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Getting an ARC Grant:
Knowing How
Marian Pitts
ARC College of Experts 2006-2009
Chair
Social Behavioural and Economic Sciences Panel
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Acknowledgements
Professor Phyllis Tharenou
• Executive Director, Social Behavioural
and Economics Panel ARC
• Past Chair SBE Panel ARC College of
Experts
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
This talk
• Introduction to ARC
• How do I get a score?
• Assessed components of application
• Strategies for success and last minute
thoughts
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Aims of the ARC
To fund excellent, innovative research that
expands Australia’s knowledge base,
research capability, and international
collaboration, whilst providing national
benefit and impact.
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Major ARC Programs
Discovery projects - excellent fundamental
research by individuals and teams
Discovery Indigenous Researchers
Development - develop research expertise of
indigenous Australians
Australian Laureate Fellowships
Future Fellowships
Linkage schemes
Centres of excellence
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Objectives of Discovery Projects
• support excellent fundamental research by individuals
and teams;
• enhance the scale and focus of research in the National
Research Priorities;
• expand Australia’s knowledge base and research
capability;
• encourage research and research training in high-quality
research environments;
• enhance international collaboration in research; and
• foster the international competitiveness of Australian
research.
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Objectives of Linkage Scheme
• encourage and develop long-term strategic research alliances between
higher education organisations and other organisations, including within
industry and end-users, in order to apply advanced knowledge to problems
and/or to provide opportunities to obtain national economic, social or
cultural benefits;
• support collaborative research on issues of benefit to rural and regional
communities;
• enhance the scale and focus of research in National Research Priorities;
• foster opportunities for postdoctoral researchers to pursue internationally
competitive research in collaboration with organisations outside the higher
education sector, targeting those who have demonstrated a clear
commitment to high-quality research;
• provide outcome-oriented research training to prepare high-calibre
postgraduate research students; and
• produce a national pool of world-class researchers to meet the needs of the
broader Australian innovation system.
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
ARC Discovery Grants (DP)
1 round/ year, closes March
Can apply for project costs alone, or project costs
and PhD costs and Fellowships
Success rate is about 20-25%
Most successful grants are for 3 years; average
funding received 67% of what was requested
Very small no. given full funding or for five years
Quota given for ECRs - 15%
Can have 2 DPs at a time (One sole, one with
others)
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
ARC Linkage Grants (LP)
2 rounds/year, close November, May
Can apply for project costs alone, or PhD costs
alone, or project + PhD or postdoc.
Success rate varies - around 50%.
Most successful grants are 3 years
Tiny number given at high end of funding & for 5
years for very top researchers; (millions $)
About ½ of applications are for APAI PhD
scholarships only: good success rate (if CI has
supervised PhD)
Can hold 4 LPs concurrently
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Linkage: Research with a partner
organisation
Private for profit organisations, e.g. industry
Private non-for- profit organisations e.g.
community
Government agencies
LP are for applied research, track record
less important and project need not be as
ground-breaking as for Discovery
applications
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Take advantage of ARC priorities:
• DPs: IF ECR with journal articles try sole
ECR grant. There is a quota for ECRs
(within 5 yrs of Ph.D.) – 10-15% of funding
• LPs: Apply for PhD scholarship in field of
IT and communications - ARC gives 50
extra APAIs there
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
The ARC College of Experts:
www.arc.gov.au
• Six Panels (10-14 people) Check them out.
• BSB: Biological Sciences and Biotechnology;
• EE: Engineering and Environmental Sciences;
• HCA: Humanities and Creative Arts;
• MIC: Mathematics, Information and
Communication Sciences;
• PCG: Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience;
• SBE: Social, Behavioural and Economic
Sciences
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Numbers of proposals and success rates for Discovery Projects
by panel
Requested funds Indicative funds
Proposals Proposals over project life over project life
Success rate
Panel * considered approved for all proposals for approved
considered proposals
BSB 738 162 22.0% $434,960,512 $65,992,655
EE 525 122 23.2% $280,861,099 $44,675,929
HCA 599 149 24.9% $242,083,990 $45,195,999
MIC 695 150 21.6% $373,694,131 $49,543,418
PCE 670 153 22.8% $423,838,313 $65,360,560
SBE 841 189 22.5% $342,407,672 $54,806,728
Total 4,068 925 22.7% $2,097,845,717 $325,575,289
* BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EE = Engineering and Environmental Sciences; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts;
MIC = Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences; PCE = Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE = Social, Behavioural
and Economic Sciences
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Numbers of proposals and success rates for Linkage Projects
Round One 2010 by discipline panel
Requested funds Approved funds
Proposals Proposals over project life over project life
Success rate
Panel* considered approved (all proposals (approved
considered) proposals)
BSB 103 44 42.7% $49,095,379 $18,561,793
EE 98 44 44.9% $38,857,936 $12,192,807
HCA 44 19 43.2% $11,062,686 $4,233,951
MIC 54 24 44.4% $24,442,370 $9,177,983
PCE 24 13 54.2% $11,198,296 $4,455,562
SBE 147 67 45.6% $43,843,854 $18,205,795
Total 470 211 44.9% $178,500,521 $66,827,891
*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EE = Engineering and Environmental Sciences; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts;
MIC = Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences; PCE = Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE = Social,
Behavioural and Economic Sciences
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Success rates for Linkages 2009
Administering Organisation Proposals considered Proposals approved Success rate
Australian Catholic University 5 2 40.0%
Curtin University of Technology 9 5 55.6%
Deakin University 17 10 58.8%
Griffith University 16 6 37.5%
James Cook University 5 2 40.0%
La Trobe University 5 2 40.0%
Monash University 23 17 73.9%
The Australian National University 18 10 55.6%
The University of Adelaide 21 8 38.1%
The University of Melbourne 46 25 54.3%
The University of New South Wales 51 28 54.9%
The University of Queensland 40 19 47.5%
The University of Sydney 28 15 53.6%
The University of Western Australia 18 8 44.4%
Total 470 211 44.9%
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Fields of Research for Partner Orgs.
Field of Research category Number of proposals approved † Total funding from all
sources*
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences 6 $10,319,681
Biological Sciences 15 $22,037,306
Built Environment and Design 5 $3,054,341
Chemical Sciences 9 $11,385,762
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services 8 $5,918,951
Earth Sciences 4 $6,645,627
Economics 3 $2,026,386
Education 9 $9,365,692
Engineering 45 $52,405,041
Environmental Sciences 18 $24,024,006
History and Archaeology 2 $2,070,663
Information and Computing Sciences 12 $12,718,331
Language, Communication and Culture 4 $3,441,062
Law and Legal Studies 1 $889,970
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
FORs for Partner Orgs
Field of Research category Number of proposals Total funding from all
approved † sources*
Mathematical Sciences 3 $2,603,981
Medical and Health Sciences 26 $27,920,218
Philosophy and Religious Studies 1 $852,871
Physical Sciences 4 $5,840,273
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences 8 $7,022,552
Studies in Creative Arts and Writing 3 $4,613,951
Studies in Human Society 19 $16,819,678
Technology 6 $10,437,505
Total 211 $242,413,848
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
This talk
• Introduction to ARC
• What happens to my application ?
• Assessed components of application
• Strategies for success
• Last minute thoughts
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
What happens to my DP grant application ?
• ARC receives and checks for eligibility /
infringement of rules
• Conflicts of interest established
• 2 COE members are allocated (EAC1 and
EAC2)
• INT readers and OZ readers allocated
• INT and OZ readers report and scores received
• Opportunity for rejoinder
• Panel meets
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
What happens to my LP grant application ?
• ARC receives and checks for eligibility /
infringement of rules
• Conflicts of interest established
• 2 COE members area allocated (EAC1 and
EAC2)
• INT readers allocated
• Panel meets
(ie.. no report, sometimes no rejoinder, no
feedback (usually))
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Which panel should your grant to go to?
• You need to write to non-experts in simple
English explaining everything, remember
we read 100s of DPs and many LPs
– Help EACs out by the way you write the grant
• You need to select FOR codes and
keywords and write the two 100 word
summaries
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Getting the right people reading your grant
Work out where the keywords will send you
Who are you wanting to go to? Wanting to
avoid?
You want the two EACs/College of Expert
members who will give you the best score
Is there a discipline you want to avoid?
Conflicts of interest can change things
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
This talk
• Introduction to ARC
• What happens to my application ?
• Assessed components of application
• Strategies for success
• Last minute thoughts
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
How you get a score
• Called a WAPA Weighted Average
• Your score is calculated by an automatic
formula based on the weights for the
scoring criteria
– 4 scores in DP .4, .3, .2, .1 weights
– 5 scores in LP .25, .25, .2, .2, .1 weights
• Not all criteria are weighted equally
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Influences on Your Score
• Two College of Expert Members (EACs) assigned to your
grant contribute the greatest part of your score because
their scores are multiplied by 25
– EAC1 in charge of your grant has greatest influence
– Likely not expert in your field
• 2 Oz readers (Oz based expert assessor) scores
contribute next to your score
• Weighted by number each assesses (eg 3 to 15)
but influence never exceeds or meets EACs’
influence on score
• I International Assessor: (Expert of international standing)
has little effect on your score
• Often does only one grant, so very little weight
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Benefit of Oz readers and Int Assessors
– EACs rely on Int. reader, especially, to say if
the application is sound / timely
– Rejoinder written to their comments may be of
relevance to changing your score if you are at
the margin
– If changed, score may get above the cut-off
score
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Assessed Components of DP
• Investigator’(s) track record relative to
opportunities and capacity to undertake
the research (40%)
• Significance and innovation in the
proposed research (30%)
• Approach and methodology (20%)
• National benefit (10%)
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Assessed Components of Linkage
• Investigator’(s) track record (20%)
• Significance and innovation (25%)
• Approach and training (20%)
• National benefit (10%)
• Commitment of partner organisation
(25%).
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Linkage percentages
1. Researcher
• Track Record 20%
2. Project
• Significance & Innovation 25%
• Approach 20%
• National Benefit 10%
3. Industry Partner
• Commitment 25%
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Track record: 40% for DP and 20% for LP
The TEAM:
Overall record of CI or Team is judged
Established researchers, ECRs, international CIs,
Partners - worked together before?
Expertise/Capacity to undertake this project:
Can CI/Team deliver?
INDIVIDUALS:
Your contribution to field - B10.1,
Publications in last 5 years - B10.2,
Best 10 ever - B10.3,
Esteem/Impact - B10.4,
Relative to opportunity - B10.5 e.g. ECR
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Selecting the Team
Select appropriately constituted team to
arrive at overall strong team track record and
the skills to carry out project:
Experienced & junior researchers (ECRs,
APDs) - scale and focus, should have PhDs
or submitted
Leave out CIs with weak track records
Are all CIs needed? Are there too many? Is
it a huge non-convincing team?
Are the roles real or is the team fake?
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Track record: what harms it?
• Missing information: volume and page numbers
• Authors names not given in order
• Best ten not different from total pubs in last five years
• Few journal articles (n.b. discipline diffs)
• Many journals or books of low quality
• Publications not numbered
• B10 is not a bio: leave out introducing yourself, your
teaching, consulting, practitioner invitations and
contract research, unless really relevant, even for LP
grants.
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Background and Aims
• Not scored
• Keep it brief (around one page / three
paragraphs)
• Make it clear and impactful (writing to 2
non-expert EACs reading 100s)
• Aims can usefully be bullet points
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Significance & Innovation
probably the most important part of the application
(30% DP 25% LP)
• Selection criteria
– Does the research address an important problem?
– How will the anticipated outcomes advance the
knowledge base of the discipline?
– Are the project aims and concepts novel and
innovative?
– Will new methodologies or technologies be
developed?
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Introducing the Research Problem
Start by arguing for why this is a
problem and why it is important to be
examined now backed up by evidence
Give citations for all factual statements in the
first paragraph, often text is uncited /
undercited
“thus there is an urgent and critical need to
…….”
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Significance and Innovation
In the grant (S&I E3), write a critical review of
the best literature to develop specific research
questions, propositions or hypotheses
Have very clear aims for the project which are
consistent throughout the project in A5.1 (project
content summary), E2 (aims & background), E3
(significance & innovation), and E4 (Approach)
Start writing the grant early and get feedback on
complete drafts
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Significance and Innovation
• Don’t re-state practical importance; this should
have already happened in
– A5.2 100 word national benefit summary
– E2 Aims and background,
– E6 National Benefit
• E3 is rather a critical literature review, arguing
from theory and prior empirical research for
research questions, propositions or hypotheses
needed to be answered to advance knowledge
in this area
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Significance and Innovation
• E3 is 4 pages or more in DP, 3 pages in LP because of
its weight in your score
• Show how project will advance understanding in the field
By selecting a “big” research problem and writing a critical
literature review of recent top literature to argue for Research
Questions, Propositions, or Hypotheses whose testing will
advance knowledge on this big issue.
Base it on theory or conceptual framework.
You may need a figure / conceptual model to give structure to
what will come up or as the model / theory to be tested
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Significance and Innovation
Show how your project will advance understanding in its field
Show project is innovative and new
By providing arguments and evidence to show how doing this
research will result in learning something new (not more of the
same) on an idea of conceptual significance
Show how fits into current international developments in the area
Have a page of top quality international references you cite
Don’t cite websites, urls, working papers, cd roms, textbooks, old
references, conference presentations
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Approach and Training (20%)
• Are the conceptual framework (in E3)
design, methods and analyses
adequately developed (in E4), and
well integrated and appropriate to the
aims of the project (in E2, E3)?
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
E4 Approach and Training 20%
Needs to be detailed and specific
– What exactly is to be done and how?
– How does the method relate to project
research questions or hypotheses?
– What data (information) are to be used and
how specifically will they be obtained?
– What method(s) will be used to analyse the
data?
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
E4 Approach 20%
• Start with an overview of the research program
(e.g. studies) and show how each study links
to Research questions / Propositions /
Hypotheses developed in E3 Significance and
Innovation.
• Justify the overall research design
• Structure E4 into sections e.g. Study 1, 2, 3
• Present each study with titles like the title of a
paper
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
E4: Approach (20%)
Show how the data will be collected
Show research site/sample
Give sample info. e.g. who, size, response rate
Give the variables or constructs
Provide the measures
• Interview content/questions and coding
• Surveys - variables, their measures, sources
Explain how data will be analysed
make critical features clear (what is DV in a regression, what is
model to be tested in a structural equation analysis)
Identify and deal with specific limitations &
problems
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
E4: Approach (20%)
Show how the data will be collected
Show research site/sample
Give sample info. e.g. who, size, response rate
Give the variables or constructs
Provide the measures
• Interview content/questions and coding
• Surveys - variables, their measures, sources
Explain how data will be analysed
make critical features clear (what is DV in a regression, what is
model to be tested in a structural equation analysis)
Identify and deal with specific limitations &
problems
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
E4: Approach (20%)
Show how the data will be collected
Show research site/sample
Give sample info. e.g. who, size, response rate
Give the variables or constructs
Provide the measures
• Interview content/questions and coding
• Surveys - variables, their measures, sources
Explain how data will be analysed
make critical features clear (what is DV in a regression, what is
model to be tested in a structural equation analysis)
Identify and deal with specific limitations &
problems
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
An APAI in Linkage
• Is there a project suitable for research training?
• May not have scope for high quality research training
– Project may be too limited/circumscribed
– Intellectual scale and content not appropriate for a PhD
– Team cannot provide a good research environment
– Not supervised PhDs to completion before; are ECRs only
• Need well thought out integration of training/PhD into the
project methodology
• Do CIs have experience to supervise ?
• APAI only applications in LP are evaluated only by 2
EACs
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Ways to show National Benefit
Be specific about how results will translate into
economic and/or social benefits for Australia or
help deal with national problems
Use dot points
Say what results might be / forecast
What would the benefit / Return on investment be? eg
give productivity, outputs, change in social fabric
Who will be affected by the findings ?
Who will use these results, for what purpose ?
How can the results be translated into benefits / How
can the results can be used ?
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
National Benefit 10% (E5)
Chance of success increased if you–
Spend time on E5 - 10% can get you
over the line
Are not too general or broad or
exaggerate in E5, A5.2
Don’t just repeat project’s importance
from E2, E3, A5.2
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
E5 Partner Commitment & Collaboration
(25% LP only)
• Give strong rationale for linkage partnership (in
E5)
– Point to partner relevance, project’s fit with
strategic plan and goals
– Use of partner facilities, equipment, services
(in-kind)
• Have good strategies in place to maintain
partnership
– Regular meetings in both places, present
work in industry-related forums and
newsletters etc.
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Partner Commitment (25%)
• Show clear, strong Partner contributions and
project role (E5, E8, C1, C3, Letters) e.g. cash,
time, resources
– High % cash contribution by Partner
– Partner meeting some costs for carrying out
research
– Industry personnel part of project team PIs
(in-kind) Partners and their staff doing part of
project (in-kind)
– Partners involved in project management
strategies e.g. steering group, planning of
project, pilot work (in-kind)
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Partner Commitment (25%)
• Show clear, strong Partner contributions and
project role (E5, E8, C1, C3, Letters) e.g. cash,
time, resources
– High % cash contribution by Partner
– Partner meeting some costs for carrying out
research
– Industry personnel part of project team PIs
(in-kind) Partners and their staff doing part of
project (in-kind)
– Partners involved in project management
strategies e.g. steering group, planning of
project, pilot work (in-kind)
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
This talk
• Introduction to ARC
• What happens to my application ?
• Assessed components of application
• Strategies for success and last minute
thoughts
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Where to from here?
• Develop a Plan
• Need idea to be good/of value
• First get feedback on idea – what is the
research problem? Is it a good idea?
• Review literature in the area, develop the
Method – use a support grant to help
• Join with others with very good track
records, need to be a genuine team,
strategically select other CIs
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Where to from here?
Read ARC guidelines carefully.
Understand selection criteria and eligibility
criteria.
Don’t make others responsible for finding
eligibility problems or for writing the grant.
Examine models of recent successful
grants to see what they look like
Go to workshops on how to write ARC
grants.
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Where to from here?
Start writing early and re-write application several
times. Take notice of the feedback.
Write your own grant (not an RA or PhD student
writing it). Work out how CIs will write it
together.
Give whole grant for feedback always including 1st
pages up to project.
At least give your expert reader the first half of the
grant (A to B: summaries, track record etc) to
read early if running behind time.
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
Know your application
• Know which sections are scored and how much
• First impressions count
• Don’t duplicate parts / sentences
• The application is what gets you the grant
• Eat and sleep with it – then forget it and move
on
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
What gets funded ?
• A good / significant research problem
• A great application
• Good luck!
www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs
