2Changes from last year

2                          Changes from last year

2.1.1               A number of clarifications and revisions have been made in these Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2007 (the 2007 Federation Fellowships Funding Rules). Significant changes from the 2006 Federation Fellowships Funding Rules include:

1. A definitions section has been added to the 2007 Federation Fellowships Funding Rules (pages 6 - 7).
2. The Introduction Section (page 8) alerts Applicants and other parties involved in Proposals that a Proposal may be not recommended for approval if any person nominated as a Federation Fellow on the Proposal has caused or significantly contributed to the failure of an Administering Organisation to meet its obligations under a current or prior funding agreement.
3. A section “Restrictions on budget items” has been added (Section 3.5).
4. Other than issues concerning non-duplication of funding in subsection 1.4.2 and Section 6, rather than specifying in these Funding Rules the limits which apply on the number of Proposals or projects, if any, Federation Fellows may hold under other ARC funding schemes, Applicants are alerted that the relevant Funding Rules for other ARC schemes may specify limits applying to Federation Fellows in relation to their funding under those schemes (subsection 3.6.2).
5. Subsection 5.1.2 states that Federation Fellows must take significant intellectual responsibility for the proposed project, its conception, and any strategic decisions called for in its pursuit and the communication of results. The researcher must have the capacity to make a serious commitment to the project and cannot assume the role of a supplier of resources for work that will largely be placed in the hands of others. The ARC reserves the right to determine whether a person has the requisite capacity to perform the role.
6. The Funding Rules clarify that Federation Fellows who wish to undertake research overseas will require the approval of the ARC to do so and that approval may be given for periods of up to 2 years in total, providing the Administering Organisation clearly demonstrates this is in the best interests of the research and its outcomes, and of national benefit to Australia (subsection 5.1.8).
7. Clarification has been provided that a researcher may be nominated for a Federation Fellowship regardless of whether they hold any continuing or non-continuing appointments, but unless otherwise permitted in the Funding Rules, if the Proposal is successful they are expected to relinquish their existing appointments before the Fellowship may commence (subsection 5.1.9).
8. Federation Fellowship candidates who currently hold a Federation Fellowship and are being nominated for a subsequent Federation Fellowship are required to agree to, and will be required to, relinquish any funding for their current Federation Fellowship (which is payable after a specified date) if the Proposal is successful (subsection 5.1.10).