{"id":"F2024L00978","name":"Linkage Program Grant Guidelines (2024 edition, second edition): Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities","slug":"linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-edition-second-edition-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-and-fa","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":105326,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2024L00978-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Grant agreement variation","sectionType":"subdivision","heading":"Grant agreement variation","content":"#### Grant agreement variation\n\n1.  The Grant Agreement outlines the circumstances in which Variations must be submitted. Variations are subject to the ARC approval and further information can be found in the Grant Agreement.\n\nResponsibilities\n\n1.  All named participants in an application must:\n\n1.  take significant intellectual responsibility for the conception and conduct of the project and for any strategic decisions called for in its pursuit and the communication of results; and\n\n1.  take responsibility for the authorship and intellectual content of the application, appropriately citing sources and acknowledging all significant contributions, including from third parties.","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"Chief Investigator responsibilities","sectionType":"subdivision","heading":"Chief Investigator responsibilities","content":"#### Chief Investigator responsibilities\n\n1.  CIs must:\n\n1.  ensure effective supervision, support and mentoring at all times of research personnel, including Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates and postdoctoral researchers for whom they are responsible; and\n\n1.  make a commitment to carrying out the project and not assume the role of a supplier of resources for work that will largely be undertaken by others.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Partner Organisation responsibilities","sectionType":"subdivision","heading":"Partner Organisation responsibilities","content":"#### Partner Organisation responsibilities\n\n1.  Participating organisations will be required to certify to the Administering Organisation their commitment to the successful completion of the project, including any financial contributions they will make and that they have appropriate governance arrangements in place.\n\nSpecific research policies and practices\n\n1.  You and each participant are required to be compliant with all relevant laws, regulations and have regard to any relevant guidelines.\n2.  All applications and ARC-funded research projects must comply with the requirements for responsible and ethical research practice specified in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018), and the codes, guidelines, practices and policies on the ARC website, including the ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy (2024) and any actions that have been applied under the ARC Research Integrity Policy (2023 version)\n3.  An ethics plan must be in place before commencement of the project.\n4.  Intellectual Property arrangements should be negotiated between You, the Partner Organisations and Other Organisations as relevant. We do not claim ownership of any IP arising from the project.\n5.  All research projects must comply with the ARC Open Access Policy (2021 version) on the dissemination of findings on the ARC website.\n6.  A data management plan must be in place before the project commences, in line with the grant agreement, and ARC expectations on the ARC website.\n7.  All named participants applying for grants are strongly encouraged to have a persistent digital identifier such as an Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier (ORCID) in their RMS Profile.\n\nMonitoring and reporting\n\n1.  You must inform Us of any changes to Your:\n\n1.  name;\n\n1.  address(es);\n2.  nominated contact details; and\n3.  bank account details.\n    1.  You must submit reports in line with the grant agreement. Reports must be submitted through RMS, unless otherwise advised by Us. Reporting may include:\n\n1.  End of year reports;\n\n1.  Final reports; and\n2.  Post-project reporting.\n    1.  We will monitor progress by assessing Your reports and may conduct site visits or request records to confirm details of Your reports if necessary. We may re-examine claims, seek further information or request an independent audit of claims and payments.\n    2.  We may evaluate the project to measure how well the outcomes and objectives were achieved. We may use information from Your application and reports or may contact You after grant completion to assist evaluation.\n\n1.  Probity\n    1.  The Australian Government will make sure that the grant opportunity process is fair, according to the published guidelines, incorporates appropriate safeguards against fraud, unlawful activities and other inappropriate conduct and is consistent with the CGRGs and the ARC Act.\n\nAppeals process\n\n1.  We will only consider appeals against the NCGP administrative process and not against committee decisions, assessor ratings and comments or the assessment outcome. Appellants must identify the specific guideline/legislative instrument clause, policy or procedure which they believe has been incorrectly applied.\n2.  You must submit an appeal using the Form on the ARC website and have it authorised by the Administering Organisation’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent.\n3.  The Appeals process is set out on the ARC website.\n\nConflict of interest\n\n1.  You will be asked to certify, as part of Your application, any perceived, potential or existing conflicts of interests have been declared to You or that, to the best of Your knowledge, there is no conflict of interest in Your application. Each named individual or organisation must make this declaration about any aspect of the application or project to You at the date of submission.\n2.  If a conflict of interest exists or arises, You must have documented processes in place to manage the conflict of interest for the duration of the project. Processes must comply with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018), the ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy (2024) and any relevant successor documents.\n3.  We will handle any conflicts of interest as set out in Australian Government policies and procedures. Refer to the ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy (2024) on the ARC website.\n\nPrivacy and protection of personal information\n\n1.  We treat your personal information according to the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act 1988.\n2.  You are required, as part of Your application, to certify Your compliance with the Privacy Act 1988, including the Australian Privacy Principles and impose the same privacy obligations on any subcontractors You engage. You must ask for Our consent in writing before disclosing confidential information.\n3.  Information about privacy and personal information is set out on the ARC website.\n\nConfidential information\n\n1.  The Australian Government may use and disclose confidential information about grant applicants and grant recipients to any other Australian Government business or function.\n2.  We will treat the information You give Us as confidential if:\n\n1.  You clearly identify the information as confidential and explain why We should treat it as confidential;\n2.  the information is commercial in confidence;\n3.  revealing the information would cause unreasonable harm to You or someone else; or\n4.  You provide the information with an understanding that it will stay confidential.\n\nFreedom of information\n\n1.  All documents in the possession of the Australian Government, including those about the Program, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).\n2.  The Freedom of Information process is set out on the ARC website.","sortOrder":2}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This appears to be a standard grant guidelines document for a specific ARC funding stream (LIEF). The scope aligns with typical research funding administrative requirements covering application, compliance, reporting, and governance. There is no evidence of scope creep beyond standard grant administration."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple nested numbering systems (sections, subsections, and bullet points) creating visual confusion","Frequent cross-references to external documents (ARC Act, CGRGs, Australian Code for Responsible Conduct of Research, multiple ARC policies) without providing the actual text","Duplicated headings ('Grant agreement variation' appears three times, 'Chief Investigator responsibilities' twice, 'Partner Organisation responsibilities' twice)","Inconsistent formatting and numbering (section 1 appears multiple times under different headings)","Conditional requirements scattered throughout (must have ethics plan 'before commencement', data management plan 'before the project commences')","Mixture of mandatory requirements ('must') and strong encouragement ('strongly encouraged') without clear hierarchy","Vague references to 'the ARC website' rather than specific URLs or document versions for some requirements"],"plain_english_summary":"This document sets out the rules for applying to and managing Australian Research Council LIEF grants for shared research infrastructure, covering eligibility, partner commitments, ethical and data obligations, reporting, audits and privacy requirements. \n\nIt affects lead researchers, partner organisations and administering universities, and matters because compliance determines funding, open access to results, and proper stewardship of public research investments."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The supplied text does not indicate any change to the program's statutory or eligibility scope. It establishes procedural, governance and reporting requirements (responsibilities, plans, monitoring, variation and appeals) for administering Linkage Infrastructure grants without stating an expansion or narrowing of who is eligible or the purposes of funding."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple stakeholder roles with distinct duties (chief investigators, partner organisations, Administering Organisation, ARC).","Cross-references to external codes and policies (Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018, ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy 2024, ARC Research Integrity Policy 2023, ARC Open Access Policy 2021, Privacy Act 1988).","Procedural requirements for approvals, variations and an appeals process limited to administrative matters.","Monitoring mechanisms including report assessments, site visits, record requests, re-examination of claims and potential independent audits.","Mandatory pre-commencement plans (ethics plan, data management plan) and IP negotiation requirements.","Confidentiality, privacy and Freedom of Information interactions that create overlapping legal obligations.","Certification and documentation duties for conflicts of interest and governance that persist for project duration."],"plain_english_summary":"These guidelines set the operational rules for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities grants: who must do what (chief investigators, partner organisations, applicants), how grant variations and ARC approvals work, required plans (ethics, data management), open access and IP expectations, and ARC monitoring and reporting processes.\n\nThe ARC approves and monitors compliance; applicants and Administering Organisations must certify conflicts, privacy and governance, submit reports, and may face site visits, audits or limited administrative appeals. The guidelines require documented conflict‑management and notification of changes to contact, bank or legal details."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-edition-second-edition-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-and-fa","history":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-edition-second-edition-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-and-fa/history","analysis":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-edition-second-edition-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-and-fa/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-edition-second-edition-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-and-fa/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-edition-second-edition-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-and-fa/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-edition-second-edition-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-and-fa/documents"}}