Australian Competitive Grants Register

Criteria

1. Funds must be provided on a nationally competitive basis during 2009 and clearly be for research only.

2. The funding scheme must be nationally advertised and available to universities throughout Australia.

3. The funding scheme must have a well-defined mechanism for competition and selection by a wellqualified panel.

4. Funds must be provided through direct transfer from the funding agency to the higher education institution.

5. Grants in-kind such as the use of facilities, equipment etc. or subsidised travel or accommodation are not eligible.

6. Funding schemes used exclusively to fund student scholarships are not eligible.

7. Schemes that provide funding wholly or mainly for infrastructure purposes are not eligible.

8. The funding body must agree to provide funding data to the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science & Research and the data must be up to date.

9. For non-Commonwealth research funding schemes, the total annual budget in 2009 must be at least $200,000.

2011 ACGR (for funding received in 2010)

A full listing of schemes included on the 2011 ACGR are available at the abovementioned ACG Government site.

Note: All schemes are notionally listed on the ACGR for 5 years unless otherwise stated. However, schemes that terminate earlier, and no longer disburse funding will be removed as appropriate. Scheme managers must ensure that at all times the respective schemes continue to comply with all ACGR selection criteria. Schemes listed on the 2011 ACGR must reapply for listing on the 2016 ACGR.

Changes from 2010

Following the ACGR review undertaken in 2010 changes have been made to both the criteria and the process for listing of schemes on the ACGR. These changes have been made in consultation, and with the support of the higher education sector.

Scheme managers are now required to provide specific supporting information for selection criteria 1, 2, 3 and 9.

  • A change to selection criteria 9, in particular the budget threshold for all eligible schemes (other than those administered by the ARC, NHMRC and Rural R&D schemes) is now $1 million or more per annum.

Additionally, changes to the administrative process include:

  • Multiple year listing (up to a maximum of 5 years)
  • the listing of lapsed schemes while funding is still being dispersed to universities
  • the draft ACGR to be circulated to HEPs prior to finalisation to allow any omitted schemes to be identified and encouraged to apply
  • that the ACGR lists schemes prospectively (rather than retrospectively).

Due to the introduction of prospective listing on the ACGR, 2011 is a transition year and schemes will be listed both retrospectively and prospectively. However, it is planned that from 2012 the ACGR will only list schemes prospectively (i.e. eligible schemes that will disburse funding in 2012).