Discovery Program Grant Guidelines – Fellowships (2023 Edition)

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Australian Government logo with Crest and Australian Research Council Discovery Program Grant Guidelines – Fellowships (2023 edition)

Australian Laureate Fellowships

Future Fellowships

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

 

 

Australian Research Council Act 2001

 

I, Jason Clare, Minister for Education, having satisfied myself of the matters set out in section 59 of the Australian Research Council Act 2001, approve these grant guidelines under section 60 of that Act.

Dated  1 August 2023

Jason Clare

Minister for Education

Contents

1. Discovery Program processes

2. About the Discovery Program

About the Discovery Program Fellowships grant opportunities

3. Grant amount and grant period

4. Eligibility criteria

5. What the grant money can be used for

Eligible grant activities

Ineligible grant activities

6. How to apply

Application process

Timing of the grant opportunities

7. The grant selection process

Assessment

National Interest Test Statement

Who will approve grants

Requests not to assess process

Rejoinder process

8. Successful grant applications

Announcement

Grant Agreements

Responsibilities

Specific research policies and practices

Monitoring and reporting

9. Probity

Part A Australian Laureate Fellowships

A2. Grant amount and grant period

A3. Grant eligibility criteria

A4. The assessment criteria

A5. Successful grant applications

Part B Future Fellowships

B2. Grant amount and grant period

B3. Grant eligibility criteria

B4. What the grant money can be used for

B5. The assessment criteria

B6. Successful grant applications

Part C Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)

C2. Grant amount and grant period

C3. Grant eligibility criteria

C4. What the grant money can be used for

C5. The assessment criteria

C6. Successful grant applications

Appendix A – Glossary

Acronyms

Definitions

Appendix B: Eligible Organisations

1. Discovery Program processes

The Discovery Program is designed to achieve the Australian Government’s objectives for research and innovation.

This grant program contributes to the ARC’s Outcome 1, which is to grow knowledge and innovation through managing research grants, measuring research excellence and providing advice.

There are five grant opportunities in the Discovery Program. The following process flowchart is relevant to three grant opportunities: Australian Laureate Fellowships; Future Fellowships; and Discovery Early Career Researcher Award.



The grant opportunity opens.

We (the ARC) publish the grant guidelines and advertise on GrantConnect.



You (the Administering Organisation) complete and submit an application.

You will complete an application on the ARC’s Research Management System (RMS), addressing eligibility, the National Interest Test and the assessment criteria.



We manage the assessment of all applications.

We manage the assessment of applications against eligibility criteria and assessment criteria.

Your application will be assigned to Detailed Assessors to undertake in-depth assessments. You will have an opportunity to respond to Detailed Assessors’ written comments through a rejoinder.

Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) members will then assess Your application, consider the Detailed Assessors’ ratings and comments and Your rejoinder and assign a final score.



We make grant recommendations.

The SAC considers applications and recommends those to be funded, and the level and duration of funding for each project, to the ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The CEO then makes an assessment and a recommendation to the Minister.

In making recommendations to the Minister, the CEO considers the SAC’s advice, risks relating to foreign interference, and alignment with Australian Government priorities. The CEO may consider advice from other Commonwealth agencies.



Grant decisions are made.

The Minister decides which applications are approved, and the level of funding and duration of funding for each approved project.



We notify You of the outcome.

We advise You if Your application was successful or not through RMS.



We enter into a grant agreement with You.

We will enter into a grant agreement with You through RMS.



Delivery of the grant.

You undertake the grant activity and report to us as set out in Your grant agreement. We manage the grant by monitoring Your progress and making payments.



Evaluation of the grant opportunity.

We evaluate the specific grant activity and the individual grant opportunity as a whole. We will use information You provide to Us through Your reports to inform evaluations.

2.    About the Discovery Program

2.1.                  The Discovery Program is one of two Programs under the ARC National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP). Information about the Discovery Program is available on the ARC website.

Objectives

2.2.                  The Discovery Program aims to deliver outcomes of benefit to Australia and build Australia’s research capacity through support for:

1. excellent, internationally-competitive research by individuals and teams;
2. research training and career opportunities for the best Australian and international researchers;
3. international collaboration; and
4. research in Australian Government priority areas.

Intended outcome

2.3.                  The intended outcome of the Discovery Program is to contribute to the growth of Australia’s research and innovation capacity. Increasing Australia’s research and innovation capacity generates new knowledge and results in the development of new technologies, products and ideas, the creation of jobs, economic growth and an enhanced quality of life in Australia.

About the Discovery Program Fellowships grant opportunities

2.4.                  The three Fellowship schemes available under the Discovery Program guidelines are:

1. Australian Laureate Fellowships—Part A;

b.              Future Fellowships—Part B; and

c.              Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)—Part C.

2.5.                  The three schemes provide Fellowships for individual researchers at different stages of their careers:

1. early career researchers through the DECRA;

b.              mid-career researchers through Future Fellowships; and

c.              established researchers through Australian Laureate Fellowships.

3.    Grant amount and grant period

3.1.                  The ARC may provide funding for project and salary costs as detailed in Table 1. Further details are provided in the scheme specific parts (Parts A to C) of these grant guidelines.

3.2.                  We provide salary, salary-related (on-cost) support and project funding as detailed below. Salary and/or project funding will not be awarded separately.

Table 1: Discovery Program Fellowships funding and grant duration.

The salary and stipend figures in this section are based on the 2023 price levels of funding and will be subject to variation (for example, due to annual indexation). Updated levels will be available on the ‘Salaries and Stipends’ page of the ARC website.

4.    Eligibility criteria

What are the eligibility requirements for applications?

4.1.                  We will only accept applications from Eligible Organisations as identified in Appendix B. An Eligible Organisation that applies will be the ‘Administering Organisation’ (henceforth, ‘You’).

Who is eligible to be a named participant?

4.2.                  Named participants are those individual researchers who are nominated for the roles identified for each grant opportunity.

4.3.                  Roles that named participants may be nominated for under these guidelines are:

1. Australian Laureate Fellowship candidates (Part A);

b.              Future Fellowship candidates (Part B); and

c.              DECRA candidates (Part C).

4.4.                  All candidates named in an application must:

1. satisfy the eligibility criteria for the role they are to perform;
2. take responsibility for the authorship and intellectual content of the application, appropriately citing sources and acknowledging all significant contributions, including from third parties; and

c.              have met their obligations regarding previously funded projects, including submission of satisfactory final reports to the ARC at the grant opportunity closing date.

4.5.                  ARC Fellows must not undertake an HDR during the project activity period.

4.6.                  A Project cannot start until all named participants meet the eligibility criteria in these grant guidelines.

4.7.                  An application will not be considered where We have decided to exclude grant applications involving a particular named participant for a period of time, whether or not they otherwise meet the eligibility requirements.

What are the limits on the number of applications and projects per named participant?

4.8.                  These limits only apply to candidates and are designed to ensure that named participants have the capacity to undertake each project.

4.9.                  A named participant can be concurrently funded through the Discovery Program for a maximum of:

1. two projects as a Chief Investigator (CI); or

b.              one ARC Fellowship and one project as a CI; or

c.              one ARC Fellowship or project if the individual is also a Director on an active ARC Centre of Excellence and/or a Special Research Initiative project.

4.10.              Applications for Australian Laureate Fellowships, Future Fellowships, DECRA, ARC Centres of Excellence or Special Research Initiatives do not need to meet the project limit requirements at the grant opportunity closing date. If an Australian Laureate Fellowships, Future Fellowships, DECRA, ARC Centres of Excellence or Special Research Initiatives application is successful, named participants must meet the project limits under section 4.9 before the project can start. Project limits can be met by relinquishing existing active project(s), or relinquishing role(s) on existing active projects, or withdrawing application(s) that would exceed the project limits. This may not need to occur until all applications are announced.

4.11.              It is Your responsibility to determine if applying for, or holding, a project under these grant guidelines will affect an individual researcher’s eligibility for other ARC grant opportunities as other ARC grant opportunities may have different project limits. We reserve the right to change project and application limits in future grant opportunities.

5.    What the grant money can be used for

Eligible grant activities

5.1                    The Discovery Program supports research activities that meet the definition of ‘research’ in the Glossary.

5.2                    You can only spend the grant on eligible expenditure items that directly support the project and in accordance with any additional special conditions in the grant agreement.

5.3                    Eligible expenditure items may include:

1. salary support for other personnel, for example, research associates and assistants, technicians and laboratory attendants at an appropriate salary level, including 30% on-costs, at the employing organisation;

2. stipends for 1.0 full time equivalent (FTE) HDR at the level indicated on the ‘Salaries and Stipends’ page of the ARC website;

3. expert services of a third party if the services are directly related to and essential for the project. Such services include, but are not limited to:

4. language translation services, transcribing services

5. purchase of bibliographical or archival material (electronic or hard copy)

6. data collection and analysis services;

7. equipment (and its maintenance) and consumables, including specialised computer equipment and software essential to the project;

8. travel costs essential to the project, as specified in the relevant part of these grant guidelines (see Parts B and C). The following travel costs are not counted towards the per year limit:

9. expenditure on field research essential to the project, including technical and logistical support, travel expenses (including accommodation, meals and incidental costs); and

10. reasonable essential costs to allow a participant who is a carer, or who personally requires care or assistance, to undertake travel essential to the project;

f.        other, which may include:

1. access to national and international research and infrastructure facilities including specialist archives, collections and databases;
2. access to technical workshop services linked to and justified explicitly against the project (for example, machine tools and qualified technicians);
3. publication and dissemination of project research outputs and outreach activity costs;
4. specialised computer equipment and software essential to the project;
5. web hosting and web development specific to the project;
6. workshops, focus groups and conferences that are essential for the conduct of the project (including reasonable hospitality costs such as morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea).

Ineligible grant activities

5.4                    Unless the following activities meet the definition of research, the Discovery Program does not support production of:

1. computer programs, research aids and tools;

b.              data warehouses, catalogues or bibliographies; or

c.              teaching materials.

5.5                    You cannot request or use grant funds for:

a.              research activities, infrastructure or projects previously funded or currently being funded through any other Commonwealth grant;

b.              medical research as detailed in the ARC Medical Research Policy on the ARC website;

c.              activities leading solely to the creation or performance of a work of art, including visual art, musical compositions, drama, dance, film, broadcasts, designs and literary works, unless those works are directly related to the project activities and demonstrably research based;

d.              contracted research or consultancy arrangements where one or more Organisation(s) is seeking expert external assistance, not available within their own organisation, to develop specific applications or outputs that involve little innovation or are low risk;

e.              production of computer programs, research aids and tools; data warehouses, catalogues or bibliographies; or teaching materials, unless these meet the definition of ‘research’;

f.               basic facilities that must be provided (where relevant) and funded by You and are not funded by the grant:

1. bench fees or similar laboratory access fees;
2. access to a basic library collection;
3. access to film or music editing facilities;
4. work accommodation (for example, laboratory and office space, suitably equipped and furnished);
5. basic computer facilities such as desktop computers, portable computer devices, printers, word processing, and other standard software; and
6. standard reference materials or funds for abstracting services;

g.              capital works and general infrastructure costs;

h.              costs not directly related to the project, including but not limited to professional membership fees, professional development courses, fees for patent application and maintenance, equipment for live music or drama performances, equipment for gallery and museum exhibitions, visas, relocation costs, entertainment costs, purchase of alcohol, insurance, mobile phones (purchase or call charges) and other indirect costs; and

i.                fees for international students or the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) and Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) liabilities for students.

j.                salary top ups for personnel above the salary level specified in these grant guidelines or published on the ‘Salaries and Stipends’ page of the ARC website (any top-up salary or stipend support required in order to comply with institutional levels may be provided by funds other than ARC funds).

6.    How to apply

Application process

6.1.                  Instructions To Applicants will be issued on the opening of the grant opportunity and applicants must follow the processes described in those Instructions, including regarding attachments to the application.

6.2.                  Your application must be completed in RMS. We will not accept late applications, other than in exceptional circumstances (such as due to natural disasters) in which case We will discuss this with You, and if We agree, invite You to make a late application.

6.3.                  You cannot change Your application after the closing date and time, unless invited to by the ARC.

6.4.                  We reserve the right to seek evidence to support the certification of applications at any point.

6.5.                  Questions during the application period should be directed to the Administering Organisation’s Research Office. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions will be posted on GrantConnect.

Timing of the grant opportunities

6.6.                  Schemes under these guidelines typically accept one round of applications each year.

6.7.                  You must submit Your application between the round opening and closing dates and times specified on GrantConnect.

7.    The grant selection process

Assessment

7.1.                  All applications will be considered through a competitive peer review process, based on:

a.              how well it meets the assessment criteria;

b.              how it is ranked against other applications; and

c.              whether it provides value for money (as defined in the Glossary).

7.2.                  Applications will undergo peer review assessment and recommendations will be made to the ARC CEO from a Selection Advisory Committee.

7.3.                  In Our absolute discretion, We may recommend an application not be approved if we consider it (a) incomplete, (b) inaccurate or contains false or misleading information, or (c) is otherwise in breach of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.

7.4.                  We may seek advice on security or other matters from Commonwealth agencies at any time during the process. We may seek information from You about activities and protections in line with that advice.

7.5.                  During the assessment, We may request additional information, which does not change the nature of Your application.

National Interest Test Statement

7.6.                  Applicants must provide a National Interest Test statement: a brief response that articulates the benefits of the proposed research in plain English in general terms beyond the period of the grant.

Who will approve grants

7.7.                  Our CEO will make recommendations for funding to the Minister, after considering the advice from peer review, national security considerations, and alignment with Australian Government priorities.

7.8.                  The Minister will decide which grants to fund. The Minister’s decision is final in all matters.

7.9.                  The outcome of all applications will be published in RMS.

Requests not to assess process

7.10.              You may name up to three persons whom You do not wish to assess an application by submitting a ‘Request Not to Assess’ form in RMS as detailed on GrantConnect and on the ARC website. This form must be received by Us two weeks prior to the grant opportunity closing date.

7.11.              Only one request containing the names of up to three individual assessors may be submitted per application.

7.12.              If a request includes the name of a current ARC College of Experts member, as listed on the ARC website or in RMS at the time of submitting the ‘Request Not to Assess’ form, the request must be accompanied by comprehensive evidence justifying the request for the ARC College of Experts member or members named. If We consider the evidence is not sufficient for the named ARC College of Experts member or members, We will reject part, or all the request.

7.13.              We have discretion about whether We accept or refuse a ‘Request Not to Assess’. We will not notify You of the outcome.

Rejoinder process

7.14.              You will be given the opportunity to respond to assessors’ written comments through a rejoinder. Names of assessors will not be provided. Further information on the rejoinder process is available on the ARC website.

8.    Successful grant applications

Announcement

8.1.                  If successful, Your grant will be listed on GrantConnect no more than 21 calendar days after the date of effect.

8.2.                  We will publicise and report offers and grants awarded, including the following information about the project:

a.              Your name and any other parties involved in or associated with the project;

b.              named participants and their organisations;

c.              the project description (the title and summary descriptions);

d.              Your National Interest Test statement;

e.              classifications and international collaboration country names; and

f.               the ARC grant funding amount.

8.3.                  You should ensure information contained in the project title, summary descriptions and National Interest Test statement will not compromise Your requirements for confidentiality (such as protection of Intellectual Property).

8.4.                  We may publish a project description, including title and summary, which differs from that provided in the application.

Grant Agreements

8.5.                  You must enter into a grant agreement with Us to receive a grant.

8.6.                  We use the ARC Discovery Program Fellowships grant agreement which contains standard terms and conditions that cannot be changed. A sample grant agreement is available on GrantConnect. Any special conditions will be identified in the grant offer.

8.7.                  You will have 30 calendar days from the date of offer to execute the grant agreement.

8.8.                  We must execute a grant agreement with You before We can make payment. We are not responsible for any of Your project expenditure until a grant agreement is executed.

How we pay the grant

8.9.                  Payments will be made as set out in the grant agreement. Grant funding will typically be paid monthly through Our payment system to You.

8.10.              The grant offer will specify the approved grant amount. We will not pay more than the approved grant amount under any circumstances. If you incur extra costs, You must meet them.

8.11.              Grant funding may be subject to indexation.

8.12.              All amounts referred to in these grant guidelines are exclusive of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), unless expressly stated otherwise.

8.13.              Any grant awarded will be subject to sufficient funds being available for the project, the provisions of the ARC Act and the continued satisfactory progress of the project.

Grant Agreement Variation

8.14.              Variations must be submitted where there are changes to the duration of the project, change of personnel or if changes to the project result in it no longer aligning with the project description. Further information can be found in the Grant Agreement.

8.15.              You should not assume that a variation request will be successful. We will consider your request based on provisions in the grant agreement, the likely impact on achieving outcomes and any national security risks.

Responsibilities

Fellows

8.16.              The Fellow:

1. must obtain a legal right to work and reside in Australia, prior to the commencement of the project if the candidate is not an Australian citizen;

b.              must reside for more than 50% of the project activity period in Australia;

c.              must work a minimum 80% (0.8 FTE) of their time on research activities related to the Fellowship or Award;

d.              must not spend more than 20% (0.2 FTE) of their time on activities not related to the Fellowships or Award, such as teaching. The Fellowship or Award will not be extended to cover periods of teaching;

e.              must meet relinquishment requirements as specified in the grant agreement and

f.               meet the additional requirements in the relevant sections of these guidelines (Part A-C).

You (Administering Organisation) responsibilities

8.17.              You must ensure the Fellow has access to the following leave entitlements in line with Your normal practice:

1. parental leave;
2. recreation leave;
3. sick leave; and
4. additional leave of up to twelve months using accrued leave or leave without pay.

8.18.              You must meet the additional requirements in the relevant sections of these guidelines (Part A-C) and the grant agreement.

Specific research policies and practices

8.19.              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, and the codes, guidelines, practices and policies on the ARC website, including the ARC Conflict of Interest Policy and any actions that have been applied under the ARC Research Integrity Policy.

8.20.              An ethics plan must be in place before commencement of the project.

8.21.              We do not claim ownership of any Intellectual Property arising from the project.

8.22.              All research projects must comply with the ARC Open Access Policy on the dissemination of findings on the ARC website.

8.23.              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.

Monitoring and reporting

8.24.              You must inform us of any changes to Your:

a.              name;

b.              addresses;

c.              nominated contact details; or

d.              bank account details.

8.25.              You must submit reports in line with the grant agreement. Reports must be submitted through RMS, unless otherwise advised by Us. Reporting may include:

a.              End of year reports;

b.              Final reports; and

c.              Post-project reporting.

8.26.              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.

8.27.              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.

9.    Probity

9.1.                  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.

Appeals process

9.2.                  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.

9.3.                  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. Appeals must be received by 5.00pm (AEDT/AEST) within 30 days of the date You were notified of the outcome of Your application.

9.4.                  The appeals process is set out on the ARC website.

Conflict of interest

9.5.                  You will be asked to certify as part of Your application that 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.

9.6.                  If a conflict of interest exists or arises, You must have documented processes in place to manage that conflict 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 and any relevant successor documents.

9.7.                  We will handle any conflicts of interest as set out in Australian Government policies and procedures. Refer to the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy on the ARC website.

Privacy and protection of personal information

9.8.                  We treat your personal information according to the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

9.9.                  You are required, as part of Your application, to certify Your compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), 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.

Confidential information

9.10.              The Australian Government may use and disclose confidential information about grant applicants and grant recipients to any other Australian Government business or function.

9.11.              We will treat the information You give Us as confidential if:

a.              You clearly identify the information as confidential and explain why We should treat it as confidential;

b.              the information is commercial in confidence;

c.              revealing the information would cause unreasonable harm to You or someone else; or

d.              You provide the information with an understanding that it will stay confidential.

Freedom of information

9.12.              All documents in the possession of the Australian Government, including those about this program, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act).

Part A                 Australian Laureate Fellowships

A1.1               The requirements for the Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme set out here must be read together with the Discovery Program requirements detailed in Sections 1-9 of these grant guidelines.

Important dates

A1.2               The grant commencement date and active project assessment date for each Australian Laureate Fellowships grant opportunity will be available on the ARC website.

Description

A1.3               The Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to excellence in research by supporting world-class researchers to conduct research in Australia.

A1.4               The scheme encourages applications from the highest-quality researchers by providing eligible Australian Laureate Fellows with project funding in addition to salary and salary-related (on-cost) support.

A1.5               We may name two successful Australian Laureate Fellows as the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellow and the Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellow. The Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship may be available to a highly ranked female candidate from the humanities, arts and social science disciplines. The Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship may be available to a highly ranked female candidate from the science and technology disciplines. Recipients will be provided with additional funding to undertake an ambassadorial role to promote women in research.

A1.6               The Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship and the Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship are awarded to:

1. undertake an ambassadorial role to promote women in research;

b.              mentor early career researchers, particularly women, to encourage them to enter and establish research careers in Australia; and

c.              encourage applications from female research leaders of international repute.

Objectives

A1.7               The Australian Laureate Fellowships objectives are to:

1. attract and retain outstanding researchers and research leaders of international reputation, with exceptional ability to lead, collaborate, mentor and supervise, and enhance their capacity to create an enduring legacy;
2. build focus and scale in research by forging new links among researchers, the international research community and/or industry and other research end-users;
3. support a program of innovative and ground-breaking research that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge;
4. create a cohesive research program and implementation plan that represents value for money;
5. provide an excellent research training environment and exemplary opportunity to nurture early or mid-career researchers;
6. produce new or advanced knowledge resulting from the outcomes of the research with economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia, and to enhance research in Australian Government priority areas.

A2.         Grant amount and grant period

A2.1               We may award up to 17 Australian Laureate Fellowships in a grant opportunity, including the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship and Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship.

A2.2               We provide salary, salary-related (on-cost) support and project funding as detailed in Table 2. Salary and/or project funding will not be awarded separately.

A2.3               Table 2: Australian Laureate Fellowships funding and grant duration.

A2.4               You must provide an Australian Laureate Fellow with a Level E professorial appointment (or equivalent) and salary in line with Your organisation’s normal arrangements for the duration of the Australian Laureate Fellowship. The salary provided by the ARC contributes to that salary.

A3.         Grant eligibility criteria

Applications

A3.1               Applications must:

1. include only one Australian Laureate Fellowships candidate;
2. include one Administering Organisation; and
3. request funding for a minimum of two PDRAs and two PGRs.

A3.2               An individual can only be named on one Australian Laureate Fellowship in a grant opportunity.

A3.3               You may apply for an Australian Laureate Fellowship on behalf of an Australian or international researcher.

Australian Laureate Fellowship candidates

A3.4               A previous recipient of an Australian Laureate Fellowship is not eligible to apply for another Australian Laureate Fellowship.

Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Fellowship or Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship

A3.5               Candidates for a Kathleen Fitzpatrick or Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship will be assessed for an Australian Laureate Fellowship prior to being assessed for a Kathleen Fitzpatrick or Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship.

A3.6               To be eligible for either the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship or Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship the candidate must:

1. be female;
2. meet the eligibility criteria for Australian Laureate Fellow; and
3. include a brief outline of proposed activities for the relevant ambassadorial role within their application.

A3.7               Candidates for a Kathleen Fitzpatrick or Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship will be assessed against the same assessment criteria and will be subject to the same conditions and obligations that apply to all Australian Laureate Fellowship candidates. Preference will be given to candidates who are able to demonstrate outstanding mentoring and capacity building qualities.

A3.8               We may decide not to award one or both named fellowships.

A4.         The assessment criteria

A4.1               The assessment criteria for the Australian Laureate Fellowship are:

1. Investigator/Capability 40%

Describe the:

-            Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including:

-            outstanding research outputs and achievements taking into account research opportunity;

-            evidence for and/or potential to undertake ground-breaking research;

-            leadership ability and plans to build world class research capacity and diverse teams; and

-            potential to create an enduring legacy.

-                 extent to which the candidate will build collaborations across research organisations and/or industry and/or with other disciplines both within Australia and internationally.

b.              Project quality and innovation 25%

Describe the:

-            contribution to an important gap in knowledge or significant problem;

-            innovation of the research program in the context of recent international advances in research in this area);

-            clarity of the major research questions;

-            cohesiveness of the project design and implementation plan (including the appropriateness of the aim, conceptual framework, method, data and/or analyses);

-            extent to which the research has the potential to enhance international collaboration; and

-            extent to which the research will be cost-effective and represents value for money.

If the project involves research pertaining to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities describe:

-            the strategies for enabling collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor);

-            any existing or developing, supportive and high-quality relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities; and

-            any personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research.

c.              Benefit 10%

Describe the potential benefits including the:

-            new or advanced knowledge resulting from outcomes of the research;

-            economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia and international communities; and

-            potential contribution to capacity in the Australian Government priority areas.

d.              Mentoring and capacity building  25%

Describe:

-            Mentoring, including the extent to which the candidate demonstrates:

-            exceptional ability to supervise and mentor postdoctoral researchers and other early-mid career researchers; and

-            they will be providing a suitable environment for postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

-            Capacity building, including:

-            the extent to which the project will build new teams and create world-class research capacity, collaboration and innovation;

-            the extent to which the candidate demonstrates exceptional leadership and the organisational ability to ensure the development of focus and scale in research;

-            evidence of the project’s and researchers’ potential to attract financial resources to enhance research capacity; and

-            the extent to which this research builds new international research collaboration or links between research and industry.

A5.         Successful grant applications

Your responsibilities

A5.1               It is expected You will employ the Australian Laureate Fellow full time (1.0 FTE) for the project activity period.

Part B                 Future Fellowships

B1.1                This part of the document sets out the specific requirements for the Future Fellowships scheme. This part must be read together with the general Discovery Program requirements detailed in Sections 1-9 of these grant guidelines.

Important dates

B1.2                The grant commencement date and active project assessment date for each Future Fellowships grant opportunity will be available on the ARC website.

Description

B1.3                Future Fellowships reflect the Australian Government’s commitment to excellence in research by supporting excellent mid-career researchers to undertake high quality research in areas of national and international benefit.

Objectives

B1.4                The Future Fellowships scheme objectives are to:

1. support outstanding mid-career researchers, with demonstrated capacity for high-quality research, leadership, research training and mentoring;
2. support excellent basic and applied research by outstanding mid-career researchers to be recruited and retained by universities in continuing academic positions;
3. foster national and international research collaboration;
4. support excellent and innovative research that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge and represents value for money;
5. create new or advanced knowledge resulting from the outcomes of the research with economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia, and enhances the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas.

B2.         Grant amount and grant period

B2.1                Up to 100 Future Fellowships may be awarded funding in a grant opportunity.

B2.2                We provide salary and project funding for the Future Fellowships grant opportunity as detailed in Table 3. Salary and/or project funding will not be awarded separately.

B2.3                Table 3: Future Fellowships funding and grant duration.

B2.4                Table 4: Future Fellowship Academic Salary Levels.

B2.5                A Future Fellowship salary must be requested and will be awarded at one of three levels, which provide salary and salary-related (on-cost) funding. You must select the level according to the Future Fellowship candidate’s academic level (or equivalent) at the grant opportunity closing date (Table 4). For example, a researcher who is currently an Academic Level C must apply for a Future Fellowship Level 2.

B2.6                The requested level must align with the Future Fellowship candidate’s current academic level unless:

1. the Future Fellowship candidate is not employed at an Australian university at the time of application, or is an international researcher, in which case the academic level applicable must be fully justified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent; or

b.              the Future Fellowship candidate has experienced significant interruptions to their academic career, due to family responsibilities as primary care giver and/or due to working with a relevant industry, in which case they may choose the most appropriate salary level. The circumstances of the career interruption and chosen salary level must be justified and certified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent.

B2.7                We have discretion in determining the relevant salary level for Future Fellowship candidates.

B3.         Grant eligibility criteria

Applications

B3.1                Applications must:

1. include only one Future Fellowships candidate;
2. include one Administering Organisation; and
3. have the correct Future Fellowship salary level selected for the candidate.

B3.2                An individual must not be nominated for more than one Future Fellowship in a grant opportunity.

Future Fellowship candidates

B3.3                A previous recipient of a Future Fellowship is not eligible to apply for another Future Fellowship.

B3.4                An individual who has been nominated for a Future Fellowship on three previous occasions, over the period in which the candidate is eligible, is not eligible to apply for another Future Fellowship. This includes applications that were withdrawn after the grant opportunity closing date and applications that We deemed ineligible.

B3.5                To be eligible, the candidate must, as at the grant opportunity closing date:

1. have an award of PhD date on or between the grant opportunity eligibility dates listed on the ARC website; or

b.              have an award of PhD date together with an allowable period of career interruption that would be commensurate with an award of PhD Date on or between the grant opportunity eligibility dates listed on the ARC website. The allowable career interruptions set out, and the period allowed for each are in Table 5.

B3.6                Where the Future Fellowship candidate holds a higher research degree that is not a PhD, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent must certify that the qualification meets the level 10 criteria of the Australian Qualifications Framework Second Edition.

B3.7                Where the Future Fellowship candidate holds a professional equivalent to a PhD which is relied upon as the relevant qualification, this must be certified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent.

B3.8                The allowable career interruptions, and the period allowed for each are set out in Table 5. Each period of career interruption must be:

1. significant and not overlapping;

b.              occur after the conferral of a researcher’s PhD, or equivalent; and

c.              certified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent.

B3.9                Table 5: Allowable career interruptions and timeframes for Future Fellowships.

B4.         What the grant money can be used for

B4.1                The grant money can be used for the activities set out in these grant guidelines and the grant agreement including travel costs essential to the project up to $100,000 over the project activity period. Travel and accommodation costs related to carrying out field research or carers’ costs are not included in this $100,000 limit.

B5.         The assessment criteria

B5.1                The assessment criteria for the Future Fellowship candidates are:

1. Investigator/Capability 50%

Describe the quality of the candidate as per the relevant section in Table 6.

Table 6: Future Fellowship candidate.

• Future Fellowship Level 1 Future Fellowship Level 2 Future Fellowship Level 3
• Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of high quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s;- evidence of demonstrated capability for research training, supervision and mentoring;- evidence of leadership capability and national research standing; and- capability of the candidate to build collaborations across research organisations, industry and other disciplines both within Australia and internationally. - Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of high quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s;- evidence of established capability and emerging leadership in research training, supervision and mentoring;- evidence of leadership capabilities and national and emerging international research standing; and- capability of the candidate to build collaborations across research organisations, industry and other disciplines both within Australia and internationally. - Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of outstanding research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s;- evidence of experience in initiating and managing large research projects;- evidence of international research standing;- evidence of excellence, experience and achievements in research training, supervision and mentoring; and- capability of the candidate to build collaborations across research organisations, industry and other disciplines both within Australia and internationally.

b.              Project quality and innovation 25%

Describe the:

-                 contribution to an important gap in knowledge or significant problem;

-                 innovation of the research in the context of recent international advances in research in this area);

-                 clarity of the major research questions;

-                 cohesiveness of the project design and implementation plan (including the appropriateness of the aim, conceptual framework, method, data and/or analyses); and

-                 extent to which the research has the potential to enhance international collaboration.

If the project involves research pertaining to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities describe:

-                 the strategies for enabling collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor);

-                 any existing or developing, supportive and high-quality relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities; and

-                 any personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research.

 

c.              Benefit 15%

Describe the potential benefits including the:

-                 new or advanced knowledge resulting from outcomes of the research;

-                 economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia and international communities; and

-                 potential contribution to capacity in the Australian Government priority areas.

d.              Feasibility and strategic alignment 10%

Describe the:

-                 cost effectiveness of the research and its value for money;

-                 extent to which the Future Fellowship candidate aligns with and/or complements the core or developing research strengths and staffing profile of Your organisation;

-                 availability of the necessary facilities to conduct the research;

-                 resources You will provide to support the Future Fellowship candidate during her/his Future Fellowship

-                 and capacity within Your organisation to transition the candidate at the end of the Future Fellowship to a continuing position.

B6.         Successful grant applications

Fellow responsibilities

B6.1                The Future Fellow may be undertaken on either a full-time, or a part-time basis subject to Your organisation’s employment conditions and provided that the Future Fellowship does not exceed eight years from the project start date (excluding any approved periods of suspension).

B6.2                The Future Fellow:

1. cannot begin another ARC Fellowship until the Future Fellowship has been completed; and
2. may not engage in other professional employment during the project activity period without prior approval from Us.

Your responsibilities

B6.3                You must employ the Future Fellow for the project activity period.

B6.4                You are responsible for managing changes to the Future Fellow’s working hours.

Part C                   Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)

C1.1                This part of the document sets out the specific requirements for the DECRA scheme. This part must be read together with the general Discovery Program requirements detailed in Sections 1-9 of these grant guidelines.

Important dates

C1.2                The grant commencement date and the active project assessment date for each DECRA grant opportunity will be available on the ARC website.

Description

C1.3                The DECRA grant opportunity provides focused research support for early career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions.

Objectives

C1.4                The DECRA scheme objectives are to:

1. support outstanding early-career researchers with demonstrated capacity for high-quality research and emerging capability for leadership and supervision;
2. foster collaboration, with national or international researchers; 
3. support excellent and innovative research that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge and represents value for money;
4. create new or advanced knowledge resulting from the outcomes of the research with economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and
5. advance promising early career researchers and promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways in high-quality and supportive environments.

C2.         Grant amount and grant period

C2.1                Up to 200 DECRAs may be awarded funding in a grant opportunity.

C2.2                We provide a salary and project funding for the DECRA grant opportunity as detailed in Table 7. Salary and/or project funding will not be awarded separately.

C2.3                Table 7: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award funding and grant duration.

C3.         Grant eligibility criteria

Applications

C3.1                Applications must:

1. include only one Discovery Early Career Researcher Award candidate; and
2. include one Administering Organisation.

C3.2                An individual must not be nominated for more than one DECRA in a grant opportunity.

DECRA candidates

C3.3                A previous recipient of a DECRA is not eligible to apply for another DECRA.

C3.4                An individual who has been nominated for a DECRA on two previous occasions, over the period in which the candidate is eligible, is not eligible to apply for another DECRA. This includes applications that were withdrawn after the grant opportunity closing date and applications that We deemed ineligible.

C3.5                To be eligible, the candidate must, as at the grant opportunity closing date:

1. have an award of PhD date on, or after the grant opportunity eligibility dates listed on the ARC website; or

b.              have an award of PhD date together with an allowable period of career interruption that would be commensurate with an award of PhD date on or after the grant opportunity eligibility dates listed on the ARC website. The allowable career interruptions set out, and the period allowed for each are in Table 8.

C3.6                If a DECRA candidate has more than one PhD, the earliest awarded PhD must fall within this timeframe.

C3.7                Where the DECRA candidate holds a higher research degree that is not a PhD, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent must certify that the qualification meets the level 10 criteria of the Australian Qualifications Framework Second Edition.

C3.8                The allowable career interruptions, and the period allowed for each are set out in Table 8. Each period of career interruption must be:

1. significant and not overlapping;

b.              occur after the conferral of a researcher’s PhD, or equivalent; and

c.              certified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent.

C3.9                Table 8: Allowable career interruptions and timeframes for DECRA.

C4.         What the grant money can be used for

C4.1                The grant money can be used for the activities set out in these grant guidelines and the grant agreement including travel costs essential to the project up to $50,000 over the project activity period. Travel and accommodation costs related to carrying out field research or carers’ costs are not included in this $50,000 limit.

C5.         The assessment criteria

C5.1                The assessment criteria for the DECRA grant opportunity are:

1. Investigator/Capability 35%

Describe the:

-                 Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of high quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s.

-                 capability of candidate to build collaborations both within Australia and internationally.

b.              Project quality and innovation 35%

Describe the:

-                 contribution to an important gap in knowledge or significant problem;

-                 innovation of the research in the context of recent international advances in research in this area);

-                 clarity of the major research questions;

-                 cohesiveness of the project design and implementation plan (including the appropriateness of the aim, conceptual framework, method, data and/or analyses); and

-                 extent to which the research has the potential to enhance international collaboration.

If the project involves research pertaining to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities describe:

-                 the strategies for enabling collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor);

-                 any existing or developing, supportive and high-quality relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities; and

-                 any personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research.

 

c.              Benefit 15%

Describe the potential benefits including the:

-                 new or advanced knowledge resulting from outcomes of the research;

-                 economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia and international communities; and

-                 potential contribution to capacity in the Australian Government priority areas.

d.              Feasibility 15%

Describe the:

-                 cost-effectiveness of the research and its value for money;

-                 feasibility of the research (including contribution of the project’s design and participants and resources to the timely completion of the project);

-                 supportive environment for the DECRA candidate and their project including resources and development opportunities the organisation will provide for the candidate; and

-                 availability of the necessary facilities to complete the project.

C6.         Successful grant applications

DECRA responsibilities

C6.1                The DECRA may be undertaken on either a full-time, or a part-time basis subject to Your organisation’s employment conditions and provided that the DECRA does not exceed six years from the project start date (excluding any approved periods of suspension).

C6.2                The DECRA:

1. cannot begin another ARC Fellowship until the DECRA has been completed.

Your responsibilities

C6.3                You must employ the DECRA for the project activity period.

C6.4                You are responsible for managing changes to the DECRA’s working hours.

Grant Agreement Variation

C6.5                DECRA salary funding may be used for other purposes to support the project in changed circumstances with Our approval and without extension to the project activity period. These purposes will not include supporting the DECRA recipient to begin another ARC Fellowship.

C6.6                The use of DECRA salary funding for other project purposes does not confer an exemption from the limits applicable to budget items and personnel for project limits eligibility.

Appendix A – Glossary

Acronyms

• | Acronym | Description | | --- | --- | | ARC | Australian Research Council | | ARC Act | Australian Research Council Act 2001 (Cth) | | CEO | Chief Executive Officer | | CI | Chief Investigator | | CGRGs | Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines 2017 | | DECRA | Discovery Early Career Researcher Award | | FOI Act | Freedom of Information Act (Cth) | | FTE | Full Time Equivalent | | Acronym | Description | | --- | --- | | GST | Goods and Services Tax | | HDR | Higher Degree by Research | | HECS | Higher Education Contribution Scheme | | HELP | Higher Education Loan Program | | IP | Intellectual Property | | NCGP | National Competitive Grants Program | | PDRA | Postdoctoral Research Associate | | PGR | Postgraduate Researcher | | PhD | Doctor of Philosophy | | RMS | Research Management System | | ROPE | Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence | | SAC | Selection Advisory Committee |

Definitions

 

Appendix B: Eligible Organisations