ARC Research Environment section: guide for applicants
The Research Environment section is worth 15% of the grant assessment for Discovery and
10% of the assessment for DECRA.
Below is a guide for applicants who are writing the Research Environment section of the Project
Plan. We suggest that applicants address the key areas outlined below (where relevant).
Within each section are points applicants may wish to consider and some examples of text that may
be adapted for use. These should be tailored to the particular research area.
RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT
1: Introduction to Griffith University and School Centre:
 Griffith University is an innovative and research intensive university with a rapidly growing
national and international research profile.
 Griffith University is Australia’s ninth largest higher education provider and is home to 43,000
students across five campuses
 The areas of strategic investment strategy was introduced as part of the Griffith Research
Plan 2009 – 2013 and $40 million over five years is being invested into eight areas where
there is already critical mass and strong performance and/or the opportunity for positioning
Griffith as prominent research leaders in a discipline. This project falls under the targeted
area of [list relevant area of strategic investment] and will benefit from the focus on
bringing high quality researchers to support this area.
 Introduce your School/Centre
o State numbers of academic staff, PhD Students, technical support staff etc.
o Does this School/Centre form part of a larger Griffith collaborative network e.g.
Criminology?
o Does your School/Centre have particular areas of strategic investment that would
assist this project?
o State that your research environment is highly productive, collegial, multi-disciplinary,
supportive of senior and junior staff etc.
2: ERA rankings
 Griffith University is an internationally-respected university, appearing in all three of the
major World University Rankings - the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the QS
World University Rankings and the Times HE World University Rankings. Nationally, the
University is ranked 9th out of 41 Australian institutions for the number of fields of research
rated world standard or better in the Excellence in Research for Australia 2010 evaluation.

Griffith University provides an outstanding research environment with almost 93 per cent of
researchers in fields of research assessed at world-standard or better.

The University has research activity in all 25 broad fields of research and in 98 per cent of
the 157 specific fields of research outlined in ERA, making it one of the most comprehensive
and research-intensive universities in Queensland and Australia.

Griffith University performed very strongly in the broad two digit field of [name broad
research field] in the 2010 ERA round, scoring a rating of XX. In the four-digit field of [name
field] Griffith scored a X. This award of an ‘above world standard’ rating highlights the
achievements of researchers in [School/Centre] and affirms our position as a world leader
in XXX research

This project will complement the existing strengths in [research area] and add more specific
expertise to the general strengths in [School/Centre]. As such, [CI name’s] proposed
project will serve to enhance and expand the Centre's and the University’s strength in
[research area]
3. School/Centre research successes and opportunities for members
 [School/Centre] is the current recipient of $$$ in external grant funding
o List numbers of ARC grant holders e.g. Future Fellows, Discovery grants, Linkage
grants
o List other significant external grant funding, network funding, Academy members etc.
 This project will benefit from a research environment with existing strong linkages and
collaborations with....
o Australian and International collaborators
o Linkages with State/Federal funding agencies.
o Non-profit organisations
o Private sector collaborations
 Is the staff profile balanced (professorial, mid-level, and early career) to create an ideal mix
between the interactions of highly ranked staff members as well as junior mentoring?
 Does the School/Centre host regular seminars? Or attract international visiting scholars?
 Does the School/Centre provide funding for new researchers, travel, PhD top-ups?
 Are high quality PhD and honours students attracted to the School/Centre
General Griffith support
 Will your research make use of any Griffith libraries/databases?
 Will you be supported by Griffith Enterprise in commercialising your work?
 List other administrative support available to you e.g. Office for Research, Development and
Alumni, External Relations
Infrastructure & Equipment
 State that you have access to all the required instrumentation and equipment needed for this
project. If you mention equipment in your Research Plan, you should state that this is
available to you.
Note: many assessors for DP12 projects mentioned that applicants should have described the
existence and accessibility of research instrumentation required by the project (particularly SEET and
Health applicants).


Do you have adequate access to off-site facilities needed for the work?
Can collaborators provide you with use of equipment
Other aspects to consider:
 Junior CIs: state that you have access to mentoring, ECR networks, strong senior people
around you who can provide advice
 Sole CIs: this section will be crucial to state that you are well supported and have
colleagues around you who are conversant with the work

CIs/PIs from other Institutions: describe briefly how the environment of your collaborators
will strengthen the project. Will they also provide equipment, reagents etc? Ensure that you
demonstrate that the PI contribution is meaningful and substantial
Final remarks
 Is your environment unique? Does it give you a competitive edge?
 Why is this environment the best place for you to undertake this project?
COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS
 Publication in journals/books is essential but there are many other aspects that should be
considered
o Policy documents or guidelines
o National and International conference attendance
o Patents/commercialisation
o Media exposure
o Engagement with the broader community (school lectures, visits, public forums)
Pasted below is feedback provided to Griffith applicants on their
Research Environment sections. This has been taken from ARC
Assessments in the DP2012 round of funding.
“It is unclear how many people are in the University Centre which makes it impossible to tell whether
$400kpa of University funding and 13 DP grants is significant.”
“The research environment with the Centres at Griffith appears to be a strong point. However, an
explicit collaboration with other CI's etc. would demonstrate that more clearly.”
“Promotion and dissemination of research is not well mentioned except two conference
presentations”
“What are the plans for the dissemination of results, apart from the academic publications?
Involvement in conferences through university support would be appropriate.”
“What the application does not make clear is the extent to which the Centre and the university more
generally boast researchers who are conversant with the theoretical and practical issues that the CI
intends to explore.”
“Unfortunately the project does not describe the internal culture, funding or external collaborations
of the team, centre or institute.”
“There is sufficient evidence that there will be research output from the project but it is unclear how
the investigators will promote research outcomes outside of Academia”
“What is unique about Griffith University's research infrastructure, research expertise and research
linkages that provide a competitive edge in the field of the proposed research?”
“The Project Team has mentioned the "4 or above world standard" (which field?) in ERA 2010. This
is very pleasing to Griffith University, but it does not convey any information about the standing of
the CI and his team, along with the research capacity and capability available to the CI and his
Team. This is the key information, and it was not supplied. The lack of contextualisation of the ERA
statement means it is of little value to this assessor”
” it is not clear that the links with researchers at other institutes working in related fields in Australia
are as strong as they could be”
“The project would have been strengthened if there was explanation of how this proposal aligned
with the strategic research directions of those other centres or the school, how would it add to those
strengths, or draw from those strengths or collaborations.”
“Not clear how the international connections will help resource the proposed project.”
“the application lacks any description on the existence and accessibility of research instrumentation
required by the project”
“The explanation of the strategies for dissemination of the research outcomes in the proposal are
relatively broad and lack specificity”
“It would be good to get some greater detail on not only the two academics, but the whole of the
Research Centre”
“Are there support/mentoring arrangements for more junior researchers”