Australian Research Council Act 2001 - Arc Centres of Excellence - Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2003 (Cth)
ARC CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE
Funding Rules
for funding commencing in
2003
The Commonwealth Government’s Innovation Action Plan
Through highly innovative research that addresses challenging and significant problems within the priority areas, Centres will build national research capability and produce outcomes of economic, social and cultural benefit to Australia.
The objectives of the ARC Centres of Excellence program are to:
a) undertake highly innovative research at the forefront of developments within the designated Priority Areas, with a scale and a focus leading to outstanding international and national recognition;
b) promote research that will enhance Australia's future economic, social and cultural wellbeing;
c) link existing Australian research strengths and build new capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems;
d) build Australia’s human capacity in the Priority Areas by attracting, from within Australia and abroad, researchers of high international standing as well as the most promising research students;
e) provide high quality postgraduate and postdoctoral training environments for the next generation of researchers in the Priority Areas;
f) offer Australian researchers access to world class infrastructure and equipment, and to key research technologies;
g) develop relationships and build new networks with major international centres and research program that help achieve global competitiveness and recognition for Australian research;
h) establish Centres of such repute in the wider community that they will serve as points of interaction among higher education institutions, Governments, industry and the private sector generally; and
i) raise awareness of the designated Priority Areas in Australia, particularly their importance in innovation and international competitiveness.
3.1. Focus on Research and Research Training
Centres’ research portfolios will build on Australia’s existing strengths and develop additional capacity to generate new knowledge. Centres will focus research within one or more of the designated priority areas, and will address challenging and significant problems whose resolution will lead to international acclaim and offer benefits to potential end-users. They will use strategic networking and linkages to build the critical mass required to make a real difference in the focal areas of the research program. The ARC encourages Centres to develop and fund appropriate collaborative projects with the Social Sciences and Humanities, since these disciplines have much to offer in assisting Centres to capture the economic, social and cultural benefits of research in the priority areas.
The education and outreach programs of Centres will build understanding of, and expertise in, the priority areas at regional and national level.
3.2. Developing and Applying Research Outcomes
The ARC aims to help ensure that the value of such potential applications is captured for the national benefit. Accordingly, Centres will foster amongst their staff an awareness of sound innovation and commercialisation practice, and encourage entrepreneurial activity in appropriate circumstances. The international connections of Centres will assist the inflow of information regarding important advances in research and commercialisation of interest to Australia.
To maximise the national benefit from its research, Centres must comply with the
3.3. Areas of Investigation Not Supported
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has responsibility for funding research in those areas.
The ARC does not fund investigations that are more appropriately undertaken by way of consultancy, although researchers associated with Centres may undertake consultancies. While encouraging the commercialisation of the outcomes of research it funds, the ARC does not fund directly the development of products or other commercialisation activities.
3.4. Financial Assistance
Approximately eight Centres will be established, with ARC funding of the order of $2 million each per year.
The ARC’s financial assistance to a Centre is subject to the appropriation of moneys and the approval of expenditures under the
Subject to exceptional performance by a Centre and to the availability of funding, the ARC may consider making a recommendation for financial assistance for an additional period of up to five years beyond 2007.
Centres will have a prominent identity and physical presence at all nodes, as well as high visibility on the World Wide Web, and will be required to acknowledge the ARC’s support in appropriate ways.
Direct costs include expenditure of salaries (and on-costs) of people who perform research or activities that support the research, stipends for research students, items of equipment used in the research and the costs of travel, visitors and meetings related to the research. Organisations involved in the establishment and ongoing support of a Centre will have a strategic intent to establish scale and focus in the selected priority area. Consequently, they are expected to meet all indirect costs, and to provide additional cash or in-kind resources. Indirect costs will include payments for appropriate office accommodation, libraries, laboratories, and equipment and the time of administrative, professional and research staff whose salaries are paid by the collaborating organisations. ARC financial assistance may not be used to pay full or partial salaries or salary loadings for the Director or for researchers who have continuing positions with the collaborating organisations.
Australian and international industry partners and business investors may provide in-kind resources to a Centre, and will be expected also to make cash contributions. A Centre may undertake individual research projects with organisations that are not founding partners in the Centre provided that arrangements are made to protect the rights of all parties concerned.
3.5. Appointment and Responsibilities of the Director
The Director and the principal researchers in the Centre will be placed in a unique position to develop and carry through an excellent program of research, attracting outstanding researchers from within Australia and from overseas.
The Director will coordinate the research effort and reporting structures across all organisations and nodes involved in the Centre. The Director will also be responsible, in consultation with the Advisory Board, for managing the Centre’s intellectual property in accordance with the policies of the collaborating institutions. The Director will work exclusively on the activities of the Centre and may not hold an ARC Fellowship or Federation Fellowship.
For some Centres, the Director’s role may be primarily one of research management and co-ordination, and the Director’s track record will be judged accordingly. In most cases, the Interim Director will become the Centre Director if the application is successful. Should the Interim Director not become the Director, or should the Director’s position fall vacant, the ARC must be consulted before the appointment of the new Director. A Centre Director may be appointed only with the approval of the ARC.
3.6. Governance
Normally, a Centre’s administrative operations will be established within the academic, administrative and financial governance structures of the administering institution, although the ARC may approve the establishment of a separate legal entity if this is appropriate. A Centre may be located at a single site, or comprise networked nodes, or operate as a “virtual Centre”, or adopt any other approach to research management, provided that it meets the objectives and selection criteria.
The ARC requires that understandings reached between partners for the operation of a Centre be formalised by written agreement, and may request copies or other evidence of such agreements.
Within the governance structures of the administering institution, the Board will offer advice to the Director and the collaborating organisations regarding the scientific focus of the Centre, its structure and general operating principles, and intellectual property and commercialisation management.
3.7. ARC Centre Fellowships and Awards
The ARC will acknowledge the most outstanding of these postdoctoral researchers through the award of prestigious
Centres will have flexibility in the salaries offered to ARC Centre Fellows, based on the minimum levels of the ARC notional salary rates for Fellowships (Appendix 1 of the
Holders of ARC Postdoctoral Fellowships, ARC Research or QE II Fellowships, or ARC Professorial Fellowships are not eligible to hold ARC Centre Fellowships, but are eligible to be associated as researchers with the Centres.
In recognition of the importance of building Australia’s human capacity through postgraduate training in the priority areas, Centres will be able to offer
3.8. Associated Federation Fellowships
Applicants for Federation Fellowships in the Priority Areas will be invited to describe in their Fellowship application any proposed association with applications for ARC Centres of Excellence. A similar description
Federation Fellowship matching funding may
4.1. General
There are two distinct and mutually exclusive roles for applicants, determined primarily by the source of salary:
• Chief Investigators are people employed by an institution listed in Appendix 2, including ARC Fellows employed at those institutions. People who are not otherwise employed but who hold an honorary adjunct appointment at an institution listed in Appendix 2 may be a Chief Investigator; and
• Partner Investigators are people who are not eligible to be Chief Investigators in this program.
Applicants may be Chief Investigators or Partner Investigators on any number of applications for ARC Centres of Excellence.
The Centre Director must be a Chief Investigator, and is expected to work exclusively on the activities of the Centre. If a Director is unable to meet this undertaking, the application will not be considered.
Researchers employed by research organisations outside Australia are eligible to participate as Partner Investigators in ARC Centres of Excellence, but are excluded from receiving ARC funds. It is expected that researchers from overseas organisations will bring significant contributions to the work of the Centre.
The organisations employing the Chief and Partner Investigators are collectively designated as the Collaborating Organisations in the Centre.
Applications that can be more appropriately supported by other funding sources will not be considered.
4.2. Holders of Current ARC Grants
They are required to reveal all associations with current ARC and other Commonwealth grants and grant applications.
Accordingly, Chief Investigators named on successful applications may either retain their current ARC grants, or will be required to relinquish them, according to the following rules:
These may be retained.
Chief Investigators may not continue to hold such grants. Normally, grant holders will nominate to relinquish the grant, and the ARC will take into account the indicative funding for these grants when determining the level of funding offered to the Centre. In some cases, the ARC may permit at its discretion the current grant to be transferred to other co-Investigators who are not associated with the new Centre.
Chief Investigators may retain such grants. The potential impact on the Chief Investigators’ time commitments to the Centre will be taken into account.
Researchers who are notChief Investigators and who are, or who become, associated with the Centre may retain any current ARC grant. The ARC expects that the Progress and Final Reports submitted by researchers in this category will refer to the relationship between their grant project and the Centre’s research program, and may take steps to terminate the grant if there is evidence of poor coordination and undesirable duplication.
4.3. Cross-Program and Cross-Scheme Eligibility
The ARC reserves the right to change these criteria in future funding rounds. The ARC does not intend to count an ARC Centre of Excellence grant within the “two-grant rule” in the Discovery-Projects program, or the “four-grant rule” in Linkage-Projects program. The ARC does intend to apply to researchers associated with ARC Centres of Excellence the “core research” eligibility test in future Discovery-Projects and Linkage-Projects programs.
The ARC will place no restriction on researchers associated with the Centre who wish to apply for research funding from sources other than those provided by the ARC.
The application process for ARC Centres of Excellence comprises two stages: (1) lodgement of an Expression of Intention to Apply (EOI); and (2) lodgement of a Full Application.
5.1. Expression of Intention to Apply (EOI)
To facilitate discussion and negotiation, the ARC requires potential applicants to provide an expression of their intention to submit a Full Application. Expressions of Intention to Apply will be prepared using the
The ARC reserves the right to foster, and to participate in, such discussions.
Institutions wishing to have their potential participation remain confidential for commercial or similar reasons should not be entered into Part A of the EOI.
Potential applicants may be advised if there is a perceived mismatch. However, final determinations regarding possible misalignment between an application and the priority areas will be made by the Expert Advisory Committee on the basis of Full Applications as part of the selection process. Part B includes indicative funding that may be requested from the ARC if a full application is submitted. Part B will not be published.
The ARC will form a panel of assessors from the nominations and other advice. The information requested will allow the ARC to create or update the nominees’ entries in the Grant Application Management System (GAMS). Potential applicants should confirm that each nominee is willing to:
a) be nominated for the assessment panel;
b) permit the ARC to create a GAMS entry of their professional profile;
c) assess up to 4 ARC Centre of Excellence proposals in appropriate fields of research using the ARC’s on-line assessment system; and
d) provide assessments in the period 30 September to 13 October 2002.
Part D (signed by the Pro Vice-Chancellor Research) certifies:
a) the accuracy of the information contained in the EOI;
b) that persons named in the EOI (including potential applicants and assessors) have been advised how the ARC may use their personal information; and
c) that they understand that the provision of false or misleading information is a serious offence.
The paper copy must be received by the ARC and the electronic copy submitted by email to [email protected] by COB
The ARC may determine that the omission is a sufficient reason for not considering the application.
5.2. Full Applications
The Full Application is the prime source of information available to the selection committee. Applicants will aim to communicate their vision and action plan for the Centre in a convincing way, submitting mature research plans ready for implementation.
All details in the application, particularly concerning any successful grants, must be current.
For successful applications, the ARC may publish details contained in the full application, including applicants’ names and institutions, application title, summary of proposal and research classifications.
Applications will be ruled ineligible if the ARC determines that any failure to comply with these requirements may confer an unfair advantage.
An application for an ARC Centre of Excellence is organised into six Parts:
Part A Administrative summary
Part B Personnel
Part C Budget
Part D Research Support
Part E Collaborating Organisation Details
Part F Description of the Centre and Participants’ Roles
An application comprises two components:
1. Application form Parts A, B, C, D and E are completed in the Grant Application Management System (GAMS) and provided to the ARC in both electronic and paper versions.
2. Additional text Part F is completed outside GAMS and provided to the ARC as a paper copy behind the associated Application Form. This part includes a case for a centre addressing the selection criteria (14 pages), a justification of the budget (3 pages) and track record statements for participants (1 or 2 pages).
As applications are scanned electronically, applicants must use the following legible font types: Arial, Courier, Palatino, Times New Roman and Helvetica. Variants such as mathematical typesetting languages may also be used. References may be reproduced in 10-point font size. Colour graphs or colour photographs may be included but they will be reproduced in black and white. Applications must not exceed the stipulated page length in any part.
A separate document,
Research Offices have access to GAMS and will allocate GAMS UserIDs and passwords to enable applicants
The application must be clipped with NAL clips, not stapled. The application form should be printed from GAMS and submitted with the additional text attached. All pages must be numbered consecutively (see
Paper applications for ARC Centres of Excellencemust be received by the ARC, and the application form completed using GAMS must be submitted by close of business (AEST) on
University Research Offices should submit the electronic application form in GAMS using the web, and also despatch the full paper application:
By
Executive Director Executive Director
ARC Centres of Excellence ARC Centres of Excellence
Australian Research Council Australian Research Council
GPO Box 2702 Geosciences Australia Building (formerly AGSO)
CANBERRA ACT 2601 Cr Hindmarsh Drive and Jerrabomberra Avenue
ACT 2609
6.1. Selection Criteria
The Case for the Centre (Part F1) should be structured to address the assessment areas in the order listed (14 pages). The items listed within each assessment area are provided to guide applicants’ focus on the specific assessment area, and do not need to be addressed individually.
Applicants are therefore encouraged to write the Case for a Centre (Part F1) in the form of a strategic plan, including their targets for performance in each assessment area.
i) The creative and innovative nature of the proposed research program, and its capacity to lead to a significant advancement of knowledge in the designated Priority Areas;
ii) The degree to which the application enhances the concentration and coordination of research in the particular field(s) of research; and
iii) The adequacy of the conceptual framework, design, methods and analyses and their integration into the aims of the research programs.
i) The applicants’ track record, relative to opportunity, in the designated Priority Areas, as an indicator of their potential to contribute to the Centre’s research program;
ii) The Director’s capacity for leadership, vision, management and strategic planning; and
iii) The commitment of Chief and Partner Investigators to the research program.
i) The potential contribution of the Centre to research training at the Honours, Postgraduate and Postdoctoral level; and
ii) The potential value of the education and outreach programs in professional and technical training.
i) The extent to which the Centre would expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability in the designated Priority Areas;
ii) The number and spread of applications within and across the designated Priority Areas;
iii) The capacity for the research program to enhance innovation in Australia; and
iv) The potential of the research project to result in economic, environmental or social benefits for Australia from the expected results and outcomes of the project.
E.
International, national and regional links and networks i) The potential standing of the proposed Centre relative to major international centres in the general field(s) of research;
ii) The potential for enhancement of effective international interactions and linkages;
iii) The planned links with Australian researchers (in universities and other research organisations) working in the proposed fields of research;
iv) The commitment and mechanisms proposed to provide a national and regional intellectual focus for the planned field(s) of research; and
v) The potential contribution of proposed links with scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences to the Centre’s activities.
i) The participation of end-users in research planning and Centre governance;
ii) Where applicable, the adequacy of plans and strategies for facilitation of technology transfer including fostering a culture of innovation; and
iii) The adequacy of organisational arrangements and plans relating to ownership of intellectual property and/or utilisation or commercialisation of research.
i) The commitment of the Collaborating Organisations to provide basic infrastructure, including provision of space, equipment, administrative and professional staff support, ITC facilities, library and other key resources, over the funding period;
ii) The fit or complementarity of the proposed Centre with the Collaborating Organisations’ overall research strengths and directions; and
iii) The provision of funding to support the Director and key investigators to execute their research leadership roles.
i) The adequacy of the proposed management arrangements and responsibilities, including the organisational structure of the proposed Centre, its reporting arrangements both internally and externally, its financial systems, and its business and strategic plans which should include milestones for achievement of objectives; and
ii) The relevance of the performance measures listed in the application to the Centre’s objectives and their pertinence for assessing the Centre's performance.
6.2. Proposed Budget
An explanation of the budget will be submitted as Additional Text in Part F2 (3 pages). The explanation may include a list of people who will be associated with the Centre, and whose salaries are offered as in-kind contributions, or as part of the indirect costs, or will be funded from the Centre’s cash income. The budget will include the following elements:
(a) Requested ARC funding
(b) Cash contributions from each collaborating organisation
(a) Personnel
(b) Teaching relief
(c) Equipment
(d) Maintenance
(e) Travel
(f) Other
(a) Personnel
(b) Other
The cost of large-scale capital items such as buildings will not be supported. A Centre may purchase a major item of equipment or a facility costing more than $133,000 using the ARC Centre funding assistance, provided that no more than 75% of the cash payment for any such item is paid from the Centre’s ARC funding assistance (i.e. consistently with principles of the Funding Rules for the ARC’s 2002 Linkage Infrastructure Facilities and Equipment program). Centres will be required to seek prior approval from the ARC to purchase such equipment.
6.3. Track Records
Track records of key Centre staff, including the Interim Director, Chief Investigators and Partner Investigators,
Each track record should commence with the following information, in order:
▪ Name (Last name, First name, Title);
▪ Qualifications (Degree and year of award for each award);
▪ Current appointment (Organisation & year of appointment; Level and year of appointment to level);
▪ Relevant employment history; and
▪ Publication list (up to 6 most significant from past 5 years; up to 4 additional career-best; the number of books, peer-reviewed research publications, and un-reviewed research publications over the past 5 years).
Applicants (Interim Director, Chief Investigators, Partner Investigators) should provide a description of their expertise and proposed roles and contributions to the Centre, with a page limit of up to 2 pages maximum per person, including the information listed above.
Researchers and other people who intend to be associated with the Centre may provide a brief description of their expertise and proposed roles and contributions to the Centre, with a page limit of up to 1 page maximum per person, including the information listed above.
6.4. Expert Advisory Committee
The Expert Advisory Committee may:
▪ determine the eligibility of an application including its relationship to the Priority Areas;
▪ assign assessors to review the applications;
▪ prepare a short-list of applications, invite short-listed applicants to attend structured interviews, and use information revealed in these interviews in their evaluation;
▪ rank each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, assessors’ advice, and their expertise;
▪ assess and recommend applications for funding; and
▪ prepare funding recommendations that are submitted to the ARC Board for endorsement and then to the Minister for approval.
The ARC has procedures for declaring conflicts of interest and for Committee members to withdraw from considering particular applications.
6.5. Short-listing and Interviews
Interviews may be held in Canberra, or in one of the Collaborating Organisations, or at a place nominated by the ARC. The ARC will endeavour to provide as much notice as possible of an invitation to attend an interview, but may schedule interviews with as little as three working days notice. The ARC will not fund participation in interviews.
6.6. Exclusion
Applications may be excluded for contravening the Funding Rules in any way, for instance by:
▪ failing to submit the application through the appropriate Research Office for certification;
▪ not meeting the eligibility criteria;
▪ failing to submit an Expression of Intention to Apply and failing to justify such omission to the satisfaction of the ARC;
▪ providing incomplete or misleading information; or
▪ designating the application as Commercial-in-Confidence.
6.7. Appeals Process
Appeals must be made on the appeals form available from the ARC website ( ).
The form must be lodged through the institution’s Research Office and be received,
The Appeals Officer
Australian Research Council
GPO Box 2702
CANBERRA ACT 2601
7.1. Offer of Grant
The successful administering institution will be notified in a letter of offer that will indicate the funding to be provided and will include any special conditions.
A Centre may not begin to operate, nor may grant funds be expended, until:
a) the ARC Funding Contract is executed; and
The agreement must cover the role of each organisation in the project including:
▪ contributions by the organisations;
▪ payment of salaries for ARC Fellows;
▪ intellectual property arrangements; and
▪ an undertaking by all organisations to abide by the Funding Contract.
The administering institution must retain the agreement for the lifetime of the Centre, and forward a copy to the ARC on request.
7.2. Commencement of Projects
Failure to do so may result in termination of funding.
7.3. Naming the Centre
The ARC will determine the name for each Centre on the advice of the successful applicants.
7.4. Funding Contract
before grant payments can be made. The Funding Contract will include agreed performance indicators. Administering organisations should note that the Funding Contract and ARC post-award management procedures cover the following matters.
7.4.1. Reporting requirements
The administering institution will be required to submit these documents to the ARC:
▪
Exceptions Report on grants that have financial exceptions, by 1 November in the calendar year for which they were granted;▪
End-of-year Report on the expenditure of grant funds, by 31 March in the year following the calendar year for which they were granted;▪
Annual Report on the project, by 30 June in the year following the calendar year for which funds were granted, including a report of performance against the agreed Centre performance indicators;▪
Audited Financial Statement, by 30 June of the year following the year of the grant, in accordance with the Act specified by the ARC; and▪
Final Report on the project, within six months of the completion of the grant.
The administering institution may propose changes to the agreed performance indicators by writing to the ARC, which has absolute discretion to accept or reject the proposal.
The ARC reserves the right to suspend payment of further instalments of any current grant until the appropriate reports have been received and assessed as satisfactory.
7.4.2. Failure to provide reports
In this case, the ARC may withhold the remainder of the institution’s payments under the Program for the current year or initiate recovery of grant money.
7.4.3. Varying the Funding Approval
Requests to vary the funding approval must comply with the requirements specified in the Funding Contract and be forwarded in writing by the administering institution’s Research Office, to the ARC.
7.5. Reviews
Satisfactory progress in these areas is a condition for the Centre to receive ARC funding in its fourth and fifth years.
Persons undertaking reviews for the ARC are to be given full access to all accounts, records, documents and premises relevant to the research being funded by the ARC.
Applicants should be aware of provisions of Part 8 of the
7.6. Financial Management — Payments
ARC Centres of Excellencefunding is paid in calendar years. Subject to Government appropriations, payment of funds will be made to institutions in regular instalments, in accordance with approved payment arrangements made under the
8.1. Freedom of Information (FOI)
All documents created or held by the ARC with regard to the ARC Centres of Excellence program are subject to the
Decisions regarding requests for access will be made by the authorised ARC officer in accordance with the requirements of the
8.2. Privacy
The ARC is bound by the provisions of the
Persons, bodies and organisations involved in the ARC Centres of Excellence program are requested by the ARC to abide by the
▪ personal information is collected in accordance with IPPs 1-3;
▪ suitable storage arrangements, including appropriate filing procedures are in place;
▪ suitable security arrangements exist for all records containing personal information;
▪ access to a person’s own personal information held by the organisation is made available to the person at no charge;
▪ records are accurate, up-to-date, complete and not misleading;
▪ where a record is found to be inaccurate, the correction is made;
▪ where the person contends that a record is inaccurate, and it is found to be accurate, the details of the request for amendment are noted on the record;
▪ the personal information is only to be used for the purposes for which it was collected, or for other purposes where expressly allowed by IPP 10; and
▪ personal information is only disclosed in accordance with IPP 11.
8.3. Privacy Complaints and Advice
Privacy complaints can be made directly to the Federal Privacy Commissioner, however the Federal Privacy Commissioner prefers that the ARC be given an opportunity to deal with the complaint in the first instance.
8.4. Confidentiality
Information contained in applications is regarded as confidential unless otherwise stated and will be received and treated as confidential by the ARC, organisations and assessors.
8.5. Intellectual Property
Applicants must agree to comply with the intellectual property statute of the administering organisation and with the National Principles of Intellectual Property Management for Publicly Funded Research (available at
8.6. Incomplete or Misleading Information
If an application is incomplete or contains information that is considered misleading, it will be excluded from any further consideration for funding.
The Commonwealth Government is committed to protecting its revenue, expenditure and property from any attempt, either by members of the public, contractors, sub-contractors, agents, intermediaries or its own employees to gain financial or other benefits by deceit.
Examples of malpractice include, but are not restricted to:
▪ providing fictitious track records;
▪ falsifying claims in publications records (such as describing a paper as accepted for publication when it has only been submitted).
8.7. Contact Points
For further information, the institution’s Research Office should be contacted in the first instance.
Enquiries about ARC Centres of Excellencemay be addressed to:
Executive Director
ARC Centres of Excellence
Australian Research Council
GPO Box 2702
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 02 6284 6600
Fax: 02 6284 6638
Web:
1: Designated Priority Areas of Research Nano-Materials and Bio-Materials
The development of advanced techniques in materials science and in biotechnology underpins progress and growth in almost every area of industrial and economic activity. The marriage of biotechnology and materials science promises exciting research opportunities, with enormous potential for economic, social and environmental applications and impact.
Biotechnology promises to revolutionise our approaches in areas such as medicine, microbiology and agriculture. Reconstitution of molecular motors, DNA and DNA-protein recognition systems, bio-membranes, and the reconstruction of extracellular and intracellular matrixes, are likely to form the basis of new generation biosensors, bio-inspired materials, high throughput screening systems, chloroplast-like energy transduction systems, and tissue reconstruction procedures.
Materials such as metals, ceramics, polymers, composite materials and natural products are used in a wide range of sectors, such as manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, communications, transport, agriculture and medicine. The ability to “tailor” material properties at scales near to those of individual atoms and molecules promises to allow the production of materials with novel mechanical, thermal, chemical and surface properties, and with vastly improved performance compared to conventional materials. As well, the ability to form nano-scale assemblies of atoms and molecules is vital to advances in computing, drug design, chemical processing and synthesis, and sensor development.
Australia has extensive existing research strengths both in advanced materials science and in biotechnology. Priority funded research into nano-materials and bio-materials would build on this existing base, in these areas of internationally recognised importance, and would lead to:
▪ higher performance levels, and hence greater materials utilisation efficiency, to improve product performance and conserve natural resources;
▪ improved cost-effectiveness and value-added use of materials through advanced manufacturing;
▪ the development of novel devices, sensors, and techniques for medical, biochemical, industrial and environmental applications; and
▪ revolutionary new ways to produce implants for medical applications, and the “production” of replacement organs.
Genome/Phenome Research
The complete description of the human genome and those of other organisms has been a major achievement of modern science. There is a heightened expectation that gene therapies and the genetic improvement of plants and animals of agricultural importance by gene transfer will lead, among other things, to the eradication of inherited disease and to a solution to the world’s food problems. However, the connection between an organism’s genes (its genome) and its physical appearance and behaviour (its phenotype) is exceptionally complex and, at present, highly elusive. The growth and differentiation of cells and an organism’s predisposition to disease can be controlled by multigene clusters and fine control of the gene expression mechanisms. Although molecular biologists have been very successful in identifying and manipulating genes, the control of gene expression and the interactions of gene products which lead ultimately to the expression of a unique phenotype are poorly understood.
The reductionist approaches of molecular biologists have often focused on the analysis of bimolecular systems (protein-protein, protein-DNA, protein lipid). Although it has been revealing to understand these interactions, the reactions that lead to the expression of a unique phenotype are infinitely more complex. Nevertheless, molecular genetics coupled with the use of modern technologies based on microchip gene arrays and high through-put and high sensitivity screening are allowing scientists to experimentally access these complex systems and to describe the way in which environmental and genetic factors cooperate positively or negatively to determine the final phenotype.
The post-genomic era will see an increasing focus on the nature of the link between the genome and phenome. Molecular biologists will continue to describe DNA sequences, but there will be an increasing need for biologists who understand not only molecular genetics but also the behaviour of the whole cell, the whole tissue and the whole organism. The problem requires a team approach and the collaboration of molecular biologists, cell biologists, physiologists and biophysicists.
Key areas of study include:
▪ Genomics and bioinformatics;
▪ cell differentiation;
▪ control of gene expression;
▪ cell signalling pathways;
▪ energy transduction;
▪ multigene control of the phenotype traits; and
▪ identification of quality and disease resistance genes in plants and farm animals.
Complex/Intelligent Systems
Real-world systems are almost always made up of a large number of components that interact in varying and complex ways. This leads to complex behaviour that is difficult to understand, predict and manage. Research into the characterisation and control of such systems attempts to describe them in explicit (often mathematical) ways, in order to provide enhanced degrees of understanding, predictability, control and efficiency in management.
Very simple control systems include the thermostat that controls the temperature of a hot water system, or a street light that comes on at dusk. Much more complex systems which benefit from the application of research into control and system characterisation include the Internet, air traffic control, irrigation, robotics and a wide array of systems associated with power distribution, telecommunications, defence, manufacturing, transport and finance, as well as ecological and biological systems.
Complex systems are modelled and control strategies implemented by mathematicians, computer scientists, information scientists, engineers and other scientists from a broad range of disciplines.
Relevant areas of research include:
▪ system analysis and control theory;
▪ mathematical and statistical modelling;
▪ system and software engineering;
▪ software-hardware co-design;
▪ intelligent systems, and
▪ communications engineering.
Photon Science and Technology
Photon Science and Technology is one of the major growth areas of modern science and technology. Unexpected discoveries in basic photon science, new applications that penetrate many disciplines very swiftly, and very rapid idea-to-market cycles characterise the field. Australia has exceptional quality and some considerable breadth and depth in photon science research, with a demonstrated capacity to found and grow commercial ventures.
Photon Science and Technology includes:
▪ modern areas such as:
o laser science and applications;
o optical fibres and communication systems;
o photonics, linking photon science and electronics;
o materials characterisation by synchrotron and other X-ray sources; and
o atom optics and quantum computing; and
▪ traditional areas such as:
o optical materials and components including astronomical instrumentation;
o solar energy conversion (for example silicon photovoltaics and artificial photosynthesis);
o photometry and spectroscopy; and
o human vision.
APPENDIX 2: Eligible higher education institutions
Higher education institutions receiving
Commonwealth funding on a triennial basis
New South Wales
Charles Sturt University
Macquarie University
Southern Cross University
The University of New England
The University of New South Wales
The University of Newcastle
The University of Sydney
University of Technology, Sydney
University of Western Sydney
University of Wollongong
Western Australia
Curtin University of Technology
Edith Cowan University
Murdoch University
The University of Notre Dame Australia
The University of Western Australia
South Australia
The Flinders University of South Australia
The University of Adelaide
University of South Australia
Victoria
Deakin University
La Trobe University
Monash University
RMIT University
Swinburne University of Technology
University of Ballarat
The University of Melbourne
Victoria University
Tasmania
University of Tasmania
Australian Maritime College
Northern Territory
Batchelor College
Northern Territory University
Queensland
Central Queensland University
Griffith University
James Cook University
Queensland University of Technology
The University of the Sunshine Coast
The University of Queensland
University of Southern Queensland
Bond University
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian National University
University of Canberra
Multi-State
Australian Catholic University
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