Section 5 - Australian Research Council Act 2001 - Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2007 - Roles and eligibility for researchers | Zoe
Australian Research Council Act 2001 - Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2007
5Roles and eligibility for researchers
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5.1.1.1 Roles that may be undertaken by researchers under Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development are:
a. Chief Investigator (CI);
b. Indigenous Researcher Fellow (IRF);
c. Mentor; and
d. Supervisor.
5.1.1.2 A Proposal must nominate at least one researcher as a CI or IRF. A nominated CI or IRF must satisfy the eligibility criteria for that role as specified in Section 5 of these Funding Rules.
5.1.1.3 The first-named CI or IRF on a Proposal will be considered the ‘Project Leader’ of the project.
5.1.1.4 A researcher nominated in a Proposal as a CI or IRF 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.
5.1.1.5 A researcher nominated in a Proposal as a Mentor or Supervisor must take significant responsibility for intellectual guidance and support of a CI or IRF nominated in the Proposal. The ARC reserves the right to determine whether a person has the requisite capacity to perform the role.
5.1.1.6 At the time of the submission of a Proposal all obligations regarding previously funded projects involving the CIs and IRFs on the Proposal must have been fulfilled to the satisfaction of the ARC. Such obligations include the provision of satisfactory progress and final reports. If the ARC considers that a researcher nominated in the Proposal as a CI or IRF does not meet the eligibility criteria in this Section or Sections 5.2 or 5.3 for the role which that researcher is to perform, the Proposal will not be recommended or approved for funding.
5.1.1.7 CIs and IRFs may nominate Mentors and, where applicable, Supervisors of their postgraduate research, who will support them in developing as researchers. There is no requirement for Mentors and Supervisors to be Indigenous Researchers.
5.2 Eligibility criteria for Chief Investigators
5.2.1 To be eligible to be a CI, a person must meet the following criteria:
a. He/she must by 1 January 2007 and for the full term of her/his participation in the project:
be an employee of an Eligible Organisation listed in Appendix 2 and derive at least 50 per cent of her/his salary from that Eligible Organisation; or
be a holder of an Adjunct Appointment or equivalent, at an Eligible Organisation listed in Appendix 2; or
be a currently enrolled candidate for a postgraduate research degree.
b. He/she must reside predominantly in Australia for the duration of her/his participation in the project. If the person does not have permanent resident status he/she must obtain temporary or permanent resident status from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs;
c. He/she must be an Indigenous Researcher; and
He/she must:
i. have completed successfully a Masters or PhD qualification, or demonstrate equivalent research capacity and experience in the Proposal to the satisfaction of the ARC; or
ii. be enrolled in a Masters or PhD degree where the research project which is the subject of the Proposal forms part of the research towards the degree and he/she demonstrates research capacity and experience of a high standard in the Proposal to the satisfaction of the ARC.
5.2.2 Notwithstanding a researcher’s eligibility under the criteria above, a researcher may not be a CI if he/she:
a. is undertaking an undergraduate degree or an undergraduate diploma (unless it is outside the scope of the researcher’s postgraduate studies);
b. has participated as a Chief Investigator on a project funded by the ARC, other than on a project funded under the Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development scheme;
c. has held an ARC Fellowship (or Research Cadetship-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander funded by the ARC);
d. holds or has participated in a nationally competitive grant or fellowship from the NHMRC; or
e. derives more than 50 per cent of her/his salary from organisations outside the higher education sector that are funded primarily for research from State/Territory or Commonwealth Government sources. Such organisations include, but are not limited to, AIATSIS, AIMS, ANSTO, CSIRO, DSTO, GA, and State/Territory Research and Development organisations.
5.3 Eligibility criteria for IRFs
5.3.1 General eligibility
5.3.1.1 Fellowship candidates must meet the criteria for CIs in subsection 5.2.1b, plus by 1 January 2007 and for the full term of the funding they must meet the eligibility criteria below in subsection 5.3.1.
5.3.1.2 Proposals may seek funding for an IRF to commence in 2007 if:
a. the Fellowship candidate has been awarded a PhD or equivalent on or after 16 June 2003; or
b. the Fellowship candidate has not yet submitted a PhD thesis but is expected to do so before the end of 2006, in which case the ARC will require official confirmation that the thesis has been submitted by 31 December 2006. An IRF cannot be taken up until formal advice is received by the ARC that the PhD has been awarded, within a maximum time limit of 6 months, that is, by 30 June 2007. If these conditions have not been satisfied, the offer of funding for the Proposal will be withdrawn;
c he/she is an Indigenous Researcher; and
d. the Fellowship candidate has not been previously awarded an ARC Fellowship (or ARC Research Cadetship-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander).
5.3.1.3 Exemptions may be requested for an IRF candidate where the qualification and/or timing of award of qualification are not met, according to the process described in Section 7.1. The request must contain a statement justifying the IRF candidate’s special circumstances for an eligibility exemption.
5.3.1.4 If an IRF candidate does not have a PhD or equivalent research qualification the exemption request should demonstrate that her/his research record is equivalent to a PhD.
5.3.1.5 If the time limits for qualification are not met, the exemption request should make a case in terms of issues such as research career interruption, including non-research employment, misadventure or carer responsibilities.
5.3.1.6 The ARC may in its absolute discretion determine the validity of and date of effect for the attainment of PhD-equivalent status for researchers – this date will be used for determining eligibility for IRF candidates.
5.3.1.7 Notwithstanding a researcher’s eligibility under the criteria above, a researcher may not be an IRF if he/she:
a. is undertaking an undergraduate degree or an undergraduate diploma (unless it is outside the scope of the researcher’s postgraduate studies);
b. has participated as a Chief Investigator on a project funded by the ARC, other than on a project funded under the Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development scheme;
c. holds or has participated in a nationally competitive grant or fellowship from the NHMRC.
5.3.2 Tenure details and salary support entitlements for IRFs
5.3.2.1 IRFs are awarded on a full-time basis only.
5.3.2.2 IRFs support one year’s or two years’ full-time employment on an approved project and are tenable at Eligible Organisations.
5.3.2.3 The ARC salary support for IRFs is set out in Appendix 3.
5.3.2.4 A Proposal which nominates a researcher for an IRF, and accordingly seeks salary and salary-related on-costs for the IRF, may also request funding for other research costs for a proposed project. If the Proposal seeks funding only for the salary and on-costs for the IRF, the Proposal must confirm that the IRF candidate will have her/his research costs funded for research on the proposed project. If the Proposal does not contain this confirmation, then the ARC may in its absolute discretion decide to not recommend the Proposal for approval.
5.3.2.5 A researcher who has held an IRF (or ARC Research Cadetship-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) may apply for an APD (in the ARC’s Discovery Projects scheme) or APDI (in the ARC’s Linkage Projects scheme) in the final year of her/his IRF/Research Cadetship.
5.4 Mentors and Supervisors
5.4.1 As Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development aims to develop the research expertise of Indigenous Researchers, the strength of the research environment and support for the researcher plays an important role in assessing Proposals. In particular, it is strongly recommended that a Mentor (who does not need to be an Indigenous Researcher) be associated with the Proposal to provide specific expert advice on the subject of the research.
5.4.2 If the proposed research is part of research towards a higher research degree, it is strongly recommended that the researcher’s Supervisor be consulted on the preparation of the Proposal and be associated with the Proposal. The roles of Supervisor and Mentor can be filled either by the same individual or by separate persons, and Proposals may nominate both a Mentor and Supervisor.