{"id":"F2025L00949","name":"Linkage Program Grant Guidelines (2024, second edition – Variation 1): Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities","slug":"linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-second-edition-variation-1-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-an","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":106695,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2025L00949-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 (2025) 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 CGRPs 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 (2025) 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 (2025) 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"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The supplied extract does not state an expansion or narrowing of who is eligible or the types of grants. It restates and specifies obligations, pre-conditions and administrative processes (variations, reporting, ethics, IP, privacy, audits, appeals) but does not, within the provided text, change the core scope of the grant program."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-references to multiple external instruments and policies (Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018); ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy (2025); ARC Research Integrity Policy (2023); ARC Open Access Policy (2021); Privacy Act 1988; FOI Act) — (Specific research policies and practices; Privacy and protection of personal information; Freedom of information).","Multiple distinct duty-holders with overlapping obligations: named participants, Chief Investigators, Partner Organisations, Administering Organisation and the ARC — (Responsibilities; Chief Investigator responsibilities; Partner Organisation responsibilities; Grant agreement variation).","Pre-commencement requirements and ongoing compliance obligations (ethics plan, data management plan, IP negotiation, ORCID encouragement) that affect project start and administration — (Specific research policies and practices, clauses 3–7).","Reporting, monitoring and enforcement powers including site visits, re-examination of claims, requests for records, independent audits and post-project evaluation — (Monitoring and reporting, clauses 1–3).","Appeals limited to administrative process only, with procedural prerequisites (form, authorisation by Administering Organisation DVC-equivalent) — (Appeals process).","Tensions and dual regimes around confidential information versus statutory FOI disclosure and broad government disclosure authorisations — (Confidential information; Freedom of information).","Mandatory certifications and notifications (conflict of interest declarations, privacy compliance, changes to contact/bank details) that create recurring administrative compliance costs — (Conflict of interest; Privacy and protection of personal information; Monitoring and reporting).","Discretion retained by the ARC and Australian Government in approval of variations, handling conflicts, and sharing applicant information with other government functions — (Grant agreement variation; Conflict of interest; Confidential information)."],"plain_english_summary":"These guidelines set the rules for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities grants. They define applicant and partner responsibilities (chief investigators’ supervision and IP, partner financial commitments), reporting and monitoring requirements, ethics and data plans, conflict-of-interest, privacy, confidentiality and FOI handling, and the process for grant agreement variations and appeals.\n\nThey affect applicants, administering organisations, partner organisations and the ARC — who approves variations, monitors compliance and may audit claims — and matter because they set the compliance, disclosure and administrative burdens that govern funding and project delivery."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This document appears to be a standard variation to existing ARC Linkage Program guidelines. It maintains the original scope of governing research infrastructure grants, researcher conduct, and compliance obligations. There is no evidence of scope creep beyond the original purpose of administering competitive research grants."},"complexity_factors":["Document is a variation to existing guidelines rather than standalone legislation, requiring cross-reference to the base Grant Agreement and multiple external policies","Heavy reliance on external documents: Australian Code for Responsible Conduct of Research (2018), ARC Conflict of Interest Policy (2025), ARC Research Integrity Policy (2023), ARC Open Access Policy (2021), Privacy Act 1988, Freedom of Information Act 1982, Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles (CGRPs), ARC Act","Multiple defined roles with overlapping obligations (Chief Investigators, Partner Organisations, Administering Organisations, 'You' as grant recipient)","Conditional logic in confidentiality provisions (four separate conditions for treating information as confidential)","Nested compliance requirements: applicants must comply with laws, regulations, guidelines, codes, policies, and specific plans (ethics, data management)","Appeals process limited by specific exclusions (cannot appeal committee decisions, assessor ratings, or outcomes—only administrative process failures)","Fragmented structure with repeated headings and inconsistent numbering (multiple '1.' entries, duplicate section titles)"],"plain_english_summary":"The document sets out rules for researchers, partner organisations and administering institutions applying for ARC LIEF grants, explaining applicant responsibilities, conduct, reporting and post-award oversight. Chief Investigators, partner organisations, universities and research staff must take intellectual responsibility, supervise juniors, follow ethics and privacy rules, declare conflicts, manage IP with partners, provide open access to outputs, and submit regular reports.\n\nThese safeguards ensure public funds support ethical, well‑managed research, protect against fraud, and promote fair competition and broad sharing of results."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-second-edition-variation-1-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-an","history":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-second-edition-variation-1-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-an/history","analysis":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-second-edition-variation-1-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-an/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-second-edition-variation-1-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-an/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-second-edition-variation-1-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-an/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/linkage-program-grant-guidelines-2024-second-edition-variation-1-linkage-infrastructure-equipment-an/documents"}}