ARC DISCOVERY and LINKAGE

Opportunities for Medical Research:Diversify Research Funding

Winthrop Professor Colin Raston

Colin.Raston@uwa.edu.au

http://www.strategicnano.uwa.edu.au/ November 2010

Centre for Strategic Nano-Fabrication

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!!!!!!!• …….

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

- Woolnough Lecture Theatre, 11.00 am Friday Dec 3

Know the College of Experts members

• Biological Sciences and Biotechnology (BSB)Biological Sciences and Biotechnology (BSB)

• Engineering and Environmental Science (EE)Engineering and Environmental Science (EE)

• Mathematics. Information and Communication Mathematics. Information and Communication Sciences (MIC)Sciences (MIC)

• Physics, Chemistry and Geosciences (PCG)Physics, Chemistry and Geosciences (PCG)

• Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences (SBE) Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences (SBE)

Selection Criteria

• Investigator/s track recordInvestigator/s track record - - 40%40%

• Relative to opportunities

• Proposed project content – 60%Proposed project content – 60%

• Significance and innovation - 30%

Approach and Training (including appropriateness of budget) - 20%

National Benefit - 10%

• 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?

Establish Strategies

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)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!

• 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

Other issuesOther issues

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 wordFinal 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