ARC LINKAGE PROJECTS 2016 FUNDING RULES KEY DATES RSO RESOURCES Christine Maher & Maya Roberts Senior Grants Officers, Research Services Office

ARC LINKAGE PROGRAM FUNDING RULES 2014- 2016 ARC Linkage Program Funding Rules sets out the generic and specific Funding Rules for all Schemes under the Linkage Program (http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/lp/lp_fundingrules.htm): Industrial Transformation Research Hubs Industrial Transformation Training Centres Linkage Projects (Part D) Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities

ARC LINKAGE FUNDING RULES Part A – General Program Rules for all Linkage Schemes (2014-2016) Part D –Scheme-specific rules for Linkage Projects Minimum request $50,000 per year; maximum request $300,000 per year [section D6.1.1] Period of funding: 2 – 5 years [section D6.1.2]

LP Selection Criteria 2015 SELECTION CRITERIA WEIGHTING A) Investigators 20% B) Proposed Project 50% i. Significance and Innovation (25%) ii. Approach and Training (15%) iii. Project Research Environment (10%)* C) Commitment from Partner Organisation(s) 30% (*Project Research Environment means the laboratory, department, school, centre or institute within the Administering Organisation or Partner Organisation where research will be undertaken, and which provides opportunities for knowledge growth, innovation, collaboration, mentoring and student training.)

Key Funding Rule changes for LP16 R2 Continuous Submission and Assessment Process Proposals received from 1 July 2016 to 22 December 2016 must be submitted under the current Funding Rules for schemes under the Linkage Programme (2015 edition). Proposals submitted during this period will be subject to similar assessment processes as all other ARC proposals. Continuous Assessment—A continuous assessment process will mean proposals will be individually progressed and assessed once they are submitted in RMS. This will allow for outcomes to be determined within a shorter timeframe, rather than waiting for a scheduled yearly selection meeting. Duplicate Proposals—Unsuccessful Linkage Projects proposals may be submitted again in the Linkage Projects scheme. Applicants will be given the opportunity to identify if a similar proposal was previously submitted under the Linkage Projects scheme, and to provide details regarding how the current proposal differs from the previously submitted proposal. A proposal will be considered a duplicate if the aims and methodology of the project description have not substantially changed. If it is determined that the proposal is a duplicate, the ARC reserves the right to refer to the detailed assessor reports supplied for the previously submitted proposal, for use in the assessment of the new proposal without seeking additional assessments or a rejoinder. Fast-tracked Proposals—To enable the ARC to inform applicants of outcomes as soon as possible, high and low-ranked proposals will be fast-tracked through the assessment process with outcomes announced as early as possible after submission. All other proposals are expected to be announced approximately six months after submission.

Medical Research The Linkage Program does not support Medical Research (A5.1.3). ARC Medical Research Policy version 2014.3 (effective from 25/8/14). Research ineligible for ARC support: research with human health and/or medical goals, including research on the understanding, aetiology, diagnosis, monitoring, management or treatment of physical or mental disease or other health conditions in humans; research involving the use or development of animal models of human health conditions, or the use of animals for the development or testing of therapeutic goods (including devices) or procedures, for the purpose of better understanding human health or developing treatments for human health conditions; interventional research in humans, particularly clinical or pre-clinical trials of therapeutic goods (including devices), or research aiming to modify the health of the human participants; the use or development of equipment, facilities, tools, games, devices, smart phone applications or other items to understand, diagnose, monitor, manage or treat human health conditions. See ARC website - Medical Research Policy FAQs and ARC Medical Research Policy Eligibility Examples for clear examples of eligible and ineligible research proposals.

Linkage Program Budget A7. Budget Items Supported a. access to national & international research and infrastructure facilities including specialist archives, collections and databases; b. access to Technical Workshop Services for the Project c. Field Research essential to the Project, including technical/ logistical support, & travel & accommodation, for CIs, PIs, HDR candidates, postdoc fellows & research support personnel (note: not counted towards Travel Costs limit of $20,000 per year); d. expert services of a third party …necessary for the proposed Project. Includes: i. language translation services, transcribing services; ii. purchase of bibliographical or archival material (electronic or hard copy); and iii. data collection and analysis services; e. equipment (and its maintenance) and consumables required for the Project. f. publication and dissemination of Project outputs and outreach activity costs; g. specialised computer equipment and software essential to the Project; h. travel costs essential to the Project, including economy travel costs for domestic and/or international travel and accommodation, not more than average of $20,000 per year, for CIs, PIs, HDR candidates, postdoc fellows and research support personnel i. web hosting and web development specific to the Project; and j. workshops, focus groups and conferences necessary for the research (including reasonable hospitality costs – e.g. morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea).

Linkage Project Budget D7.1 Linkage Project - can also request from the ARC: a. personnel: salary support for research associates & assistants, technicians & laboratory attendants at appropriate salary level, including 30% on-costs, for the Administering Organisation; and stipends for Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students, in whole or in part, at appropriate level for the Administering Organisation or the relevant industry sector ($25,861- 2015) b. teaching relief for CIs up to a total value for the Project of $50,000 per year; and All Funding requests to the ARC must be fully justified in the Application

Partner Organisations D8.1.1 A Linkage Project Proposal must include at least one (1) Partner Organisation. A partner Organisation does not have to be an Australian company or Organisation A9.2.2 For each Partner Organisation, three (3) conditions: a. evidence of new or on-going collaboration between the Partner Organisation and the Administering Organisation and /or with an Other Eligible Organisation on the Proposal; b. no duplication of Commonwealth funding for the research and/or activities funded for the Project; and c. a contribution of cash and/or in-kind or other material resources from each Partner Organisation

Partner Organisation Contributions D8.2.1 …combined Partner Organisation(s) eligible contributions for a Proposal (i.e. the total of the cash and/or in-kind eligible contributions of the Partner Organisations) must at least match 100% of total funding requested from ARC. D8.2.3 … combined Partner Organisation(s) eligible Cash Contribution must be at least 25% of total funding requested from ARC. D8.2.7 Where all Partner Organisations are exempt from the Cash Contribution requirements, proposal does not have to meet the overall Cash Contribution requirement specified at D8.2.3. Example: If ARC requested cash is Combined Partner Cash contributions Combined Partner In-kind contributions Total of combined Partner Cash and In-kind contributions  $100,000 must be at least 25% of ARC must be at least 75% of ARC Must be at least 100% of ARC at least $25,000 at least $75,000 at least $100,000

Partner Support Letters A 9.2.4 Each Partner Organisation’s letter of support must: a. include the official letterhead; b. be no more than two A4 pages; c. include a brief profile of the organisation; d. provide details of the Cash and/or In-kind Contributions; e. demonstrate the source of its Cash Contribution (if a Cash Contribution is being made); certify that no part of its Cash Contribution is drawn from funds previously appropriated or awarded from Commonwealth or Aust. State or Territory sources for the purposes of research; … state its expectations about industry outcomes/products and market value (where appropriate); h. provide details regarding how the Project aligns with the Partner Organisation’s objectives; i. certify that it will meet the requirements outlined in a standard Funding Agreement, including the requirement to enter into arrangements regarding intellectual property; and j. be signed by the Chief Executive Officer, or delegate. Please note - The RSO provides a template Partner Support Letter

Other Organisations In addition to Partner Organisations, Other Organisations can be involved in Linkage Projects An Other Organisation is one which is listed in a Linkage Projects Proposal and is not an Eligible Organisation or a Partner Organisation. Other Organisations can provide cash and/or in-kind, but this is not counted towards the minimum matching requirements.

Partner Investigators (PI) D9.1.3 The Proposal may nominate a PI from each Partner Org. A PI who is representing a Partner Org. on the Proposal is required to have a role within that Partner Org. A10.3.3 A PI must have the capacity to make a serious commitment to carrying out the Project and cannot assume the role of a supplier of resources for work that will largely be placed in the hands of others. A10.3.4 …a PI must: a. take significant intellectual responsibility for the planning and conduct of the Project and for any strategic decisions called for in its pursuit and the communication of results; and/or b. have the experience and capacity to provide effective supervision, support and mentoring of research personnel associated with the Project in their areas of expertise; and/or c. have the relevant skills and experience to effectively manage a similar scale research Project.

ARC Application Management System (RMS2.0) Each CI and Partner Investigator (PI) must obtain access to RMS 2.0 and update their profile information. Personal Profile information must be up to date and complete as significant data is auto-populated to the application. Note: RMS has been updated. The current version is RMS2.0 – a guide to using RMS2.0 can be found here. Applicants use their email address as RMS 2.0 login ID

Common Compliance Issues INVESTIGATORS CI’s named on Application who are not eligible Partner Investigator’s Track Record is not sufficient (note: PI’s are not mandatory) Investigators’ confuse Adjunct status with Emeritus status for CI eligibility ROLE OF PERSONNEL Investigators’ roles in the Project not clearly defined PhD Stipend requested, but no clear role in the Project defined for student TRACK RECORD/ ROPE Publications included that are out of date range, incorrectly referenced, authorship misrepresented, or not actually published (e.g. under review), or not marked * as relevant to the Proposal PARTNER/ BUDGET Partner Support Letter not complete and/or inconsistent with other parts of the Application (e.g. Budget) Support Letter not approved and signed until very late in the Application Process (stress-out for all concerned) Budget Justification is incomplete, insufficient or inconsistent with the Budget requested

We recommend that Investigators: Allow adequate time – start early Read the Funding Rules Read the Instructions and the FAQ’s Use the exact titles in the application form/instructions Have your text reviewed by your peers Have your text proof read for typos and grammatical errors Keep your language clear and concise Keep your formatting clean and easy to read Fully justify your Budget Ensure that all Parts of your Application are consistent

IMPORTANT DATES Key Activities LP16 R2 Dates Flinders RSO Expressions of Interest Due 18 July 2016 Flinders ARC Grant Writing Workshop 27 July 2016 ARC Linkage Scheme LP16 R2 Opens in RMS 1 July 2016 Eligibility Exemption Requests N/A RSO Compliance Review: Draft Application (full; RMS generated) 4 weeks prior to anticipated submission to ARC Request not to Assess http://www.arc.gov.au/applicants/request_notassesform.htm   2 weeks prior to submission date to ARC Application Submission to RSO in RMS 2.0 3 working days prior to the submission date to ARC ARC Linkage Scheme LP16 Closes in RMS 2.0 22 December 2016

RSO Resources for Linkage Projects LP16 Written Evidence form – non-Flinders CI’s and PI’s LP16 Written Evidence form - Partner and Collaborating Organisations Proforma Partner Support Letter Flinders University Certification Form Flinders University salary scales Past ARC Grant Writing Workshop Presentations (password protected) To access these resources - go to Flinders webpage Linkage Projects (LP) RSO Contact: Maya Roberts (Senior Grants Officer) arc@flinders.edu.au Instructions for using RMS 2.0. are available here.

And then we wait