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Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development
Selection Report for Funding Commencing in 2011

Overview

The Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development scheme aims to:

  • develop the research expertise of Indigenous Researchers who have not participated as a Chief Investigator on a project funded under any of the ARC’s other funding schemes or previously been awarded an ARC Fellowship;
  • support fundamental research and research training by Indigenous Researchers, either individually or in teams;
  • provide Indigenous Researchers with experience in the preparation of research funding proposals;
  • attract and retain established Indigenous Researchers; and
  • expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability.

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Selection Process

The closing date for Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development (DIRD) proposals was 12 May 2010. The DIRD Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) comprised of five members of the ARC’s College of Experts. The SAC considered the assessments and any responses to those assessments, ranked the proposals, and prepared funding recommendations at a selection meeting conducted on 25 August 2010.

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Selection Criteria

The assessment of proposals was based on the scheme’s selection criteria:

Investigator(s)  (40%)
Proposed project content  (40%)
Quality of the research environment and/or Mentor and/or Supervisor (20%)

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Funding Levels and Duration

DIRD proposals may be funded for up to three years subject to parliamentary appropriation.  Australian Research Fellowships - Indigenous (ARF-I) may be awarded for a duration of two or three years.  Indigenous Researcher Fellowships (IRF) may be awarded for a duration of one or two years.

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Summary of Outcomes

The ARC received twenty one proposals of which one was withdrawn after submission. Of the twenty proposals which were considered for funding commencing in 2011, nine proposals have been approved for funding.

Total approved ARC funding for 2010-11 to 2012-13 is $2,045,759 with an average funding per approved proposal of $227,307.  Five proposals are approved for funding for two years and four proposals are approved for funding for three years. Five proposals requested an ARF-I, of which three were approved for funding. Seven proposals requested an IRF, of which three were approved for funding.

The overall success rate for DIRD proposals in this round is 45 per cent which is higher than the corresponding figure for proposals considered in 2010 (39.1 per cent). Total requested funding over the financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13 was $4,108,279. Total funding for approved proposals is $2,045,759 or 49.8 per cent of the total funding requested by those proposals.

Table 1. Numbers of proposals and success rates, by discipline group

Discipline Group* Proposals Received Not Approved Approved

Success rate

BSB

1

0

1

100%

EMI

1

0

1

100%

HCA

9

6

3

33.3%

PCE

1

0

1

100%

SBE

8

5

3

37.5%

Total

20

11

9

45%

*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EMI = Engineering, Mathematics and Informatics; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; PCE = Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences

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Project Size

The following allocations are for DIRD proposals to commence in 2011:

Table 2. Approved funding allocations for funding commencing in calendar year 2011

2011 2012 2013 Total

$833,961

$844,285

$367,513

$2,045,759

The average first-year funding per approved proposal is $92,662.

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Participants

The following table shows the role and gender of participants*. Of the nine proposals approved for funding, four are led by female researchers and five are led by male researchers.

Table 3. Success rates for participants, by gender, for funding commencing in calendar years 2009 to 2011

 

Number of participants
(all proposals)

Number of participants (funded proposals)

Success rate

Year

2009

2010

2011

2009

2010

2011

2009

2010

2011

Female Chief Investigators

9

8

6

3

3

2

33.3%

37.5%

33.3%

Male Chief Investigators

8

3

3

5

1

1

62.5%

33.3%

50%

Female Australian Researcher Fellowships - Indigenous

-

3

2

-

0

0

-

0%

0%

Male Australian Researcher Fellowships - Indigenous

-

3

3

-

2

3

-

66.7%

100%

Female Indigenous Researcher Fellowships

8

5

3

1

3

2

12.5%

60%

66.7%

Male Indigenous Researcher Fellowships

0

0

4

0

0

1

0%

0%

25%

Totals

25

22

21

9

9

9

36.0%

40.9%

42.9%

* Chief Investigators, Australian Researcher Fellowships – Indigenous, and Indigenous Researcher Fellows

Table 4 shows the success rate of participants who have previously applied for, but not been awarded, funding for DIRD. This indicates that 60 per cent of proposals involving participants whose earlier proposals were unsuccessful, have been approved for funding commencing in 2011.

Table 4. Numbers and success rate for participants who have previously applied for funding under DIRD

Proposals received

20

Proposals involving participants who have applied in previous rounds

5

Approved proposals involving participants who have applied in previous rounds

3

Success rate of participants who have applied in previous rounds

60%

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Outcomes by Administering Organisation

The following table shows proposal numbers and total approved funding by Administering Organisation, for funding commencing in 2011.

Table 5. Numbers of proposals and success rates for funding commencing in 2011, by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation

Proposals received

Proposals approved

Success rate

Approved funding over project life

ACT

 

 

 

 

AIATSIS

1

0

0%

$0

The Australian National University

1

1

100%

$199,742

New South Wales

 

 

 

 

Macquarie University

1

0

0%

$0

Southern Cross University

1

0

0%

$0

The University of Newcastle

2

2

100%

$526,446

University of Technology Sydney

1

0

0%

$0

University of Western Sydney

3

2

66.7%

$415,564

University of Wollongong

1

0

0%

$0

Queensland

 

 

 

 

James Cook University

1

1

100%

$199,445

South Australia

 

 

 

 

University of South Australia

3

1

33.3%

$198,824

The University of Adelaide

1

1

100%

$105, 756

Victoria

 

 

 

 

Deakin University

1

0

0%

$0

The University of Melbourne

1

0

0%

$0

Western Australia

 

 

 

 

Curtin University

1

1

100%

$399,982

University of Western Australia

1

0

0%

$0

Total

20

9

45%

$2,045,759
Content Last Modified:

25/10/10


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