ARC Linkage Grants and Assessment Process

ARC LINKAGE GRANTS 2020/21 ROUND ARC LINKAGE GRANTS 2020/21 ROUND Presented by Lee Williamson 4/04/2025 LWCS for CSU

WHAT WE WILL COVER TODAY: WHAT WE WILL COVER TODAY: Overview of ARC grant categories and Linkage grants The assessment process and rejoinders Linkage Selection criteria Industry partner commitments (cash and inkind) with a focus on Not for Profits and Small Medium Enterprises & zero cash requirements Success factors and positioning your research for success Budgets 4/04/2025 LWCS

OVERVIEW ARC GRANTS OVERVIEW ARC GRANTS DISCOVERY DISCOVERY Discovery Program supports basic and applied research: Funding for individuals or teams who hold academic appointments Collaborators usually within academia Project grants - Funding minimum $30k to maximum $500k with up to 5 years funding. Usually 3 years funding average total grant awarded $401k (if over 3 years average $133k pa) Fellowships funded under this program ( eg DECRAs, Future Fellowships) Effectively it is about funding fundamental research 4/04/2025 LWCS

OVERVIEW ARC GRANTS OVERVIEW ARC GRANTS LINKAGE Linkage Program supports research partnerships between researchers and industry (effectively focus is on applied research) Need industry partners on board (POs) Linkage Projects need industry to contribute cash and inkind (under certain conditions no cash but substantial inkind instead) Linkage Projects average ARC grant over 3 years $423k (plus ind cash) Effectively Linkage Projects are about applying advanced knowledge to problems with industry/end users LINKAGE 4/04/2025 LWCS

ASSESSMENT PROCESS AND REJOINDERS ASSESSMENT PROCESS AND REJOINDERS Basis for awarding grants is excellence through a competitive peer review process based on the relevant assessment criteria 1. External discipline specific assessors (Detailed Assessors) provide advice to the ARC College Panel members.*** 2. College members (General Assessors), informed by the detailed assessor s expertise, comments and Applicants Rejoinder, meet, discuss and make a recommendations on funding. 3. Final decision is with the Minister!! ***NB: Applicants see only the external assessments NOT the Panels The Panels assessments remain confidential as part of the panel deliberations. 4/04/2025 LWCS

IN PRACTICE IN PRACTICE - - HOW DOES IT ALL WORK? HOW DOES IT ALL WORK? ARC College = Expert Advisory Committees (EAC) 5 discipline-based panels BSB EIC HCA MPCE SBE Members have broad discipline knowledge not necessarily expert in your specific discipline (informed by external assessors whose identity they will know) Conflict of Interest Interdisciplinary research 4/04/2025 LWCS

PANEL AND ASSESSOR ALLOCATION PANEL AND ASSESSOR ALLOCATION Fields of Research (FoR) codes determines the College of Experts panel FOR codes and expertise text within an assessor s RMS profile plus application information - FOR and Socio-economic Objective (SEO) codes and project summary (using word cloud) determines the allocation of assessors 4/04/2025 LWCS

IN PRACTICE IN PRACTICE - - HOW DOES IT ALL WORK? (2) HOW DOES IT ALL WORK? (2) Each application assigned to two members of the panel who read the applications develop preliminary scores AFTER external assessments and rejoinders are sighted discuss and agree on a preliminary draft score Panel members have between 100 150 DP applications to read and assess 4/04/2025 LWCS

LINKAGE & DISCOVERY SELECTION CRITERIA SELECTION CRITERIA DISCOVERY LINKAGE RESEARCHER TRACK RECORD 35% 25% PROJECT QUALITY & INNOVATION 40% 25% FEASIBILITY (& Linkage ) COMMITMENT** **= PO commitment 10% 20%** BENEFIT 15% 30% (incl benefit for PO) 4/04/2025 LWCS

THE PARTNER ORGANISATION - SELECTION CRITERIA sprinkled throughout Track Record including evidence of: potential to engage in collaborative research with end-users; experience in research training, mentoring and supervision; and time and capacity to undertake and manage the proposed research in collaboration with the Partner Organisation(s) . Feasibility and commitment the commitment of each Partner Organisation to collaboration in the research project and capacity to implement the outcomes of the research 4/04/2025 LWCS

CASH /INKIND & THE PARTNER ORGANISATION Cash contributions and in-kind must be commensurate with: the scale of the problem; the size of the organisation; and the risk profile of the project. Not for profit Govt depts Corporate Australia CSIRO/ ANSTO etc a problem LWCS

PO CASH & INKIND Funding rules: The combined Partner Organisation(s) eligible Cash Contribution must be at least 25 per cent of the total funding requested from the ARC (unless Exempt Organisation - see later) Minimum ARC ask = $50k pa (25% = $12.5K pa) Issue: what do you buy with $62K pa? ARC Maximum: $300k pa LWCS

How much industry cash do I need for success? Reality: 40% cash 60% in-kind of budget ask If cash exceeds in-kind look like consultancy in disguise Cash + in-kind must = or exceed ARC ask $100k pa cash substantially improved success rate (+ $150k in-kind) = $250k pa contribution PO ARC ask = $250k pa Grand total = $350k Cash pa project !! MINIMUM CASH FOR SUCCESS: $50K PA (+ $75K IN KIND)= $125K EX PO ARC ask = $125k pa Grand total = $175k Cash pa project !! LWCS

THE PARTNER ORGANISATION (PO) WHAT IS IN IT FOR THEM? Funding rules ask: How involved in the Project is the PO? How does the Project fit into each PO s overall strategic plan? and How the Project is of value to each of the Partner Organisations involved? (= a business case for funding not altruism) International Corporate entity: must have an substantial Australian community/business presence Multiple PO s will they all work together or do they have different agendas? (eg govt vs private sector): success = commonality

'SELLING' THE COLLABORATION WITH THE PARTNER ORGANISATION TO THE ARC Who is the Partner Org? What is the scale of their business interests in Australia ? (taxpayer s $$) Identify clear reasons to collaborate - what's in it for everyone? what is the reward for solving the problem? Who is on board from the PO? senior leadership has the incentive and decision making power to effect change 4/04/2025 LWCS

Not for Profits and Small Medium Enterprises & zero cash requirements = Exempt Partner Organisations Exempt Partner Organisations = zero cash but need Exempt Partner Organisations = zero cash but need inkind But There are wealthy NFP and poor ones! Decider do they have Balance Sheet reserves? Exempt SME S = less than 20 Full time employees (FTEs) Structure of grant depends on the project and the PO/s engagement Issue 1: building up the inkind - salaries are not high in the NFP & SME sectors Issue 2: too many CIs and POs and PIs and Administrative paperwork inkind! 4/04/2025 LWCS

THE RESEARCH PROJECT & RESEARCH QUESTION What needs to be found out why and how? What s new? So what? How come it has not been done before? (NB: A project is not important just because it has not been done before maybe it is not just worth doing!) Why has no-one else been able to solve the problem (or are they)? Who is the competition? 4/04/2025 LWCS

THE RESEARCH QUESTION 2 It must substantively advance the discipline knowledge base ( paradigm shift) Incremental or variation upon a theme or continuation of previous research Internationally competitive & relevant Outcomes must be important to Australia (taxpayers $) Communication - how are you going to communicate it to the wider Australian community? (NB pubs & conferences are nice but you need to think broader hint: regional Australia is important to the govt!!~) Impact is critical: ..is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research. In summary: An interesting (quirky) research question/problem that substantially advances discipline knowledge base and relevant to Australia 4/04/2025 LWCS

THE RESEARCH QUESTION - WHAT DOESNT WORK! No research question just a shopping list of activities Anything that smells of consultancy in disguise i.e. Outcome nothing new! (just applying existing research or only incremental) Research question is unique (one-off) and no wider application and/or gives an unfair competitive advantage to an entity (NB there are protections: IP policy /Patents etc) or No impact or pathway to impact A solution looking for a problem to solve (i.e. problem does not exist!) A research project is neither important nor significant nor innovative nor a national benefit just because your partner wants it to be done there must be a broader benefit for the project and its outcomes. 4/04/2025 LWCS

THE RESEARCH TEAM - CIS A research team (min. 2) who are EXPERTS in their discipline fields & have a record of collaboration evidence is: a. Track record & publications showing a variety of collaborations b. Collaborations with Australian industry Recent evidence that the team can deliver a project on time. It is not: doing mates a favour Providing employment for your post-doc Max 3 CI s - Track records: 1 strong + 1 weak = 2 weak ones!! (In general occasional exceptions) LWCS

INDUSTRY PARTNER ORGS & PIS - MINIMUM 2 PIs seldom have an academic track record! On board because they have the career experience to contribute to solving the problem: 1. PI 1 = The management position they hold and the ability to influence/deliver on the project deliverables/outcomes/line management authority sign off minimum 10% time inkind to the project 2. PI 2 = day to day liaison /support on the project often reporting to PI 1 minimum 20% time in kind - skill base directly relates to the project. 3. Other staff on PO engaged and inkind time shopping list but their skills must directly relate to the project methodology etc. LWCS

The application ???? ???????? Plan and write application on the assumption that a discipline expert in your area will NOT be reading the application Imbed the PO/PI s etc in the application and in every section of the project description from page 1 onwards ! Cross reference to budget, track record. i.e. You do not find out who the PO is on the last page PO contribution must stated at each stage of the project Linkage takes longer to write vs DP Write the grant in the third person LWCS

RESEARCH TRAINING & CAREER OPPORTUNITIES ARE PART OF THE SELECTION CRITERIA POST DOCTORAL TRAINING = RESEARCH ASSOCIATES (Research Assistant = Clerical Assistant) Research Associate Academic appointment = opportunity to pursue and develop their research profile/career Provides an opportunity to be mentored by team of experienced researchers; networking / budget / project management / engagement with industry/ grant management / publications / learn to co-supervise PhD students..... Phd stipends are additions to the project - need a solid rationale re research application and training + must set out potential thesis topics in project description Be wary of asking for PhD Stipends only: .. the Phd student will be no more than a well-trained technician 4/04/2025 LWCS

BUDGET = RESOURCES NEEDED TO FUND THE PROJECT TO SUCCESS!! Key Principle 1: Value for money - taxpayers $$$ - ROI (Return on Investment) ! Key Principle 2: any costs not funded by ARC then use PO cash On what basis have you worked out the cost? State it! Travel costs = PO cash Post-doc salary consider splitting between ARC and PO If PO engagement includes co-supervision of PhD student then use some of their cash to fund travel etc. (NB also builds up PI inkind) PO inkind primarily labour cost = contributes to engagement 4/04/2025 LWCS

BUDGET 2 PO CASH AND EXPECTATIONS ARC will reduce cash ask Need to manage POs expectations so they do not also reduce their cash in proportion accordingly How? ARC ask is ambit claim like any budget process At a minimum will match cash for cash So message to PO is that cash ex ARC is in the range of PO cash up to ambit claim usually around 60-80% of ask 4/04/2025 LWCS

FOR codes! How many? Depends on the research project usually 1-2 First FOR code= 60% (determines ARC panel) CI pubs discipline FOR codes must align with the project and its FOR codes Reminder: Track records must support the project: the disciplinary expertise of the team members has puzzlingly little relation to the topic of this project NB: Be careful of the trees & inadvertently crossing panels: Bioinformatics - not AI (08 - EIC) but Biochemistry & Cell biology(06 BSB) Guide- lead CI s discipline expertise tends = first FOR code at 60% 4/04/2025 LWCS

Questions? Questions? 4/04/2025 LWCS

WHERE TO FROM HERE WHERE TO FROM HERE NEXT STEPS NEXT STEPS The Research Office will call for Intent to Submit to the ARC Linkage Scheme Final decision with the Faculty after taking into account external feedback. 4/04/2025 LWCS