1. The ins and outs of contract funding
Fran Press,
SOTE

2. My experience Government and NGOs Research and consultancy
Local, state and national

3. Why do it? To support your community (geographic, professional)
To bridge the academic – practitioner – policy divide
To connect your work with ‘on-the-ground’ issues and problems

4. How does it come about? Professional connections
Reputation and recommendation
Selected invited tenders
Open tenders
Invitation

5. Opportunities Learning from people ‘on the ground’
Producing research with practical impact
Informing policy
What you learn can then inform:
Teaching
Publications
Future research questions
Building long term relationships with people and organisations

6. Pitfalls Lack of clarity about the focus of research
Poor understandings of various research methods and what they can deliver
Tight timeframes
Leading questions
Pressure (internal or external) to produce favourable results
Changing agendas/ personnel within the granting agency

7. Tips Talk about the tender with key contact before applying
Sound out your understanding to see if it is the same as the organisation’s understanding
Alert the CSU Research Office
the turn around time for contract tenders is often very brief
The NTS has to be submitted in time for the RO to check it. A day in advance is not enough.
The RO will check for quality and compliance. It does not edit etc – so make sure it is a professional submission.

8. Tips If you can, build a team. Sort problems out as they arise.
Facilitates an ongoing research agenda
Can mentor and share leadership
Supports co-publications
Sort problems out as they arise.
Respectful, frank and honest discussion
Utilise your networks and build research alliances and collaborations (

9. Building a program of research
Wong, S., Press, F. & Cumming, T. (2015). Pilot Outcomes Evaluation of the National Community Hubs Program. Migrant Council of Australia, Scanlon Foundation  
Wong, S., Press, F. & Cumming, T. (2015) Discussion Paper and Evaluation for the National Community Hubs Program, Migrant Council of Australia, Scanlon Foundation  
Press, F., Wong, S., Rivalland, C., Miller, M. & Woods, A. ( ). Evaluation of Community Hubs. Migrant Council of Australia, Scanlon Foundation.
Wong & F. Press. ( ). The Infant’s Home Journey to Integration. The Infants’ Home.
Wong & F. Press. (2013). Beranga SDN: Program Logic. SDN Children’s Services
Press, F & Wong, S. & Sumsion, J. (2012). Share your story: A Resource for the National Symposium on Early Childhood Development, DEECD SA,
Wong, S., Press, F. & Sumsion, J. (2012). Resource to support leaders in Australian early childhood integrated services. CHILD Australia.
Wong, S. & Press, F. ( ). The Art of Integration: Delivering Integrated Education, Care and Support for Young Children and Their Families. The Infants Home, Ashfield.
Wong, S., Press, F., Sumsion, J. & Hard, L. ( ). Collaborative Practice Research Project. Department Education and Early Child Development (Victoria). 2010
Press, F. Sumsion, J. & Wong, S. Integrated Early Years Provision in Australia. The Professional Support Coordinators Alliance (PSCA) ( ). ).
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10. Publications
Sumsion, J., Press, F., & Wong, S. (2012). Theorizing integrated service provision in Australia: Policies, philosophies, practices. In J. Duncan & S. Te One, Comparative early childhood education and care services. Palgrave Macmillan
Hard, L., Press, F. & Gibson, M. (2013). ‘Doing’ justice in early childhood. The potential of leadership. Contemporary issues in Early Childhood, 14(4),
Wong, S. & Press, F. (2013). Integrated services in Australian early childhood education and care: what can we learn from our past? Australian Journal of Social Issues 47 (2),
Press, F. (2012). Embedding collaboration in integrated early childhood services: The strategic role of governance and leadership. Waikato Journal of Education – Te Hautaka Mātauranga o Waikato 17(1),
Press, F., Wong, S. & Sumsion (2012). Child-centred, family centred, de-centred: Positioning children as rights holders in early childhood program collaborations. Global Studies of Childhood. 2 (1),
Wong S., Sumsion, J. & Press, F. (2012). Early childhood professionals and inter-professional work in integrated early childhood services in Australia. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. 37(1),