Linkage Program Grant Guidelines (2024 edition) ARC Centres of Excellence

Australian Government Logo Australian Research Council
Linkage Program Grant Guidelines

(2024 edition)

ARC Centres of Excellence

Australian Research Council Act 2001

I, Jason Clare, Minister for Education, having satisfied myself of the matters set out in section 58 of the Australian Research Council Act 2001, approve these grant guidelines under section 59 of that Act.

Dated

29 July 2024

Jason Clare

Minister for Education

Contents

1. Linkage Program: ARC Centres of Excellence processes..................4

2. About the Linkage program...........................................6

3. Grant amount and grant period........................................7

4. Eligibility criteria....................................................7

5. What the grant money can be used for.................................10

What grant funds can be used for.......................................10

What grant funds cannot be used for.....................................11

6. The assessment criteria.............................................12

7. How to apply.......................................................14

Application Processes................................................14

National Interest Test statement........................................15

Timing of the grant opportunities........................................15

8. The grant selection process..........................................15

Eligibility and Assessment.............................................15

Who will approve grants...............................................17

Requests Not to Assess process........................................17

Rejoinder process...................................................17

Notification of application outcomes.....................................17

9. Successful grant applications........................................18

Advice and Announcement............................................18

Grant Agreements...................................................18

How We pay the grant................................................19

Grant Agreement Variation............................................20

Responsibilities.....................................................20

Chief Investigator responsibilities.......................................20

Partner Investigator responsibilities......................................20

Specific research policies and practices..................................20

Monitoring and reporting..............................................21

10. Probity............................................................22

Appeals process.....................................................22

Conflict of interest....................................................22

Privacy and protection of personal information.............................22

Confidential information...............................................23

Freedom of information...............................................23

Appendix A: Glossary.......................................................24

Appendix B: Eligible Organisations...........................................32

1. Linkage Program: ARC Centres of Excellence processes

The Linkage Program supports 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.

The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme is funded within the Linkage Program.



The grant opportunity opens.

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



Stage 1

You (the Administering Organisation) complete and submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) application.

You will complete an EOI application on the ARC’s Research Management System (RMS). You may submit a ‘Request Not to Assess’ form two weeks before the closing date for EOI applications.



We manage the assessment of EOI applications.

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

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

Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) members will then assess Your EOI application, consider any Detailed Assessors’ ratings and comments and Your rejoinder.

The SAC will collectively consider all EOI applications and recommend a shortlist of EOI applications to be invited to submit a full application.

The recommended shortlist and advice on any due diligence matters is submitted to the ARC Accountable Authority for decision on invitation to full application.



We notify You of the shortlist result.

You will be advised of whether or not your EOI application has been shortlisted on RMS.

If Your EOI application has been shortlisted, We invite You to submit a full application.



Stage 2

If invited, You complete and submit a full application.

You will complete a full application on RMS.



We manage the assessment of full applications.

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

Your full application may be assigned to Detailed Assessors to undertake in-depth assessments. You will have an opportunity to respond to any Detailed Assessors’ written comments through a rejoinder. SAC members will then assess Your full application, consider any Detailed Assessors’ ratings and comments and Your rejoinder and assign a final score.

The SAC will consider all full applications and may recommend a shortlist of full applications to be invited to participate in an interview. You will be advised if your full application is not shortlisted on RMS.

The SAC will undertake interviews with You and other people associated with the full application.



We make grant recommendations.

When all interviews are completed, the SAC considers all shortlisted full applications, and recommends those to be funded, including the level and duration of funding for each Centre, to the ARC Accountable Authority.

The ARC Accountable Authority then makes an assessment and recommendation to the Minister.

In making recommendations to the Minister, the ARC Accountable Authority considers the SAC’s advice, alignment with Australian Government priorities and any other due diligence matters. The ARC Accountable Authority may also consider advice from other Commonwealth agencies in their recommendations.



Grant decisions are made.

The Minister decides which full applications are approved, and the level of funding and duration of funding for each approved Centre. If the Minister decides not to fund a project for reasons relevant to security, defence or international relations of Australia, the Minister must notify the ARC Accountable Authority, advise the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and take any other steps required under the ARC Act.



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, if You are successful.



Delivery of the grant.

You undertake the grant activity and report to Us as set out in Your grant agreement.
We manage the grant, monitor Your progress and make payments.



Evaluation of the grant opportunity.

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

1. About the Linkage program
   1. The Linkage Program is one of two Programs under the ARC National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP). Information about the Linkage Program is available on the ARC website.
   2. The ARC administers funding of excellent pure basic, strategic basic and applied research in all disciplines under the NCGP, excluding medical research. The ARC does not fund experimental development.

About the ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity

1. The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme is funded under the Linkage Program.

2. The ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity facilitates significant collaboration at scale which enables the complementary resources of universities, other research organisations, governments and businesses, not for profit organisations to support outstanding pure basic, strategic basic and/or applied research in all fields (except medical research).

3. The ARC Centres of Excellence are prestigious focal points of expertise through which high-quality researchers collaboratively maintain and develop Australia’s international standing in research areas of national priority.

4. The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme objectives are to:

5. undertake internationally innovative, collaborative and transformational interdisciplinary research to address the most challenging and significant research problems, advance knowledge, and deliver knowledge impact;

6. synergise Australian research strengths, create new national and international networks and research programs to ensure that Australian research builds critical mass, is globally connected and has the capacity to work on large-scale problems over an extended period of time;

7. build capacity and a diverse and inclusive Australian research workforce by attracting and retaining, from within Australia and abroad, established researchers of high international standing as well as high potential early and mid-career researchers and research students;

8. develop an exemplary research culture that provides high-quality career development opportunities for research students and early and mid-career researchers and promotes a diverse, equitable and inclusive research environment;

9. establish research programs that lead to significant knowledge impact and end-user impact through the delivery of outcomes for partners including industry (private sector, not-for-profits, community groups, and/or government and government agencies); and

10. create new knowledge and understanding that is value for money, with the potential to enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas and deliver economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia.

    1. The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme has a two-stage application process, commencing with an Expression of Interest (EOI). Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full application.
    2. The grant commencement date for ARC Centres of Excellence is available on the
       ARC website.
    3. The grant commencement date for ARC Centres of Excellence involving Antarctic research, as defined in the Glossary (Appendix A), must not be before 1 January 2027.

11. Grant amount and grant period

    1. For each ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity, applications for the levels of funding listed in Table 1 will be considered.
    2. Table 1: ARC Centres of Excellence funding and grant duration.

1. Eligibility criteria

Who is eligible to apply for a grant?

1. We will only accept applications from the Eligible Organisations in Appendix B.
2. The Eligible Organisation that submits the application will be the ‘Administering Organisation’ (henceforth ‘You’). All other Eligible Organisations named on the application will be an ‘Other Eligible Organisation’.
3. Eligible Organisations may be involved in more than one EOI application or full application but must consider their capacity to contribute if all full applications are successful.

What are the eligibility requirements for applications?

1. Organisation roles available under the ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity are:

2. Administering Organisation;

3. Other Eligible Organisation; and

4. Partner Organisation.

   1. To be eligible, Your EOI application and full application must:

5. include at least one Other Eligible Organisation;

6. include one or more Partner Organisations;

7. nominate a Centre Director, who is the first-named Chief Investigator (CI) on Your application;

8. include at least one other CI; and

9. include one or more Partner Investigators (PI).

   1. You and each Other Eligible Organisation must commit a significant contribution of cash and/or in-kind and/or other material resources to the full application having regard to the total cost of the proposed Centre and the relative contribution of any Chief Investigators or Partner Investigator(s) at the organisation. We do not specify the type or level of contribution.
   2. The application may nominate one or more PIs from each Partner Organisation. A Partner Organisation may choose not to nominate any PIs where it is not appropriate, given the role of the Organisation in the proposed Centre. A PI who is representing a Partner Organisation on an application is required to have a role within that Partner Organisation.
   3. 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.
   4. You must ensure that any additional certification requirements, applied by the ARC as a result of findings of breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018), are provided at the EOI grant opportunity closing date for any named participant on an EOI application.
   5. Your application must not include medical research as detailed in the ARC Medical Research Policy (2020 version) on the ARC website.

Who is eligible to be a Partner Organisation?

1. To be eligible as a Partner Organisation, an organisation cannot be:

2. included on the National Redress Scheme’s website on the list of ‘Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme’ (www.nationalredress.gov.au)

3. an Eligible Organisation;

4. a controlled entity of any Eligible Organisation; or

5. an entity (for example a joint venture) where more than 50% is owned by one or more Eligible Organisations.

   1. Each Partner Organisation must make a contribution of cash and/or in-kind and/or other material resources that is specific to the Centre, and having regard to the total cost of the project and not be part of a broader contribution to Your organisation or an Other Eligible Organisation.
   2. Partner Organisation cash contributions cannot be:

6. sourced from funds awarded or appropriated by the Commonwealth or an Australian State or Territory Government for the purposes of research, nor from funds previously used to leverage government research or research infrastructure funding; or

7. a contribution to salaries for CIs and/or PIs on the application.

Who is eligible to be a named participant?

1. Roles that named participants may be nominated for under the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme are:

2. Centre Director;

3. Chief Investigators (CIs); and

4. Partner Investigators (PIs).

   1. A project cannot commence until all named participants meet the eligibility criteria in these grant guidelines for the selected role they are to perform.
   2. As at the grant commencement date, or if successful, at any time during the project activity period, named participants:

5. who meet the eligibility criteria to be a CI, cannot opt to be a PI;

6. who do not meet the eligibility criteria to be a CI, must be a PI.

   1. All named participants in an application must have met their obligations regarding previously funded projects, including submission of satisfactory final reports to the ARC at the grant opportunity closing date and any relevant consequential actions that may have been applied under the ARC Research Integrity Policy (2023 version).

Centre Directors

1. A person nominated as a Centre Director must consider project limits applicable to other ARC schemes for the purpose of eligibility.

2. The Centre Director must:

3. meet the eligibility criteria to apply as a CI;

4. commit a minimum of 70% of Full Time Equivalent (0.7 FTE) to the activities of the proposed Centre;

5. be employed by the Administering Organisation for at least 0.7 FTE as at the grant commencement date and, if the application is successful, for the project activity period; and

6. have a demonstrated capacity to manage the research program and operations of the Centre.

Chief Investigators

1. CIs who are not the Centre Director must meet at least one of the following criteria as at the grant commencement date and, if the application is successful, for the project activity period:

2. be an employee for at least 0.2 FTE at an Eligible Organisation; or

3. be a holder of an honorary academic appointment (as defined in the Glossary) at an Eligible Organisation.

   1. CIs must commit a minimum of 0.2 FTE to the activities of the Centre.
   2. CIs must reside in Australia for more than 50% of the project activity period. Any significant absences including fieldwork or study leave directly related to the research program must have approval from You and must not total more than half the project activity period. In extraordinary circumstances, changes must be approved via a Variation.
   3. CIs must not undertake a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) during the project activity period.

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

1. Individuals nominated in either an EOI application or full application may be named on other ARC grant opportunity applications or active projects. 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.

2. All named participants on a successful application must meet the project limit requirements before the Centre can start. Project limits can be met by relinquishing existing project(s), or relinquishing role(s) on existing projects, or withdrawing application(s) that would exceed the project limits. We reserve the right to determine which grants are to be relinquished.

3. The Centre Director and CIs named on a successful full application may retain current ARC grants for active projects provided that:

4. 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

5. funding for the existing non-Centre grant activities is not requested in the budget for the proposed Centre.

   1. An individual may be nominated as a Centre Director 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 in the same ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity. The CI role must be relinquished should both full applications be successful.
   2. An individual may be nominated as a CI on a maximum of two EOI applications or full applications unless an individual is nominated as a Centre Director in which case section 4.27 [above] applies.
   3. It is Your responsibility to determine if applying for, or holding, a project under these guidelines will affect an individual researcher’s eligibility for the 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.

6. What the grant money can be used for

What grant funds can be used for

1. The Linkage Program supports research activities that meet the definition of ‘research’ in the Glossary.
2. You can only spend the grant on eligible expenditure items that directly support the Centre and in accordance with any additional special conditions in the grant agreement.
3. Eligible expenditure items may include:

a. salary support for Centre personnel who perform research or activities that support the research, for example research associates and assistants, a Centre Manager or Chief Operations Officer, technicians and laboratory attendants but excluding the Centre Director, CIs and PIs. Salary support must be at an appropriate level and include the relevant on-costs as specified at the employing organisation;

b. stipends for HDR students, in whole or in part, at an appropriate level for the Eligible Organisation, but not less than the level indicated on the Salaries and Stipends page of the ARC website;

c. travel costs essential to the Centre research program or Centre governance, including economy travel costs for domestic and/or international travel and accommodation for Centre personnel and visitors to the Centre;

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

e. equipment (and its maintenance) and consumables essential to the Centre. Funding will not be provided for equipment or consumables that are considered to be for broad general use.

What grant funds cannot be used for

1. You cannot request or use grant funds for the following activities:

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

3. medical research, including clinical trials, as detailed in the ARC Medical Research Policy (2020 version) on the ARC website;

4. experimental development, as defined in the Glossary;

5. 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;

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

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

8. basic facilities that must be provided (where relevant) and funded by You, or the Other Eligible Organisation(s), or Partner Organisation(s) and are not funded by the grant:

   i. standard refurbishment costs of a laboratory;

   ii. bench fees or similar laboratory access fees;

   iii. access to a basic library collection;

   iv. access to film or music editing facilities;

   v. work accommodation (for example, laboratory and office space, suitably equipped and furnished);

   vi. basic computer facilities such as desktop computers, portable computer devices, printers, word processing and other standard software;

   vii. use of photocopiers, telephones, mail, email and internet services; and

   viii. standard reference materials or funds for abstracting services.

9. capital works and general infrastructure costs;

10. costs not directly related to the Centre, including but not limited to professional membership fees, professional development courses which are not offered by the Centre, 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;

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

12. salaries and/or on-costs, in whole or in part, for the Centre Director, CIs or PIs on the Centre or any other ARC grant;

13. teaching relief;

14. cost of investigations that are more appropriately undertaken by way of a consultancy;

15. direct development of products and other commercialisation activities;

16. indirect costs, including basic facilities and equipment, organisational overheads, and/or infrastructure costs; and

17. research support for PIs, apart from short-term project support for investigators visiting from overseas and domestic and international travel associated with the Centre.

18. The assessment criteria

    1. You must address all the relevant assessment criteria in Your application. We will assess your application based on the weighting given to each criterion for the relevant application stage.
    2. The EOI application assessment criteria are criteria a and b. These criteria are weighted as:

19. Research Program - Quality and Innovation 70%

20. Investigators – Capability and Alignment 30%

    1. The full application assessment criteria are criteria a, b, c, d and e. These criteria are weighted as:

21. Research Program - Quality and Innovation 20%

22. Investigators – Capability & Alignment 20%

23. Governance, Leadership & Institutional Support 20%

24. Research Environment, Mentoring & Culture 20%

25. Outcomes and Linkages 20%

    1. The assessment criteria for ARC Centres of Excellence are:

26. Research Program - Quality and Innovation

Demonstrate how the Centre will:

 undertake innovative and transformational research at the leading edge internationally;

 synergise Australian research strengths and build critical mass with enhanced capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems and advance knowledge; and

 build high quality new national and international networks and research programs to ensure that Australian research is globally connected and has the capacity to work on large-scale problems over longer periods of time.

If the project involves Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander research additional criteria include:

 the project’s level of collaboration, engagement, relationship building and benefit sharing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and First Nations Organisations and Communities;

 the project’s strategy and mechanisms for Indigenous research capacity building within the project;

 the project’s level of internal leadership of Indigenous research;

 the project’s adherence to the Australian Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles (2018); and

 the project’s understanding of, and proposed strategies to adhere to, the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (2020) and NHMRC’s guidelines on Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities (2018).

1. Investigators - Capability and Alignment

Demonstrate:

 how the Centre Director, CIs and PIs have appropriate capability and skills, to conduct and deliver the proposed Research Program, taking into account Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE);

 the capacity of the Investigators to develop a diverse and inclusive Australian research workforce; and

 the capability of the Investigators to realise knowledge impact and/or end user impact in the fields aligned to the proposed Research Program.

1. Governance, Leadership and Institutional Support

Demonstrate:

 the appropriateness of the organisational structure of the Centre, including:

 Leadership: The ability and vision of the Centre Director and leadership team, including their capacity for strategic planning and management

 Roles and responsibilities: the suitability of the governance structure for the management of dispersed teams and the appropriateness of the allocation of roles and their associated reporting arrangements for delivery of Centre objectives

 Operational organisation: suitability of specified milestones, strategic and research translation plans and design of financial systems for achievement of objectives and delivery of outputs, outcomes and benefits

 alignment and relevance of draft key performance indicators to the proposed Centre’s objectives, project outputs, outcomes and benefit; and

 how the combined level of support and commitment from the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations will be sufficient for the proposed Centre.

1. Research Environment, Mentoring and Culture

Demonstrate:

 the quality of the Centre’s plans to promote equity, diversity and inclusion within a supportive and vibrant research environment, including:

 the development of research and professional skills for research students

 career development of early and mid-career researchers through the provision of leadership and professional skills training, mentoring, as well as opportunities to lead research projects and supervise research students

 contribution of the Centre to developing good practice in Responsible Research through appropriate training in research integrity, ethics, reproducibility, open research strategies and data management; and

 the quality of the Centre’s plans for public engagement and outreach.

1. Outcomes and Linkages

Demonstrate that:

 the proposed research program articulates pathways to knowledge impact that delivers benefit to Australia;

 partners and end-users are strongly engaged in the proposed research program through clear strategies for knowledge exchange (and co-creation);

 the supporting organisational arrangements and plans relating to ownership, mobilisation of intellectual property and commercialisation of research are mature;

 the proposed research program delivers effective outcomes for its requested resources; and

 the proposed research program will develop high level international linkages to achieve the program’s research, training, and translation and impact outcomes.

1. How to apply

Application Processes

1. To apply, you must complete the EOI application form and, if invited, a full application form in the format We require as detailed in the Instructions to Applicants.
2. Instructions To Applicants will be issued on the opening of the EOI grant opportunity and applicants must follow the processes described in those Instructions, including regarding attachments to applications.
3. A full application may be submitted only if invited by the ARC.
4. EOI and full applications must be completed in RMS. We will not accept late applications at either stage, 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.
5. You cannot change Your EOI application after the EOI closing date and time, unless invited to by the ARC.
6. You cannot change Your full application after the full application closing date and time, unless invited to by the ARC.
7. Substantial changes to the research program, personnel or organisations in a full application arising from a single previous EOI application must be fully justified.
8. We reserve the right at any point in the process to seek evidence from You to support the certification of applications.
9. Questions during the application periods should be directed to the Administering Organisation’s Research Office. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions will be posted on GrantConnect.
10. If You wish to withdraw Your application, You must inform us in writing.

National Interest Test statement

1. For full applications, 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.

Timing of the grant opportunities

1. ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunities are conducted approximately every three years.

2. You must submit Your application to Us between the grant opportunity opening and closing date and time specified on GrantConnect.

3. The grant selection process

Eligibility and Assessment

1. We will review Your full application, if invited, against the eligibility criteria. If ineligible, We must not recommend the application for funding.

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

3. how well it meets the weighted assessment criteria;

4. how it is ranked against other applications; and

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

   1. 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 (2018).
   2. We may seek advice on security, defence, international relations 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.
   3. During the assessment, We may request additional information, which does not change the nature of Your application.

EOI application assessment

1. EOI applications will be assessed and recommendations will be made to the ARC Accountable Authority from a Selection Advisory Committee (SAC).

2. Detailed Assessors may provide assessments to Us with scores and written comments against the assessment criteria.

3. Applicants are provided with any Detailed Assessors’ comments and are invited to submit a rejoinder (see below for further information on rejoinder process).

4. Applications, scores and comments provided in the detailed assessments and the applicant’s rejoinder are provided to the SAC for consideration. Assigned SAC members assign their own scores against the relevant assessment criteria.

5. The SAC meets to discuss the ranking of each application and shortlist EOI applications for full application.

6. The recommended shortlist of EOIs is submitted to the ARC Accountable Authority. The recommended shortlist and any advice on security, defence or international relations issues will be considered by the ARC Accountable Authority (with reference to the Minister if required).

7. If You are shortlisted, You will be invited to develop and submit a full application addressing the full assessment criteria. Only invited applicants are eligible to submit a full application.

Full application assessment

1. Full applications will be assessed and recommendations will be made to the ARC Accountable Authority from a Selection Advisory Committee (SAC).

2. Detailed Assessors may provide assessment to Us with scores and written comments against the assessment criteria.

3. Applicants are provided with any Detailed Assessors’ comments and are invited to submit a rejoinder (see below for further information on rejoinder process).

4. Applications, scores, and comments provided in the detailed assessments and the applicant’s rejoinder are provided to the SAC. The SAC assign their own scores against the assessment criteria.

5. The SAC meets to discuss the ranking of each application relative to other applications and determines funding recommendations.

6. We may shortlist full applications prior to inviting applicants to interview. You will be notified if You are unsuccessful at being invited to participate in an interview.

Interviews

1. If You are required to take part in an interview We will inform You of the interview format, date, time, and any required participants, at the same time. We will not fund interviewee participation. Members of the SAC will conduct the interviews.
2. Following interviews, the SAC will finalise the list of recommended full applications and recommend a budget for each, relative to other full applications on the basis of the above assessment process and with consideration of value for money.

Who will approve grants

1. The ARC Accountable Authority will make recommendations for funding to the Minister, after considering the advice from peer review.
2. The Minister will decide which grants to fund and may at any time decide not to approve a grant for reasons relevant to the security, defence or international relations of Australia. The Minister’s decision is final in all matters.
3. The outcome of all applications will be published in RMS.

Requests Not to Assess process

1. You may name up to three persons whom You do not wish to assess an application by submitting a ‘Request Not to Assess’ (RNTA) form in RMS as detailed on GrantConnect and the ARC website. For this grant opportunity, the form must be received by Us in RMS two weeks before the EOI application submission date.
2. Only one request containing the names of up to three individual assessors may be submitted per EOI application.
3. An accepted RNTA for an EOI application will be used for any subsequent full application.
4. 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 RNTA 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, of the request.
5. We will have absolute discretion about whether We accept or refuse a RNTA. We will not notify You of the outcome.

Rejoinder process

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

Notification of application outcomes

1. We will advise You whether Your EOI application has been shortlisted through RMS. The notification will include information about submitting a full application.

2. We will provide written feedback to You on shortlisted and unsuccessful EOI applications.

3. The list of shortlisted EOI applications, including key information, will be distributed to all Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Research), or equivalent, of the Eligible Organisations.

4. For full applications, We will:

5. advise You if Your full application has, or has not, been selected for interview;

6. advise You of the outcome of Your application through RMS, following a decision by the Minister;

7. provide written feedback to You on successful and unsuccessful full applications; and

8. hold a follow-up videoconference with Your Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent, Research Office Director and the nominated Centre Director.

9. Successful grant applications

Advice and Announcement

1. Outcomes of the EOI application process will not be publicly announced.

2. If Your full application is successful, We:

3. will give You a copy of the Minister’s approval no more than 21 days after the Minister’s decision;

4. may give You earlier notice of the Minister’s approval and may impose a short embargo on announcements in order to enable parties to co-ordinate announcements; and

5. will list Your grant on GrantConnect no more than 21 calendar days after the date of effect.

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

6. Your name and any other parties involved in or associated with the Centre;

7. named participants and their organisations;

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

9. Your National Interest Test statement;

10. classifications and international collaboration country names; and

11. the ARC grant funding amount.

    1. You should ensure that information contained in the Centre title and summary descriptions will not compromise Your requirements for confidentiality (such as protection of Intellectual Property).
    2. We may use a project description, including title and summary, which differs from that provided in the application.

Grant Agreements

1. You must enter into a grant agreement with Us to receive a grant.
2. We use the ARC Centres of Excellence grant agreement which contains standard terms and conditions that cannot be changed. A sample grant agreement is available on GrantConnect. The ARC Act may be amended during this grant opportunity process. If so, We may amend the ARC Centres of Excellence grant agreement to comply with the amendments to the ARC Act. Any special conditions attached to the grant will be identified in the grant offer.
3. You will have 30 calendar days from the date of offer to execute the grant agreement.
4. We must execute a grant agreement with You before We can make any payments. We are not responsible for any Centre expenditure until a grant agreement is executed. You must not start any ARC Centre of Excellence activities until a grant agreement is executed and agreements are in place with all Other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations contributing to the Centre and You notify the ARC, unless otherwise specified in the grant agreement.
5. Once You have executed the grant agreement, but prior to all Other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations executing agreements with You, You may expend up to $100,000 of the grant funding in the first year of the Centre to assist in the establishment of the Centre. Further information is available in the Establishment Toolkit—ARC Centres of Excellence document on the ARC website.
6. If the grant amount awarded is different from that requested in the full application, but at 90% or more than that requested, You may not make pro rata adjustments to the stated contributions of the Administering, Other Eligible and/or Partner Organisation contributions.
7. If the grant amount awarded is less than 90% of that requested in the full application, You may make pro rata adjustments to the stated contributions of the Administering, Other Eligible and/or Partner Organisation contributions. These adjusted contributions must not be at a level lower than the value of the ARC grant as a proportion of the requested funding.
8. If You enter an agreement for an ARC grant, You cannot receive other grants for the same activities from other Commonwealth, State or Territory granting programs.
9. You will be required to conduct the Centre substantially in accordance with the ‘Program Description’ contained in the application for the Centre.

How We pay the grant

1. Payments will be made as set out in the grant agreement. Grant funding will typically be paid monthly through Our payment system to You.
2. The grant offer will specify the approved grant amount to be paid. We will not pay more than the approved grant amount under any circumstances. If you incur extra costs, You must meet them.
3. Grant funding may be subject to indexation.
4. All amounts referred to in these grant guidelines are exclusive of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), unless expressly stated otherwise.
5. Any grant awarded will be subject to sufficient funds being available, the provisions of the ARC Act and the continued satisfactory progress of the Centre.

Grant Agreement Variation

1. The grant agreement outlines the circumstances in which Variations must be submitted. Variations are subject to ARC approval and further information can be found in the grant agreement.

Responsibilities

1. All named participants in an application must:

2. take responsibility for the authorship and intellectual content of the application, appropriately citing sources and acknowledging significant contributions, including from third parties; and

3. have met their obligations regarding previously funded projects, including submission of satisfactory final reports to the ARC at the date of application submission.

Chief Investigator responsibilities

1. Chief Investigators must:

2. take significant intellectual responsibility for the conception and conduct of the Centre and for any strategic decisions required in its pursuit and the communication of results;

3. ensure effective supervision, support and mentoring at all times of research personnel, including Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates and postdoctoral researchers for whom they are responsible; and

4. make a commitment to carrying out the research program and operations of the Centre and not assume the role of a supplier of resources for work that will largely be undertaken by others.

Partner Investigator responsibilities

1. Partner Investigators must:

2. take an active role in the planning and conduct of the Centre and for any strategic decisions required in its pursuit and the communication of results;

3. have the relevant skills and experience to contribute to the Centre;

4. make a significant intellectual contribution to the research program and operations of the Centre and not assume the role of a supplier of resources for work that will largely be undertaken by others; and/or

5. provide effective supervision, support and mentoring of research personnel, as required.

Specific research policies and practices

1. 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 (2018), and the codes, guidelines, practices and policies on the ARC website, including the ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy (2024) and any actions that have been applied under the ARC Research Integrity Policy (2023 version).
2. An ethics plan must be in place before commencement of the project.
3. Intellectual Property arrangements should be negotiated between You, Other Eligible Organisations and Other Organisations as relevant. We do not claim ownership of any Intellectual Property arising from the project.
4. All research projects must comply with the ARC Open Access Policy (2021 version) on the dissemination of findings on the ARC website.
5. 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.
6. All named participants applying for grants are strongly encouraged to have a persistent digital identifier such as an Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier (ORCID) in their RMS Profile.

Monitoring and reporting

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

a. name;

b. addresses;

c. nominated contact details; or

d. bank account details.

1. 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. Key performance indicators;

b. Annual progress reports;

c. End of year reports;

d. Final reports; and

e. Post-project reporting.

1. 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.

2. We may undertake ad hoc performance reviews of any Centre at any time. A review may be triggered in special circumstances including, but not limited to:

3. change of Centre Director; or

4. significant change of scope or circumstance relating to the Centre.

   1. Reviews may inform whether there is satisfactory progress of the project. Outcomes and feedback arising from reviews as outlined above may inform any evaluations and continuation of the Centre.
   2. We may evaluate the ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity to measure how well the outcomes and objectives have been achieved. We may use information from Your application and reports or may contact You after grant completion to assist evaluation.

5. Probity

   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

1. We will only consider appeals against NCGP administrative processes 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.
2. You must submit an appeal using the Form on the ARC website and have it authorised by a Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent.
3. The appeals process is set out on the ARC website.

Conflict of interest

1. You will be asked to certify, as part of Your application, 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 Centre to You at the date of submission.
2. If a Conflict of Interest exists or arises, You must have documented processes in to manage the conflict of interest for the duration of the Centre. Processes must comply with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018), the ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy (2024) and any relevant successor documents.
3. We will handle any conflicts of interest as set out in Australian Government policies and procedures. Refer to the ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy (2024) on the ARC website.
4. The grant agreement will require You to declare any conflicts of interest, potential conflicts of interest, or perceived conflicts of interest to Us.

Privacy and protection of personal information

1. We treat your personal information according to the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
2. 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 to assist with the activity. You must ask for the Australian Government’s consent in writing before disclosing confidential information.
3. Information about privacy and personal information is set out on the ARC website.

Confidential information

1. The Australian Government may use and disclose confidential information about grant applicants and grant recipients under the NCGP in any other Australian Government business or function.

2. We will treat the information You give Us as confidential if it meets one of the four conditions below:

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

4. the information is commercial in confidence;

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

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

Freedom of information

1. All documents in the possession of the Australian Government, including those about the Linkage Program, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act).
2. The Freedom of Information process is set out on the ARC website.

Appendix A: Glossary

Acronyms

Definitions

Appendix B: Eligible Organisations