Australian Research Council

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is a Commonwealth entity and advises the Australian Government on research matters, administers the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) which a significant component of Australia's investment in research and development, and has responsibility for Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). The ARC supports the highest-quality fundamental and applied research and research training through national competition across all disciplines. In addition, the ARC brokers partnerships between researchers and industry, government, community organisations and the international community. The outcomes of ARC-funded research deliver cultural, economic, social and environmental benefits to all Australians. The ARC also fosters excellence, partnerships and the highest ethical standards in research and research training in all fields of science, social sciences and the humanities. The NCGP supports: - high quality research leading to the discovery of new ideas and the advancement of knowledge - facilities and equipment that researchers need to be internationally competitive - researchers at different stages of their careers, including training and skills development of the next generation of researchers - incentives for Australia’s most talented researchers to work in partnership with leading researchers throughout the national innovation system and internationally, and to form alliances with Australian industry. ERA assesses research quality within Australia's higher education institutions and will give government, industry, business and the wider community assurance of the excellence of research conducted. Through ERA, the ARC is tasked with identifying excellence in research, by comparing Australia's university research effort against international benchmarks, creating incentives to improve the quality of research and identifying emerging research areas and opportunities for further development.