LinkageProjects Information Session Presented by Marela Vuckov, Research

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Linkage-Projects Information Session Presented
byMarela Vuckov, Research Innovation Services
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Why apply for Linkage-Project Funding?

• Way of leveraging industry funding
• Encouraging and developing long-term strategic
  alliances between higher education institutions
  and industry
• Foster opportunities for postdoctoral researchers
  to pursue internationally competitive research in
  collaboration with industry
• Provide industry-oriented research training to
  prepare high-calibre postgraduate research
  students.

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What type of Research is supported?

• L-P supports RD projects that are undertaken to
  acquire new knowledge and that involve risk or
  innovation
• Pure basic research experimental/theoretical
  work undertaken to acquire new knowledge without
  looking for long term benefits
• Strategic basic research experimental/theoretica
  l work undertaken to acquire new knowledge
  directed into specified broad areas that are
  expected to lead to useful discoveries.
• Applied research which is original work
  undertaken to acquire new knowledge.

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National Research Priority Areas

• RP1 An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
• RP2 Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
• RP3 Frontier Technologies for Building
• RP4 Safeguarding Australia
• Full descriptions are available on the ARCs
  website at www.arc.gov.au

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Areas of investigation not supported

• Clinical, medical and dental research
• Projects where the IP is seeking expert external
  assistance, not available within their own
  organisation, in order to develop specific
  applications involving little innovation or low
  risk, which the ARC deems to be contracted
  research or consultancies
• Projects which do not significantly enhance links
  with industry
• Production of teaching materials, compilation of
  data or development of research aids

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Who can apply?

• Chief Investigator (CI)
• Partner Investigator (PI)
• Australian Postdoctoral Fellow Industry (APDI)

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Chief Investigator

• Active researcher who takes intellectual
  responsibility for the project.
• Must reside in Australia for the full term of the
  grant
• At least hold 50 of his/her salary from an
  eligible higher education institution.
• Must not have any in/direct financial interest in
  any of the proposed Industry Partner(s) for the
  project.

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Partner Investigator

• Be ineligible as a CI
• Derive 50 of his/her salary from employment in
  the organisation
• Secure an appropriate contribution of time and
  operating costs from his/her organisation

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APDI

• Be an ECR (with no more than 3 years postdoctoral
  equivalent experience) who has been awarded a PhD
  not more than three years before the close of
  application for the relevant round, or has not
  yet submitted his/her PhD but will do so within 6
  months after the close of applications in the
  relevant round (in which case the APDI cannot
  commence until the PhD has been awarded).
• Must also make a full-time commitment to the
  project.

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Eligibility Exemption Request

• Must be submitted at least 6 weeks prior to the
  external closing date
• Eligibility exemption must be granted on any one
  of the following matters
• APDI Career Interruption
• APDI - PhD
• Interests of the CI

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What can I apply for?

• Personnel (salary plus on-costs)
• APDIs, APA(I)s, Research Associates, Research
  Assistants
• Equipment
• Maintenance
• Travel
• Linkage-Industry Fellowships

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Level of funding

• Minimum grant size 20,000 and max 500,000 p/a
  over 5 years.

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Linkage-Industry Fellowships

• provides support for costs involved in a
  temporary transfer from one of the eligible
  higher education institutions listed on an
  application to one of the Industry Partners on
  that application, or vice versa.
• May only be funded for a single period of between
  3 and 12 months during the life of the proposed
  project, for an amount up to a maximum of
  100,000.
• An application may not request more than one
  Linkage Industry

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Industry Partner cash and in-kind contributions

• The industry partners contributions must match
  at least dollar-for-dollar the financial
  assistance provided by the Commonwealth over the
  life of the project
• APA(I) students are to be supported by a 6,000
  cash and 6,000 in-kind contribution by the IP
  for each year they are to receive a stipend

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Letters of Support and sign off by the IP

• F3 INDUSTRY PARTNER CERTIFICATION (hardcopy only)
• The industry partner must sign this form or the
  project will not be eligible for funding.
• F4 INDUSTRY PARTNER LETTER OF SUPPORT (hardcopy
  only)
• Include in your application a letter of support
  of no more than two pages, on the organisation's
  letterhead, from the Industry Partner including
  the following information
• -        a brief profile of the organisation
• -        details of the cash and in-kind support
  that will be provided including the purpose of
  the contributions and amounts.

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Selection Criteria

• Commitment from Industry Partner (25)
• Significance and Innovation (25)
• Track Record (20)
• Approach and Training (20)
• National Benefit (10)
• Special consideration also given to
• applications that are benefit to rural or
  regional community.
• APA(I) Applications in the field of IT

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Number of Grants and Applications

• CIs and APDIs may participate in up to 4
  concurrent LP and
• 4 APA(I) only applications.
• Various components underpinning a project are to
  be framed in a single LP application.
• Applications may not be submitted twice in
  consecutive rounds for essentially the same
  project.

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Hallmarks of Successful Applications

• Balance technical jargon and emphasis with broad
  accessibility to non-experts
• Present project in terms of hypothesis and
  controversies and explain how you will solve them
• Explain how the momentum of the subject demands
  funding now!
• Show how Australian work fits into the
  international picture
• Back up compelling claims with evidence and
  others judgments.
• Carefully temper ambitious and risky goals with
  plausible approaches
• Display evidence of responsible but daring
  approaches to the problem
• Many (but not all) CIs are demonstrably vigorous
  players in international research networks
• Present excellent progress reports on previous
  grants
• Advance compelling arguments in relation to
  national interest (10).

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Characteristics of Lowly Ranked Applications

• Too much technical jargon
• Grandiose and implausible claims about outcomes
• Little evidence to support claims of excellence
  or progress
• Weakly linked to national and international
  networks
• Emphasises collection of data rather than
  solution to controversies
• High rate of spelling or typographical errors.

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Examples of Recent Successful LP applications
from ITEE

• Gerson, De Vos, Barnes, Development of Dry
  Coated Pigment Particles Durability and
  Dispersion. Industry partner - Tiwest Joint
  Venture, 230,000 2006-09.
• Prof RS Smart Dr J Li Dr SD Miller Dr RC
  Schumann , Evaluation of reaction mechanisms and
  products in acid rock drainage treatments .
  Industry Partner AMIRA International Ltd,
  514,775 2006-09

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How do I submit my application?

• Via the Grant Application Management System
  (GAMS)
• Submit applications to RS by the internal closing
  date to be advised.
• All named investigators require a GAMS ID.
  Please contact Marela.Vuckov_at_unisa.edu.au or
  Jennifer.Kasimov_at_unisa.edu.au
• to obtain an ID.
• An original and 3 copies of the application is
  required by the Internal closing date.

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Questions??

• Please contact
• Maria.A.Arena_at_unisa.edu.au, ext 23954
• Or
• Marela.Vuckov_at_unisa.edu.au, ext 25229