Each panel is presented with a total budget. The panel ranks applications on the basis of assessments. The budget is distributed according to the ranking until exhaustion. Panel ratings can differ from the average assessor ratings for several well-defined reasons, e.g., assessor reports which are clearly inconsistent with other reports are discounted, the opinion of assessors with an apparent bias, one way or another, toward the application are ignored, the rejoinders of the applicants justify modification of the ratings. There are no quotas for particular disciplines.
Selection is entirely on merit.
The arbitration process for each category is in two steps a uniform quota from each panel's ranking is adopted, each panel then presents its two next best candidates and the committee decides relative ranking after extensive discussion. This procedure is repeated until the required number of candidates and reserves has been selected. Commentary The RGC and RTTC panels work in close coordination in the April meeting but their responsibilities are more clearly separated in the August meeting. The guidelines for fellowships, other than QEIIs, allow preference for Australian citizens and permanent residents. At the SRF level preference may also be given to current ARC Fellows and applicants not holding tenured positions in Australia.