FAQ

What is the NDRP?

NDRP stands for National Disability Research Partnership. The vision is for the NDRP to facilitate a collaborative and inclusive disability research program that builds the evidence for successful innovation in policy and practice. 

It will aim to achieve this by:

• funding research that is informed by the NDRP research agenda

• value the knowledge and experience of people with disability in research

• funding research done by and with people with disability

• strengthening disability research capacity

• making sure research findings are meaningful and shared widely. ​

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What has happened so far?

We started work in July 2020. The first thing we did was set up a working party. Over the past two years, the Working Party has been reaching out to the disability community for advice and feedback on how a National Disability Research Partnership can best be established. We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to do our surveys, talk to us or send us ideas. We have taken it all into account in shaping our recommendations which can be found here: recommendations. 

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We also released a call for proposals for disability research projects, and funded nine projects. In December 2021 we were delighted to share the announcement of funding for an enduring NDRP. 

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What's next?

Our two-year Establishment Phase finished at the end of last year. Now we’re in our Transition Phase, ready for the NDRP to kick off later in 2023. Over the next few months we’ll be talking to people who have not already had their say on our preliminary research agenda, to ask what they think. The research agenda will then be finalised so it guides NDRP decisions on research funding over the next 10 years. 

We are working with Charterpoint, a legal firm who will help us set up the NDRP entity. This involves writing a constitution, registering the NDRP name, opening up to members, run a director election process and set up the first Board. This should all be done by June 2023. We will also soon be inviting people to become members of the NDRP and running a nomination and election process for the first Board of Directors. 

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How will the NDRP be funded?

The Australian Government has committed $15 million for the National Disability Research Partnership from 2023 to 2025. The NDRP is a key initiative under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031. The NDRP will work on having a diverse source of funding to ensure it can continue long into the future. 

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Will there be more funding rounds?

Yes: the NDRP will facilitate regular funding rounds to support inclusive disability research that delivers on the priorities set out in the research agenda. The NDRP receives its next round of funding in early 2023, and we anticipate running a funding round sometime in 2023. 

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Who are the partners of NDRP?

There are no official partners yet. Many of our working party members are from leading universities around Australia but this does not make those universities official partners. In early-mid 2023 we will open our membership. Being a member of NDRP will mean you can nominate and vote for Board or Committee positions, have voting rights, commission research, and provide input to which topics are prioritised for funding.  
Membership also comes with a range of networking and connection opportunities, such as being part of a research partnership, participating in a community of practice, connecting to research partners and accessing development opportunities and resources. Members and subscribers will receive regular evidence updates and useful resources and can apply for research funding.

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How is the University of Melbourne involved? What about the University of Sydney?

The Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne received the seed funding to establish the NDRP.  Directors Anne Kavanagh and Bruce Bonyhady are also professors at the University of Melbourne. 

The University of Sydney led the consortium that was awarded the tender to deliver the national disability research agenda. This project involved three phases: research mapping, consultations and prioritisation.

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How is the NDRP Working Party managing conflicts of interest?

We have developed a conflict of interest policy which can be accessed at this link: Conflict of Interest policy. For any project that is likely to be put out to tender or involve an open funding round, Working Party members are asked to declare real, perceived or potential conflicts of interest. Any Working Party member who has declared a conflict of interest will not hear, read or otherwise learn of any detail of the project. Working Party members who are directly involved in shaping funding rounds or tendered projects will not be involved in any funding proposals, in any capacity. They will also not discuss any part of the project nor give general or specific advice to anybody. This exclusion applies only to the NDRP Working Party. Colleagues or direct reports of Working Party members may be considered for tenders or submit funding proposals without the involvement or support of the Working Party member.