decorative

About the ARC's Research Grants Services

Australian Government - Australian Research Council, Research Grants Services logo -

Vision

RGS’s vision is to make it easy to find, fund and manage research.

We want to make it easier to find research that is relevant to Australians, to fund the best research and the best researchers in line with policy objectives, to make is easier to provide evidence about the value of research, and to make it easier to apply for, assess, and manage research grants in Australia.

Research Grants Services exists because we believe it is important to:

  • fund research that will support the desired outcomes
  • fund the highest quality research in line with the program objectives
  • ensure the best researchers and teams are supported
  • be able to find out what government funded research has been undertaken in Australia
  • enable appropriate due diligence, research integrity, conflict of interest and confidentiality management
  • maintain and improve research specific grants data
  • avoid unnecessary administration by grant applicants and grantees and those who assess grants.

Who are we?

Research Grants Services was established in 2020 to support streamlined government granting activities - to make it easier for grant applicants, assessors and users to undertake research granting activities, to improve public access to data, and to help Commonwealth research grant funders get better results from their research funding.

Supporting Best Practice Grants Administration

Research Grants Services (RGS) is consistent with whole-of-Australian Government grants administration initiatives and positions the ARC as a leader in the delivery of research grant programs in Australia. The ARC has been recognised in multiple audits as having expertise, capability and systems to effectively administer research grants which are awarded competitively on the basis of academic peer review. By engaging subject matter experts throughout the NCGP assessment process, the ARC has been able to harness expert advice on complex and highly specialised research topics. 

The ARC’s grants administration processes and practices are consistent with both the mandatory and better practice guidance in the Commonwealth Grant Rules and Guidelines 2017 (CGRGs) and align with the Government’s science and research priorities. This best practice administration provides accountable authorities and officials of Commonwealth entities with assurance and flexibility to administer grants that contribute to excellent funding outcomes for Australian Government funded research.

We aim to:

  • improve outcomes achieved by research grants through appropriate research grant program design.
  • make it easier and more efficient for grant funders to manage research focused grants across government and the research sector.
  • make it easier for grant applicants and grantees to apply for and manage grants through improved consistency in administration processes and requirements.
  • improve publicly available data about research granting activities funded by government.

With our proven expertise in research grants administration and our advanced digital platform, ARC’s RGS offers effective end-to-end grants management across the entire grants lifecycle.

 

Back to top