3Funding

3                      Funding

3.1               Rounds

3.1.1           Funding under Linkage Projects will be made available in rounds. Applicants are able to apply in the first round by 5 May 2006 for funding to commence in January 2007 (Round 1), or in the second round by 24 November 2006 for funding to commence in July 2007 (Round 2).  Prior to commencement of a round the ARC will advise the opening date for lodgment of applications.  The ARC will allocate funds between the two rounds as it thinks necessary and appropriate, taking into account the total funds available for Linkage Projects, and the demand for funding and the quality of Proposals received in each round.

3.2               Level of funding

3.2.1           All amounts referred to in these Funding Rules are to be read as exclusive of Goods and Services Tax (if any), unless expressly stated otherwise.

3.2.2           The minimum level of funding which will be provided by the ARC for a project is $20,000 per annum. Applicants must make a request of at least $20,000 per year.

3.2.3           Generally, the maximum level of ARC funding for a project is $500,000 per annum. In exceptional circumstances, the ARC is prepared to consider higher funding levels, where an outstanding case is made, and where there is clear evidence of a very high level of commitment by, and very significant cash contributions from, the Partner Organisation(s).

3.2.4           In any case, the amount of funding sought in a Linkage Projects Proposal will depend on the Applicant’s capacity to obtain the required contribution from their Partner Organisation(s), as described in Appendix 2.

3.2.5           If an APDI is requested, the Proposal should include a request for the Fellowship salary and on-costs in the budget. APDIs are awarded at levels outlined in Appendix 4.

3.2.6           The ARC reserves the right to recommend the levels of funding allocated to a project at levels which may differ from that requested in the Proposal.

3.3               Duration of funding

3.3.1           Funding for projects may be awarded for 1 to 5 years, subject to sufficient funding being available for Linkage Projects, and the provisions of the ARC Act.

3.3.2           APDIs are awarded for a standard duration of three years. The ARC may award an APDI with a duration of less than three years where the Proposal provides reasons, to the satisfaction of the ARC, why an award of the APDI for a period of less than three years is justified. (Further details about the tenure of APDIs are provided in Appendix 4.)

3.3.3           APAI stipends are awarded for a maximum period of three years with provision under certain conditions for an additional six months’ support from the Commonwealth for PhD students. Where a Proposal seeks APAI funding for less than the three-year maximum, including for a Master’s degree, any award of a stipend will be only for the period sought without the opportunity to extend.

3.3.4           In all cases, the ARC may recommend funding for a project for a duration different from that requested in the Proposal.

3.4               Types of research supported

3.4.1           Subject to Section 3.5, Linkage Projects supports all types of research, including:

1. 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;
2. 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. Such research provides the broad base of knowledge necessary to solve recognised practical problems; and
3. applied research which is original work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge with a specific application in view. Such research 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.

3.4.2           The following project costs may be supported under Linkage Projects:

1. personnel (salaries and on-costs), including:

2. research associates, technicians, laboratory attendants, and so on;

3. Australian Postgraduate Awards (Industry) (APAI) for postgraduate research students studying towards a Masters or PhD award (see Appendix 3 for APAI entitlements);

4. Australian Postdoctoral Fellowships (Industry) (APDI) for researchers with less than three years’ postdoctoral experience (see Appendix 4 for entitlements); and

5. Linkage Industry Fellowships (LIFs) - support for costs associated with short-term transfers for CIs or some PIs between Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations, where, in the opinion of the ARC, an outstanding case is made (Section 3.7);

but excluding those items detailed in subsection 3.6.2b and e.

b. teaching relief for Chief Investigators, but only where the request is justified to the satisfaction of the ARC (see subsection 3.6.2c );

c. equipment;

d. maintenance; and

e. travel.

3.5               Areas of investigation/work not supported

3.5.1           Linkage Projects does not support:

a. clinical medical and dental research and training. These areas of research are generally covered by other Commonwealth Government funding agencies, such as the NHMRC;

b. activities leading solely to the creation or performance of a work of art, including visual art, musical compositions, drama, dance, designs and literary works. These areas are generally covered by other Commonwealth Government agencies, such as the Australia Council for the Arts;

c. scholarly investigations that, while important in themselves, do not lead to conceptual advances or discoveries, or to novel practical outcomes or applications. Projects such as uncritical bibliographical compilations and purely descriptive catalogues or editions that do not involve original research are not funded;

d. projects where, in the ARC’s opinion, one or more Partner Organisations is seeking expert external assistance, not available within their own organisation, in order to develop specific applications involving little innovation or low risk, which the ARC deems to be contracted research or consultancies;

e. projects that, in the opinion of the ARC, do not significantly enhance links with organisations outside the publicly funded research and higher education sectors;

f. production of teaching materials, even though some research may be involved in their production;

g. compilation of data, unless this is an integral part of a project, in which case the Proposal must include a statement indicating the research objectives to which the data would contribute; and/or

h. development of research aids and tools (including computer programs), unless they form an integral part of the Proposal, in which case the Proposal must include a statement indicating the research objectives to which these activities would contribute.

3.5.2 If the ARC considers that a Proposal seeks funding for a project that involves any of the items listed in subsection 3.5.1, then to that extent part or all of the Proposal will not be recommended or approved for funding. However, if the ARC considers other parts of the proposed project remain worthy of support, the ARC may recommend that a reduced amount of funding be approved for the Proposal.

3.6               Restrictions on budget items

3.6.1           Linkage Projects supports only costs which directly support a research project. The ARC may in its absolute discretion determine whether any project costs meet this requirement.

3.6.2 Linkage Projects has restrictions on the following budget items:

1. Capital works and general infrastructure Capital works and general infrastructure costs are not funded in whole or part under Linkage Projects. In addition, they must not be included in the required matching contributions made by Partner Organisations.
2. Salaries of Chief Investigators (CIs) and Partner Investigators (PIs) Apart from the possibility of support for costs associated with a LIF (Section 3.7), the Commonwealth will not provide support in whole or in part to meet the salaries of CIs or PIs under Linkage Projects.
3. Teaching

 Commonwealth funds may be used for teaching relief only if specifically approved for that purpose. Linkage Projects funding is not provided to fund teaching. However, the ARC may consider a request for teaching relief, for a period of not more than six months per calendar year, if such a request is fully justified in terms of achieving a successful outcome for the project. If approved, the funding contribution is limited up to a maximum amount of not more than $32,294 for 6 months per calendar year, regardless of the level of appointment of the staff member, and is a Special Condition.

d.          Special Studies Programs Funds are not provided for travel or related expenses for researchers when on a Special Studies Program. Some specified costs may be supported within a Linkage Projects project provided that the Proposal clearly demonstrates that such expenses are not covered by a Special Studies Program and that the research to be undertaken directly relates to the project. In these cases the use of funds needs to be approved as a Special Condition.

e.           Research support for Partner Investigators Funds are not provided for Partner Investigators, apart from short-term project support for investigators visiting from overseas.

f.            International students’ fees and Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) liability Funds are not provided to pay the fees of international students or HECS liabilities for Australian students.

g.          Computer facilities for molecular analysis Applicants for projects involving molecular biology should be aware that a number of organisations provide access to a range of databases and a large suite of analysis programs. As a result, Proposals seeking funding for computer facilities to undertake molecular analysis must justify such needs very thoroughly and to the satisfaction of the ARC.

h.          Basic facilities The Administering Organisation must agree to provide the following basic facilities (where relevant to the Proposal), which will not be funded under Linkage Projects:

1. accommodation (e.g. laboratory and office, suitably equipped and furnished in standard ways);
2. access to workshop services (e.g. machine tools and qualified technicians available to each member of staff, according to need, for research);
3. access to film or music editing facilities;
4. access to a basic library collection;
5. standard reference materials or funds for abstracting services;
6. provision of computers (excluding access to high-performance computers or other specialised applications) and basic computing facilities such as word processing and other standard software; and
7. use of photocopiers, telephones, mail, fax, email and internet services.

i.           Publication Costs

 Publication costs, including page costs, will not be funded under Linkage Projects.

j.           Costs not directly related to a project

 Costs not directly related to a project will not be funded, for example costs of a personal nature such as child care.

3.7               Linkage Industry Fellowships (LIFs)

3.7.1           Linkage Projects offers the opportunity to request a LIF, which provides support for costs involved in a temporary transfer of a researcher from one of the Eligible Organisations listed on a Proposal to one of the Partner Organisations listed on that Proposal, or vice versa.

3.7.2           A LIF may be funded only for a single period of between 3 and 12 months during the duration of the proposed project, for an amount up to a maximum of $100,000. A Proposal may not request more than one LIF. Only a limited number of LIFs will be made available, where, in the opinion of the ARC, an outstanding case is made for the Fellowship. Only funds specifically approved for a LIF via a Special Condition may be used for that purpose.

3.7.3           To request a LIF, a Proposal must:

1. identify the proposed Linkage Industry Fellow, who must be:

2. an eligible Chief Investigator on the Proposal, or

3. an eligible Partner Investigator on the Proposal who is an employee of, and derives more than 50% of her/his salary from, one of the Partner Organisations on the Proposal;

b.          identify the amount of support requested for the Fellowship (not more than $100,000) and the proposed duration and timing of the Fellowship (between 3 and 12 months), and detail how the support requested will be used;

c.           describe and justify the nature of the temporary transfer, which, except in exceptional circumstances, must include a single, continuous physical transfer of the Fellow for the duration of the Fellowship from one of the Eligible Organisations listed on the Proposal to one of the Partner Organisations listed on the Proposal, or vice versa. The ARC is prepared to be flexible in considering a range of transfer arrangements, as best benefits the proposed project and circumstances of the parties involved; and

d.          make a strong case for the Fellowship in terms of the benefits to the project, and the contribution towards the objectives of Linkage Projects.

3.7.4           The right to make a recommendation on the level of support for, and duration of, a LIF rests with the ARC. The ARC may recommend a level and duration which differ from those requested.

3.7.5           The Linkage Projects Instructions to Applicants for Funding Commencing in 2007 provides more detailed information on how to request a LIF within a Linkage Projects Proposal.

 

3.8               Number of Proposals and funded projects

3.8.1           General Requirements

3.8.1.1 Proposals may be submitted only to the extent that, if all were successful, the researchers nominated on those Proposals would not be involved in more than the maximum number of projects permitted in 2007 (subsection 3.8.1.2). For the purpose of applying these limits, the number of ongoing research projects which are to be funded for 2007, and the number of Proposals on which a researcher is nominated are evaluated as at the closing time for the submission of Proposals for the relevant round, regardless of any subsequent change in, or withdrawal of, Proposals. Submitting Proposals that exceed this limit may result in all Proposals involving the relevant researcher(s) not being recommended or approved for funding.

3.8.1.2 Specific limits on the number of projects funded in 2007

| Limit type | Limit description | | a. CI/Fellow limit | CIs and APDI Fellows may participate in up to four concurrent Linkage Projects projects which have funding for project costs and/or APDIs (these four may or may not also include APAI funding). CIs may also participate in up to four concurrent Linkage Projects projects which have funding only for APAIs. | | b. PI limit | There is no limit on the number of concurrent projects for PIs. | | c. APDI limit for further Proposals | Except in the final year of her/his Fellowship, an APDI Fellow may be involved in a further Proposal under Linkage Projects only if the proposed project is, in the opinion of the ARC, closely associated with her/his existing Fellowship project. |

3.8.1.3              For the purposes of these Funding Rules, a project for which funding was/is to be carried over, or deferred, into the next year is considered to be funded for the years for which it was recommended for funding. For example, if a project was originally funded for three years and funding is subsequently carried over to a fourth year, this project will still be considered for these purposes as funded for the original three years.

3.8.2           Duplication

3.8.2.1              Various components underpinning a project are to be included in a single Linkage Projects Proposal. For example, separate Proposals cannot be submitted seeking project funding for APDIs and APAIs for essentially the same project. If the ARC considers that separate Proposals are submitted in the same funding round seeking funding for separate components for essentially the same project the ARC may in its absolute discretion decide to not recommend the Proposal for approval.

3.8.2.2              Only one Proposal may be submitted to Linkage Projects in respect of a particular project in the same funding round, regardless of any variation in the listed researchers and/or Administering Organisation. If the ARC considers that the project described in a Proposal is the same or similar (in whole or in part) to a project described in another Proposal that is submitted in the same funding round, the ARC may in its absolute discretion decide to not recommend for approval any or all of those Proposals, or recommend that a reduced amount of funding be provided for that or any similar Proposal. The ARC reserves the right to determine whether Proposals are duplicates or sufficiently similar to warrant one or more Proposals’ being not recommended for approval.

3.8.2.3              A Linkage Projects Proposal may not be submitted if it is essentially the same as a Proposal submitted in the previous Linkage Projects round. If the ARC considers that a Proposal in a round is for essentially the same project as a Proposal submitted in the previous round, the ARC may in its absolute discretion decide to not recommend the later Proposal for approval. However, if a Linkage Projects Proposal was not funded in a previous round because the ARC considered it as ineligible for funding because it did not meet the eligibility criteria or accountability requirements in a particular round, a similar Proposal which meets the eligibility and accountability requirements may be submitted in the immediately following round.