ARC Discovery Program Funding Rules 2014-2015Changes to Note

ARC Funding Rules Research Management round tableMonday 20 January 2014

Dimity Phillips

General Changes across all Schemes:Cross-Scheme Restrictions

• Only two projects as CI, Fellow or Awardee may be held or applied for under the Discovery Program – this includes FLs, FTs, DPs, DECRAs and DIs)

• There are no cross-scheme restrictions on DP CI roles and ARC Centres of Excellence roles, NHMRC grants or proposals under the ARC Linkage program.

• There may be no duplication of Commonwealth funding.

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General Changes across all Schemes:Stipends/salaries

• HDR stipends are set at a rate of $25,406 per year and only funding up to this level may be requested from the ARC. The Admin Org may, however, provide additional funding to increase the stipend.

• Annual pay rises associated with the EBA or other similar agreements should not be included for personnel funded with project costs (e.g. Research Assistants/Research Associates)

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General Changes across all SchemesBudget items

• Publication and dissemination costs should be included as a budget item in the application, as the provision for ARC funding equal to 2% of the overall budget has been removed (please be aware that all proposals and projects must comply with the ARC Open Access Policy on the dissemination of research findings).

• Web hosting and web development specific to the project may be requested.

• Workshops and conferences that are necessary for the conduct of the proposed research may be requested.

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General Changes across all SchemesOther requirements

• All participants and organisations names in the proposal must declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest to the Admin Org at the time of submission.

• If more than 3 RNTA are submitted for a single proposal, DVC-R’s signature is required.

• Reporting by Exception is for all years of the project (except the final year)

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Discovery ProjectsImportant changes to note

• Projects may be applied for and awarded for up to five years.

• DORAs are no longer offered.• A limit of one sole-CI Discovery Project per

researcher no longer applies.• ICAs may now be requested for 12 months per

ICA, with a total limit of $20,000 per ICA.• Researchers who are undertaking undergraduate

studies are eligible to be a CI, though they must meet other eligibility criteria.

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Discovery Early Career Researcher AwardsImportant changes to note

• Must have been awarded a PhD on or after 1 March 2009 (or 1 March 2005 with allowable career interruptions)

• There is an extension of the total period available for career interruptions to 4years (previously 3 years). However, career interruptions of less than 1 month will not be considered.

• The ARC has clarified that Field Research travel and accommodation costs may be funded for the both the DECRA candidate and support personnel

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Discovery IndigenousImportant changes to note

• The maximum level of funding for a Discovery Indigenous has increased from $300,000 per year to $500,000 per year

• A Discovery Indigenous Award candidate must now demonstrate how the Project quality would be enhanced by a DIA and detail the ways in which the additional research time would be utilised

• A person may be eligible as CI if they are an employee for at least 20 per cent of Full Time Equivalent at one Eligible Organisation, and hold a paid position at a museum or herbarium

• Researchers who are undertaking undergraduate studies are now eligible to be a CI, though they must meet other eligibility criteria

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