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ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security
Selection Report

Overview
Selection process
Selection criteria
Funding levels and duration
National Research Priorities
Summary of Outcomes
Partnerships and leverage
Scheme budget

Overview

The ARC's Special Research Initiatives (SRI)scheme is part of the National Competitive Grants Program. The key objective of the SRI scheme is to support high-quality research which will assist in advancing Australia's research excellence to be globally competitive and deliver benefits to the community. This extends, but is not limited, to supporting research-related activities which will respond to emerging opportunities or changing priorities.

On 4 September 2006, the ARC issued a Call for Proposals under the SRI scheme for an ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security, for funding commencing in 2007. The purpose of this Initiative was to establish an ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security which promotes the following objectives:

  1. undertaking highly innovative research at the forefront of developments within areas of national importance, with a scale and a focus leading to outstanding international and national recognition;
  2. enhancing the scale and focus of research in designated National Research Priorities in particular the designated National Research Priority 4: Safeguarding Australia.
  3. promoting research that will enhance Australia’s future economic, social and cultural wellbeing;
  4. linking existing Australian research strengths and building new capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems;
  5. building Australia's human capacity in a range of research areas by attracting, from within Australia and abroad, researchers of high international standing as well as the most promising research students;
  6. providing high-quality postgraduate and postdoctoral training environments for the next generation of researchers in innovative and internationally competitive research;
  7. offering Australian researchers access to world-class infrastructure and equipment, and to key research technologies;
  8. developing relationships and building new networks with major international Centres and research programs that help achieve global competitiveness and recognition for Australian research; and
  9. establishing a Centre of such repute in the wider community that it will serve as a point of interaction among higher education institutions, Governments, industry and the private sector generally.

Selection process

The ARC and a Selection Advisory Committee established by the ARC in February 2007:

  • assigned independent readers/assessors of international standing to review proposals;
  • sought applicants' comments on assessors' reports;
  • ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposal, the assessors' reports and applicants’ responses to these assessments;
  • shortlisted two proposals for interviews; 
  • on the basis of all assessments, applicant's comments and the findings of the interviews, assessed and ranked the proposals;
  • recommended a budget for the top ranked proposal; and
  • prepared a funding recommendation for submission to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ARC.

Selection criteria

Assessment of proposals for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security was based on the following criteria:

  1. the nature and merit of the proposal in relation to the objective of the SRI scheme and the additional objectives specified for the specific initiative (see Overview above), taking into consideration:
     
    i. the goals of the proposal;
    ii. the method and approach proposed to be adopted;
    iii. expected results; and
    iv. value for money and budget justification, including where appropriate any cash or in-kind financial contributions to be made from non-ARC sources;
     
  2. the parties who are to be involved in and associated with the project, including their track record relative to opportunities and their capacity to undertake the proposed activities; and
  3. the relevance of the proposal to issues of national significance and importance.

The ARC's CEO considered the recommendations of the Selection Advisory Committee before making recommendations to the Minister who, in accordance with the ARC Act, determined the funding outcome.

Funding levels and duration

Funding for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security may be awarded for up to five years, subject to parliamentary appropriations and the provisions of the Australian Research Council Act 2001 (the ARC Act). Funding of up to $2,000,000 per annum averaged over the life of the project is available to the Centre.

National Research Priorities

Within this round, ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security proposals were required to demonstrate that the proposed Centre could enhance collaboration in the National Research Priority area of "Safeguarding Australia". All five of the proposals considered were identified by their proponents as addressing this National Research Priority. This represents 100% of proposals considered.  

Table 1 - Approved funding for ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security by National Research Priority
Priority Area Proposals received Proposals recommended Success rate Indicative funds over project life
None
-
-
-
-
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
-
-
-
-
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
-
-
-
-
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
-
-
-
-
Safeguarding Australia
5
1
20%
 $10,000,000
Total priority proposals
5
1
20%
 $10,000,000
% within priority areas
100%
100%
100%

Summary of Outcomes

In this round, the ARC received a total of five proposals, seeking $48,378,550 of ARC funds. The proposal submitted by Griffith University was approved for funding commencing in 2007, with an overall indicative ARC commitment of $10,000,000 over the project life (financial years 2006-07 to 2011-12). The four proposals submitted by the remaining four universities were unsuccessful.

Table 2 - Numbers of approved proposals and success rates for ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security by discipline group
Discipline Group* Proposals received Proposals recommended Success rate Requested funds over project life Indicative funds over project life
BSB
-
-
-
-
-
EE
-
-
-
-
-
HCA
5
1
20%
 $10,000,000 $10,000,000
MIC
-
-
-
-
-
PCG
-
-
-
-
-
SBE
-
-
-
-
-
Total
5
1
20%
 $10,000,000 $10,000,000

*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EE = Engineering and Environmental Sciences; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; MIC = Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences; PCG = Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences

Partnerships and leverage

The total cash contribution of the partner organisations to the funded proposal is $4,430,000 over five years. This cash contribution has been committed by Australian partner universities and Commonwealth and State Governments through police and forensic services. The total in-kind contribution of the partner organisations to the proposal recommended for funding is $10,486,235 over five years. This in-kind contribution has been committed by Australian and international partner universities and Commonwealth and State Governments through police and forensic services. Table 3 shows the partner organisation contributions for the funded proposal.

Table 3 - Partner organisation contributions for ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security, by sector
Sector   Cash
$		 In-kind
$		 Total
$
University        
Australian   3,000,000 7,219,712 10,219,712
International   - 648,105 648,105
  Total University 3,000,000 7,867,817 10,867,817
Government        
State, Territory and Local   705,000 1,392,000 2,097,000
Commonwealth   725,000 1,226,418 1,951,418
  Total Government 1,430,000 2,618,418 4,048,418
Total   4,430,000 10,486,235 14,916,235

For the successful proposal, the ARC is expected to contribute $10,000,000 and partner organisations have pledged $14,916,235 over the life of the project. This represents $1.49 from partner organisations for every dollar funded from the ARC.

Scheme budget

Table 4 shows the allocations for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security proposal approved for funding commencing in 2007.

Table 4 - Allocations for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security for funding commencing in 2007, by financial year

*subject to funding availability and fu

  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10* 2010-11* 2011-12* Total
Total $1,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $10,000,000

nding caps and splits

 

Content Last Modified:

3/5/07