DISCOVERY EARLY CAREER RESEARCHER AWARD

FOR FUNDING COMMENCING IN 2013

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • All Participants should read the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2013(DE13 Funding Rules) and the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Instructions to Applicants for funding commencing in 2013(DE13 Instructions to Applicants).
  • Information regarding Medical and Dental Research are available at
  • Information regarding the Research Management System (RMS) is available at or contact for assistance.
  • Participants should direct all queries regarding ARC Funding schemes to their Administering Organisation’s Research Office or equivalent in the first instance. If further Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) information is required, the Research Office or equivalent should contact .
  1. FUNDING and budget

1.1.What is the maximum per annum salary a DECRA Candidate can be paid by the ARC? Can project costs be used to supplement a DECRA Candidate’s salary?

Subsection 5.1.2 of the DE13 Funding Rules states that the per annum salary contribution from the ARC is fixed at $85,000 including 28 per cent on-costs. Additional salary contributions will not be provided by the ARC, however, the Administering Organisation may ‘top up’ a successful DECRA Candidate’s salary. Project costs cannot be used for a DECRA Candidate’s salary.

1.2.At what funding level can a DECRA be applied for?

Subsection 5.1.2 of the DE13 Funding Rules states the DECRA may be awarded ARC funding of up to $125,000. In addition to the fixed annual salary contribution of $85,000 project costs of up to $40,000 can be requested for each year.

1.3.Can you please clarify 5.3.1 d ‘bench fees or similar laboratory costs’ under budget items not supported in the DE13 Funding Rules?

Bench fees are an institutionally applied fee or levy for the provision of general laboratory access. Access to specialised equipment (such as electron microscopes) does not fall into this category and therefore if this type of access is required for the project, a usage fee may be requested from the ARC under the DE13 Funding Rules. All budget requests must be fully justified.

1.4 Can you please clarify whether the Budget Justification table must be included under Part F of the DE13 proposal form?

The budget justification table may be included; however Part F of the DE13 proposal form must not exceed one A4 page.

As detailed in Part F of the Instructions to Applicants, the justification should indicate how the DECRA candidate will use the project cost funding each year. This statement should include the need and cost for each item requested from the ARC using the same headings as in the budget at E1.The justification should be provided for each item under each year.

  1. Decra candidate

2.1.Is a researcher eligible to apply for funding commencing in 2013 if their PhD will be awarded between 2 March and 21 March 2012?

The DECRA scheme is intended for researchers up to five years post-PhD. For this round of DECRA only the ARC waives the requirement of having been awarded a PhD by 1 March 2012 and will allow researchers who have been awarded their PhD by 21 March 2012 to apply for this current round.

Researchers who have been awarded a PhD between 2 March and 21 March 2012 have to enter ‘01 March 2012’ as their award date in Part G7.1 of the DE13 Proposal form in RMS in order to validate this Part of the form. In addition they are required to enter the actual PhD award date under ‘Additional Details of Interruption’ of Part G7.2 of the DE13 Form.

The Award of PhD Date means the date of conferral of a PhD, not the date of submission of the thesis, nor the date the thesis was accepted by the examination board.

2.2.Can you please confirm that a DECRA applicant awarded a PhD on or after the 1/3/2004 must have period/s of significant career interruption but only between the 1/3/2007 and 1/3/2012?

In accordance with subsection 6.2.1 of the DECRA Funding Rules, a DECRA Candidate must at the closing time of submission of Proposals, (b) commensurate with a period of significant career interruption (between 1 March 2007 to 1 March 2012) have been awarded a PhD awarded on or after 1 March 2004. Any career interruptions prior to 1 March 2007 will not be considered.

2.3.If a researcherwas awarded their PhD in 1 June 2006 and had a ten month eligible career interruptionfrom 1 July 2006 to 1 May 2007 would they be eligible to apply for a DECRA?

No. In accordance with subsection 6.2.1 b of the DE13 Funding Rules a researcher having been awarded a PhD between 1 March 2004 and 1 March 2007 must have a commensurate period of significant career interruption between 1 March 2007 and 1 March 2012.Any significant eligible career interruption prior to 1 March 2007 will not be considered. The researcher in the example above has only two months ofcareer interruption in the eligible period.

2.4.If a researcher was awarded their PhD after 30 November 2006 but before 1 March 2007 and does not have a significant career interruption, they would appear to be ineligible for either Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2012(FT12)or DECRA for funding commencing in 2013 (DE13).

The ARC waives the requirementofhaving a significant career interruption commensurate with their PhD award date as stipulated in subsection 6.2.1.b of the DE13 Funding Rules for researchers having been awarded their PhD between 1 December 2006 and 28 February 2007 for this round of DECRA only.

2.5.What types of career interruptions are acceptable?

Subsection 6.2.1 (b) of the DE13 Funding Rules lists the acceptable significant career interruptions which are:

  • maternity or parental leave;
  • carer’s responsibility;
  • illness;
  • disruption due to relocation for international post-doctoral studies; and/or
  • unemployment or non-research employment (not exceeding three years).

2.6.What is the definition of international postdoctoral studies?

International post-doctoral studies means post-doctoral studies, including a fellowship, teaching and/or research position and other similar opportunities undertaken in a country other than the country where you were awarded your PhD.

2.7.Does a DECRA Candidate need to hold an appointment at the Administering Organisation at the closing time for submission of Proposals?

No. However, details of the prospective appointment must be included in the Organisational Statement in respect to the Research Environment as required under Section 4.4of the DE13 Funding Rules.

2.8.What kind of appointment does a DECRA Recipient need to hold at the Administering Organisation for the duration of the Award?

The appointment must be appropriate to support the DECRA Recipient for the duration of the Award. For example, if a DECRA is undertaken over three years on a full time basis, the appointment must be three years full time equivalent. If a DECRA, after commencement, is undertaken over six years on a half-time basis, the appointment must be a six years point five full time equivalent. Honorary or Adjunct appointments, as defined in other ARC schemes, are not sufficient to support the Award.

2.9.Is a DECRA Recipient allowed to teach while holding a DECRA?

Subsections 5.1.3 and 6.2.5 allow a DECRA to be undertaken part time, depending on individual circumstances appropriate to the career trajectory of the DECRA Recipient, which could include an appropriate part-time teaching load.

2.10.Is DECRA open to international applicants?

Yes. International applicants are eligible to apply provided they meet all the eligibility criteria, including the requirement under subsection 6.2.3 of the DE13Funding Rules that they must legally reside predominantly in Australia for the duration of the Award. This requirement does not necessarily require Australian residency or citizenship status.

2.11.May a researcher who is currently holding an ARC Project which will receive funding in 2013 or is applying for an ARC project for funding commencing in 2013 be nominated for a DECRA?

In accordance with subsection 7.1.4 a researcher may be nominated for a DECRA andbe funded for one Project under the following Schemes and Programs combined:

  • Discovery Projects scheme;
  • Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development scheme;
  • Discovery Indigenous scheme or
  • Centre Personnel receiving funding under the ARC Research Centre Program.

As per subsection 7.1.6 of the DE13 Funding Rules the number of Projects (including Awards and Fellowships) is calculated at the closing time of submission of Proposals by totalling the number of Projects receiving funding in 2013. A Project is considered to be funded for the years set out in the Funding Agreement.

Please note a researcher will not be permitted to relinquish a Chief Investigator, Fellowship, Award or Centre Personnel role or existing ARC grants held on 1January 2012, to circumvent these limits.

2.12.May a DECRA Candidate apply for or hold one Discovery Project as a sole Chief Investigator?

In accordance with subsection 7.1.4 of the DE13 Funding Rules a DECRA Recipient may be funded concurrently for only one Project under the following Schemes and Program combined: Discovery Projects, Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development or Discovery Indigenous schemes, or Centre Personnel receiving funding under the ARC Research Centres Program. This is in addition to the DECRA and can be as a sole Chief Investigator.

2.13.Can a current ARC Fellow or Award recipient apply for a DECRA?

In accordance with subsection 7.1.7 an ARC Fellow or Award recipient cannot concurrently hold more than one ARC Fellowship or Award. An ARC Fellow or Award recipient may only apply for a DECRA in the final year of that Fellowship or Award. A Fellowship or Award is considered to be funded for the years set out in the Funding Agreement.

2.14.Is DECRA open to applicants who hold degrees or have experience which might be considered PhD equivalent?

The DECRA scheme does not consider experience or a degree as a PhD equivalent for funding purposes. In accordance with subsection 6.2.1 of the DE13 Funding Rules a DECRA candidate must hold a PhD to be eligible for this scheme. The DE13 Funding Rules do not include a pre-submission eligibility exemption process to deal with international PhD equivalency matters which are managed during the peer review and selection processes

2.15.Can the DECRA salary be used for teaching relief?

In accordance with subsection 6.2.6 of the DE12 Funding Rules, the DECRA salary component may be used for other purposes, including teaching relief, to support the Project in exceptional or changed personal circumstances with the approval of the Administering Organisation without extension to the life of the Project. Teaching relief is not for the DECRA Recipient and should only be used if a replacement is required for short time periods to support the Project during exceptional or changed personal circumstances.

2.16.Does the DECRA scheme have a certification proforma?

A certification proforma will not be provided for DECRA as the Administering Organisation and the DECRA candidate are the only required participants. However, the Administering Organisation will be required to certify each Proposal in RMS.

2.17.If publication and disseminations costs should not be included in the budget, how will the 2% for publication and dissemination costs from the total project costs be allocated?

In accordance with subsection 5.2.2 of the DE13 Funding Rules successful DECRA candidates may choose to spend up to 2% of the total awarded project costs on publication and dissemination costsduring the life of the Project and no prior approval is required. It should not be included as an itemised budget item.

Please note however that DECRA Candidates should include information in their Proposal (Part D – Project Description) regarding their strategies for dissemination, as required under the Selection Criterion ‘Research Environment’ in subsection 4.3.c of the DE13 Funding Rules.

2.18Can the DECRA Candidate submit the same Proposal for DECRA and Discovery Projects?

A proposal for the same project can be submitted to both the DECRAand Discovery Projectsschemes. If a proposal is submitted to more than one ARC funding scheme, Part H and J of the DE13 proposal form should be completed.

Please note in accordance with subsection 7.2.1 of the DE13 Funding Rules the ARC will not duplicate funding for research, including infrastructure, funded as at 1 January 2013 by the Commonwealth.

2.19My research requires me to conduct field research in remote areas of Australia and overseas. Will the field research costs come out of the $50,000 limit on travel over the life of the project as per 5.2.1h of the DE13 Funding Rules?

Costs related to carrying out field research are not considered to be travel, except for the flights to and from the research site. The $50,000 limit in subsection 5.1.2h of the DE13 Funding Rules does apply to these flights, as well as travel and accommodation not related to field research.

Field research costs should be requested in the DE13 proposal form under “Other”. Travel costs should still be requested under “Travel”.

For the purposes of clarification, accommodation and living costs for the DECRA Recipient in the field would be considered field research costs.

Please note in accordance with subsection 5.1.2h of the DE13 Funding Rules funding is permitted for the DECRA Recipient only.

2.20If a DECRA Candidate works for 18 months at 50% as a researcher and 50% at home looking after children, does this count as a career interruption?

Part-time employment with no opportunity for research activities is considered a career interruption. Part-time employment with opportunity for research activities is not considered a career interruption.

The periods of career interruption should be justified by the DECRA Candidate under Part G7.2 of the DE13 proposal form.

  1. rms

3.1.Can other researchers or organisations be nominated on the Proposal in addition to DECRA Candidate?

The DECRA Proposal form will only allow the DECRA Candidate and the Administering Organisation to be listed. No other participant or organisational roles will be available.

3.2.Does the DECRA candidate need to submit an Eligibility Exemption Request to claim career interruption?

There is no separate Eligibility Exemption Request for DECRA.The justification for career interruption (Part G7) will be required to be submittedas part of the Proposal for which the closing time is 5:00pm (AEDT)21March 2012.

3.3.If the DECRA Candidate’s residency status is pending can this be included in the DECRA Proposal?

Yes. The DECRA Candidate must meet the eligibility requirements in Section 6 and 7 of the DE13Funding Rules. The pending status must be highlighted under the Citizenship/Residency Details in Part G – Personnel of the Proposal form in RMS.

Please note as stated in subsection 6.2.3 of the DE13 Funding Rules the DECRA Recipient must legally, reside predominantly in Australia for the duration of the Award.

3.4.Should any cash and/or in-kind contributions by the Administering Organisation be included in the RMS budget (Part E)?

No. The DECRA budget in RMS requires only ARC contributions. Any contributions by the Administering Organisation should only be included as part of the Organisational Statement in respect to Research Environment as set out at subsection 4.4 of the DE13 Funding Rules. The functionality within the RMS is because the RMS is built to support multiple schemes. Each scheme’s Funding Rules and Instructions to Applicants should be adhered to as provided.

  1. CHANGES TO DOCUMENT

Funding and Budget

1.4.Question added regarding Budget Justification table (27 February 2012)

DECRA Candidate

2.1 Question updated regarding PhD award date and further instructions (5 March 2012)

2.14 Clarification added regarding international degrees (5 March 2012)

2.18 Question added regarding proposal submission for DECRA and Discovery Projects (27 February 2012)

2.19 Question added regarding field research costs (27 February 2012)

2.20 Question added regarding career interruptions (27 February 2012)

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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award FAQ – Version 2 Release Date: 05 March 2012