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Funding for collaborative science and technology projects with Chinese partners
Australia-China Science and Research Fund Joint Research Centres (ACSRF JRCs)
What do you get?
Grants of up to $1,000,000
The grant amount will be up to 100% of eligible project costs.
Who is this for?
An Australian organisation doing a research project with China in a priority area. You must have a Chinese partner who is applying through the corresponding Chinese system.
About the program
The Australia-China Science and Research Fund (ACSRF) supports activities undertaken through Joint Research Centres (JRCs). These virtual centres link Australian and Chinese research institutions doing research in a priority area.
For this grant opportunity, up to $5 million is available.
- the maximum grant amount is $1,000,000
- the maximum grant period is three years
- the project must involve research in a priority area.
Priority areas
The priority areas for round 4 of the program are:
Food and Agribusiness
- agritech
- supply chains
- future food and their regulation.
Digital Technology
- medical technologies including services and aged care
- financial technology
- big data.
Energy and Resources
- new energy (renewables)
- hydrogen
- energy storage and supply
- mineral exploration.
Advanced Materials
- biomedical metal materials such as titanium and magnesium alloys
- graphene technology
- high-performance structure and composites.
Eligibility
What are the eligibility criteria?
To be eligible you must:
- have an Australian business number (ABN)
and be one of the following eligible entities:
- a company, incorporated in Australia
- an incorporated not for profit organisation
- a Publicly Funded Research Organisation (PFRO)
- a Cooperative Research Centre
- other Australian incorporated entity
Joint applications involving more than one Australian partner are acceptable, provided the lead applicant is the main driver of the project and eligible to apply. For further information on joint applications, refer to section 7.2 of the grant opportunity guidelines.
A maximum of two applications is allowed per applicant and only one application per priority area.
We can only accept applications that involve:
- a Chinese primary partner who has submitted, or is in the process of submitting, a corresponding application to the relevant Chinese organisation in accordance with any guidelines or instructions issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (MOST)
- an Australian end user or industry partner that can apply the research outcomes.
We cannot waive the eligibility criteria under any circumstances.
For more information on eligibility, check the grant opportunity guidelines.
Applying
How do you apply?
The Australia-China Science and Research Fund is currently closed to applications.
We assess your application against the eligibility criteria and then against the assessment criteria. Only eligible applications will proceed to the assessment stage.
Eligible applications are referred to an independent external committee of experts (the committee). Experts are selected in each priority area through a rigorous analysis of academic qualifications, conflicts of interest, availability and taking into consideration gender and diversity to form the committee.
The committee will assess your application against the assessment criteria and compare it to other eligible applications in a funding round. The committee decides which projects will be referred for consideration by a joint meeting of Australian and Chinese Government officials.
The Committee will consider your application on its merits, based on:
- how well it addresses the assessment criteria
- how it compares to other applications
- whether it provides value with relevant money.
When assessing whether the application represents value with relevant money, we will have regard to:
- the overall objectives of the grant opportunity
- the evidence provided to demonstrate how your project contributes to meeting those objectives
- the relative value of the grant sought.
To be competitive you must score highly against all of the assessment criteria.
- Assessment criterion 1: The extent that your project will advance research in priority areas (25 points)
- Assessment criterion 2: Scientific quality - the appropriateness of the design and methodology for your research (25 points)
- Assessment criterion 3: Benefits to Australia and China (25 points)
- Assessment criterion 4: The capacity, capability and resources of all project partners to manage the JRC and deliver the activities (25 points)
If your application is successful, you will receive a written offer. If you are unsuccessful, we will notify you in writing and give you the chance to discuss the outcome with us.
Successful applicants must enter into a grant agreement with the Commonwealth. The grant agreement will specify the reporting requirements, payment schedule and milestones necessary to receive payments.
We will make payments according to an agreed schedule set out in the grant agreement. Payments are subject to satisfactory progress on the project.
Payments will be made by direct credit into a nominated bank account.
You must provide details of intellectual property (IP) issues in your application. This includes both the:
- use of any IP in your project
- proposed ownership of IP resulting from the project (and ways to protect Australia's interests)
If your application is successful, and it’s likely you’ll produce IP, you’ll need agreements with Chinese and other partners for IP management. These agreements will need to meet Australian and Chinese legislation.
When negotiating IP make sure you have:
- effective protection and fair distribution of any benefits from new IP
- new IP rights based on relative contributions and interests
- terms and conditions for commercialisation and other uses of new IP
- effective protection of pre-existing IP rights
Need help?
Let us answer your question over the phone, email or live chat.
- Phone:
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Open Hours:
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm across Australia
- Website: