Transcript ARC DISCOVERY The Fundamentals, Useful Tips and Insights

ARC DISCOVERY and LINKAGE
Opportunities for Medical Research:
Diversify Research Funding
Winthrop Professor Colin Raston
Centre for Strategic Nano-Fabrication
[email protected]
November 2010
http://www.strategicnano.uwa.edu.au/
ARC DISCOVERY: the Fundamentals - support
• Funding range: $20,000 - $500,000 p.a.
• Duration of Funding: 1- 5 years (usually three
years).
• Research Types supported
• Pure basic research
• Strategic basic research
• Applied research
• Research Types Not Supported
• Clinical medical and dental research!!!!!!!
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ARC DISCOVERY: the Fundamentals
• Dates for the award of a PhD (or having achieved
equivalent status) to be eligible for Discovery Projects
Fellowships and/or Early Career Researcher (ECR)
status:
• Early Career Researcher (ECR) - on or after 1
March 2006.
• Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship (APD) - on or
after 1 March 2008.
• Other fellowships – ARC consultation paper!
- Prof Margaret Sheil, CEO ARC
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- Woolnough Lecture Theatre, 11.00 am Friday Dec
Know the College of Experts members
• Biological Sciences and Biotechnology (BSB)
• Engineering and Environmental Science (EE)
• Mathematics. Information and Communication Sciences
(MIC)
• Physics, Chemistry and Geosciences (PCG)
• Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences (SBE)
Selection Criteria
• Investigator/s track record - 40%
• Relative to opportunities
• Proposed project content – 60%
• Significance and innovation - 30%
Approach and Training (including appropriateness of
budget) - 20%
National Benefit - 10%
Establish Strategies
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Collaboration - Chief Investigators (CIs)
Research Team versus single CI – CI with ARC DP (LP)
Australian Partner Investigators (PIs), eg CSIRO
International collaboration - Partner Investigators (PIs)
Multi-institutional versus single institution
Not an ARC LIEF (LE) application Large equipment requests can be a problem
Research training
Outcomes and outputs - deliverables
Mentoring
How to optimise your rankings?
Long-term strategies
• Connect with the east coast
• Check the rules carefully
• Form long lasting collaborative research teams
• Keep the Track Record in check for all CIs (and PIs)
• ARC or NH&MRC or both!!!!
• …..
Maximum number of DP grants including
fellowships
•2
• ≤ 1 as sole CI
Success rate ~ 20%
ARC LP: Partner Organisation (PO)
• Industry (PO) - broad definition
• ‘Product’ to sell to industry
• Deliverables and publications (outcomes versus outputs)
• Research ‘training’ for the industry
• Funding ‘opportunity’ for industry
• Tax relief
• Community commitment
• Industry access to major infrastructure
• International collaboration – PI and PO
• Protected IP
Models for developing partnerships
• Through scholarships
- Summer vacation
- Honours
• Workshops and ‘Breakfast’ meetings
• Industry site visits
• Marketing - trade displays
• Through Alistar Robertson etc.
• Office of Industry and Innovation
• Technology roadmaps with the company
• ………
Challenges
• Expect delays - testing your commitment?
• Awareness and agreement for partnership
• Setting realistic achievables
• Setting realistic budgets
• Financial commitment - including in-kind$
• More than one ‘industry’
• IP agreements
• Dealing with different personnel in each organisation
• Funding up to five years!
Other issues
• High in innovation (25% weighting)
• APAI’s and/or other personnel including APDI’s
• Short term versus multiple year support (up to five years)
• Large equipment requests can be a problem
• Strong commitment form industry
- 20% cash for the ‘alliance’
- in-kind + cash = ARC support
• ≥ $500k/year possible – separate process
Maximum number of LP grants
•4
• 4 APAI only
Success rate ~ 50%
Proven model – Postdoctoral Research Associate + APAI
• $25k/year from PO
• $100k in kind support
• $125k request from ARC
Current ARC LP
• iCeutica
- drug delivery
- Raston, Iyer, Lim, Bosch (PI)
- PRA + APAI
• Chimere Pearls
- medical applications of pearl nacre
- Raston, Iyer, Bond, Dunlop, Wood
- PRA + 3APAI
NanoDynamics
- process intensification
- Raston, Jachuck (PI)
- APAI
Requested ARC LP
• The Perth Mint
- applications of nano- Au, Ag, Pd, Pt
- Raston, Iyer
- PRA + APAI
ARC consultation paper
-Prof Margaret Sheil, CEO ARC
- Woolnough Lecture Theatre,
11.00 am Friday Dec 3
Final word
You are doing science for a reason in engaging with
industry – convey your passion and excitement about
your research and ideas as clearly as possible.
Seek advice/feedback from all the sources available.
Questions