UNSW Research Strategy Office

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UNSW Research Strategy Office

• Getting Started
• with
• ARC Linkage Projects

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Getting Started With Linkage

• Few initial points-
• Changes to last year
• Teaching Relief for upi to half the life of a
  grant
• Overseas institutions are eligible

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• What well cover today
• Not how to write a Linkage Projects application
• but
• How to get Partner Organisations interested
• What to tell them about how the Scheme works

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• The Fundamentals
• Match dollar-for-dollar cash and in-kind if you
  ask the ARC for 100k then the Partner
  Organisation(s) must provide at least 20k in
  cash and 80k in-kind
• In-kind can be many things (check the list on
  UNSW GMO Web site make an appointment with me)

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• The Fundamentals (cont)
• Yes, there must be a contract, but only when the
  grant is awarded.
• UNSWs Research Strategy Office will write to
  partners confirming this and assuring them of
  their right to pull out under the ARC contract
  with the University.
• A Partner Organisation can give the cash at any
  time during the period of the grant.

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• The Fundamentals (cont)
• The Scheme is flexible you may have more than
  one Partner Organisation
• They can opt out at any time

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• The Fundamentals (cont)
• Applications can be small just an APAI with 6K
  cash plus 6k in-kind per year
• Or they can be big up to 1 million over five
  years, and include Fellows and APAIs
• Projects can be for only one year or anything up
  to five years

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• The Fundamentals (cont)
• We recommend you break them into components and
  report regularly to your Partner Organisation(s)
• We recommend you have a steering committee or
  project management committee
• Its better to have Partner Organisation
  personnel involved if possible

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Partner Organisations
• Can be almost any organisation
• Including government departments
• And overseas companies and governments
• And selected University spin-offs
• But not CSIRO, ANSTO, DSTO, etc

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• UNSW has received ARC linkage grants with
  100s of organisations.
• Once we know you want to work with a particular
  organisation, we can look through our files and
  advise you on how to work with that organisation.

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Types of Research Supported
• Needs to be of importance to you and your Partner
  Organisation(s)
• It is not true that mostly applied and product
  orientated research is all that is supported
• Some fundamental science has been supported that
  underpins gene therapies, understanding the
  properties of materials, etc

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• How to get Partner Organisations
• Think of your current associations
• Are you involved in any consultancies that could
  be turned into Linkage Projects?
• Do you advise anybody who might have research
  questions that require answering?

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• How to get Partner Organisations
• Do you sit on a board or committee that regularly
  commissions work?
• Do any of your PhD students keep in touch and
  have they brought you ideas from industry that
  they wished could be worked up?
• Did you work for industry before academe and have
  you kept up the contacts?

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• How to get Partner Organisations
• Have any of your students used the UNSW Co-op
  Program?
• Have you ever used NewSouth Innovations (formerly
  Unisearch) or NewSouth Global?
• Do you regularly do expert witnessing for similar
  firms, or was there an instance of a long
  association of this

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• How to get Partner Organisations
• Do you have associations through a CRC or other
  centre?
• Do you have associations through professional or
  academic bodies?

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Getting Started with Linkage

• Brief Discussion?
• Think aloud and
• share your thoughts
• on possible partners.

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Support to get started
• UNSWs Research Strategy Office
• Has a brochure (aimed at Partner Organisations)
  explains the Scheme and how it works at UNSW

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Support to get started
• UNSWs Research Strategy Office
• Holds target events you invite prospective
  Partner Organisations to the University for wine
  and nibbles, along with a presentation on how the
  Scheme works
• Will meet personally with you and your Partner
  Organisation
• We will hold Faculty/Department or Centre
  Specific workshops on ARC Linkage

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Support along the way
• We will assist with application development
• We have lots of successful proposals in our
  Library
• We will assist with reviewing drafts of the
  Partner Organisation letters of support

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Support along the way
• We will spin the application and negotiate the
  work program with your Partner Organisation(s)
  with assistance from NewSouth Innovations as
  required
• We will negotiate your contract with the Partner
  Organisation(s)

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Support along the way
• Depending on the timing
• We will deal with problems should things go awry
• We will deal with Partner Organisation transfers
  and terminations
• We will deal with IP issues with assistance from
  NewSouth Innovations as required
• AFTER THE GRANT IS AWARDED THIS WILL BE DONE BY
  THE GRANTS MANAGEMENT OFFICE

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• What to do next
• Fill out the sheet provided
• We will get back to you with examples of
• Potential Partner Organisations in your RFCD code
• Confirmation of any Partner Organisation
  participation listed on your sheet

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• What to do next
• Strategic advice on in-kind contributions and
  cash contributions
• Due diligence on how partners can engage in a
  project through investigating previous
  relationships here and through our network at
  other Universities
• Working through partner organisation issues by
  providing warranties on contributions, conflicts
  and conflict management, publishing rights, IP
  issues etc

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• What to do next
• Creating pre-linkage contracts to provide levels
  of comfort for potential partner organisations
• We then work through each part of the application
  extensively whilst in development and work with
  the researcher and partner on support letters,
  the budget sections and Section F where they must
  sign off

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• What to do next
• If you have an idea, start talking to people you
  think might be interested
• We can make cold approaches to current
  associations on your behalf

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• What to do next
• Watch the press for government department
  advertisements for Linkages
• Talk with potential partners at conferences take
  our brochure along

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• The Reality
• It can take a long time to get Partner
  Organisations interested
• They will worry about IP and their cash and other
  commitments
• Get us involved very early
• Ask us before saying anything

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Realities for you
• UNSWs success rate in this Scheme is 47
  compared to the Discovery Projects success rate
  of 24.9
• Linkage Projects grants are almost always fully
  funded

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Realities for you
• For the last round of ARC linkage at UNSW, 89 of
  the successful applications were extensively
  supported by UNSW Research Services through our
  support process
• Of the 19 successful applications only 2 were
  submitted after our early closing date
• It is important that you contact us as soon as
  possible

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Realities for you
• Under Backing Australias Ability II the Scheme
  is getting much more money
• You can only have two Discovery Projects
  grants, whereas you can up to up eight Linkage
  Projects grants

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Getting Started with Linkage

• Submitting your application-
• - If you get in by end March we will work
  iteratively on your application, once it is
  completed I will submit to GMO by their
  compliance check date.

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

• Some cautions
• It is risky
• You have a master
• It can all end in tears

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Getting Started withARC Linkage - Projects

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