Research funding for Faculty staff

The Faculty Research Fund covers a variety of research related activities within the Faculty. It is available - through an application process - to support the direct costs of staff research. Special conditions apply to Post Doctoral Fellows.

The Faculty Research Committee is responsible for the overview of the policy and guidelines of all funding schemes. The allocation of funds to various projects within individual schemes is the responsibility of the Research Resourcing Sub-committee - a sub-committee of the Faculty Research Committee. Here is a summary of the funding distributed in 2005-2006.

Available grants

Dissemination Grant

The Dissemination Grant is supported by the Faculty Research Fund and is available to Faculty staff. The maximum funding is $2,000 in any one year.

The aim of this funding is to support the costs of disseminating research via publication in a DEEWR (formerly DEST) recognised format. Funding may be used to:

1. support the final production of a manuscript (e.g. editing or indexing costs, purchase of photos); or
2. subsidise a book or journal article which requires part of the production costs to be borne by the author; or
3. allow an individual to buy themselves time to write up work for a DEEWR recognised publication. This item is available to EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS. Only one application for writing up, per staff member, will be accepted.

Engagement Grant

The Engagement Grant is supported by the Faculty Research Fund and only Faculty staff are eligible to apply. The maximum funding is $3,000 per project.

The time line for completion of all claims from the approved fund is 30 November in the year funding is allocated. A carry forward of unexpended funds to the following year is not automatic.

The aim of this funding is for a group of substantively aligned staff to support the set-up costs and initial research activity of an industry or international collaboration. This group and its activity must be clearly oriented towards the specific research project which should, ultimately, be developed as an application for external research funding. e.g., the initial network development and negotiations involved in establishing an industry partnership, like the ARC Linkage projects on teaching standards or international projects that involve cross-national comparisons or investigations involving other researchers or research partners outside Australia.

Monash Small Grant

This grant replaces the former ARC small grants scheme. This scheme is part of the Faculty Research Fund and is administered by the Faculty Research Committee. Academic staff are eligible to apply. The funding limits are $5,000 to $15,000 and the awards are for one year. Applications close at the end of August each year - to be operational in the following year.

Application forms (original plus one) should be submitted to the Faculty Research Office by the closing date. All applications are assessed by internal and external assessors and final decisions are made by the Faculty Research Committee. Successful applicants are required to submit a final report to the Faculty Research Office within three months following the year in which funding was allocated.

Staff considering submitting Monash Small Grants scheme are strongly advised to consult with the Associate Dean (Research) for feedback on the application prior to submission (and to do this early).

ARC Near-Miss Funding

In 2008, $10,000 has been allocated in the Research Committee budget to offer grants to staff whose ARC Discovery Project applications are noted to be between the top 10% and top 25% of unsuccessful grants. The funding will be split between applications classified as such by the ARC. The funding can be used to support researchers with items such as: travel costs associated with the project, including fostering and strengthening collaborations with Partner Investigators and other external Chief Investigators, research assistance, etc. The applicant must be able to demonstrate how the funding will make their ARC application more competitive. The funding will be allocated following the release of ARC results in October 2008.

ARC Link-Assist

The Monash University Link Assist Fund 2008 provides development funds for ARC Linkage Project applications for Round 1 or 2. The Fund aims to assist researchers in the preparation of high quality ARC Linkage Project applications by supporting the development of strong collaborations with partner organisations.  The purpose of this Fund is to provide funding to support researchers with items such as: travel costs associated with the project, including fostering and strengthening collaborations, research assistance and external/internal readership or other. The applicant must be able to demonstrate how the funding will make their ARC Linkage Project application more competitive. The Faculty will provide matching funds on notification from the University that they have awarded a grant.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research by Early Career Researchers

The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research by Early Career Researchers aims to recognise, reward and encourage excellent early career researchers (ECR) at the Faculty of Education. The Award will recognise research excellence by early career researchers who are within ten years of the start of their research careers when they submit their applications.

Special Conditions for Post Doctoral Fellows

As Postdoctoral Fellows are already specifically funded to undertake their research project, funding will not be awarded for research assistance to support them in doing so. However, they are eligible to apply for additional costs such as travel, photocopying and consumables. Postdoctoral Fellows are also eligible to apply for a dissemination grant for support in publishing substantial publications (e.g. books).

However, if Postdoctoral Fellows wish to apply for grants in partnership with Faculty staff for: Staff Research Projects; Engagement Grants or Monash Small Grants, then the conditions as outlined in the guidelines apply.