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Research & Research Study

For Researchers - The Research Office

You are here: Macquarie University | Research Office (Researchers) | Funding | ARC Schemes | FAQs for ARC Applicants

FAQs for ARC Applicants

General

Administration

Eligibility

Reviewers

Discovery

Fellowships

Linkage

LIEF

Budgeting

Costs not directly related to the research Proposal, such as those of a personal nature, should NOT be included in your budget.

The rate of on-costs for personnel, including Fellowships, requested on Discovery Projects is 28%.

For assistance in calculating salary costs, please see the salary spreadsheets in the 2010 Resource Pack.

Direct costs of your project are those that can be specifically documented, eg salaries, operating expenses (printing, consumables); travel (rate per kilometre, fares, lodging, sustenance); equipment, etc.

Each item must be fully justified in terms of why they are essential in relation to the aims and methodology of the project.

Your budget should also include indirect costs, ie those that cannot be easily identified as specific to a particular project, but which are nonetheless real costs, eg utilities, maintenance of space and equipment, security, computer services, payroll services, legal services, accounting services, and access to Library facilities such as interlibrary loans.  Indirect costs are calculated using the salary multiplier of 1.25 for laboratroy based research and 0.92 for non-lab based research.

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Clause to use when information is requested by other organisations (eg ARC) on the University’s intellectual property policy and procedures

The University requires that all staff and/or students notify the University (via its Intellectual Property and Commercialisation Management Committee [IPCMC]), of any potential IP that they develop. The IPCMC decides, in conjunction with the inventors/authors, if there is a favourable opportunity for commercialisation of the IP. The University (through the IPCMC) is then responsible for managing the commercialisation process. Ownership of Intellectual Property will remain with the University, which then develops, licenses or assigns the IP appropriately. The University shares any benefits with the inventors/authors.

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How do I submit a request for carryover for my ARC grant?

Instructions to Researchers
ARC Carryover of Funds
Request Written Justification

Request for carryover of funds are due to the ARC by 31 March each year and the process is administered by the Office of Financial Services with limited involvement by grants staff in the Research Office.  Executive Deans and Managers of Faculties are notified each year early in February of carry forward requests which require justification.  Justification for carry forward requests are generally only required where 75% or more of the previous year's funding remains unspent, or where a previous carry forward amount still remains unspent.  Executive Deans or Faculty Managers will advise those researchers who fall into one of these categories, and request  a written justification letter from the researcher which should be returned to the Faculty Office for subsequent return to the Office of Financial Services.  Justification letters are then forwarded to the ARC by the due date of 31 March, along with the associated financial report – researchers should not send the letter directly to the ARC or to the Research Office.  The letter need only be a brief explanation outlining the delays experienced in purchasing equipment, appointing personnel and so on.

To lodge your written justification:

  • Use the Proforma Letter (RTF)
  • Reasons for carryover should be clear, concise and well argued, paying attention to the need to demonstrate the capacity to still deliver the promised outcomes.
  • Please note that it is not considered appropriate to raise issues that should be addressed to the University such as resource issues or pressures of competing demands.
  • Please confine your explanation to two paragraphs.
  • Letters should be printed on University letterhead, text should be single-spaced and in Times New Roman, 12pt or similar.
  • Researchers should sign the original and keep a copy for their records.
  • Written justification should generally be in line with what has been reported in the most recent Progress Report.

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I am an investigator on an application being submitted via another institution. What are my obligations in terms of Research Office processes?

You should advise the Research Office of the application via email to jennifer.newton@mq.edu.au,  and provide a final hard copy and electronic copy as soon as the Lead Institution has signed-off on the application.

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How do we organise for our overseas colleague to sign the certification pro forma?  Is a fax acceptable?  If the certification pro forma is faxed, should the faxed version be used as the original for other signatures or should the original be submitted in addition to the faxed one?

A faxed signed certification pro forma is acceptable for the certification by overseas colleagues. The original certification pro forma should also be sent in the mail. Local signatures should be gathered on a separate sheet in this instance.

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Standard Agreement for ARC Funding

  • Multi-Institutional Agreement (PDF)
    For sharing of funds between Universities (mainly) who are participating in any ARC funded project (ie, Linkage, Discovery etc). If the funding to be shared is to be used for student participation at Partner Institutions, then special clauses will apply, and you (the academic) should contact the Research Office in the first instance.

Please note, the provision of these documents is for the purposes of best informing University personnel, students and our External Partners of the type of agreement that will govern funding for any projects undertaken. The examples provided are non-executable samples, and cannot be construed as being representative of the University's final position on any particular project. It is the responsibility of the Research Office to customise these agreements for every project undertaken - please contact the Contracts Officer at ro@mq.edu.au with your needs.

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I am collaborating with a Macquarie University researcher on an upcoming ARC project grant application and I believe I need to get access to the ARC on-line grant system.  Can you tell me what I need to do?

Project grant applications to the ARC comprise two parts, one of which is completed via an online system - the ARC Grants Administration Management System (GAMS) and for this you need to be allocated an ID and password.  Investigators from organisations outside the University organise this directly with the ARC via a simple form, which can be accessed via the ARCs website at http://www.arc.gov.au/applicants/gams/whatis_gams.htm - scroll down to the link "ARC Request for GAMS User Account form" and email the completed form to gamsids@arc.gov.au.  The ARC quote a turn-around time of two days for new IDs, however, in practice this usually happens much more quickly.

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I am about to take, or have just taken up a new appointment at Macquarie – how do I organise to transfer my ARC grants?  How long will it take?

The process for transfer of ARC grants to Macquarie is undertaken by the relinquishing institution who must submit a Variation of Funding Agreement, Request for Transfer of Project form (http://www.arc.gov.au/applicants/variation.htm) and other accompanying documents to the ARC.  Part of the accompanying documentation is a letter from the receiving institution (Macquarie) indicating a willingness to accept administration of the grant, which is produced by the Research Office, signed by the DVC (Research) and sent to the relinquishing institution for on-forwarding to the ARC.  The ARC require this letter to contain detailed information confirming that the University will provide the necessary infrastructure and other support requirements for the project, and the relevant Head of Department is asked to provide this information to the Research Office for inclusion in the letter.  To get the process started, the grant holder should make the transfer request of the relinquishing institution’s Research Office, who will then request Macquarie’s Research Office to forward the above letter.

The relinquishing institution must also provide to the ARC a financial reconciliation for transfer of the grant funding to go ahead.  Given this, the process cannot commence until the grant holder’s last day of employment at the relinquishing institution has passed.  Once the documents are submitted to the ARC, a decision is usually forthcoming within a few weeks. 

Once the ARC has approved the transfer, an account will be set up to enable the researcher to continue expending project funds.  Please note that there is usually a time lag of up to 2 months from the ARC’s approval of the transfer to the time when the funds are actually received.  This delay should not prevent the researcher from using their account.

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Compliance

To ensure eligibility, please make sure all paperwork relating to all past grants is in order including those held at other institutions.  The ARC may terminate a project and demand repayment of funding if an Administering Organisation and/or researcher provides incomplete, false or misleading information in relation to either the current Proposal, or reporting on an existing/previous grant (section 12.4).

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Can Hon. Assocs. apply for grants?

Yes. Honorary Associates may apply for grants provided the majority of their research takes place here at Macquarie.

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I would like to request that the ARC do not appoint certain readers to assess my application. What do I have to do?

You must complete the Request Not to Assess Form and submit to jennifer.newton@mq.edu.au in the Research Office by no later than Friday 27 February 2009.

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We understand that there is a group of researchers at another University who may be submitting a proposal similar to ours. How does the ARC ensure reviewers have no conflict of interest?

The ARC have standard personal COIs (declared by applicants via the above letter) and institutional COIs (no reviewers from the institutions in the application). This applies to both the College of Experts and to external peer review. If the applicant is very concerned about their colleagues at the other University, then it would be best to list them in the letter requesting not to assess, but be mindful it will be the ARC's decision whether to take effect of the suggestions made.

From a strategic point of view, please bear in mind that no funding body wants to see evidence of duplication of effort and wilful non-cooperation with other researchers. The buzzword is collaboration. The rationale for actively favouring collaborations is that public funding is scarce; overlaps and duplication of research effort across the University sector is an unaffordable luxury. In putting your case, ensure that you cover these concerns.

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Discovery Applications

Closing date for submission of applications to the Research Office is Wednesday 4 February 2008.  Your proposal will be read by the Research Office, including budget review, and feedback provided in sufficient time for you to finalise your application by the deadline set by the Research Office ahead of the ARC's closing date.  It is also a requirement that all applications are signed off by both your Faculty head and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research).  The Research Office also checks compliance to ensure that your application will not be ruled out on technicalities, then submits your application once finalised to the ARC.

NB: Researchers who do not submit their application by the RO due date will fall outside the processes put in place to accommodate a large number of applications.

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Changes from last year’s Funding Rules

This list of changes to the ARC Discovery Funding Rules covers major changes only (see section 5). Applicants and other parties involved in Proposals should read and understand the entire Funding Rules and draft Funding Agreement before a Proposal is submitted to the ARC.

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Timing on eligibility criteria

Chief Investigators must meet the eligibility criteria at 1 January 2010.

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Focus on international competitiveness as an objective of ARC funding

Please note that the potential international significance of the results of your research should be taken into account in your bid for funding.

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Importance placed on the contribution of Chief Investigators, Partner Investigators and Fellows

Chief investigators, Partner Investigators and ARC Fellows must take significant intellectual responsibility for the proposed project, its conception, and any strategic decisions called for in its pursuit and the communication of results. The researcher must have the capacity to make a serious commitment to the project and cannot assume the role of a supplier of resources for work that will largely be placed in the hands of others.

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Flexibility in applying for subsequent Fellowships

Researchers who hold or have previously been awarded an ARF, QEII or APF or equivalent Fellowship under a previous ARC scheme, are now entitled to reaply for a subsequent Fellowship of the same type, at a 50:50 salary option.

A researcher who holds a continuing research-only position at a professorial level or equivalent at an Eligible Organisation is not eligible to apply for an APF (subsection 5.5.6.2d).

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Assistance in writing your ARC Discovery Grant application

The Research Office website now provides links to important information that will assist you in developing a succesful application. This is done in a 'Resource Pack' style annually.  We will also respond to your questions within 2 working days.  Please see the list of Research Office Contacts for whom to contact for assistance during the writing process.

NB:  You can (and are encouraged to) submit your draft for review at any time prior to the Research Office deadline of 4 February 2009.

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Eligibility rulings - Discovery

The Research Office will need your paperwork for requesting special consideration relating to eligibility by Friday 9 January 2009.  Download the form from the ARC Website and submit it to the Research Office for signing by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). Your application will then be forwarded to the ARC.

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Eligibility for special consideration as an Early Career Researcher

The ARC Discovery Projects Funding Rules state that applicants wanting to claim ECR status, although outside the PhD award criterion, should make a case in the proposal (see section 8.3.1).  The relevant information should be entered into the appropriate section of B10 Research Record Relative to Opportunities.

NB: Do not complete an Eligibility Exemption/Advice Request form.

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Are you eligible to apply for this round if you are already an ARC Discovery Grant recipient?

A CI can only hold a maximum of 2 Discovery Project grants at any one time. They can also only apply to be CI on Discovery Project grants to the extent that, if all were successful, they would not hold more than the maximum number of grants permitted in 2008.

So the answer is - you can apply for or hold a maximum of 2 Discovery Grants as CI in 2008. Your own circumstances will dictate how the maximum applies to your grant application activity. Do not forget to take into account those research applications that are being submitted by other Universities where you are named as CI.

See clause 6.6 (specifically 6.6.2) of the Discovery Projects Funding Rules for the full details.

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I have a grant that will be completed in March 2009 and I want to submit funding applications in the 2009 round for funding commencing in 2010. Will my March 2009 completion make me ineligible to apply for two Discovery grants?

When the ARC look at the number of grants held they don't include carry forwards, only the original years allocated.

Section 6.6.3 of the Funding Rules states: "For the purposes of the limits applying in these Funding Rules, a project for which funding was/is to be carried over, or deferred, into the next year is considered to be funded for the years notified in the letter of offer of funding provided by the ARC."

Therefore you will be able to apply for two Discovery grants in 2009 for funding commencing in 2010, even though one is still in progress until March 2009.

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If awarded an APD, must I spend 100% of my time working on the project for which the APD was awarded? I would like to apply for a Linkage subsequent to the APD.

Yes you can apply to hold your APD plus another Discovery Project as a Chief Investigator plus, four Linkage projects, and a LIEF... i.e. the different schemes have separate independent limits.

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Is it possible to change my 3 year 100% APD appointment to a 4 year 75%/25% teaching position?

No. Based on precedence the ARC does not allow Fellows to change their 3 year awards to 4 years. This is particularly due to budget appropriation issues.

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Can a Discovery Projects Fellowship applicant who is currently a Research Fellow paid from an ARC grant that completes in December 2008 apply for Australian Postgraduate Fellowship by themselves without any Chief Investigator?

The relevant clause in the Discovery Projects Funding Rules is 6.6.2 Limit Type b. Sole CI/Fellow limit.

A researcher may not be involved in more than one Discovery Projects project on which he/she is the sole CI or sole ARC Fellow, regardless of the number of PIs involved.

In this instance, the applicant is currently the only Fellow involved in an ARC grant that will be finalised prior to the commencement of the proposed Fellowship and would therefore be eligible. To be the sole applicant on the application, they will also need to qualify as a CI (Section 8.4 of the rules). This section of the Funding Rules suggests they will need to be an adjunct appointment or 50:50 funded by MQ.

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Linkage Projects Applicatons

The Linkage Projects scheme supports collaborative research and development projects between higher education organisations and other organisations, including within (but not restricted to) industry, to enable the application of advanced knowledge to problems.  Linkage Projects has two rounds per year, for funding commencing in January and July, respectively.  Please see the link on the ARC website for the most recent updates.

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Linkage International Fellowships

The ARC's Linkage International scheme encourages networks and collaborations between researchers, research teams and research centres of excellence in Australia and overseas.  Awards and International Fellowships are offered once a year. Current closing dates can be found at ARC website

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I want to compile an application to Linkage Projects with a CSIRO collaborator.  Can a CSIRO employee be a PI on a Linkage Projects application?

It is possible for CSIRO employees to be Partner Investigators on ARC Linkage-Projects applications - what is not possible is for CSIRO to be a Partner Organisation and to therefore contribute actual funding to the research.

A PI is required to demonstrate an "appropriate contribution of time and operating costs" to the project - this can be demonstrated in the E Section (Project Description) and C Section (Budget) respectively.

PI eligibility is explained in detail in the Linkage Projects Funding Rules, which can be accessed at http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/lp/lp_default.htm.

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I haven’t submitted a LIEF proposal before, but I have been approached by colleagues at another institution to submit an application to the upcoming round.  I understand participating University’s in LIEF grants are expected to contribute significant amounts of money to the proposal – how do I go about making this request?  Is there a formula for calculating contributions?

Macquarie University research teams intending to apply for LIEF funding must first submit an Expression of Intent to apply to the Research Office.  LIEF EOI rounds are held each year in March, with a closing date in April and a subsequent closing date for final applications in May.  Dates are advertised on the Research Office website and are set according to the ARC closing dates which are announced at the beginning of each calendar year.

The University will consider contributions to LIEF proposals of $20,000 and above.  The total amount to be contributed by the University is based on the overall cost of the equipment and the use that Macquarie University researchers will be able to make of it.  Please note that, of the cash contribution to be provided by the University, the Faculty is expected to contribute a minimum of $10,000 or 25% for contributions over $40,000.  Intending applicants must agree the Faculty contribution with Executive Deans of Faculty prior to submission of the EOI.  It is considered that amounts less than $20,000 will be funded directly by the Faculty rather than via LIEF.

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