FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Cross-Scheme Eligibility

For schemes under the Discovery Program for the years 2015 and 2016

Version 1Releasedate: 13 November2014

  • All Participants should read the Funding Rules for schemes under the Discovery Program for the years 2015 and 2016—Australian Laureate Fellowships, Discovery Projects, Discovery Early Career Researcher Award and Discovery Indigenous (referred to as the Funding Rules). The scheme specific ‘Instructions to Applicants’ documents also contain important information for Research Office staff and individual Participants preparing Proposals.
  • The Australian Research Council (ARC) does not respond to queries from individual Participants. Individual Participants should direct all queries regarding ARC funding schemes to their Administering Organisation’s Research Office (or equivalent). If further information regarding the scheme is required, the Research Office should contact the relevant scheme:

Australian Laureate Fellowships:

Discovery Projects:

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award:

Discovery Indigenous:

  • Information regarding the Research Management System (RMS) is available at or by contacting for assistance.

As soon as information regarding important scheme dates becomes available, the ARC website will be updated at The ARC will also notify the Research Administrators’ Network of any updates via an email message.

This Frequently Asked Questions document will be updated as required. Details of any amendments will be appended to this document.

CONTENTS

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Cross-Scheme Eligibility under the Discovery Program

Table 1 - Scheme Date Reference Table

Table 2 - Example scenarios to assist in understanding the cross-scheme eligibility rules

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Cross-Scheme Eligibility under the Discovery Program

1.1Subsection A6.2.6of the Funding Rules states that ‘aProposal may only be submitted for funding that the researcher would be eligible to hold under these rules as at the Commencement Date of the Project/Fellowship/Award being applied for.’ What is the ‘Commencement Date’?

The ‘Commencement Date’ in this section refers to the date on which the funding of the scheme you are applying for will commence, as defined under ‘Interpretation’ in the relevant scheme-specific section of the Funding Rules.

Please refer to Table 1 in this document for the Commencement Date of schemes within the Discovery Program.

1.2How do I calculate the duration of my existing Project?

For eligibility purposes, a currently funded Project/Fellowship/Award is considered to be funded for the years set out in Schedule Aof the original Funding Agreement. The date on which funding ends per the original Funding Agreement is considered to be the formal date of completion date of the Project/Fellowship/Award.

Refer to Table 1 for a reference guide.

Any subsequent changes to the Project/Fellowship/Award end date approved by the ARC will not be taken into consideration when evaluating Project/Proposal limits for Discovery Programs schemes, with the exception of changes made after the award of an Australian Laureate Fellowship under subsection A6.2.6 and A6.2.8.

1.3How many Projects, Fellowships or Awards can a researcher hold or apply for concurrently under the Discovery Program?

Under the Discovery Program, a researcher can be funded concurrently for a maximum of:

  • two Projects as a CI (including both as sole CI);or
  • one Project as a CI and one ARC Fellowship; or
  • one Project as a CI and one ARC Award.

A researcher may not submit a Proposal for funding that they would not be eligible to hold under the Funding Rules as described in subsection A6.2.6. Please note that Proposals submitted under the Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme do not count towards Discovery Program limits for the purposes of eligibility. If the Proposal is successful, the Australian Laureate Fellow will be required to relinquish existing Projects in order to comply with subsection A6.2.1 of the Funding Rules after the award of the Australian Laureate Fellowship.

Apart from the case of Australian Laureate Fellows described above, relinquishments of Projects/Fellowships/Awards that occur after the closing date for submission of Proposals are not taken into account when calculating cross-scheme eligibility for the scheme round (see subsection A6.2.6 of the Funding Rules).

A researcher cannot concurrently hold more than one ARC Fellowship or Award, and a researcher may not hold an ARC Fellowship/Award at the same time as they hold a fellowship from another Commonwealth funding agency (see subsection A6.2.4 of the Funding Rules). While there are no restrictions on applying for an ARC Fellowship/Award while holding afellowship from another Commonwealth agency, successful ARC Fellows or Awardees will be required to relinquish other Commonwealth fellowships prior to the commencement of the ARC Fellowship or Award.

Researchers holding or applying for a CI role on futureARC Centres of Excellence, Industrial Transformation Research Hubs, Industrial Transformation Training Centres, or Special Research Initiatives may only hold or apply for one Project/Award/Fellowship under the Discovery Program. This applies to all Discovery Program schemes with funding commencing in 2015 or later. Please refer to FAQ3.1for further information. Please note that currently funded Projects and Proposals submitted under other Linkage Program schemes need not be taken into account when considering the Discovery Program limits described above. However, assessors will consider the capacity of researchers when reviewing Proposals.

Table 2provides examples to illustrate the cross-scheme eligibility rules described under subsection A6.2 of the Funding Rules.

1.4How do I know if I meet the eligibility criteria set out under subsection A6.2 of the Funding Rules on Limits on Projects and Proposals?

  1. Funding currently held under the Discovery Program

In the first instance you should consider whether you currently hold any Discovery Program Projects/Fellowships/Awards which will still be funded as at the Commencement Date for the scheme you wish to apply for (see also FAQ 1.1).

For eligibility purposes, a Project/Fellowship/Award is considered to be funded for the years set out in Schedule A of the original Funding Agreement (see also FAQ 1.2). Thedate on which funding ends per the original Funding Agreement is considered to be the formal date of completion date of the Project/Fellowship/Award.

  1. Proposals currently submitted under the Discovery Program

Secondly, consider any current Discovery Program Proposalsthat you have submitted to the ARC as a Chief Investigator/Fellow/Award candidate.You do not need to include Projects on which you are a Partner Investigator or other participant (such as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, higher degree research student or a research assistant) (see subsection A6.2.3 of the Funding Rules).

  1. Funding held or Proposals submitted under the Linkage Program

You will then need to consider any funding you hold or Proposals you have submitted for ARC Centres of Excellence(CE), Industrial Transformation Research Hubs (IH), Industrial Transformation Training Centres (IC), or Special Research Initiatives (SR)under the ARC’s Linkage Program. Please note that CE14, IH14 round 1, IC15 round 1 and SR14, as well as any earlier rounds for these schemes, do not count towards Discovery Program limits under the Funding Rules.Please refer to FAQ 3.1 for further information. Other Linkage Program schemes need not be taken into account when considering the Discovery Program limits, howeverassessors will consider the capacity of researchers when reviewing Proposals.

  1. Consider Discovery Program Limits

You should then add the number of Discovery Program Projects/Fellowships/Awards which are considered to be funded(from a. above)to the number of relevant currently submitted Proposals (from b. above). Consider this total against the limits for concurrently held Projects/Fellowships/Awards set out in subsections A6.2.1 and A6.2.2 of the Funding Rules (see also FAQ 1.3).

Calculations to determine cross-scheme eligibility will be performed at the closing time of submission of Proposals. Except for Australian Laureate Fellowship Proposals,relinquishments of existing Discovery Program CI roles/Fellowships/Awards after this date will not be taken into account for the purposes of determining eligibility for that scheme round (see FAQ 1.3 and subsection A6.2.8 of theFunding Rules).

Examples are available at Table 2 for further clarification.

1.5Is the recipient of a Discovery Outstanding Researcher (DORA) on a DP14 project considered to hold one Award and one Project? Are they eligible to submit a DP16 Proposal?

A DORA recipient on a funded DP14Project is considered to hold one Award/Project combined. Provided the researcher has not applied for and does not hold any other grants under the Discovery Program, they are eligible to submit one DP16Proposal. A researcher may not concurrently hold a DORA and another ARC Fellowship/Award.

1.6I am a CI on a Centre of Excellence,Industrial Transformation Research Hub, Industrial Transformation Training Centre, or Special Research Initiative. How many Discovery Program Proposals can I hold or apply for?

Project/Proposal limits for Discovery Program schemes covered under the Funding Rules now include Proposals for future scheme rounds for ARC Centres of Excellence (CE), Industrial Transformation Research Hubs (IH), Industrial Transformation Training Centres (IC), or Special Research Initiatives (SR). Proposals submitted and funding held under CE14, SR14*,IH14 round 1, and IC15 round 1,as well as earlier rounds for these schemes, will not be counted towards the limits described in subsection A6.2.2 of the Funding Rules. See Table 2 for further clarification.

As described in subsection A6.2 of the Funding Rules, CIs on currently funded CE, IH, IC or SR rounds and/or on CE14, SR14*, IH14 or IC15 Proposals may hold/apply for a Discovery Program maximum of:

  • two Projects as a CI (including both as sole CI);or
  • one Project as a CI and one ARC Fellowship; or
  • one Project as a CI and one ARC Award.

As described in subsection A6.2.2 of the Funding Rules, CIs onfuture CE, IH, IC or SRrounds may hold/apply for a Discovery Program maximum of:

  • one Project as a CIawarded funding commencing in 2015 or later; or
  • one ARC Fellowshipawarded funding commencing in 2015 or later; or
  • one ARC Awardawarded funding commencing in 2015 or later.

Discovery Program scheme rounds with funding commencing prior to 2015 are not included in these limits, however the total Discovery Program Project/Proposal limits set out in subsection A6.2.1 still apply.

Note that in all cases the restrictions on duplication of Commonwealth funding still apply. Assessors will consider the capacity of researchers when reviewing Proposals.

*SR14 includes SR14 – Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, SR14- Tropical Health and Medicine and SR14 – Antarctic Gateway. If any additional SR rounds with funding commencing in 2014 are announced these would be included in the limits described in A6.2.2 of the Funding Rules.

1.7I am currently a CI on a NHMRC Project Grant, how many Discovery Program Proposals can I apply for?

The Discovery Program does not limit researchers who are receiving or applying for NHMRC funding, as long as other ARC eligibility criteria are satisfied. Please refer to subsection A6.2 of the Funding Rules for Project/Proposal limits. Please note, however, that restrictions on duplication of Commonwealth funding still apply, and researchers should consider their time and capacity to undertake additional Projects.

1.8Can a researcher who holds another Commonwealth-funded fellowship apply for an ARC Fellowship/Award?

The ARC will not duplicate funding for research or research infrastructure funded by the Commonwealth (subsection A5.1.4 of the Funding Rules). Under the current Funding Rules, a researcher applying for an ARC Fellowship/Award may hold or have submitted an application for another Commonwealth-funded fellowship, but could not hold both concurrently. Successful ARC Fellows or Awardees will be required to relinquish other Commonwealth-funded fellowships prior to the commencement of the ARC Fellowship or Award (subsection A6.2.4 of the Funding Rules).

1.9Canthesame research Proposal be submitted for different schemes under the Discovery Program?

Yes. A Proposal for the same Project can be submitted to more than one scheme (keeping in mind the limits outlined in FAQ 1.3 above). If a Proposal is submitted to more than one ARC funding scheme, the relevant part of the Proposal form should be completed accordingly. If both Proposals are successful you will be required to manage any potential financial duplication through an ARC-approved variation to the relevant Funding Agreement or by relinquishing one of the successful Projects.

Please note in accordance with subsection A5.1.4 of the Funding Rules, the ARC will not duplicate funding for research, including infrastructure, funded by the Commonwealth. Assessors also take into account criteria such as value for money and originality.

Table 1 - Scheme Date Reference Table

Scheme round / Commencement Date / Formal Date of Completion per original Funding Agreement
DISCOVERY PROGRAM
Discovery Projects
IMPORTANT: These examples assume a Discovery Project has been funded for three years.
DP16 / 1 Jan 2016 / 31 Dec 2018
DP15 / 1 Jan 2015 / 31 Dec 2017
DP14 / 1 Jan 2014 / 31 Dec 2016
DP13 / 1 Jan 2013 / 31 Dec 2015
Future Fellowships
FT14 / 1 July 2014 / 30 June 2018
FT13 / 1 July 2013 / 30 June 2017
FT12 / 1 July 2012 / 30 June 2016
FT11 / 1 July 2011 / 30 June 2015
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
DE16 / 1 Jan 2016 / 31 Dec 2018
DE15 / 1 Jan 2015 / 31 Dec 2017
DE14 / 1 Jan 2014 / 31 Dec 2016
DE13 / 1 Jan 2013 / 31 Dec 2015
Australian Laureate Fellowships
FL15 / 1 July 2015 / 30 June 2020
FL14 / 1 July 2014 / 30 June 2019
FL13 / 1 July 2013 / 30 June 2018
FL12 / 1 July 2012 / 30 June 2017
FL11 / 1 July 2011 / 30 June 2016
FL10 / 1 July 2010 / 30 June 2015
Discovery Indigenous
IN15 / 1 Jan 2015 / 31 Dec 2017
IN14 / 1 Jan 2014 / 31 Dec 2016
IN13 / 1 Jan 2013 / 31 Dec 2015

Table 2 - Example scenarios to assist in understanding the cross-scheme eligibility rules

These examples refer to the dates in Table 1. While other scenarios are possible, the below may assist in applying the rules.

ARC Funding currently held/ submitted / Proposal/s to be submitted / Is Proposal eligible to be submitted under A6.2 of the Funding Rules? / Reason
IMPORTANT: These examples assume a Discovery Project has been funded for three years.
DP13 / DP16 x 2 / Yes / DP13 formal date of completion is before the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if both DP16 Proposals are successful.
DP13, DP15 / DP16 / Yes / DP13 formal date of completion is before the DP16 Commencement Date. DP15 formal date of completion is after the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if the DP16 Proposal is successful.
DP14 x 2 / DP16 / No / DP14 formal date of completion is after the DP16 Commencement Date. Three Projects/Proposals as a CI exceeds the limits set in A6.2. The DP16 Proposal would be considered ineligible.
LP15 x 2 (submitted), DP15 / DP16 / Yes / Linkage Projects (LP) proposals do not count toward the total number of Projects funded under the Discovery Program. DP15 formal date of completion is after the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI under the Discovery Program will be funded concurrently if the DP16 Proposal is successful.
DE13 / DP16 x 2 / Yes / DE13 formal date of completion is before the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if both DP16 Proposals are successful.
DE13, DP15 / DP16 / Yes / DE13 formal date of completion is before the DP16 Commencement Date. DP15 formal date of completion is after the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if the DP16 Proposal is successful.
DE14, DP14 / DP16 / No / DE14 and DP14 formal dates of completion are after the DP16 Commencement Date. Two Projects as a CI and an Award exceedsthe limits set in A6.2. The DP16 Proposal would be considered ineligible.
DE15 / DP16 / Yes / Only one Project as a CI and one Award will be funded concurrently if the DP16 Proposal is successful.
DE15 / DP16 x 2 / No / DE15 formal date of completion is after the DP16 Commencement Date. Two Projects as a CI and an Award exceeds the limits set in A6.2. Both DP16 Proposals would be considered ineligible.
DP16 (submitted), DP14 / DE16 / No / DP14 formal date of completion isafter the DE16 Commencement Date. Two Projects as a CI and anAwardexceedsthe limits set in A6.2. The DE16 Proposal would be considered ineligible.
FT11 / DP16 x 2 / Yes / FT11 formal date of completion is before the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if both DP16 Proposals are successful.
FT11, DP14 / IN16 / Yes / FT11 formal date of completion is before the IN16 Commencement Date. DP14 formal date of completion isafter the IN16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if the IN16 Proposal is successful.
FT12 / DP16 / Yes / FT12 formal date of completion isafter the DP16 Commencement Date. Only one Project as a CI and one Fellowship will be funded concurrently if the Proposal is successful.
FT12, DP14 / DP16 / No / FT12 and DP14 formal dates of completion are after the DP16 Commencement Date. Two Projects as a CI and a Fellowship exceedsthe limits set in A6.2. The DP16 Proposal would be considered ineligible.
DP16 (submitted), DP13 / DE16 / Yes / DP13 formal date of completion is before the DE16 Commencement Date. If both the DP16 and DE16 proposals were successful, only one Project as a CI and one Award will be funded concurrently.
DP16 (submitted), DP15 / IN16 / No / DP15 and DP16 formal dates of completion are after the IN16 Commencement Date. Three Projects as a CI would exceed the limits set out in A6.2.
FL10 / DP16 x 2 / Yes / FL10 formal date of completion is before the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if both DP16 Proposals are successful.
FL10, DP14 / DP16 / Yes / FL10 formal date of completion is before the DP16 Commencement Date. DP14 formal date of completion isafter the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if the DP16 Proposal is successful.
FL11, DP14 / DP16 / No / FL11 and DP14 formal dates of completion are after the DP16 Commencement Date. Two Projects as a CI and a Fellowship exceedsthe limits set in A6.2. The DP16 Proposal would be considered ineligible.
FL15 (submitted) / DP16 x 2 / Yes / Due to A6.2.6, the FL15 Proposal does not count towards the limits set in A6.2 until awarded. The two DP16 proposals will be allowed to proceed through the assessment process and will not be considered ineligible due to Project/Proposal limits. If the FL15 and two DP16 proposals are successful, the limits set in A6.2 must be met and one of the DP16 Projects must be relinquished (under subsection A6.2.6).
FL15 (submitted), DP14 / DP16 / Yes / DP14 formal date of completion isafter the DP16 Commencement Date.Due to A6.2.6, the FL15 Proposal does not count towards the limits set in A6.2 until awarded. The DP16 proposal will be allowed to proceed through the assessment process and will not be considered ineligible due to Project /Proposal limits. If the FL15 and DP16 proposalare both successful, the limits set in A6.2 must be met and one of the DP Projects must be relinquished (under subsection A6.2.6).
FL15 (submitted), DP12, FT11 / DP16 x 2 / Yes / FT11 and DP12 formal dates of completion are before the DP16 Commencement Date. Due to A6.2.6, the FL15 Proposal does not count towards the limits set in A6.2 until awarded. The two DP16 proposals will be allowed to proceed through the assessment process and will not be considered ineligible. If the FL15 and two DP16 proposals are successful, the limits set in A6.2 will be exceeded and one of the DP16 Projects must be relinquished (under subsection A6.2.6).
FL15 (submitted), DP14, FT12 / DP16 / No / FT12 and DP14 formal dates of completion are after the DP16 Commencement Date. Two Projects as a CI and a Fellowship exceeds the limits set in A6.2. The DP16 Proposal would be considered ineligible.
Note:Due to A6.2.6, the FL15 Proposal does not count towards the limits set in A6.2 until awarded. It will be allowed to proceed through the assessment process and will not be considered ineligible due to Project/Proposal limits. If the FL15 is successful the limits set in A6.2 must be met and the FT12must be relinquished (under subsection A6.2.6).
FL15 (submitted), DP15 / DP16 / Yes / DP15 formal date of completion isafter the DP16 Commencement Date. Due to A6.2.6, the FL15 Proposal does not count towards the limits set in A6.2 until awarded. The FL15 proposal and the DP16 proposal will be allowed to proceed through the assessment process and will not be considered ineligible due to Project/Proposal limits. If the FL15 and DP16 proposalare both successful the limits set in A6.2 will be exceeded and one of the DP Projects must be relinquished (under subsection A6.2.6).
DP12, DP14 / FL15 / Yes / DP12 formal date of completion is before the FL15 Commencement Date. DP14 formal date of completion isafter the FL15 Commencement Date. Only one Project as a CI and one Fellowship will be funded concurrently if the FL15 Proposal is successful.
DP14 x 2 / FL15 / Yes / DP14 formal date of completion is after the FL15 Commencement Date. Due to A6.2.6, the FL15 Proposal does not count towards the limits set in A6.2 until awarded. The FL15 proposal will be allowed to proceed through the assessment process and will not be considered ineligible due to Project/Proposal limits. If the FL15 proposal is successful the limits set in A6.2 must be met and one of the DP Projects must be relinquished (under subsection A6.2.6).
DP14, FT11 / FL15 / Yes / FT11formal date of completion is before the FL15 Commencement Date. DP14 formal date of completion isafter the FL15 Commencement Date. Only one Project as a CI and one Fellowship will be funded concurrently if the FL15 Proposal is successful.
FT12 / FL15 / Yes / FT12 formal date of completion isafter the FL15 Commencement Date. Due to A6.2.6, the FL15 Proposal does not count towards the limits set in A6.2 until awarded. The FL15 proposal will be allowed to proceed through the assessment process and will not be considered ineligible due to Project/Proposal limits. If the FL15 proposal is successful, the limits set in A6.2 must be met and the FT12 must be relinquished (under subsection A6.2.6).
CE11 / DP16 x 2 / Yes / CE11 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if bothDP16 Proposalsare successful.
CE11, DP14 / DP16 / Yes / CE11 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. DP14 formal date of completion isafter the DP16 Commencement Date.Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if theDP16 Proposal is successful.
CE14 / DP16 x 2 / Yes / CE14 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if both Proposalsare successful.
CE14, DP14 / DP16 / Yes / CE14 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. DP14 formal date of completion isafter the DP16 Commencement Date.Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if theDP16 Proposal is successful.
IC13, DP13 / DP16x2 / Yes / IC13 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. DP13 formal date of completion isbefore the DP16 Commencement Date.Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if bothDP16 Proposals are successful.
IC13, DP12, FL15 (submitted) / DP16x2 / Yes / IC13 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. DP12 formal date of completion is before the DP16 Commencement Date.Due to A6.2.6, the FL15 Proposal does not count towards the limits set in A6.2 until awarded. The FL15 Proposal andthe two DP16 proposals will be allowed to proceed through the assessment process and will not be considered ineligible due to Project/Proposal limits. If the FL15 and two DP16 proposals are successful the limits set in A6.2 will be exceeded and one of the DP16 Projects must be relinquished (under subsection A6.2.6).
IC13, DP14 / IN16 / Yes / IC13 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. DP14 formal date of completion is after the IN16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if the IN16 Proposal is successful.
IC15 (submitted), DP14 / DP16 / Yes / IC15 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. DP14 formal date of completion is after the DP16 Commencement Date. Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if theDP16 Proposal is successful.
IH12, DP13 / DP16x2 / Yes / IH12 does not count towards limits set in A6.2. DP13 formal date of completion isbefore the DP16 Commencement Date.Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if theDP16 Proposal is successful.
IH14 (submitted), DP15 / DP16 / Yes / IH14 doesnot count towards limits set in A6.2. DP15 formal date of completion isafter the DP16 Commencement Date.Only two Projects as a CI will be funded concurrently if aDP16 Proposal is successful.

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