Australian Research Council (ARC)

The ARC’s purpose is to grow knowledge and innovation for the benefit of the Australian community through funding the highest quality research, assessing the quality, engagement and impact of research and providing advice on research matters.

If you are considering applying for any of the ARC schemes, please contact the grants team in Research Services.

National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP)

The ARC is responsible for administering the National Competitive Grants Program which supports research across all disciplines.

The NCGP comprises two main elements - Discovery and Linkage - under which the ARC funds a range of complementary schemes to support researchers at different stages of their careers, build Australia's research capability, expand and enhance research networks and collaborations, and develop centres of research excellence.

ARC Discovery Program is comprised of the following schemes:

Discovery Projects

The objectives of the Discovery Projects scheme are to:

support excellent basic and applied research by individuals and teams
encourage research and research training in high-quality research environments
enhance international collaboration in research
expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability
enhance the scale and focus of research in the Science and Research Priorities

How to Apply

Step 1: Let the UNE grants team know as soon as possible that you wish to apply for an ARC Discovery Project.
Step 2: Subscribe to the Research Services newsletter. Important announcements and UNE updates regarding the scheme will be sent via this newsletter.
Step 3: Familiarise yourself with the key ARC documentation.
Step 4: Obtain Access to the ARC's Research Management System (RMS) (see below). Start early if any team members are new to RMS and need a login/password.
Step 5: Update your full profile in RMS 'Person Profile' and ensure your outputs list is up to date.
Step 6: Complete the application in RMS (allow a month for internal review and refinement).
Step 8: Submit the application to the Research Office for compliance checking:
- Ensure all online components are complete/valid (shown by green 'validated' colouring of each Part).
- Select 'Submit to Research Office' in RMS to e-submit the application.
- Provide completed ARC/UNE Certification Proformas and, where relevant, Requests Not to Assess.
Step 9: Research Office feedback provided (a compliance check).
Step 10: Final Submission by UNE DVCR to the ARC (2pm on the day before the ARC deadline).

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)

Applications will open from Friday 3 May 2024.

UNE calls for DECRA Expressions of Interest (EOI) each year. This is Stage 1 of the DECRA application process at UNE. If you, or someone you know who is external to UNE, are interested in applying through UNE for a DECRA , an EOI application needs to be submitted.

UNE will only put forward DECRA applications which have been reviewed and approved as part of this initial selection process. Faculty Dean endorsement is the key to the EOI process as the Faculties must be able to commit resources to the DECRA project application.

For more information about the approval process please contact the Grants team (grants@une.edu.au) in Research Services.

Closing dates:

DECRA EOIs due date: 4pm AEST Friday 31st May 2024

DECRA EOI Application form (pdf)

DECRA EOI Application form (word)

ARC Linkage Program

The schemes in the Linkage Program are:

Research Management System (RMS) Information

RMS allows researchers requesting funding under the ARC National Competitive Grants Programme 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
ALL applicants named on any ARC application need an RMS Account.

ARC Rejoinders

ARC Reporting Requirements