Health New Zealand Canterbury Research Office

We are currently updating our process flowcharts and will reinstate them here as soon as we can. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause – please contact us for assistance or register your project online

The purpose of a CDA is to ensure sensitive information exchanged between parties is protected.  In the context of a clinical trial, or other research project, a CDA with a Sponsor places confidentiality obligations on the Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand​ Waitaha Canterbury with regards to the use and distribution of that information. These obligations must be adhered to, as any breach may potentially have significant consequences.

Master CDAs have been agreed with the following Sponsors (internal access only). A Master CDA will cover information provided by a sponsor relating to its clinical trials for a specified period of time, and avoids the need for an individual CDA to be completed for each specific study.

Please contact legal if you have any questions. Email: legal.services@cdhb.health.nz

Registering your project sets in motion a request for services.

Please note: if you are planning an audit for internal departmental purposes only, please contact the Medical and Surgical Quality and Patient Safety (internal link) team for guidance. If your audit will result in external outputs (e.g. publication, poster at conference, etc.), please continue via the ‘Register your project’ button below.

1. Pre-Feasibility registration – registering a Commercial Trial at pre-feasibility stage.
2. Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) – requesting an MOU between an external organisation and HNZ Canterbury.
3. Locality Authorisation only – solely applying for Locality Authorisation to undertake research using HNZ Canterbury resources eg. Non HNZ Canterbury-hosted clinical trial.
4. Grant application – requesting assistance with all aspects of grant applications.
5. Clinical Trial – registering HNZ Canterbury-hosted commercial or other collaborative clinical trials.
6. Notification of an approved study being undertaken wholly at an external research group

Register your project

The following costings tools and templates will help you work out your project budget.

Costing worksheets

Locality Costings Worksheet (LCW) (internal access only) for HNZ Canterbury-hosted clinical trials

Costings & Consent Worksheet (CCW) (internal access only) for grants

Standards fees, price lists, rates and quotes

Please see Costings (internal access only) for:

• Standard costs (procedures and start-up) and employee hourly rates
• Canterbury Health Laboratories (CHL) quotation form
• Pacific Radiology Group (PRG) research application form
• Pharmacy costs – email pharmacyclinicaltrials@cdhb.health.nz to request a quote as early as possible

This section provides information about the available contracting templates and legal resources to assist with research applications.

Please note that most links below are only accessible to HNZ Canterbury staff.

Commercial and HNZ Canterbury-hosted clinical trials

Master Clinical Trial Research Agreement (CTRA) templates have been agreed with the following Sponsors (internal access only).

Otherwise, please use the following standard HNZ Canterbury templates:

• Sponsor CTRA template (internal access only) – for sponsor funded clinical trials
• Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) CTRA template (internal access only) – for CRO funded clinical trials
• Collaborative CTRA template (internal access only) – for HNZ Canterbury-hosted clinical trials in collaboration with other institutions

Clinical Trial FAQ’s

Grant-funded research

If a grant research application has been successful, the funder will provide a contract to the Principal Investigator directly or via the Research Office.

Subcontracts with external parties

Please see the following when sub-contracting to an external party for HNZ Canterbury-hosted research:

• HNZ Canterbury subcontracts - please contact the Research Office
• HNZ Canterbury/University of Otago subcontract template – please contact the Research Office
• HNZ Canterbury subcontract addendum template

Legal resources for commercial clinical trial research contracts

Please see Legal (internal access only) for: 

• Standard wording about Longstop and GST to include in contracts
• Requirement to contract on the NZ Association of Clinical Research (NZACRes) standard agreements
• Insurance cover for commercial clinical research studies 

For contract amendments which do not involve financial changes (e.g. change of address, title, PI, sponsor name, etc.), please use this simplified Locality Costings Worksheet (LCW) (internal access only).

For other HNZ Canterbury Clinical Trial contract amendments, please update a copy of your last signed Locality Costing Worksheet (LCW) using a different colour font to identify changes.

Submit either of the above to the Research Office along with the new amendment contract.

You will require a Locality Authorisation to undertake a research project within HNZ Canterbury if you are:

• Recruiting HNZ Canterbury patients
• Collaborating with HNZ Canterbury staff
• Using HNZ Canterbury clinics or staff
• Accessing data held by HNZ Canterbury or patient records
• Using facilities, buildings or space of HNZ Canterbury

Work is underway to stratify locality authorisation into different categories of risk which will follow different approval pathways. Completing the registration form will link you to the correct pathway. 

Register your project

HNZ Canterbury - hosted grant studies only – please contact the Research Office directly for the correct form.

• Support emerging researchers in Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury
• Grow research capacity across Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury
• Support diversity in the research workforce in Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury
• Support research that contributes to health equity in Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury

Applicants must:

• Be a Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury employee but not in a research capacity, and have not previously been funded for a research project
• Have the support of a team which includes one or more Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury employees

The project must:

• Have a duration of 1 year
• Align with the purpose of the grants
• Be supported by the applicant’s department

Each grant is $20,000. The grant may be used in a variety of ways, for example:

• To cover salary costs of the employee while they are undertaking their project
• To cover direct costs of the research (for example, travel costs)
• Transferred to the individual directly where the applicant will be undertaking the research in their own time (this may have tax implications for the individual)
• A combination of uses

Applicants must think carefully about what they can achieve within the funds and time available. People who are new to research can under-estimate how long it takes to complete research activities. Examples of projects that could be completed with the Grant include a literature review, an audit of existing data, or a focussed piece of qualitative research. Projects that involve a large number of interviews or a large survey, or that require full national ethics review, are unlikely to be completed within the time available.

• Applications open on 1 September 2023
• Applications close on 16 October 2023
• Applicants will be notified of decisions by 30 November 2023
• Projects must begin by 29 February 2024

First step is to register your application via our online registration form.

Applicants will also be required to complete an application form on the CMRF website (we will send you the link when you’ve registered). You will need to provide an overview and budget for your planned project. Shortlisted applicants may be invited to submit a 3-5-minute video presentation on their project.

• Grants are awarded to a named member of staff and cannot be transferred to another person
• The project must be conducted in Canterbury with significant oversight by Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury
• The grant recipient is required to submit a 6-month progress report and a final report on completion
• The grant recipient will be invited to present at the Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury Research Forum and other Te Papa Hauora presentations

Please see the 'Workshop for potential applicants' (internal link) slides for more detail.

I would like to undertake a research project as part of my studies. Can I use this grant to cover course fees?
Yes, if the course is directly related to your research.

Am I eligible for this grant if I have completed a PhD?
No, CMRF has other grants aimed at supporting researchers following their PhD. Please see https://cmrf.org.nz/.

I see that you need to be a member of staff to be eligible to apply for the grant. Am I eligible if I am employed on a fixed term/part time/casual basis?
Yes.

What happens if I am successful but for some unexpected reason I cannot complete the project within 12 months?
Depending on the circumstances it may be possible to apply for a “time only” extension.

How do I do Māori consultation?
The Research Office will send you a Māori consultation form when you register your application. Just complete the form as best you can and return to the Research Office. We will arrange for George Haremate (our Māori Health Advancement Research Advisor) to give you feedback.

Can I do Māori consultation through my own network outside Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury?
Yes, but you will also need to follow the Te Whatu Ora process.

Will I receive feedback if my application is not successful?
Yes, we are very happy to provide feedback on your application and to highlight how it could be improved. We encourage anyone who is unsuccessful in the first year to apply again the following year.

If my application gets rejected this year, can I apply next year?
Yes, we encourage you to seek feedback on your application so that you can develop it further and apply again the following year.

If my project duration is up to 6 months, can I apply for half of the grant?
People who are new to research often underestimate how long it takes to complete research activity. We encourage you to develop a modest research project that will use the full grant, produce an output and be completed within 12 months, from project initiation through to dissemination. Examples of projects that are manageable within this timeframe include a literature review, analysis of existing data, and a focussed piece of qualitative research.

If I receive the grant but cannot start my project this year, can I keep it until I am ready?
You must start your project within 3 months of the announcement of successful applicants. That means you must begin your project by 29 February 2024, at the latest.

What should I do if I have some funding left once my project is completed?
To make the most of the funding opportunity, we encourage you to think about all the costs of doing research as part of developing your budget (including dissemination). CMRF will track spending during your project and discuss options with you if you have funding left over.

If my project requires an extension, will I be eligible for a top-up?
Successful applicants will only receive $20,000. If you have ideas for how to extend your project, please talk with the Research Office about other funding opportunities that might be appropriate.

Want to share your research progress or results with colleagues or the wider public? Contact the HNZ Canterbury Corporate Communications Team at communications@cdhb.health.nz to get your story heard.

The team produces the internal HNZ Canterbury staff newsletter CEO Update, which is also shared with wider health and regional stakeholders and media. The team can also assist with media releases and media pitching.

Translating research into practice

One of the aims of the Canterbury Health System Research Strategy 2020-25 (350KB, PDF) is for more research to be converted into clinical practice and directly impact health service delivery. There is work underway to establish a governance structure that will look at ways to enable changes to clinical practice.

Appointments with Advisors

• Please email CDHBResearch@cdhb.health.nz to arrange a time to meet with an Advisor
• Please include the project, topic or Advisor you wish to meet and your preferred days/times.

Our vision is to promote research which supports service delivery to enhance the health and wellbeing of our community – by informing decisions and changes to policy, practice or systems. The transalpine Canterbury and West Coast partnership aims to be a leader in health system implementation research and knowledge transfer which improves the health and wellbeing of our population and which leads to equitable outcomes for our people and across our geography.

Please read our Canterbury and West Coast Health System Research Strategy 2020-25 (350KB, PDF)

The TransAlpine Research Governance group has oversight of research throughout HNZ Canterbury and sets policy and priorities for future research activities.

Research Office key partner organisations.

• University of Otago, Christchurch
• University of Canterbury
• Ara Institute of Canterbury
• Ngāi Tahu
• Canterbury Medical Research Foundation
• New Zealand Clinical Trust (NZCR)