Anonymous #21

Name (Individual/Organisation)

Anonymous #21

Responses

Q7. What improvements could be made:

(a) to ARC processes to promote excellence, improve agility, and better facilitate globally collaborative research and partnerships while maintaining rigour, excellence and peer review at an international standard?

(b) to the ARC Act to give effect to these process improvements, or do you suggest other means?

Please include examples of success or best practice from other countries or communities if you have direct experience of these.

I have applied for a DECRA twice. The ARC application process is extremely burdensome and often disadvantages HASS scholars. The length of time taken on application paperwork could be better spent on doing the research itself or writing a publication. Despite the high salaries for DECRA recipients (compared to UK and parts of North America), it is an unattractive scheme to overseas scholars because of the onerous application and lack of guaranteed opportunities after the project.

I suggest the following improvements:

- A much shorter application, especially in the project description section and ROPE. The British Academy and Leverhulme awards in the UK require much simpler and shorter applications. Alternatively, an expression of interest stage that would require a short project description and CV.

- Separate HASS and STEM (or even smaller divisions) awards. This would properly recognise that different disciplines produce and receive research differently and ensure that a significant number of HASS projects are funded each year, especially at DECRA level. Both the UK and US have several discipline specific research councils funding work, as well as schemes for any discipline and interdisciplinary work.

Submission received

06 December 2022

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