Industry and UOW Jointly Applying for Government Support

The Federal Government offers several funding schemes, primarily through the Departments of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and Industry, Tourism and Resources (DITR), to support collaborative research. Some of these require that the University is an applicant (mainly the DEST grants) and some require that the applicant is the industry partner (mainly the DITR grants). Either way, UOW is happy to explore options for either party to benefit from government support for collaborative research projects.

If you would like to work with the University on a longer-term research project, it would be worthwhile discussing the possibility of applying jointly for government grants. Initial discussions should be directed through the relevant MIC who may also involve staff from the Research Services Office or specific UOW researchers. The Research Services Office has been established specifically to help UOW researchers apply for these grants.

The two major support programs, specifically designed to link Universities to industry are:

• Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Grants; and
• The National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Development Grants.

These schemes support the costs of collaborative research, however it should be noted that the application process is quite long and it can be about six months before it is decided whether or not a project is supported. For this reason, these schemes are most suited to the types of projects that involve strategic long-term research objectives rather than projects that require more immediate and less technically-complex activities.

Details of the major schemes specifically designed to link industry to Universities are available from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources’ website. Some of these programs cover the costs of contracting research to Universities or hiring recent graduates. The business assistance arm of the Department of Industry, AusIndustry, has Customer Service Managers who can help you determine the most appropriate program for your needs.