Archived Grant Opportunity View - GO5986

The Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) scheme provides funding for research infrastructure, equipment and facilities to Eligible Organisations. It enables researchers to participate in cooperative initiatives so that expensive research infrastructure, equipment and facilities can be shared between higher education organisations and also with industry. The scheme also fosters collaboration through its support of the cooperative use of international or national research facilities.

LIEF grant applications are accepted once a year. The minimum level of funding provided by the ARC is $150,000 per year.

The LIEF scheme objectives are to:

• support excellent basic and applied research and research training through the acquisition of research equipment and infrastructure and access to national and international research facilities; and
• encourage Eligible Organisations to develop collaborative arrangements with other Eligible Organisations and/or Partner Organisations for the acquisition and use of research equipment and infrastructure or access to national and international facilities.

The intended outcomes of the LIEF scheme are:

• enhanced scale and focus of research in areas of existing and/or emerging research strength; and
• research infrastructure for the broader research community.

An application may only be submitted through the Research Office of an Eligible Organisation listed in the Grant Guidelines. The application must nominate at least one Chief Investigator (CI); the first named CI will be the Project Leader. Additional CIs and Partner Investigators (PIs) may be nominated in the application.

To be eligible to apply as a CI or PI, the individual nominated must as at the grant opportunity closing date have met their obligations regarding previously funded projects, including submission to the ARC of satisfactory final reports.

At the grant commencement date a CI must be an employee for at least 20 per cent of full time equivalent (0.2 FTE) at an Eligible Organisation; or be a holder of an honorary academic appointment at an Eligible Organisation and not employed at another organisation for more than 0.2 FTE.

A CI must reside for more than 50 per cent of their time in Australia for the project activity period and must not be undertaking a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) during the project activity period.

A CI can apply for and be concurrently funded for a maximum of two LIEF projects. Please refer to the Grant Guidelines for further details regarding this eligibility requirement. Limits will be calculated at the closing time for submission of applications and may be re-calculated as other grant opportunity announcements are made.

To be eligible to apply as a PI the individual nominated must not meet the eligibility criteria for a CI as at the grant commencement date or during the project activity period.

For other eligibility requirements refer to the relevant Grant Guidelines.

An application may be applied for and awarded funding for one year; or one to five years if the application is for leasing infrastructure, equipment or facilities, the construction of research infrastructure, or subscription or coordinated access to international facilities and major national facilities.

The Application must be submitted as a mature research plan presenting the proposed project ready for implementation and must contain all the information necessary for its assessment without the need for further written or oral explanation, or reference to additional documentation, unless requested by the ARC.

Applicants should note the eligibility criteria for access to other funding schemes, as expressed in the Grant Guidelines for those schemes. The ARC reserves the right to change these criteria in future funding rounds. Grant Guidelines for all ARC schemes may be found attached to the relevant Grant Opportunity.

Administering Organisations must submit applications through the Research Management System (RMS) unless otherwise advised by the ARC.

All applications must meet the format and content requirements, including certification, as set out in the RMS online form and the Instructions to Applicants for LIEF for funding commencing in 2024.

The RMS is a web-based system used to prepare and submit research applications, assessments and rejoinders for the ARC National Competitive Grants Program. Registered users can login using your email address and password at https://rms.arc.gov.au. To request a new account, please go to https://rms.arc.gov.au and click on the Request New Account link.

 All queries by researchers should be directed to the Administering Organisation of the application.