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

3. 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 (
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs
Industrial Transformation Training Centres
Linkage Projects (Part D)
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities

4. ARC LINKAGE FUNDING RULES
Part A – General Program Rules for all Linkage Schemes ( )
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]

5. 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.)

6. 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.

7. Medical Research
The Linkage Program does not support Medical Research (A5.1.3).
ARC Medical Research Policy version (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.

8. 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).

9. 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, )
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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Partner Support Letters
A 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

13. 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.

14. 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.
A 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.
A …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.

15. 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 address as RMS 2.0 login ID

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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
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

20. 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) Instructions for using RMS 2.0. are available here.

21. And then we wait