1. Linkage Projects and The ARC Monash University 11 April 2016 Dr Fiona Cameron, Executive Director Biological Sciences and Biotechnology Australian Research Council

2. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Outline Programmes – ‘Lying’ on ARC grants – Continuous Linkage – Interdisciplinary Research – Assessments – Requests not to assess – Potential rule changes  Linkage: cashless for Smalls  Research Environment  How many grants to be held  Networks Scheme  Research Translation scheme

3. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au ‘Lying’ on ARC grants The ARC views misrepresentation on research grants as serious misconduct. Also: Proof reading!!!! Certifiers

4. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au NISA 1 Continuous linkage From July 2016

5. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Linkage Projects—return and success rates

6. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au National Competitive Grants Programme Area of box represents $$ funded over the period 2011–2015. N.B. - Centres of Excellence, SRIs, not awarded in every year. - ITRP and DECRA only funding since 2012

7. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au NCGP Funding—Monash University

8. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au NCGP funding—VIC Universities

9. Linkage Projects Linkages 2011–2015 Higher Education Government Industry/business Non-profit/other Source data: Australian Research Council

10. Linkage Projects—Linkages VIC 2011–15 Higher Education Government Industry/business Non-profit/other

11. Linkage Projects—return and success rates (2)

12. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Linkage Projects funding—Monash

13. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Linkage Projects total funded

14. The Annual Cycle

15. The Annual Cycle (2)

16. Continuous Application, assessment and funding process

17. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Issues and challenges Transitional Linkage Projects 16 already underway! (Funding from July 2016) −NO extra funding for continuous round

18. The Annual Cycle (3)

19. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Issues and challenges (2) Transitional −LP16 already underway! (Funding from July 2016) NO extra funding for continuous round Withhold a small amount from current round! Ongoing −Irregular demand cycles −Assessment (Scoring) −Recycling −Fast tracking.

20. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Assessment Scoring Grants will be assessed in the normal way, but ‘ranked’ against previous history of applications Normalisation of scores of all assessors

21. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Recycling What should be the constraints on re-submission? ―If a grant is recycled with no change, should we re-assess? ―If a grant scores very poorly should we prevent resubmission for 6 months (or a year)?

22. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Overall (this is not new!) All grants that are successful should provide exciting new outcomes and be an excellent investment Decisions will align with Scheme Objectives Not all excellent proposals can get funding; most applicants will be disappointed.

23. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Manage expectations Engage early with partners Develop a relationship Understand their expectations and your own Talk about terms upfront (Minimise post-award “issues”).

24. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Insights into grants process 1 Consider where to apply for funding; choose a scheme Pay attention to eligibility and ARC cross scheme limits The scheme objectives and the selection criteria—address every one of them Choosing Field of Research Codes—assisting the ARC choose the right assessors Track Record—career interruption—the ROPE provision The scale of assessment The external assessor—1–2 proposals The ARC panel member—10–50 ARC Panel meeting—150–400 The rejoinder.

25. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Insights into grants process 2 Understand the research field and international context Develop your ideas to solve a research problem Network with leaders in the field. Consider the research environment when applying Apply by yourself or as a team member…. Career interruptions—making a case for ROPE Seek mentors on writing good grant applications Your first grant application −Write for your peers—write so that someone broadly in your field will understand your project −Write for the public—write a plain English statement Don’t over-inflate authorship claims but don’t undersell yourself either.

26. Remember Focus Clear research problem Mature Plan Clear writing/easy to read Innovation Focus Clear research problem Mature Plan Clear writing/easy to read Innovation Assessment & peer review process ARC College of Experts www.arc.gov.au “NCGP” Assessment & peer review process ARC College of Experts www.arc.gov.au “NCGP” Selection criteria Keep up to date with the rules ROPE*/Track record Selection criteria Keep up to date with the rules ROPE*/Track record Convince assessor of your capability Distinguish from previous/similar work FoR codes (ABS) Choose carefully/assessor Not “99” Get good advice Don’t inflate budget—Justify well *research opportunity and performance evidence

27. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Low ranked proposals Use too much technical jargon Make grandiose and implausible claims about outcomes Don't support claims of excellence or progress with evidence Relate to research areas without momentum Are weakly linked into national and international research networks.

28. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Low ranked proposals (2) Emphasise the collection of data rather than the solution of controversies Set a negative or depressive tone about the state of the subject in Australia Contain a high rate of spelling and grammatical errors Are badly structured and difficult to follow.

29. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Responding to an assessment/rejoinder Read the assessments then wait at least a day before starting the rejoinder Approach it constructively The rejoinder is to help College of Experts to seek applicant’s views on criticisms made by peers Don’t rubbish the assessor—you’re wasting valuable space to address important concerns.

30. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au NCGP Lifecycle

31. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au NCGP Lifecycle (2)

32. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Assign external assessors

33. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Gender balance Linkage Projects

34. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Gender of First CI: Linkage Projects 14

35. Instances of international collaboration on approved proposals in Linkage Projects 2014

36. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Outline (2) Programmes – ‘Lying’ on ARC grants – Continuous Linkage – Interdisciplinary Research – Assessments – Requests not to assess – Potential rule changes  Linkage: cashless for Smalls  Research Environment  How many grants to be held  Networks Scheme  Research Translation scheme.

37. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Interdisciplinary Research Bromham, Dinnage and Hua

38. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Interdisciplinary Research (2) Interdisciplinary research (IDR) is becoming increasingly important to the national and international research effort. This is evidenced by recent ARC Discovery round: 70% of applications identified as IDR. A new ARC approach to better understand and address IDR is multifaceted: new IDR question in all applications analyse the success rate of self-identified proposals, relevant patterns in CoE and assessor assessments, relevant patterns in applications themselves whether related to investigator(s), topic, disciplinary fields and/or cross-disciplinary domains evaluate and publish the results of the analysis, along with an ARC Policy statement.

39. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Discovery Projects 17—‘Is your project interdisciplinary?’ by 2-digit FoR code

40. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Discovery Projects 17—‘Is your project interdisciplinary?’ by panel

41. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Discovery Projects 17—‘Is your project interdisciplinary?’ HASS vs STEM

42. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Interdisciplinary Research (3) New ARC approach to better understand and address IDR is multifaceted: identify current CoE members who have expertise and/or understanding of IDR assign pre-identified applications to CoE carriages and/or external assessors who have known expertise and/or understanding of IDR advise existing external assessors to update their RMS profile to indicate their expertise and/or understanding of IDR new question for 2016 CoE nominations on expertise and/or understanding of IDR appoint future CoE members with expertise and/or understanding of IDR as required initiate new funding scheme in 2017, Strategic Research Networks, to support excellence in IDR

43. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Outline (3) Programmes – ‘Lying’ on ARC grants – Continuous Linkage – Interdisciplinary Research – Assessments – Requests not to assess – Potential rule changes  Linkage: cashless for Smalls  Research Environment  How many grants to be held  Networks Scheme  Research Translation scheme

44. Assessment response rates

45. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Outline (4) Programmes – ‘Lying’ on ARC grants – Continuous Linkage – Interdisciplinary Research – Assessments – Requests not to assess – Potential rule changes  Linkage: cashless for Smalls  Research Environment  How many grants to be held  Networks Scheme  Research Translation scheme

46. Requests not to assess Discovery Projects 17

47. Web: arc.gov.au I Email: Communications@arc.gov.au Programmes – ‘Lying’ on ARC grants – Continuous Linkage – Interdisciplinary Research – Assessments – Requests not to assess – Potential rule changes  Linkage: cashless for Smalls  Research Environment  How many grants to be held  Networks Scheme  Research Translation scheme Outline (5)