3.1 We cannot recommend Your application to the Minister for funding if it does not satisfy all the eligibility criteria.
3.2 This section of the grant guidelines provides details of the eligibility requirements including for:
eligible applications; and
eligible participants being:
Eligible Organisations, including Administering Organisations;
Partner Organisations; and
named participants (including limits).
What are the eligibility requirements for applications?
3.3 We will only accept EOI applications and full applications from the Eligible Organisations listed below.
3.4 The Eligible Organisation that submits the application will be the ‘Administering Organisation’ and is referred to as ‘You’. All other Eligible Organisations listed on the application will be an ‘Other Eligible Organisation’.
3.5 Your EOI and full applications must each include at least one Other Eligible Organisation.
3.6 Your EOI and full applications must each include one or more Partner Organisations.
3.7 Your EOI and full applications must include the following named participants:
Centre Director, who is an eligible Chief Investigator (CI) from the Administering Organisation and is the first individual nominated as a CI on Your application; and
at least one other CI.
3.8 Your EOI application must have been shortlisted by the ARC for You to be eligible to submit a full application in the second stage of the application process.
Contributions
3.9 You and each Other Eligible Organisation and Partner Organisation on a full application must demonstrate a significant contribution of cash and/or in-kind or other material resources to the application having regard to the total cost of the proposed Centre and the relative contribution of any CIs or Partner Investigators (PIs) at the organisation.
3.10 We reserve the right to determine the value of Partner Organisation contributions and may determine contributions to be at levels different from those in Your full application.
3.11 In-kind contributions must be essential to the research program of the proposed Centre. It is Your responsibility to establish the merit of the case for the in-kind contributions.
Who is an Eligible Organisation?
3.12 The Eligible Organisations are listed below.
Australian Capital Territory
- Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)
- The Australian National University
- University of Canberra
New South Wales
- Australian Catholic University
- Charles Sturt University
- Macquarie University
- Southern Cross University
- The University of New England
- The University of New South Wales
- The University of Newcastle
- The University of Sydney
- University of Technology Sydney
- University of Wollongong
- Western Sydney University
Northern Territory
- Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
- Charles Darwin University
Queensland
- Bond University
- Central Queensland University
- Griffith University
- James Cook University
- Queensland University of Technology
- The University of Queensland
- University of Southern Queensland
- University of Sunshine Coast
South Australia
- Flinders University
- The University of Adelaide
- Torrens University Australia
- University of South Australia
Tasmania
- University of Tasmania
Victoria
- Deakin University
- Federation University Australia
- La Trobe University
- Monash University
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
- Swinburne University of Technology
- The University of Melbourne
- University of Divinity
- Victoria University
Western Australia
- Curtin University
- Edith Cowan University
- Murdoch University
- The University of Notre Dame Australia
- The University of Western Australia.
3.13 Eligible Organisations may be involved in more than one EOI application or full application but must consider their capacity to contribute in the event that all full applications are successful.
Who is eligible to be a Partner Organisation on a grant?
3.14 To be eligible as a Partner Organisation, an organisation cannot be:
an Eligible Organisation;
a controlled entity of any Eligible Organisation; or
an entity (for example, a joint venture) where more than 50 per cent is owned by one or more Eligible Organisation(s).
3.15 In the full application, each Partner Organisation must include a statement in their letter of support outlining their current, or intended, collaboration with either You and/or with an Other Eligible Organisation on the proposed Centre arising from this application.
3.16 A Partner Organisation may nominate one or more Partner Investigator(s) (PIs). A Partner Organisation may choose not to nominate any PIs where it is not appropriate given the role of the Partner Organisation in the proposed Centre.
Who is eligible to be a named participant on a grant?
3.17 Named participants are those individuals who are identified for particular roles in the proposed Centre.
3.18 Named participants in the ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity are required for the roles of
Centre Director;
Chief Investigators (CIs); and
Partner Investigators (PIs).
3.19 To be eligible to apply individuals nominated as the Centre Director, CIs and PIs in an EOI application or full application must:
satisfy the eligibility criteria for the role they are to perform as at the Grant Commencement Date;
have met all obligations for previously funded ARC projects, including submitting satisfactory progress and final reports; and
reside predominantly in Australia whilst a CI for the proposed Centre.
Limits
3.20 We acknowledge that individuals nominated in either an EOI application or full application may be named on other ARC grant opportunity applications. All grant applications submitted through other ARC grant opportunities and all ARC grants held may be retained until the outcome of the ARC Centres of Excellence application is known.
3.21 You should determine if applying for, or holding, a grant under these guidelines will affect an individual participant’s eligibility for the other ARC grant opportunities as other ARC grant opportunities may have different project limits. Relevant grant opportunity eligibility limits are provided in the relevant published Grant Guidelines. We reserve the right to change project and application limits in future grant opportunities.
3.22 The Centre Director and CIs on a successful ARC Centres of Excellence grant application will be required to relinquish ARC-funded grants which would result in the researcher exceeding limits on the number of grants able to be held as stated in the relevant grant guidelines. The ARC reserves the right to determine which grants are to be relinquished.
3.23 Participants on successful Centre projects funded in this round must relinquish any ARC funding that would result in duplication as at 1 January 2020.
3.24 The Centre Director and CIs named on a successful full application may retain current ARC grants for active projects provided that:
the full application clearly demonstrates and explains, to Our satisfaction, the overlap between the existing non-Centre grant activities and the proposed Centre research activities; and
funding for the existing non-Centre grant activities is not requested in the budget for the proposed Centre.
Centre Director
3.25 A person nominated as a Centre Director is considered to be a CI for the purpose of eligibility.
3.26 An individual may only be nominated for this role on one EOI application or full application. A person named as Centre Director may be nominated as a CI on no more than one additional EOI application or full application for an ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity. The CI role must be relinquished should both full applications be successful.
3.27 The Centre Director must:
Meet at least one of the following criteria at the Grant Commencement Date, and for the Project Activity Period of the proposed Centre:
– be an employee for at least 20 per cent of Full Time Equivalent (0.2 FTE) at an Eligible Organisation; or
– be a holder of an Emeritus Appointment (as defined in the Glossary) at an Eligible Organisation
commit a minimum of 70 per cent (0.7 FTE) of their time to the activities of the proposed Centre. If a Centre Director is unable to meet this undertaking We may at Our absolute discretion decide not to recommend the application for funding; and
be employed by the Administering Organisation at the Grant Commencement Date.
Chief Investigator
3.28 Chief Investigators must:
meet at least one of the following criteria as at the Grant Commencement Date, and for the Project Activity Period of the proposed Centre:
- be an employee for at least 20 per cent of Full Time Equivalent (0.2 FTE) at an Eligible Organisation; or
- be a holder of an Emeritus Appointment (as defined in the Glossary) at an eligible organisation; and
commit a minimum of 20 per cent (0.2 FTE) of their time to the activities of the proposed Centre.
3.29 Chief Investigators must not be undertaking undergraduate studies or a higher degree by research.
3.30 A person named as a CI may be nominated on a maximum of two EOI applications or full applications, unless an individual is nominated as a Centre Director in which case paragraph 3.26 applies.
Partner Investigator (PI)
3.31 Partner Investigators must not meet the eligibility criteria for a CI at the Grant Commencement Date or at any time during the Project Activity Period.
3.32 PIs named in an application must be an employee of a Partner Organisation.