ARC

e-RESEARCH SUPPORT

Invitation for Funding Proposals

under

ARC Special Research Initiatives

for funding to commence in 2005

AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL

ARC e-Research Support

Invitation for Funding Proposals

Special Research Initiatives for funding to commence in 2005

1.        Background

e-Research involves large-scale, distributed, national or global collaboration in research, providing a new level of scope, scale and detail.  It entails harnessing the capacity of information and communication technology (ICT) systems, particularly the power of high-capacity distributed computing and the vast distributed storage capacity fuelled by the falling cost of memory, to study complex research problems.  It has a number of components:

• access to and sharing of very large data collections;
• access to and sharing of distributed sensing systems (water levels in a catchment, for example);
• complex simulations, for example simulated motor vehicle accidents;
• high-performance visualisation, for example in virtual reality environments; and
• virtual research organisations involving researchers distributed geographically.

This new approach, which combines the potential of ICT systems with multi-disciplinary collaborative research among researchers distributed geographically, is a powerful new paradigm of research endeavour.  Such a paradigm breaks down traditional barriers between disciplines and allows researchers to work on challenging and interesting problems hitherto not possible due to limitations to bringing ICT infrastructure together.

The ARC plans to conduct a one-year pilot scheme to support e-Research under the ARC Special Research Initiatives (SRI) scheme, to be known as ARC e-Research Support.  ARC e-Research Support will encourage and fund open exchange of information and sharing of resources, making better use of existing ICT infrastructure, by providing resources to overcome initial barriers to the adoption of e-Research methods.  It is hoped that proposals under ARC e-Research Support will address research priorities from a variety of perspectives and within a wide range of contexts and settings. 

ARC e-Research Support has several novel aspects compared with traditional research funding programs in Australia.  In particular, the scheme will support tool development and tool creation which lead to enhanced use of ICT resources in a variety of fields.  The ARC particularly encourages proposed activities leading to collaboration across institutional and disciplinary boundaries by making better use of ICT infrastructure, data sets and other similar resources.

Under the SRI scheme, the ARC takes a proactive role in identifying initiatives.  This document (the Invitation) invites proposals for funding support related to e-Research from Eligible Organisations (see Section 5).  All proposals must comply with the Special Research Initiatives Funding Rules for Funding Commencing in 2005 (available at www.arc.gov.au), as well as with the requirements described in this Invitation.

2.        The funding scheme

The funding scheme aims to foster collaborative efforts across disciplines and institutions, harnessing ICT resources to facilitate the development of innovative research endeavours.  ARC e-Research Support will fund activities in the following categories:

• Exploration of collaboration among researchers in multi-disciplinary teams, preferably including computer scientists, information engineers and/or information technologists, leading to better utilisation of existing ICT infrastructure or enabling better computer/data resource sharing.  This may take the form of focussed workshops and/or short-term visits of appropriate research personnel, leading to better utilisation of existing ICT/data resources.
• Software tool creation and software tool development to facilitate better access and utilisation of existing ICT infrastructure enabling better computer/data resource sharing.
• Project funding for demonstration purposes and feasibility studies, where appropriate, in the application of grid computing technologies.

Preference will be given to proposals which can demonstrate that they will enhance cross-institutional collaboration, leading directly to better utilisation or sharing of ICT infrastructure, data sets or other similar resources.  Collaboration with Australian industry or international groups of researchers in multi-disciplinary projects to better utilise existing ICT infrastructure is encouraged.  Industry participation would need to encompass provision of resources to the proposal.  Proposals addressing innovative application of the Access Grid technology, collaborative visualisation and/or exploration of remote instrumentation and/or sensor networks are also encouraged.

It is expected that funding will be primarily used for personnel, for example programmers and project administration.  The scheme will not fund meetings which do not have outcomes leading to better utilisation of existing ICT infrastructure.  Nor will it fund hardware or equipment purchase.

Funding awarded by the ARC for a successful proposal under this scheme will be for one year only (apart from post-funding workshop costs described below) and will normally be between $30,000 and $100,000.  In exceptional cases, the maximum amount awarded may be up to $250,000 for one year only.  The ARC may partially fund competitive proposals and may encourage the collaborative and/or complementary development of proposed activities, including those of researchers funded by other agencies.

Funding must be used only for purposes that are consistent with the SRI Funding Rules, this Invitation and the Funding Agreement.

3.        Participation in a post-funding workshop

As a condition of the award of a grant under the scheme, successful applicants will be required to present a summary of the work undertaken as a result of the grant in a workshop to be organised by the ARC and held approximately 16 months after the commencement of funding.  This is to facilitate the sharing of experience and lessons learned in overcoming the barriers to adopting an

e-Research methodology.  Reasonable costs of participation in the workshop may be paid from ARC funds awarded as part of the grant and should be included in the budget requested in the application (assuming travel to and 2-3 days accommodation in Canberra).

4.        Common set of software

In order to enhance collaborative efforts, the ARC encourages the use of a common set of software where possible.  Where software tools are to be developed or deployed, it is desirable that projects make use of a common middleware/software layer.  Preference will be given to projects that target Globus (www.globus.org), with a specific preference for version 2.4.  If applicants wish to make use of a different or no middleware layer, they should justify this.

This requirement does not apply to proposals which do not involve the deployment or development of software tools but such proposals will need to justify adequately their relevance to e-Research.

5.        Eligibility and application process

The following Australian organisations are eligible to apply for funding under this scheme:

• the higher education institutions listed at Appendix 1; and
• organisations funded wholly or partially by the Commonwealth and/or State Governments primarily to undertake research, including publicly funded research agencies such as CSIRO, DSTO, ANSTO, AIMS and Geoscience Australia, as well as museums and herbaria.

Applications will be received and considered by the ARC under the Special Research Initiatives Funding Rules for Funding Commencing in 2005. Applications must be prepared using the application form available in the ARC’s online Grants Application Management System (GAMS).  Applications must be submitted to the ARC via GAMS and also as a paper original and one paper copy at the address specified in the SRI Funding Rules.

6.        Closing dates, assessment process and notification of outcomes

Applications close at a date to be announced by the ARC when the period for applications opens.

Applications for funding will be assessed by the ARC in accordance with the Special Research Initiatives Funding Rules for Funding Commencing in 2005.  All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in writing.

Appendix 1.         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

Victoria

Deakin University

La Trobe University

Melbourne College of Divinity

Monash University

RMIT University

Swinburne University of Technology

The University of Melbourne

University of Ballarat

Victoria University

Queensland

Bond University

Central Queensland University

Griffith University

James Cook University

Queensland University of Technology

The University of Queensland

The University of the Sunshine Coast

University of Southern Queensland

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

Tasmania

Australian Maritime College

University of Tasmania

Northern Territory

Charles Darwin University

Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian National University

University of Canberra

Multi-State

Australian Catholic University