Linkage Program

Preparing ARC Grants

Research Office Mailing Lists

The Research-ARC mailing list is managed by the Research Office and used to communicate updates regarding grants and fellowships offered by the Australian Research Council (ARC). If you currently hold an ARC grant or fellowship, or intend applying for one, the Research Office strongly recommends subscribing to this list. Information about applying, changes to guidelines and conditions of award, progress report requirements etc. will be communicated via this list.

• Subscribe to the Research-ARC Mailing list (UON staff and students only)

Documents

The ARC is required to publish Grant Guidelines and all associated scheme documents on GrantConnect, the Australian Government whole-of-government, web-based, grant information system. You will need to sign in or create a User Registration account in GrantConnect to access all relevant documentation for ARC applications.

Once you have signed in to GrantConnect, the essential documents can be found by searching for the relevant scheme under ‘grant opportunities’ (open schemes) or ‘forecast opportunities’ (upcoming schemes). As the ARC often updates documents after the scheme opens, it is highly recommended that you sign up for alerts by editing your profile.

If you encounter any problems accessing or downloading these documents please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone 4921 7733.

UON Documents

• ARC Certification Proforma [Written Evidence] (DOC)
• External Grant Application Coversheet (includes ARC/NHMRC) (DOC)
• ARC/NHMRC Grant Rounds Submission Procedures (PDF)

RMS Access

RMS allows researchers requesting funding under the ARC National Competitive Grants Program to prepare and submit proposals electronically via the internet.

Each proposal is completed by researchers and consists of an electronic document generated from a combination of data entered directly into the proposal form, and PDF documents attached to the proposal form in RMS.

Note: The Admin Organisation will be The University of Newcastle

The RMS Funding Announcement Page contains links to key documents such as:

• RMS User Management Guide
• Submitting a Proposal in RMS

All new applications as well as final reports will need to be submitted to RMS.

RMS minimum system requirements

RMS is compatible with the latest versions of Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Compatibility with different browsers or older versions of Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer is not guaranteed.

RMS auto-population of Research Outputs and ORCID

As part of the ARC’s commitment to integrating ORCID into RMS, it is now possible to auto-populate research output data into ARC RMS profiles and application forms.

• User Guide (PDF)

For more information on ORCID and your grant application, please see the below resources that the UON Library has kindly developed:

• Grant Applications and ORCID
• How to add your publications to your ORCID profile

Preparing ARC Budgets

Information on how to calculate salary costs for your budget can found on our Preparing Research Budgets page.

• 30% on-costs must be included in all salary requests.
• Indexation cannot be included.
• Salary increase due to increase in HEW step levels can be included.

Eligibility Matters

The ARC has developed an Eligibility Matters webpage which address some of the most common eligibility requirements for ARC schemes. It covers items including:

• Researcher Roles
• Fellowships/Awards
• Number of Applications, Funded Projects and Cross-Scheme Eligibility
• Organisational types
• Incomplete or Misleading Information
• Medical Research
• Submission of applications

Visit the ARC Eligibility Matters webpage for more details.

Eligibility and Compliance Checks

The Research Office uses an online booking process to manage optional Eligibility and Compliance Checks (E&C Checks) on applications for ARC Schemes.

In these checks, scientific content is not reviewed but rather, this check will look at your application to make sure it meets the grant guidelines and ensure that you won’t be ruled out due to an ineligible proposal. It is recommended that you also seek Peer Review of your application either via your College/School or through the UON Academy of Reviewers where available.

A booking must be made within the allocated E&C Check period for each scheme. Applicants are strongly encouraged to commence their application in RMS ASAP after the scheme opens so they can book their preferred day for an E&C Check. Bookings without a RMS Application ID will be cancelled.

Please note: To enable the allocation of appropriate resourcing, bookings must be made prior to the defined scheme E&C Check period. Access to book an E&C Check will no longer be available once the Check period has commenced. This does not apply for schemes with continuous rounds (i.e. ARC Linkage Projects and NHMRC Partnership Projects).

• Make an E&C Check booking

UON Academy of Reviewers

Appointed by the DVCRI and nominated by UON College Pro-Vice Chancellors, the UON Academy of Reviewers is a select and esteemed group of highly experienced researchers who will act as a reference group for the Research and Innovation Division providing comment on strategic matters as they arise.

A key strategic role for members of the Academy will be the review of draft UON grant applications in the major grant rounds, to provide tactical feedback and advice to applicants. An internal Expression of Interest (EOI) process will be used by the Research Office to facilitate this valuable scientific content review.

Please visit the UON Academy of Reviewers webpage for a list of members of the Academy as well as a timeline for ARC/NHMRC scheme reviews.

Written Evidence for ARC Projects - Certification

The University of Newcastle is required to obtain written evidence of all relevant parties necessary to allow a proposed project to proceed as specified in the relevant Grant Guidelines. The written evidence must be retained by the Research Office.

Download the Certification Proforma (DOC) and follow the guidelines on the first page for submission.

The completed ARC Certification Proforma is required for ALL participants and organisations listed in an ARC application.

Please attach and send ALL responses in ONE (1) email to research-applications@newcastle.edu.au by the UON deadline for final application (at least 1 week prior to submission date).

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy

The ARC Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy was updated in late 2020 to clarify the types of personal interests that researchers are required to identify and disclose. Researchers are requested to provide this information as a named participant for ARC research funding (both CIs and PIs).

This information is gathered via a researcher’s profile in RMS, and is designed to support transparency of personal interests and to provide a mechanism to declare relationships and support to the Administering Organisation and the ARC.

It is important to note that RMS blocks submission of applications until all questions have been answered by all participants (both CIs and PIs) named on the application. As such, the Research Grants team strongly recommends that you maintain an up-to-date RMS profile to avoid any potential delay with submission. The Research Grants team is required to review these responses prior to submitting applications to the ARC.

A researcher’s responses will not be visible to other participants on the application or assessors who review the application. ARC peer review processes will continue to be based on assessing the merit of each application against the assessment criteria set out in Grant Guidelines. Please refer to the relevant Instructions to Applicants for the funding scheme for ARC directions on completion of these profile questions and complete them to the best of your knowledge.

If you have an international collaborator on an ARC application or hold an honorary appointment at an international university please note that:

• ‘Foreign’ in this context means outside of Australia. If an international collaborator is receiving local research support then this would be considered Foreign support when responding to the ARC questions.
• The ARC have advised that a government-funded university in a country other than Australia would be considered a 'foreign state owned enterprise'. Appointments with such universities will require the answer ‘Yes’ to the relevant ARC question.

Confidentiality and IP

We recommend that if submitting a research project with potential IP which could be patented/exploited or involves an Industry Partner which requires confidentiality, applicants should clearly identify the information as confidential or commercially sensitive within the application.

Applicants should insert the following sentence at the start of the Project Description within their application: "The following project is disclosed to the ARC in confidence for the purpose only of applying for ARC Funding."

National Interest Test (NIT) Statement

On 31 October 2018, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Education, announced a ‘National Interest Test’ would be introduced in ARC applications and that the Minister may consider the National Interest Test in determining which applications to approve. As such it is critical that researchers ensure that adequate time is taken in addressing this criteria.

Download the Guide to Writing ARC Application Title, Summary & National Interest Text Statement (PDF)

Submission Process

Please see the ARC Submission Procedure on the ARC Grants webpage and the Online Booking System User Guide for instructions on how to make a booking for an Eligibility and Compliance Check.

Once complete, the CI submit the final, submission ready application in RMS via the 'Submit to Research Office' button and forward all associated documentation (e.g Cover Sheet and CI/PI/Organisation Certifications/Written Evidence) to research-applications@newcastle.edu.au.

ARC Reporting and Eligibility

If you have a current ARC grant with outstanding reports, this may affect your eligibility for current ARC applications. Please see the ARC Reporting Requirements webpage.

RMS now has improved functionality to detect and prevent applications from being submitted where any participant has not met their ARC reporting requirements or where project or application limits have been breached.

Please see the scheme-specific Grant Guidelines and the ARC Reporting Requirements webpage.

Requirement for Acknowledgement of ARC Funding

For all research projects that are either partially or fully supported by ARC funding, the ARC Grant/Funding Agreements require that the ARC contribution to research and other activities must be appropriately acknowledged. The acknowledgement should include mention of the ARC as a funding body and where the Research Output is a publication, in addition to acknowledging ARC support, the relevant Project ID must be included.

Whilst this acknowledgement most often occurs within research outputs, such as journal publications, efforts should also be made if participating in dissemination activities such as conferences or interviews with media outlets.

The ARC provides further details on the acceptable forms for acknowledgement of ARC funding on their website, including advice on use of the ARC logo and recommended wording.

Access to Successful Applications

Research Services can provide researchers with access to view successful applications where the lead Chief Investigator has provided consent.

Applications must be viewed in hard copy in the Research Services office or by arrangement at HMRI.

How to Arrange to View a Successful Application

Contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au to request access to view successful applications for a specific scheme. Please include preferred date(s), time(s) and location.

Confirmation of the date, time and venue will be provided to you by Research Services staff.

Presentations

Please note: all links below require staff/student login to access

• ARC DECRA Application Workshop (held September 2020)
• Writing ROPE Statements [ARC] (held September 2020)
• ARC Industrial Transformation Research Program [Training Centres and Hubs] (held August 2020)

The presentation slides for the ARC 2020 Discovery Project presentation (held 21 November 2019) and the ARC 2020 DECRA presentation (held 10 December 2019) can be downloaded below.

• ARC Discovery Projects Presentation (PDF)
• ARC DECRA Presentation (PDF)

Research Office Contact
Judy.Alexander@newcastle.edu.au

Interest in the scheme

If you are interested in the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme either as lead CI or as a node of an application led by another university, please contact Judy Alexander as soon as possible to explore the scope of support that may be available for the development of your application.

The program

ARC Centres of Excellence are prestigious outstanding collaborative research initiatives addressing areas of national priority to both maintain and enhance Australia's international standing.

Scheme objectives are:

• Undertake highly innovative and potentially transformational research that aims to achieve international standing in the fields of research envisaged and leads to a significant advancement of capabilities and knowledge;
• Link existing Australian research strengths and build critical mass with new capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems;
• Develop relationships and build new networks with major national and international centres and research programs to help strengthen research, achieve global competitiveness and gain recognition for Australian research;
• Build Australia's human capacity in a range of research areas by attracting and retaining, from within Australia and abroad, researchers of high international standing as well as the most promising research students;
• Provide high-quality postgraduate and postdoctoral training environments for the next generation of researchers;
• Offer Australian researchers opportunities to work on large-scale problems over longer periods of time; and
• Establish Centres of such repute in the wider community that they will serve as points of interaction among higher education institutions, governments, industry and the private sector generally.

The ARC selection process for the 2020 ARC Centres of Excellence round involves a competitive three-stage process:

1. Expression of Interest (EOI) to the ARC
2. Shortlisted EOIs will be invited to submit a full proposal
3. Shortlisted full Proposals will be invited to participate in an interview process conducted by the ARC's Selection Advisory Committee.

The selection criteria is weighted as follows:

For further information regarding the scheme, please visit the ARC Centres of Excellence website.

Key dates

Please note the below timeline is indicative only and may be subject to change

Past University of Newcastle ARC Centres of Excellence

Final Reports and Eligibility

Any outstanding ARC Final Reports have eligibility implications for current ARC applications. The Grant Guidelines state:

C.19 "To be eligible to apply individuals nominated as the Centre Director, CIs and PIs in an EOI application or full application must:have met all obligations for previously funded ARC projects, including submitting satisfactory progress and final reports."    

RMS contains new functionality in the application form that will determine whether key eligibility requirements have been met by ALL participants. Section F10 of the application form will prevent the submission of an application where any participant has an overdue Final Report for any ARC-funded projects.

The ability to submit a valid application form to the ARC does not mean that participants have met all eligibility requirements. You will still need to ensure that comprehensive checks have been made so that participants comply with the eligibility requirements set out in the grant guidelines.

If you believe there is an incorrect End Date and therefore incorrect Final Report Due Date in RMS, please contact the Research Grants team immediately at research-grants@newcastle.edu.au.

Documents

Certification Proforma and Other Useful Information

University of Newcastle ARC Written Evidence Certification proformas, Guide to writing the National Interest Test (NIT) Statement, Guide to auto-populate Research Outputs and ORCHID, Preparing budgets and other useful information is available in the ‘Preparing ARC Grants’ accordion on the Linkage Program page.

ARC Supporting Documents

The ARC is now required to publish Grant Guidelines and associated documents on GrantConnect, the Australian Government whole-of-government, centralised, web-based, grant information system. You will need to sign in or create a User Registration account in GrantConnect to access all relevant documentation.

Once you have signed in to GrantConnect you should download and review the following documents:

• Centre of Excellence 2020 Grant Guidelines
• Instructions to Applicants
• Sample Application Form

If you encounter any problems using GrantConnect or accessing any of the relevant documentation, please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone on (02) 492 17733.

UON

• ARC/NHMRC Application Submission Procedures (PDF)
• External Application Coversheet (includes ARC/NHMRC) (DOC)
• Rejoinder and Rebuttal Guide and Tips (PDF)

Further information

If you have any enquiries regarding eligibility and compliance for the ARC Centres of Excellence Scheme, please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone 492 17733.

For funding commencing in 2021

Research Office Contact:
research-applications@newcastle.edu.au

The Industrial Transformation Research Hubs (ITTH) scheme engages Australia's best researchers in issues facing the new industrial economies and training the future workforce. The scheme supports collaborative research activity, between the Australian higher education sector and industry, designed to focus on strategic outcomes that are not independently realisable.

The ITTH scheme provides funding to Eligible Organisations to engage in cutting-edge research on new technologies and economic, commercial and social transformation which support the development of research outcomes that benefit industry partners in the Industrial Transformation Priorities.

The Industrial Transformation Research Program Priorities are priority research areas identified by the ARC which may be updated from round to round. The current Priorities are:

• Advanced Manufacturing;
• Cyber Security
• Food and Agribusiness;
• Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals;
• Mining Equipment, Technology and Services; and
• Oil, Gas and Energy Resources.

These priorities are consistent with the six high-growth sectors established under the Industry Growth Centres initiative.

The objectives of the Industrial Transformation Research Hubs scheme are to:

• encourage collaborative R&D projects between universities and organisations outside the Australian higher education sector that will solve challenging industry issues relevant to the Industrial Transformation Priorities;
• drive growth, productivity and competitiveness by linking to key growth sectors; and
• leverage national and international investment in targeted industry sectors, including from industry and other research end-users.

Under the Scheme the ARC will provide a minimum of $500,000 per year and up to $1 million per year of funding for each Research Hub for a minimum of three (3) and maximum of five (5) consecutive years. A strong collaboration and commitment of resources from innovative national and international industries is required;

Each Partner Organisation must make a contribution in cash and/or in kind to the project. The combined Partner Organisation contributions for a Proposal (i.e. the total of the cash and in-kind contributions of the Partner Organisations) must at least match the total funding requested from the ARC. In addition, the combined Partner Organisation(s) cash contribution must be at least 75% of the total funding requested from the ARC (with some exceptions).

For more information, visit the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub page.

Key Dates

Indicative timeline for funding commencing in 2022

Please note that these are indicative timeframes and are subject to change.

*Please note:

• To enable the allocation of appropriate resourcing, bookings must be made prior to the defined scheme Eligibility and Compliance Check period. Access to book an Eligibility and Compliance Check will no longer be available once the Eligibility and Compliance Check period has commenced. This does not apply for schemes with continuous rounds (i.e. ARC Linkage Projects and NHMRC Partnership Projects).
• The UON deadline for final applications is one (1) week prior to the ARC closing date and requires provision of a final, submission-ready proposal and all associated documentation including a fully signed External Application Coversheet (DOC).
• Schools and Colleges may have their own internal dates for the purpose of peer review/Head of School and Assistant Dean (Research) approval etc. Please contact your School Executive Officer and College Research & Research Training Officer or College Research Development Manager for further information on School/College internal processes.

Please review our ARC/NHMRC Grant Rounds Submission Procedures (PDF) for essential information regarding application submission under this scheme

Documents

Certification Proforma and Other Useful Information

University of Newcastle ARC Written Evidence Certification proformas, Guide to writing the National Interest Test (NIT) Statement, Guide to auto-populate Research Outputs and ORCHID, Preparing budgets and other useful information is available in the ‘Preparing ARC Grants’ accordion on the Linkage Program page

ARC Supporting Documents

The ARC is now required to publish Grant Guidelines and associated documents on GrantConnect, the Australian Government whole-of-government, centralised, web-based, grant information system. You will need to sign in or create a User Registration account in GrantConnect to access all relevant documentation for ARC Research Hubs including guidelines, instructions to applicants and sample forms.

If you encounter any problems using Grant Connect or accessing any of the relevant documentation, please please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone on (02) 492 17733.

The ARC have recently developed the Industrial Transformation Research Program (ITRP) Establishment Toolkit (PDF). The toolkit has been created to provide helpful information to applicants and grant recipients on best practice administration requirements of ITRP.

University of Newcastle Supporting Documents

• External Grant Application Coversheet (includes ARC/NHMRC) (DOC)
• ARC/NHMRC Application Submission Procedure (PDF)
• Quick Guide - External Application Coversheet process (PDF)
• Rejoinders Guide and Tips (PDF)

Final Reports and Eligibility

Any outstanding ARC Final Reports have eligibility implications for current ARC applications. The Grant Guidelines state:

4.15 All named participants in an application must:

c. have met their obligations regarding previously funded projects, including submission to the ARC of satisfactory final reports at the grant opportunity closing date.

The ARC and assessors will be able to view grants with outstanding reports for each researcher listed on an application. If grants have approved extensions and as such the Final Report is not overdue then this should be stated in the application.

If you believe there is an incorrect End Date and therefore incorrect Final Report Due Date in RMS, please contact the Research Grants team immediately at research-grants@newcastle.edu.au.

Presentations

Please note: staff/student login is required to access the presentation resources

• ARC Industrial Transformation Research Program [Training Centres and Hubs] (held August 2020)

Further information

For further information regarding the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Hubs Scheme, please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone 492 17733.

For funding commencing in 2021

Research Office Contact:
research-applications@newcastle.edu.au

The Industrial Transformation Training Centres (ITTC) scheme fosters close partnerships between university-based researchers and other research end-users to provide innovative Higher Degree by Research (HDR) postdoctoral training, for end-user focused research industries that are vital to Australia's future.

The Industrial Transformation Priorities are priority research areas identified by the ARC which will be updated from round to round. The current Industrial Transformation Research Program Priorities are:

• Advanced Manufacturing;
• Cyber Security
• Food and Agribusiness;
• Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals;
• Mining Equipment, Technology and Services; and
• Oil, Gas and Energy Resources;

These priorities are consistent with the six high-growth sectors established under the Industry Growth Centres initiative.

The objectives of the Industrial Transformation Training Centres scheme are to:

1. foster opportunities for Higher Degree by Research candidates and postdoctoral fellows to pursue industrial training
2. drive growth, productivity and competitiveness within key growth sectors;
3. enhance competitive research collaboration between universities and organisations outside the Australian higher education sector; and
4. strengthen the capabilities of industries and other research end-users in identified Industrial Transformation Priority areas.

The ARC provides project funding of a minimum of $650,000 per annum in the first 3 years, $150,000 per annum in the fourth year and no minimum for the fifth year. The maximum amount of funding is $1,000,000 per annum per project. Each application must nominate at least one Australian Partner Organisation and demonstrate a significant cash/in-kind contribution.

For further information, please visit the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres page.

Key Dates

Indicative timeline for funding commencing in 2022

Please note:

• *To enable the allocation of appropriate resourcing, bookings must be made prior to the defined scheme Eligibility and Compliance Check period. Access to book an Eligibility and Compliance Check will no longer be available once the Eligibility and Compliance Check period has commenced.
• The UON deadline for final applications is 9:00am one (1) week prior to the ARC closing date and requires provision of a final, submission-ready proposal and all associated documentation including a fully signed External Application Coversheet (DOC).
• Schools and Colleges may have their own internal dates for the purpose of peer review/Head of School and Assistant Dean (Research) approval etc. Please contact your School Executive Officer and College Research & Research Training Officer or College Research Development Manager for further information on School/College internal processes.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to commence their application ASAP after the scheme opens in RMS so that they can:
  • book their preferred day for an Eligibility and Compliance check
  • receive a copy of the scheme specific Essential Instructions developed by the Research Office to assist you with the completion of your application.

Please review our ARC/NHMRC Grant Rounds Submission Procedures (PDF) for essential information regarding application submission under this scheme

Documents

Certification Proforma and Other Useful Information

University of Newcastle ARC Written Evidence Certification proformas, Guide to writing the National Interest Test (NIT) Statement, Guide to auto-populate Research Outputs and ORCHID, Preparing budgets and other useful information is available in the ‘Preparing ARC Grants’ accordion on the Linkage Program page.

ARC Supporting Documents

The ARC is now required to publish Funding Rules and associated documents on GrantConnect, the Australian Government whole-of-government, centralised, web-based, grant information system. You will need to sign in or create a User Registration account in GrantConnect to access all relevant documentation for ARC Training Centres including guidelines, instructions to applicants and sample forms.

If you encounter any problems using Grant Connect or accessing any of the relevant documentation, please please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone on (02) 492 17733.

The ARC have recently developed the Industrial Transformation Research Program (ITRP) Establishment Toolkit (PDF). The toolkit has been created to provide helpful information to applicants and grant recipients on best practice administration requirements of ITRP.

University of Newcastle Supporting Documents

• External Grant Application Coversheet (includes ARC/NHMRC) (DOC)
• ARC/NHMRC Application Submission Procedure (PDF)
• Quick Guide - External Application Coversheet process (PDF)
• Rejoinder Guide and Tips (PDF)

Presentations

Please note: staff/student login is required to access the presentation resources

• ARC Industrial Transformation Research Program [Training Centres and Hubs] (held August 2020)

Further information

For further information regarding the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres Scheme, please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone 492 17733.

For Funding Commencing in 2022

Research Office contact:
research-applications@newcastle.edu.au

The ARC LIEF scheme provides funding for large-scale cooperative initiatives to enable the purchase of expensive infrastructure, equipment and facilities costing at least $200,000 (with the minimum amount of $150,000 requested from the ARC). For more information, please visit the LIEF page on the ARC website.

Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI)

• UON Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI) Form (DOC)

It is a requirement for all applicants intending to submit an ARC LIEF grant commencing in 2022, either through  the University of Newcastle or through another institution, to submit a Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI) by 10:00am (AEDST) Monday 2 November 2020.

NOIs will be provided to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), to determine the level of University contribution towards the proposal. NOIs may also be reviewed by a committee of NSW Pro/Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Research), prior to submission of full applications to the ARC.

Applicants who do not submit an NOI by the above date will be required to seek formal College Assistant Dean (Research) and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) approval prior to providing a late NOI for consideration by the DVC (Research & Innovation).

Please note Section 13 – ‘Support from Collaborating Institutions’ and Section 14 – ‘Certifications’ of the University of Newcastle Notification of Intent to Apply (NOI) Form must be fully completed for the NOI to be submitted to the DVC(R&I) for consideration.

Please note: All eligible organisations (Australian Universities) named on an ARC LIEF application must make a cash contribution. Organisational cash and in-kind support cannot be assured for applicants who do not submit an NOI by the advertised deadline.

Key Dates

For funding commencing in 2023

Please note, the below timeline is indicative only and may be subject to change

Please subscribe to the Research Office ARC mailing list to receive up to date information on ARC funding opportunities.

*Please note: A Final Application comprises of a final submission-ready application submitted to the Research Office in RMS 2.0, a complete and fully signed External Application Cover Sheet and all CI/PI and Partner Organisation Certifications (Written Evidence) emailed to research-applications@newcastle.edu.au.

To enable the allocation of appropriate resourcing, bookings must be made prior to the defined scheme Eligibility and Compliance Check period. Access to book an Eligibility and Compliance Check will no longer be available once the Eligibility and Compliance Check period has commenced. This does not apply for schemes with continuous rounds (i.e. ARC Linkage Projects and NHMRC Partnership Projects).

Please review our ARC/NHMRC Grant Rounds Submission Procedures (PDF) for essential information regarding application submission under this scheme.

Documents

Certification Proforma and Other Useful Information

University of Newcastle ARC Written Evidence Certification proformas, Guide to writing the National Interest Test (NIT) Statement, Guide to auto-populate Research Outputs and ORCHID, Preparing budgets and other useful information is available in the ‘Preparing ARC Grants’ accordion on the Linkage Program page.

ARC Supporting Documents

The ARC is now required to publish Grant Guidelines and associated documents on GrantConnect, the Australian Government whole-of-government, centralised, web-based, grant information system. You will need to sign in or create a User Registration account in GrantConnect to access all relevant documentation for ARC LIEF grants including the Linkage Program Grant Guidelines, Instructions to Applicants and the Sample Application Form.

If you encounter any problems using Grant Connect or accessing any of the relevant documentation, please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone on (02) 492 17733.

University of Newcastle Documents

• ARC/NHMRC Grant Rounds Submission Procedures (PDF)
• External Application Coversheet (includes ARC/NHMRC) (DOC)
• Rejoinder Guide and Tips (PDF)

Further Information

For further information regarding the ARC LIEF scheme, please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone on (02) 4921 7733.

Please ensure that you and your UON colleagues are subscribed to the UON Research-ARC email list for ongoing updates.

For Funding Commencing in 2021

Research Office Contact:
research-applications@newcastle.edu.au

Please subscribe to the Research Office ARC mailing list to receive up to date information on ARC funding opportunities.

The Linkage Projects scheme provides funding to Eligible Organisations to facilitate collaborative research and development (R&D) projects between higher education researchers and other parts of the national innovation system.

Proposals for funding under the Linkage Projects scheme must include at least one Partner Organisation. The Partner Organisation must make a contribution in cash and/or in kind to the project. The combined Partner Organisation contributions for a Proposal (i.e. the total of the cash and in-kind contributions of the Partner Organisations) must at least match the total funding requested from the ARC.

The ARC Linkage Projects scheme opened for continuous submission and assessment on 1 July 2016. Proposals may be submitted on a continuous basis. Additionally, from the LP20 round, there will be three Assessment Rounds per year.

The ARC uses a ‘fast-track’ process to enable them to inform applicants of outcomes as soon as possible. High and low-ranked proposals are fast-tracked through the assessment process with outcomes announced as early as possible after submission. Outcomes for all other proposals are recommended to the Minister within six months of proposal submission. Unsuccessful applicants will receive feedback indicating if their proposal progressed to a selection meeting, or if it was fast-tracked as a low-ranked proposal.

For further information, please visit the Linkage Projects page on the ARC website.

Key Dates

Please subscribe to the Research Office ARC mailing list to receive up to date information on ARC funding opportunities.

There are three assessment rounds for applications for Linkage Projects for funding applied for in 2021. Applications can be submitted at any time between 18 December 2020 and 16 December 2021 and will be assessed within one of three assessment rounds

*A reminder that Request Not to Assess requirements have recently changed and there can be a need for ‘comprehensive evidence justifying the request’.

** Announcements are anticipated approximately six months from the application closing date for the round.

Please note: A Final Application comprises of a final submission-ready application submitted to the Research Office in RMS, a complete and fully signed External Application Cover Sheet and all CI/PI and Partner Organisation Certifications (Written Evidence) emailed to research-applications@newcastle.edu.au.

Please review our ARC/NHMRC Grant Rounds Submission Procedures (PDF) for essential information regarding application submission under this scheme.

ARC Final Reports

Please note that any outstanding ARC Final Reports now have eligibility implications for current ARC applications. Within the current Grant Guidelines under Eligibility to apply it states:

A6.25  “To be eligible as a CI, the individual nominated must, as at the date of application have met their obligations regarding previously funded Projects, including submission to the ARC of satisfactory reports.”

In this application round, the ARC and assessors will be able to view grants with outstanding reports in Section D8 for each researcher. If such grants have had approved extensions and as such the Final Report is not overdue then this should be stated in the report within Section G2.

If you have an outstanding Final Report for any project for which you are a named CI, it is your responsibility to ensure this is submitted to the ARC in adequate time prior to your intended submission date to the ARC.

Documents

Certification Proforma and Other Useful Information

University of Newcastle ARC Written Evidence Certification proformas, Guide to writing the National Interest Test (NIT) Statement, Guide to auto-populate Research Outputs and ORCHID, Preparing budgets and other useful information is available in the ‘Preparing ARC Grants’ accordion on the Linkage Program page.

ARC Supporting Documents

The ARC is now required to publish Grant Guidelines and associated documents on GrantConnect, is the Australian Government whole-of-government, centralised, web-based, grant information system. You will need to sign in or create a User Registration account in GrantConnect to access all relevant documentation for Linkage Projects.

If you have any problems using GrantConnect or accessing relevant documentation please contact us at research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or 02 4921 7733.

Please note that the following important information is still available directly through the ARC:

• Definition of Medical and Dental Research
• Classification Codes: FOR, RFCD, SEO and ANZSIC

University of Newcastle Documents

• Information for Industry (PDF)
• ARC Linkage Presentation Slides (PDF)
• Partner Organisation Letter of Support Template (DOC)
• External Grant Application Coversheet (includes ARC/NHMRC) (DOC)
• ARC/NHMRC Application Submission Procedure (PDF)
• Setting up an RMS account and Partner Organisation (PDF)
• ARC Rejoinder Guide and Tips (PDF)

AusIndustry R&D Tax Incentive

Under the R&D Tax Incentive, businesses can offset the cost of eligible R&D that is undertaken by them or through partners such as universities. This could be through eligible expenses in an ARC Linkage Projects grant, contract research, or a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC).

The R&D Tax Incentive provides a tax offset for eligible companies which reduce the cost and risk to businesses of undertaking R&D, increasing the incentive to invest in research and innovation. The University of Newcastle and Newcastle Innovation are both registered Research Service Providers (RSPs) for this scheme.

Further information on this scheme for researchers and industry can be found at AusIndustry R&D Tax Incentive.

Linkage Project Information Session

On Wednesday 20 February 2020 the Research Office presented an information session for researchers on the ARC Linkage Project scheme. Download the Linkage Project Information Sessions slides (PDF)

Rejoinders

Instructions for submitting a Rejoinder in RMS are available on the Rejoinders Information page of the ARC website. Research Services will also email the first named Participants individually with further advice.

You can also download the Rejoinder Guide (PDF)

Further Information

For further information regarding the Linkage Projects Scheme, please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone on (02) 4921 7733.

The Special Research Initiatives (SRI) scheme provides funding for new and emerging fields of research and builds capacity in strategically important areas. The ARC currently funds several SRIs in a wide range of research areas.

The objective of the SRI scheme is to support high-quality research which will assist in advancing Australia’s research excellence to be globally competitive and deliver benefits to the community. This extends, but is not limited, to supporting research-related activities which will respond to emerging opportunities or changing priorities.

The SRI scheme provides funding to support: cooperative activities amongst researchers; cooperative development of national and international linkages; cooperative development of innovative research areas; activities aimed at building the scale and focus of research and research training; and other activities that the ARC judges to be consistent with the scheme’s objectives.

Funding may also be used to develop networks and initiate collaborations that would be unlikely to occur otherwise and, where appropriate, disseminate the outcomes of the collaborative activities funded under the scheme.

Funding under the SRI scheme is available to support activities related to high‑quality research in all or any fields of research supported by the ARC.

Applications for SRI funding may be submitted only when invited by the ARC by means of a call for proposal(s) for funding.

Current initiatives

Applicants are strongly encouraged to commence their application ASAP after the scheme opens in RMS so that they can book their preferred day for application review.

*Please note the Eligibility and Compliance Check period for the ARC Special Research Initiative for Australian Society, History and Culture 2020 has been extended. If you have already booked an E&C Check for this scheme but would like to book a new check, please cancel your original booking before making a new booking.

Previous initiatives

• Special Research Initiative for Australian Society, History and Culture 2020
• PFAS (Per- And Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances) Remediation
• Antarctic Gateway Partnership
• Tropical Health and Medicine
• Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Researchers' Network
• Science of Learning Research Centre
• Synchrotron Science
• Stem Cell Science
• Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
• ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security
• Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART)

Documents

Certification Proforma and Other Useful Information

University of Newcastle ARC Written Evidence Certification proformas, Guide to writing the National Interest Test (NIT) Statement, Guide to auto-populate Research Outputs and ORCHID, Preparing budgets and other useful information is available in the ‘Preparing ARC Grants’ accordion on the Linkage Program page.

ARC Supporting Documents

The ARC is now required to publish Grant Guidelines and associated documents on GrantConnect, the Australian Government whole-of-government, centralised, web-based, grant information system. You will need to sign in or create a User Registration account in GrantConnect to access all relevant documentation for ARC Discovery Projects including the Discovery Program Grant Guidelines, Instructions to Applicants and Sample Application Form.

If you encounter any problems using Grant Connect or accessing any of the relevant documentation, please contact research-applications@newcastle.edu.au or phone on (02) 492 17733.

University of Newcastle Documents

• ARC/NHMRC Grant Rounds Submission Procedures (PDF)
• External Application Coversheet (includes ARC/NHMRC) (DOC)
• Certification Proforma (PDF)
• Rejoinder Guide and Tips (PDF)