What does it mean when a grant outcome is “under embargo”?

?Here’s a confession: When I received my first nationally competitive grant, the outcome letter had a paragraph stating that the grant was successful but under embargo, and that breaching the embargo could result in the decision being overturned. I had only received my PhD earlier that year, and I had no idea what under embargo meant. After a quick Google, I sat in anguishing silence for hours, not wanting to risk the decision being overturned. Even when my line manager and my university research office rang me to share the good news, I assumed I should deny that I knew the result, just to be sure…

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Let’s avoid that happening to anyone else.

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What does “under embargo” actually mean?

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Under embargo refers to a restriction placed on the release or sharing of information until a specified time or date. This is commonly used in journalism, media and business contexts. For example, news outlets may receive press releases or reports ahead of time but cannot publish the details until the embargo lifts. Then, at a specified date and time, the embargo is lifted which enables synchronised releases of information across multiple outlets.

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Here’s some trivia; the word?embargo?originates from the Spanish word?embargar, which means "to impede" or "to block." Historically, it was first used in the 17th century in reference to legal actions that blocked ships from leaving port during conflicts or disputes. Over time, the term has been typically used for any kind of official prohibition or restriction, including the modern usage of withholding information for a period of time.

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Why does this practice happen for some research grants?

For nationally competitive research grants, such as NHMRC, MRFF or ARC schemes, announcements of outcomes are carefully coordinated between funding bodies, research offices and media teams.

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Following the long peer review process, outcomes are released to institution research offices and researchers at the same time. But, the embargo means that no public facing statements can be made.

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The outcomes are placed under embargo to allow for three important steps:

1)??? Researchers need to confirm they want to go ahead with the grant. Given the long ?period between grant submission and outcome (often 6-12 months), it’s important to reconfirm that the researcher is still in their role and still available to undertake the project.

2)??? Researchers, with the support of the research office, will raise any errors or issues that have occurred. For example, an administrative error could see an outcome letter sent to the wrong person, or scores to be incorrectly categorised. Given nationally competitive schemes often involve hundreds of applications, errors are likely to happen from time to time.

3)??? Research media teams need to develop content for public announcement, which could involve scheduling a photo shoot, writing a press release, and creating new web pages. All information needs to be ready for immediate release once the embargo is lifted. This is why we see several announcements from universities across the country on the same day – it’s the day the embargo period has been lifted.

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What should I do while my grant outcome is under embargo?

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For research grants, embargo periods can be as short as a few days, or as long as a few weeks. During this time, make sure you respond to any communication from your research office and participate in any process for preparing media statements or request for information.

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You can share your news with the other investigators on the application, as well as close colleagues and your line manager and Head of School. Please remind those you tell that the outcome is under embargo and no public announcement is permitted. Remember, the embargo stipulations exist for both unsuccessful and successful outcomes. So, don’t take to socials just yet.

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If you’re itching to get started, but finding it hard to wait through the embargo period, consider doing the following:

1)??? Draft a socials post for when the embargo is lifted. That way, you can reshare the university socials posts with your own content and a little more information about the project you will be embarking on. You can also draft a plain language statement (less than 1 page) to share with your investigators, and any partners or external stakeholders, to clearly describe the work.

2)??? Remind yourself of what was proposed in the grant and start thinking about first steps. Remember, being awarded a grant is the start of a project, not the end result. Now, you have the resources required to complete the work that brings impact to your field. Peer reviewers from around the country have confirmed their support that your work is of national significance, so it’s time to get underway.

3)??? Take a moment to reflect on how the project will impact on your research vision and future career and direction. Research grants are exceptionally competitive, so your success can trigger flow on opportunities that you may not yet realise.

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What’s been your experience of your work being under embargo? Drop me a line, I’d love to hear. Lauren: [email protected] .

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