Discovery Projects
Critical Dates
**PLEASE NOTE NEW TWO-STAGE PROCESS IN DP25**
- Monday 30 October 2023
Release of 2025 Grant Guidelines
- 12-1pm, Tuesday 28 November 2023
- 1-2pm Wednesday 29 November 2023
- Monday 22 January 2024
DP25 EOI scheme opens
- 12pm - 1pm daily, Monday 22 January 2024 - Tuesday 30 January 2024
- 5pm Wednesday 31 January 2024
Review-ready DP25 EOI applications due to RIC (optional process)
Upload/submit your PDF DPEI25 via the Qualtrics form
Opt-ins for UoM mock panel process also via the same Qualtrics form - details below, under "How to apply"
- Thursday 8 February 2024
DP25 EOI Request Not to Assess due to RIC
- Tuesday 13 February 2024
DP25 EOI Request Not to Assess due to ARC
- 5pm Wednesday 21 February 2024
Final DP25 EOI Stage Applications due to RIC - **MANDATORY**
Upload/submit your PDF DPEI25 via the Qualtrics form
- Tuesday 27 February 2024
DP25 EOI Stage Applications due to ARC
- Monday 8 April 2024 to Wednesday 10 April 2024
DP25 EOI Outcomes Announced
- Thursday 11 April 2024
DP25 Full Applications open
- Tuesday 4 June 2024
DP25 Full Applications close
- Wednesday 7 August 2024 to Tuesday 20 August 2024
DP25 Rejoinders
- Wednesday 20 November 2024 to Friday 29 November 2024
DP25 Outcomes Announced
Overview
The ARC Discovery Projects scheme provides grant funding to support research projects that may be undertaken by both individual researchers or research teams.
The Discovery Projects aims to:
- Support excellent basic and applied research and research training by individuals and teams
- Support national and international research collaboration
- Enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas.
KEY CHANGES TO 2025 ROUND
ARC Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2025 (DP25) will run in a two-stage application process:
- An Expression of Interest (EOI) stage which comprises of a shorter application including ROPE for all Chief Investigators (CI) and Partner Investigators (PI) and a two-page project description.
- A full application stage, where shortlisted applicants are invited to submit.
EOI stage criteria are based on Investigator/Capability (30%) and Project Quality and Innovation (70%).
EOIs will be assessed by three ARC College of Expert (CoE) members. Following a moderation process, highly-ranked projects will be invited to submit a full proposal. Applicants should note that CoE members, not detailed assessors will rank EOI applications, and pitch the EOI accordingly.
Please note that the ROPE sections cannot be changed from EOI to full proposal stage. This means that project teams cannot be changed from EOI to full proposal stage. Applicants invited to a full proposal will have the ROPE section automatically populated.
Project eligibility limits still apply, and will be considered at the EOI stage.
NITS, Medical Research Policy, and Budget sections will appear at the Full Application stage only.
FUNDING
The scheme provides a minimum of $30,000 and a maximum of $500,000 of funding per year for up to five consecutive years. Project costs can be used to hire research personnel (inc. HDR students), teaching relief, travel, field research, equipment, maintenance (inc. consumables), and other expenses (inc. dissemination costs and workshops). See Section 5 of the Discovery Program Grant Guidelines for further details.
NATIONAL INTEREST TEST (NIT) (Full Application stage only)
The National Interest Test (NIT) Statement is a requirement in all applications for funding under the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP). The purpose of the NIT is to demonstrate the societal benefits (economic, commercial, environmental, social, or cultural) of the proposed research beyond the academic community. The audience of the NIT is the general public—a different audience than the Application Project Summary, whose audience is the applicant’s peers.
The NIT statement should address the following considerations in a single cohesive statement:
- What is the project about and what research gap is it addressing for Australia?
- How could the research benefit Australians (economically, socially, environmentally, commercially, or culturally)?
- How might you promote your research outcomes beyond academia to maximise understanding, translation, use, and adoption of the research in the future?
It is an ARC requirement that your NIT Statement is certified by the DVC-R prior to the submission of your application. The review and approval of your NIT Statement will be administered by your Faculty. NIT Statements will only be required if progressing to the Full Application stage.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The assessment criteria for the EOI stage are:
- Investigator(s)/Capability: 30%
- Project quality and innovation: 70%
The assessment criteria for the full application stage are:
- Investigator(s)/ Capability: 30%
- Project Quality and Innovation: 45%
- Benefit:15%
- Feasibility:10%
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible as a Chief Investigator on a 2025 Discovery Project (DP25) you must, at 1 January 2025 (and if successful, for the project activity period):
a. be an employee for at least 0.2 FTE at an Eligible Organisation; or
b. be a holder of an honorary academic appointment at an Eligible Organisation.
Honorary academic appointment for eligibility purposes means any honorary position that gives full academic status, as certified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent in the application. The researcher must have access to research support comparable to employees, e.g. an emeritus appointment. The researcher is not eligible to be a Chief investigator using their honorary academic appointment if they are employed by an organisation other than an Eligible Organisation for more than 0.2 FTE.
If you wish to apply as a Chief Investigator and you hold an Honorary appointment (with no more than 0.2 FTE paid appointment at an organisation other than an Eligible Organisation) and please contact ric-arcdiscovery@unimelb.edu.au as soon as possible to arrange DVCR certification.
ACTIVE PROJECT AND ACTIVE PROJECTS ASSESSMENT DATE
The key dates for the DP25 round are:
DP25 Funding Commencement Date: 1 January 2025
DP25 Active Project Assessment Date: 1 July 2025
The Active Project Assessment Date is important as it is used to assess applicant's cross-scheme eligibility, i.e. whether they have been named on too many ARC applications and projects to be eligible for further DE funding. Both Active Projects (as per the definition below) and projects under assessment are considered.
An Active Project refers to an ARC project that is receiving funding according to the terms of the original Funding Agreement, has any carryover funds approved by the ARC, or has an approved variation to the project’s end date. If a project has carried forward any funding or its end date has changed, the new end date determines if the project is active. Active projects can be viewed via the applicant's RMS profile by selecting Person Profile > Current ARC Projects> End Date. Projects with Final Reports due are not considered active projects.
The ARC will calculate active projects upon the submission of proposals (and may calculate them again as other scheme rounds’ announcements are made and End of Year Reports are submitted).
You can participate in a maximum of two Discovery Program projects at the same time. Accordingly, you can apply for a DE25 while holding two DPs that end prior to 1 July 2025, but you cannot start the DE25 until at least one of the DPs has been completed, one DP has been relinquished, or your role on one DP has been relinquished.
For the 2025 round of Discovery Projects, all CIs must meet the following criteria on 1 July 2025:
Grant Guide Section 4.20: "A named participant can be concurrently funded through the Discovery Program for a maximum of:
a. two projects as a CI; or
b. one ARC Fellowship and one project as a CI; or
c. one ARC Fellowship or project if the individual is also a Director on an active ARC Centre of Excellence and/or a Special Research Initiative project."
Applicants should review all limits on projects themselves. See 4.18–4.24 (pages 7–8) of the Grant Guidelines.
If you or any of the CIs listed on your project have two active projects as of 1 July 2025, please contact RIC-arcdiscovery@unimelb.edu.au to discuss either formally amending your end date or arranging a project or role relinquishment through a variation.
If are unsure whether you or any of the CIs listed on your project meet the eligibility requirements, please contact RIC-arcdiscovery@unimelb.edu.au for clarification.
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Research outputs must first be added to an applicant's ARC Research Management System (RMS) profile before they can be selected for inclusion on an application. The University's recommended approach is to export research outputs from Elements as a BibTeX file and then import this file into RMS to achieve best data integrity. For help with this process or with Elements, please contact your Faculty Research Office or research-outputs@unimelb.edu.au.
Further resources to assist with managing Research Outputs are available below under Supporting documents > Research Outputs.
REQUEST NOT TO ASSESS
Please note the Request to Assess process will only occur at the EOI stage.
If you have a conflict of interest with a researcher from an external institution it is possible to request that they not be considered as a potential detailed assessor for your application. More details about this can be found on the ARC Request Not to Assess webpage.
How to apply
Submit a Notice of Intent (NOI)
The NOI should be completed early so that the RIC has the CIA's contact details.
Update RMS profile
All CIs and PIs must obtain access to RMS and update their profile information (see RMS information)
Review documentation
Review the Discovery Project 2025 Grant Guidelines, Instructions to Applicants and the FAQs (when available). These documents can be found under ARC Documents and Resources below.
Complete the draft application in RMS
Log in to RMS and complete the draft application.
Submit 'Review ready' application to RIC
- RIC compliance and eligibility review
- Written feedback from a mock ARC-style panel
- Mock assessors zoom session (“fly-on-the-wall” experience a mock ARC assessor meeting and brainstorming with panel members and fellow applicants)
Application review
Two RIC staff members will review the application and provide the applicant with feedback via email.
Complete the application
After taking feedback from the RIC team into consideration, complete the application in RMS. It is suggested advice is sought from colleagues, faculty mentors, etc. before finalising the application.
Final submission
On the final application due date to RIC, the applicant must:
- Submit final application by clicking ‘Submit to Research Office’ in RMS
- Create a PDF of your application in RMS, ensuring it states 'Submitted to Research Office' in the footer.
- Lodge your PDF via Qualtrics form.
Note that Authority to Submit forms are not required at the EOI stage for DP25.
RIC will submit the application to ARC
Once the application has been submitted to ARC, you will receive an email from RIC confirming submission.
Please note that the Qualtrics form has replaced the process of emailing RIC your review-ready application PDF.
If you wish to receive a RIC compliance and eligibility review, you can indicate this on the form and attach/upload a PDF copy of your RMS EIDP25 application.
In addition to the standard compliance and eligibility review provided by RIC, a new "mock ARC panel review" initiative is being offered for the EIDP25 round.
You will be asked on the form for your voluntary participation in any/all of the below:
All components of the EOI application should be complete when submitting for RIC review. Because some parts of the application are auto-populated from the profile, review-ready drafts should have complete, up-to-date profiles for all personnel in RMS.
*A 'review ready' draft application
- RMS Profile for all personnel
- Section A – Administrative Summary
- Section B - Classifications/Statistical Info
- Section C - Project Eligibility
- Section D – Project Description
- Section E - Project Cost
- Section F - Participant Details Including ROPE
Supporting documents
ARC Documents and Resources
EOI DOCS
- DP25 Discovery Projects Grant Guidelines 2023 - updated 20/11/2023
- DP25 Summary of Changes - Discovery Projects Grant Guidelines 2023 - updated 20/11/2023
- DPEI25 EOI Instructions to Applicants - updated 14/02/2024
- DPEI25 EOI Sample Form - updated 22/01/2024
- DPEI25 EOI Frequently Asked Questions
- DPEI25 EOI Important Dates
FULL APPLICATION DOCS
- DP25 Preliminary Instructions to Applicants - updated 25/01/2024
- DP25 Preliminary Sample Form - updated 25/01/2024
GENERAL DOCS
- ARC Discovery Projects webpage
- ARC College of Experts
- ARC Medical Research Policy
- ARC Science and Research Priorities webpage
- RMS User Guide - Requesting and Maintaining an RMS Account June 2022 (Version 3)
- RMS User Guide - Submitting an Application in RMS Sep 2022 (Version 3)
- RMS User Guide - Submitting a Request Not to Assess Aug 2021 (Version 3)
RIC Documents and Resources
EOI DOCS
- Register a NOI (Notice of Intent Submission)
- UoM Grants Library of Successful Applications
- DP25 Part B3 Research Load Template
- DP25 EOI Top Ten Tips for Final Submission (updated 19/02/2024)
- DP25 EOI RIC Applicant Guide (updated 25/01/2024 - Version 4)
- DP25 EOI RIC Advice for PIs (updated 25/01/2024 - Version 2)
- 2024 College of Experts Members - FOR division (updated 23/01/2024)
GENERAL DOCS
- DP24 RIC Authority to Submit form (to be updated)
- DP24 RIC Top Tips for Eligibility (to be updated)
- DP24 Salary Scales and Budget Preparation (to be updated)
National Interest Test (NIT)
- ARC National Interest Test statement (NIT) website
- ARC National Interest Test statement (NIT) samples
- NITS Writing Workshop slides and recording 7/11/2023 (UoM login required)
Research Outputs
- RMS User Guide - Research Outputs Sep 2021 (Version 6) and Q&A
- UoM Research Outputs and the ARC (see step by step instructions and video)
- UoM Manage your research outputs
- UoM Research Impact Library Advisory Service (RILAS)
Seminars
- RIC and CRE seminar - Advice for DP ROPE 19/02/2024 - slides and recording and Q&A
- RIC seminar - DP25 Webinar on Major Changes - slides and recording
- ARC 'How to Pitch an EOI Webinar' - slides and recording
- Writing an ARC NIT Statement Seminar 25/01/2023 (video and slides)
- RIC Discovery Projects Seminar 15/12/2022 (video and slides)
- RIC Discovery Projects Seminar 7/04/2022 (slides)
- GaRDeN Development Sessions 2021 Developing a Great Discovery Project Team and Grant Camp Sessions
Rejoinders
- ARC Rejoinders website
- ARC Rejoinder Assessment Review Request Form
- RMS User Guide - Submitting a Rejoinder Aug 2021 (Version 4)
- UoM Rejoinder fact sheet 01 March 2022
Note on rejoinders: Assessor comments should only include details on Project quality and innovation, Impact, Investigator(s’) capability and quality of team and Strength of the proposed research alliance. Assessors should not be commenting on Eligibility and Compliance. If you identify an assessment that contains inappropriate elements, you can have this reviewed by the ARC. You can do this by completing an ARC Assessment Review Request form within 3 working days after the opening of the Rejoinder period. Please note that applicants should never contact the ARC directly. Always speak to your Faculty or RIC first.
Contacts
- Questions and primary email
- ric-arcdiscovery@unimelb.edu.au
Key contacts
Leah Sullivan | +61 3 8344 2012 |
Carrie Liang | +61 3 8344 0440 |