need

Summarise the need as described in the original application incorporating any approved modifications.

 

Objectives

State the objectives as they appeared in the original application, or as otherwise approved. Highlight any changes to the original objectives.

 

Methods

Describe the methods used in the research. Include any discoveries in methods that may benefit other related or unrelated research.

 

Results/Discussion

Detail results for each logical component of the project with an accompanying discussion section. If appropriate, in conclusion, incorporate an overall final discussion section for the project. It is important to include raw data where ever possible. This can be included as an appendix.

 

Benefits

Identify the sector(s) of the industry and/or community that will benefit directly from the research. Quantify the difference in terms of prices (eg quality, market penetration, user satisfaction), costs (eg productivity), non market benefits and/or catch that the adoption of the research results will make. State how benefits and beneficiaries compare with those identified in the original application.

 

Further Development

Recommend any appropriate activities or other steps that may be taken to further develop, disseminate, or to exploit commercially the results of the research.

 

Planned outcomes

Describe how the project's outputs have contributed to the planned outcomes.

 

Conclusion

Summarise the outcomes of the project, detailing the objectives, whether they were met and any outcomes. The conclusion should not be longer than two pages.

 

References

Provide a list of all references cited in the report.

 

Appendix 1:

Intellectual Property Identify the intellectual property and/or valuable information arising from the research.

 

Appendix 2:

Staff List all staff that have been engaged on the project.

 

Appendix 3:

Any other relevant material including eg raw data.

Stage 2

The FRDC will review the Draft Final Report and provide written advice on any concerns about the technical content, and report format. The author will incorporate those recommendations, or discuss and resolve any discrepancies in the final draft Report with the FRDC. The FRDC may request a subsequent draft final report.

 

Note: This review by the FRDC is not a peer review (this is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator), rather it aims to ensure the Final Report meets the requirements of the FRDC prior to the preparation and distribution of multiple copies of the publication.

Stage 3

The author will arrange an ISSN or ISBN library code for the final report, and it will be included in the publication. The Final Report will be submitted within 1 month of the FRDC's approval of the draft final report. The FRDC Financial Statement (see below for format) must also be submitted at this time (if not previously), but must not be included in the Final Report.

 

The Final Report will be available for sale through the FRDC, unless intellectual property protection prevents its sale and distribution. Similarly, where the Final Report contains valuable information, the Final Report will not be published or otherwise made available to the public without the consent of both parties, such consent will not be unreasonably withheld. The parties may agree to produce an edition of the Final Report in a form suitable for general distribution.

Distribution of Final Reports

The research provider will  provide:

 

1. Two separate electronic beneficiary responses. These can be from stakeholders, managers, etc who have either read the report or know of the project results. Can be received via CD or email, hard copy only will not be accepted.
2. Five copies (double sided) of the final report bound;
3. One un-bound copy of the final report (double sided);
4. An electronic version (on CD) of both the non-technical summary (includes project title, authors, name of research institute and project objectives) and the whole final report preferably in pdf format;
5. A copy of your distribution list for the final report. This should include:

i. The Librarian, CSIRO Division of Marine Research GPO Box 1538 Hobart Tasmania 7001;
ii. The National Library - Legal Deposit Unit, Canberra ACT 2600;
iii. groups or individuals specified as beneficiaries in the application and include the FRAB for each state listed as a beneficiary). Note that there is a compulsory distribution list in the final report design standard, and

     6.     A final Financial Statement (FRDC format), transaction report and invoice for any outstanding amounts for the project.

 

Final Report Review

On completion of the research and development component of the project by the Research Provider, the FRDC will review the project to ensure that all reporting requirements have been satisfied, funds provided for the research are acquitted, and final payment made. The FRDC will assess the final report for the project including its consistency with the Agreement, technical content as well as format.

 

Penalty Schedule

Unless otherwise agreed by the FRDC, a (draft) final report will be considered overdue if:

 

The draft final report has not been received within 3 months of the completion of the research, or

 

The final report has not been received within 31 days of the FRDC's approval of the draft final report. Penalties for overdue final reports include the following:

 

• No further payments will be made on the project;
• No agreement for any recently approved project you may have with the FRDC will be signed nor any payment made until the final reporting commitments for the above project have been met;
• No new project applications involving {insert PI name} will be evaluated;
• No Project Agreements for any recently approved projects from your research organisation will be signed by the FRDC nor any payments made; and
• No new project applications from your organisation will be evaluated.

 

What happens to your final report?

The FRDC advertises final reports availability and undertakes various activities to communicate research results to project beneficiaries.

 

Research Providers are able to publicise the results of their research in any way, for example, articles in academic or industry journals.

 

If the project involves the creation of a publication or product, the research provider must also implement the extension/communication plan committed to in the project agreement.