ENVIRONMENT
of the Australian Government’s investment in research and innovation and a key investor in the higher education sector together with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and university research block funding. The ARC provides approximately $780 million in research funding through the NCGP each year, which represents approximately 8.2 per cent of the Australian Government’s investment in research and development. In the coming year, the ARC will undertake a review of ERA and EI to ensure that it continues to meet the need for a robust evaluation of Australian university research quality, impact and engagement. An external expert advisory committee will provide advice on key issues, including ways to simplify and streamline the programs, and opportunities to adopt developments in technology and big data. The ERA and EI review will ensure that the programs continue to reflect world’s best practice. The ARC will also work with universities through 2020–21 and beyond to implement the updated Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC 2020) in its NCGP, ERA and EI programs. ANZSRC 2020 was released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Stats NZ on 30 June 2020 and was the outcome of a collaborative review project between the ABS, Stats NZ, ARC, and the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The ARC is enhancing its research management system for the benefit of all users and, as an adjunct to this, has expanded its capacity to offer research grants services, which will enable it to provide research grants administration for other government and non-government entities for whom research administration is not core business. This is consistent with whole of Australian Government grants administration initiatives. The service will facilitate the delivery of grants that are research related and may require a peer review process. The service will allow others to use the ARC’s mature and effective processes to support research grant programs relying on the ARC’s robust arrangements to provide efficiency and assurance for the Australian Government.
The ARC operates as a significant contributor and participant in the global research system, and its work is influenced by a range of environmental factors including national and international economic conditions, technological change, policy developments, research trends and stakeholder activities. The ARC’s capability to deliver the NCGP and the ERA and EI assessments relies upon the ARC’s peer review process, effective stakeholder engagement, and information and communication technology (ICT) expertise. The ARC’s peer review process ensures that the best quality research grant applications are recommended to the Minister for funding. The peer review process relies on subject matter experts, many of whom are recognised for their national and international professional standing, and who provide comprehensive advice on complex and highly specialised research topics. The ARC works closely with the university sector and a range of Australian research and innovation sector stakeholders in the development and delivery of its activities to ensure that it is responsive to the ongoing needs of universities, government and the community. A major issue for the ARC, like all Australian government agencies and the broader community, in 2020 and in future years, is the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ARC acted quickly to introduce flexibility and streamlining of its post award processes to support researchers and administrators working on projects that have been impacted by COVID-19. These arrangements seek to provide a balance between the ARC’s accountability for expenditure of public money and easing the burden on researchers and research offices. The ARC has also implemented measures to take into account the impact of COVID-19 on the careers of researchers. The agency will continue to monitor the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on researchers and institutions and make further modifications as needed. The role of the ARC is unique in Australia as it is responsible for funding excellence across the spectrum of research from basic to applied and across all disciplines. It is a vital component
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Australian Research Council / CORPORATE PLAN 2020–21
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