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National Competitive Grants Program
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National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP)
The ARC funds research and researchers under the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP). As part of its commitment to nurturing the creative abilities and skills of Australia's most promising researchers, the NCGP provides:
- support for the highest-quality research leading to the discovery of new ideas and the advancement of knowledge
- financial assistance towards facilities and equipment that researchers need to be internationally competitive
- support for the training and skills development of the next generation of researchers
- incentives for Australia’s most talented researchers to work in partnership with leading researchers throughout the national innovation system and internationally, and to form alliances with Australian industry.
The NCGP comprises two main elements - Discovery and Linkage - under which the ARC funds a range of complementary schemes to support researchers at different stages of their careers, build Australia’s research capability, expand and enhance research networks and collaborations, and develop centres of research excellence.
A major component of Linkage is the ARC Centres scheme, which brings together leading researchers from around the world to work collaboratively on specific research problems. The Centres scheme is administered independently of the other components of Discovery and Linkage.
Administration of the NCGP is usually scheme-based and across the following inter-disciplinary groupings:
- Biological Sciences and Biotechnology
- Engineering Mathematics and Informatics
- Humanities and Creative Arts
- Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
- Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences
Funding recommendations are made to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research by the CEO following independent and extensive competitive peer review by Australian and international experts.
Discovery
- Australian Laureate Fellowships
- Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development
- Discovery Projects
- Future Fellowships
- Super Science Fellowships
Linkage
- Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
- Linkage Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects
- Linkage Projects
Centres
Special Research Initiatives
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security
- Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART)
- Anglo-Australian Observatory Fellowship (AAO Fellowships)
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
- Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology
- Stem Cell Science
- Thinking Systems
