All projects requesting access to the BioGrid platform are required to pay a research user access fee. This fee covers services provided to researchers in the process of linking data or getting access to linked data for a specific research program.

Data custodians are not required to pay a research user access fee to access their own data via the BioGrid platform. However, if a data custodian wishes to initiate a project that requires their data set to be linked to other data sets in the BioGrid platform, this will incur a research user access fee.

All projects will by default require the entry level Bronze level research user access fee, which covers the support currently received by members including processing applications to gain custodian and ethical approval for data access.

Projects with higher levels of requirements will find that the Silver and Gold levels of the research user access fee may be a more cost-effective way than fee for service to cover work such as:

• project specific linkage of data and generation of USIs to enable data to be analysed;
• in-project assistance with data mapping, curation and data analysis;
• assistance with refinement of project feasibility and interpretation of data;
• completing technical assessment documentation and submission to access National Death Index data via the AIHW.

There are three levels of research user access fee, which reflect the scope and complexity of projects.

• Bronze ($3,150 GST ex per year). This is the default level of research user access fee covering support currently received by members, and includes standard services such as processing applications to gain custodian and ethical approval for data access. This is capped at 24 hours per year.
• Silver ($7,350 GST ex per year). This is capped at 60 hours per year for the additional services outlined above.
• Gold ($13,650 GST ex per year). This is capped at 140 hours per year of support for the additional services outlined above.

It is important to note that the fee paid by a project will only be applied to their project. BioGrid has based the Bronze level on the minimum project requirements, but in the case of the Silver and Gold levels, a portion of unused hours may be rolled over as follows, subject to BioGrid approval.

• Silver: 25% of unused hours can be carried forward to the next year
• Gold: 50% of unused hours can be carried forward to the next year

If a project’s requirements exceed the level of support that has been selected, the project will be given the opportunity to upgrade their support level.

The research user access fee structure is reviewed and approved by the members annually and any amendment to it will be advised via the BioGrid website.

For more information about the introduction of the BioGrid research user access fee, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions below.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How does the BioGrid research user access fee work?

The BioGrid research user access fee is applied on a cost recovery basis for members and does not duplicate any other fees charged by BioGrid. Introducing the research user access fee will ensure that BioGrid’s financial position is viable into the future and we can continue to provide valuable, cost-effective services to the Australian research community.

This fee structure aligns with the fee structures used by other comparable research infrastructure platforms in Australia, and has been designed to reflect the differing requirements of research projects based on how BioGrid’s services are currently used.

All projects will by default require the entry level Bronze level research user access fee, which covers the support currently received by members including processing applications to gain custodian and ethical approval for data access.

Projects with higher levels of requirements will find that the Silver and Gold levels of the research user access fee may be a more cost-effective way than fee-for-service to cover work such as:

• project specific linkage of data and generation of USIs to enable data to be analysed;
• in-project assistance with data mapping, curation and data analysis;
• assistance with refinement of project feasibility and interpretation of data;
• completing technical assessment documentation and submission to access National Death Index data via the AIHW.

The benefit of the research user access fee is that it can be budgeted in advance for predictable and manageable research costs.

To understand how the research user access fee fits into the BioGrid pricing model, we have outlined the BioGrid fee structure below.

1. Organisational Membership Fee

This is calculated based on the size and type of the member organisation, and provides access to BioGrid’s data sharing platform. This is an annual fee, applicable to the whole organisation, not to individual research projects, so it is not a fee that projects need to account for in their budgets.

This fee includes work associated with the initial linking of a member site to the BioGrid platform, including ethics and governance for the platform, and the IT work required to establish the dedicated member site server for linking site data. The membership fee also covers maintenance of appropriate security for the infrastructure at the member sites through infrastructure upgrades.

Also included in the membership fee is BioGrid’s corporate licencing for the SAS software to ensure BioGrid members continue to have access to SAS Enterprise Guide and SAS Visual Analytics.

2. Fee for service projects

Where a research project has a special requirement that BioGrid can assist with, such as developing a web-based data collection application, a project fee for the development and management of such an application is quoted and charged as ‘fee-for-service’ under a separate contractual arrangement.

3. Research user access fee

This fee covers services provided to researchers in the process of linking data or getting access to linked data for a specific research program. It is applied on a cost recovery basis for members, reflecting the cost of delivering the service.

All projects will by default require the entry level Bronze level research user access fee, which covers the support currently received by members including processing applications to gain custodian and ethical approval for data access.

Projects with higher levels of requirements will find that the Silver and Gold levels of the research user access fee may be a more cost-effective way than fee for service to cover work such as:

• project specific linkage of data and generation of USIs to enable data to be analysed;
• in-project assistance with data mapping, curation and data analysis;
• assistance with refinement of project feasibility and interpretation of data;
• completing technical assessment documentation and submission to access National Death Index data via the AIHW.

There are three levels of research user access fee, which reflect the scope and complexity of projects.

• Bronze ($3,150 GST ex per year). This is the default level of research user access fee covering support currently received by members, and includes standard services such as processing applications to gain custodian and ethical approval for data access. This is capped at 24 hours per year.
• Silver ($7,350 GST ex per year). This is capped at 60 hours per year for the additional services outlined above.
• Gold ($13,650 GST ex per year). This is capped at 140 hours per year of support for the additional services outlined above.

It is important to note that the fee paid by a project will only be applied to their project. BioGrid has based the Bronze level on the minimum project requirements, but in the case of the Silver and Gold levels, a portion of unused hours may be rolled over as follows, subject to BioGrid approval.

• Silver: 25% of unused hours can be carried forward to the next year
• Gold: 50% of unused hours can be carried forward to the next year

If a project’s requirements exceed the level of support that has been selected, the project will be given the opportunity to upgrade their support level.

The research user access fee structure is reviewed and approved by the members annually and any amendment to it will be advised via the BioGrid website.

Are data custodians required to pay a research user access fee for access to their data on the BioGrid platform?

Data custodians are not required to pay a research user access fee to access their own data via the BioGrid platform.  However, if a data custodian wishes to initiate a project that requires their data set to be linked to other data sets in the BioGrid platform, this will incur a research user access fee.

When will the research user access fee come into effect?

BioGrid’s research user access fee is being rolled out now for all new access requests.

BioGrid recognises that there may be some current projects that have not yet requested access to BioGrid’s platform and will not have budgeted for the BioGrid research user access fee. In these instances we encourage project leaders to contact BioGrid directly to discuss their situation.

A research user access fee will not be charged to projects that are currently using the BioGrid platform.

Will the research user access fee be applied retrospectively for projects that are currently using the BioGrid platform?

No.

When is the research user access fee applied / determined?

When a user requests access to the BioGrid platform, they will be asked to select which level of support they require. If researchers are unsure, we recommend selecting the Bronze default level or “Unsure”. If you select “Unsure” a BioGrid staff member will contact you to discuss your project requirements in more detail.

The research user access fee is an annual fee for the duration of the project. However if support is not required for the full project duration, the fee can be waived for the remainder of the project subject to BioGrid’s approval.

The research user access fee structure is reviewed and approved by members annually and any amendment to it will be advised via the BioGrid website.

Why is the research user access fee being introduced now?

With increased utilisation of BioGrid’s services, the cost of providing the services has also increased, particularly the need to ensure BioGrid has the appropriate resourcing to ensure timely responses to support requests.

• Fair: The introduction of a research user access fee is the fairest way to cover the increased costs of the services BioGrid provides to research projects, in a manner that ensures that the fee is affordable and commensurate with the level of service required by users.
• Sustainable: The BioGrid research user access fee operates on a cost recovery basis for members and does not duplicate any other fees charged by BioGrid. Introducing this fee will ensure that BioGrid’s financial position is viable into the future and we can continue to provide valuable, cost-effective services to the Australian research community.
• Tiered: BioGrid is committed to ensuring the research user access fee is fair and reflects the real cost of providing valuable services to the research community. BioGrid’s research user access fee structure has been designed to reflect the differing requirements of research projects, based on how BioGrid’s services are currently used. The three fee levels accommodate these differing requirements.
• Industry standard: This fee structure aligns with the fee structures used by other comparable research infrastructure platforms in Australia.
• Supported by BioGrid members: The introduction of the research user access fee has been carefully considered and approved by members as being necessary and fair.

BioGrid is ensuring there is a transition period for the introduction of this fee and will review projects on a case-by-case basis.

What if I haven’t budgeted for a research user access fee?

BioGrid understands that in the short term, some projects will have already secured funding and will not have accounted for a research user access fee. In this instance, we encourage project leads to contact BioGrid directly to discuss this situation.

What if I don’t know what level of support I’ll need?

If a project leader is unsure what level of support will be required, BioGrid recommends selecting the Bronze default level or “Unsure”. If “Unsure” is selected, you will be contacted by a BioGrid representative to discuss your requirements in more detail.

If your project’s service requirements exceed the level of support that you selected during the access request process, you will be given the opportunity to upgrade your support level.

How was the research user access fee calculated?

The research user access fee is set for each project based on the number of hours of service and support from BioGrid staff that your project will require.

The fee covers services provided to researchers in the process of linking data or getting access to linked data for a specific research program. It is applied on a cost recovery basis for members, reflecting the cost of delivering the service.

All projects will by default require the entry level Bronze level research user access fee, which covers the support currently received by members including processing applications to gain custodian and ethical approval for data access.

The research user access fee structure is reviewed and approved annually and any amendment to it will be advised via the BioGrid website.