Biodiversity

Australian Biological Resources Study

Grants

ABRS National Taxonomy Research Grant Program

The 2010/2011 grants round is NOW OPEN.

Applications close 20 November 2009.

To enquire about grant conditions or applications please contact the Business Manager or the Director.

For information about grant conditions or applications:

See below for further general information or please contact the Business Manager or the Director.

The Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) National Taxonomy Research Grant Program provides grants for taxonomic research. Grants are awarded for research projects where the primary aim is to undertake taxonomic research on the Australian biota or to develop products that aid in the dissemination of taxonomic information. The program also supports projects that build Australian taxonomic capacity.

A revised ABRS National Taxonomy Research Grant Program to better meet national needs

In April 2008, the ABRS Advisory Committee recommended restructuring of the National Taxonomy Research Grant Program both to increase the pool of funds available to support high priority research and to streamline administration of available funding. The new model, which is endorsed by the Advisory Committee and came into effect in the 2009/2010 grants round, is designed to:

Features

The program features:

Benefits of the new program

Types of Grants

The grant program features two streams of funding — Research Grants and Capacity-Building Grants. Each type of grant is for a fixed annual amount of funding.

Grant Application Forms

There is one form for Research Grants and one form for Capacity-Building Grants. Guidelines for completing each application form are included in the same document as the application form, allowing for step-by-step instructions for completing the form. The guidelines in each form include conditions and requirements to be met to receive grant funding and ABRS research priorities, as well as general instructions on completing the application forms. Failure to comply with the guidelines for completing the application forms will result in disqualification of your application.

All grant recipients are subject to the terms of the ABRS Grants Conditions of Award.

Assessment Criteria and Process

Grants are approved by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts on an annual basis. The following selection processes are used to provide recommendations to the Minister on grant applications to be approved:

ABRS priority areas for grants — 2010/2011

Projects funded under the National Taxonomy Research Grant Program must be public good in focus and support the Australian Government’s National Research Priorities. Within the National Research Priorities, the following specific criteria will be used by ABRS to determine whether a project is eligible for an ABRS grant.

  1. Biodiversity, Conservation and Vulnerable and Endangered Species [Note: particular priorities have been established for the 2010/2011 round]
  2. Public, Plant and Animal Health
  3. Building Taxonomic Capacity

These criteria will be used in the 2010/2011 grants round and applicants must address one of more of these criteria within the relevant section of the application form.

Reporting

ABRS grant recipients are required to report to ABRS on the progression of their grant/s. Failure to submit a Progress Report by the due date will result in cancellation of the grant and ALL future funding.

Please note: applicants for 2010/2011 grants must have submitted all progress/final reports associated with previous ABRS grants for their application to be considered.

Reporting forms

ABRS has reviewed the timelines associated with reporting on the progress of grants and has changed reporting requirements for grants awarded from the 2009/2010 grants round onwards.

For Research grants awarded in 2008/2009 or earlier, reporting requirements remain unchanged from the requirements specified in grant agreements. This means progress/final reports are due by 15 December each year.

For Research grants awarded from 2009/2010, grantees are required to provide one Notification Report in December of the first year of the grant, a Progress Report in May of the first year of the grant and a Final Report in May of the final year of the grant. The final grant payment is linked to acceptance by ABRS of this Final Report. This will help ensure ABRS can monitor the outcomes of the grant program. This reporting requirement must be taken into account by grant applicants in planning the scope of a proposed project.

Research Grants

Capacity-Building Grants

Financial Acquittal

Note: All reporting forms are to be submitted both electronically to abrs.grants@environment.gov.au AND as hard copies.

If you are not sure what sort of grant you have or the required reporting requirements, please contact the ABRS Grants and Business Officer.

Grant year

Grant year is defined as the twelve-month period commencing on 1 July and ending on 30 June, specified in the offer of grant, during which the grant will be paid.

Grant renewals

Grants awarded prior to 2009/2010 and listed as having indicative funding do not require new applications, although future years of funding are dependant on the submission of:

Proposed changes to grants previously approved with indicative funding

When indicative funding has been allocated for a multi-year grant, any proposed change to the intended research, particularly resulting in an increased budget, must be applied for as a new application on the relevant form. Such grants will be assessed on a competitive basis with new applications, to determine if they are to be funded.

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Funding and research

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