3Description

3 Description

Discovery—Projects provides opportunities for a continuum of activities in order to meet the varied needs of researchers in different disciplines and at different stages of their careers. Where appropriate, Discovery—Projects emphasises the need for collaboration, and the development of capacity-building partnerships to work on a cohesive research programme that will make a major contribution to generating knowledge. It also allows for single projects to be undertaken on an individual basis.

Research Grants and Research Fellowships are available under Discovery—Projects. Applicants who apply for a Research Fellowship but not for a Research Grant must demonstrate how their research will be supported. The ARC wishes to ensure that the research proposed by those appointed as Fellows, particularly those appointed at APF level, is amongst the highest quality supported by the ARC and that their proposed research is adequately funded.

3.1 Types of research supported

Discovery—Projects supports excellent research including—

• pure basic research which is experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge without looking for long-term benefits other than the advancement of knowledge.

• strategic basic research which is experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge directed into specified broad areas that are expected to lead to useful discoveries. It provides the broad base of knowledge necessary to solve recognised practical problems.

• applied research which is original work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge with a specific application in view. It is undertaken either to determine possible uses for the findings of basic research or to determine new ways of achieving some specific and predetermined objectives.

The Minister for Education, Science and Training has designated the following areas of research as priority areas of research for the 2003 funding round:

• Nano-materials and Bio-materials
• Genome/Phenome Research
• Complex/Intelligent Systems
• Photon Science and Technology

These areas of research will be referred to as Designated Priority Areas of Research. Discovery—Projects support will include supporting projects focussed upon Designated Priority Areas of Research. Descriptions of these Areas can be found in Appendix 2, and on the ARC web site (www.arc.gov.au).

3.2 Applicant roles

There are various applicant roles available under Discovery—Projects. These are—

• Chief Investigator (CI)
• Partner Investigator (PI)
• Research Fellowships—

 ARC Professorial Fellow (APF)

 ARC Research Fellow/Queen Elizabeth II Fellow (ARF/QEII)

 ARC Postdoctoral Fellow (APD).

The roles and eligibility requirements for each of these are described below. To be eligible for consideration, each application must have at least one Chief Investigator or Research Fellowship applicant.