co-funded. That is, applicants must have obtained a commitment for the applicable amount of co-funding for their application to be considered Substantial Supplement Partners — the ABRS will partner with organisations or consortia interested in bringing significant funding to a area of taxonomic research to secure matching funding for that area from the NTRGP () 1.3 Programme Benefits Benefits of the Programme include: Increased support for early career researchers (including provision for retired taxonomists to mentor younger researchers through support for non-salaried researcher positions) Provision for major, national-scale investigations incorporating multiple researchers and institutions 1.4 Programme Review The ABRS undertakes periodic reviews on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Programme and adjustments to the Rules and the Application Form as necessary. The ABRS welcomes feedback from applicants and the community on the Programme. Feedback should be addressed to: Director Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA Email:
4. Eligibility The NTRGP is a competitive grant funding programme. Submission of an application, or meeting the eligibility criteria listed in these Rules, does not guarantee funding. The ABRS will assess whether an application meets the eligibility requirements listed in these Rules and may decide that an application that does not meet the requirements be deemed ineligible. The ABRS may deem an application ineligible at any stage during the review and assessment of the application, which will result in the application not progressing further. 4.1 Principal Investigators The Principal Investigator on an application must be an Australian researcher. Applications from overseas researchers as Principal Investigator will not be accepted. The Principal Investigators must be employed at least part-time by an appropriate institution (see 4.5 Host Institution for a definition of an ‘appropriate institution’) and will be the person who has scientific and intellectual responsibility for the conduct of the project. The Principal Investigator is responsible for ensuring the proposed project is conducted in accordance with the project details, project budget and in line with the timeframe associated with the application. If successful, the Principal Investigator is also responsible for ensuring that reports are completed and provided to the host institution contact for signing and submitting to the ABRS. Principal Investigators are expected to have administrative attachment to an institution in order to gain access to facilities and material from collections. The normal criterion for ‘attached’ is that the Principal Investigator is on an institution’s payroll or is affiliated with an institution and intends to nominate that institution to administer the grant funds for the project. Researchers who have completed a minimum of a masters degree may apply for a Research Grant as Principal Investigator however, they cannot apply for a Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant. 4.2 Postgraduate Students as Principal Investigator Postgraduate students are not able to apply as Principal Investigator. The ABRS funds scholarships for Honours, Masters and PhD students through the stream. 4.3 Joint Investigators A Joint Investigator is anyone else who is making a major contribution to the proposed project, including a Postdoctoral Fellow who is to be employed partially or fully by the grant. Investigators can be Australian or overseas researchers.
6. Permits and Ethics 6.1 Permits All collecting activities carried out as part of research funded or otherwise supported by the ABRS must be undertaken in full compliance with the laws and regulations of the States and Territories of the Commonwealth of Australia. are substantial fines for illegal collecting in most States and Territories. A range of authorities in each of the States and Territories is responsible for the issue of permits for biological collection. Relevant information may be obtained from the leading wildlife management agency, museum or herbarium in each State or Territory, which should be consulted, in any case, as part of the planning process. 6.2 Genetic Resources A permit is required to collect biological samples for genetic/biochemical research in Commonwealth (including Commonwealth marine waters and Commonwealth biological collections). There are similar requirements in Queensland and the Northern Territory, and other States are considering the introduction of such measures. Contact details for each of the State and Territory management authorities can be seen at: . 6.3 Lodging of Specimens and Digital Records All specimens collected and digital records created in relation to the ABRS grant funded projects must be offered for lodgment with a recognised permanent collection such as a State or Territory wildlife management agency, museum or herbarium. 6.4 Animal Ethics the activity involves the collection, use or care of any living non-human vertebrate and in some cases invertebrate animals or tissue for scientific purposes, the Principal Investigator must obtain approval for such scientific purposes and methods from a recognised animal ethics committee operating under the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes. The Principal Investigator agrees to provide the Department with a certificate of compliance with the appropriate guidelines prior to the commencement of any such scientific activities. Applicants should check the relevant requirements with each State or Territory before proceeding.
7. Further Information Applicants requiring further information should contact the Grants and Business Officer of the ABRS. General Information Grants and Business Manager Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA Phone: 02 6250 9558 Appeals Director Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA Email: Freedom of Information FOI Officer Department of the Environment and Energy GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA
1.4 Tools and products that contribute to the identification of Australia’s biodiversity. This may include, for example, an identification key for a taxonomic group at a national scale. For vascular plant groups in 2018-19 - funding priority under this Subcriterion will be given to tools and products developed for the Flora of Australia on the e-Flora platform – for any of the taxa listed in the Final Priority Plant Taxa List at . 2 Public, Plant and Animal Health This criterion focuses on a range of research activities relevant to protecting Australians and Australia’s natural resource industries and biodiversity from disease or pests. To be considered for ABRS funding under the criterion of Public, Plant and Animal health, the researcher is required to demonstrate that the proposed project contributes to the following: 2.1 Taxonomic research on native species that are, or have the potential to become, or agents of disease, or may be venomous or toxic and thereby threaten public, plant or animal health in Australia. This may include the Australian component of a large taxonomic group that has non-indigenous representatives constituting a significant biosecurity risk, where there is a need to be able to distinguish between native and exotic species. 3 Building Taxonomic Capacity This criterion focuses on support for training and/or recruitment of taxonomists, especially for research on critical taxonomic groups. To be considered for ABRS funding under this criterion, the researcher is required to demonstrate that the proposed project will encompass one or more of the following three areas: 3.1 Taxonomic studies that include clearly specified opportunities for capture and passage of skills and information from professionals to junior colleagues. This may include a project where there is a component that includes a clearly documented opportunity for passing knowledge from a more senior taxonomist to an early career researcher. 3.2 Taxonomic studies that include clearly specified opportunities for capture and passage of skills and information from retired professionals to younger colleagues. This may include a project where there is a component that includes a clearly documented opportunity for passing knowledge from a retired taxonomist. 3.3 Projects that facilitate international exchange of research expertise and training in areas that will boost Australia's taxonomic capacity. The lasting benefits to Australian taxonomy must be clearly specified and must include capacity building. For example, support may be sought for salary and travel costs to bring an international expert to Australia or to enable an Australian researcher to train overseas.