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ARC Large Grants Scheme

Return to the ARC and the Mathematical Sciences page.

The ARC Large Grant Scheme is application-based. Funding is awarded to researchers, or groups of researchers, through a competitive selection process with excellence, as determined by peer review, the primary criterion.

The objective of the scheme is to support research which is likely to lead to:

  • a significant conceptual advance in the understanding and knowledge of a subject; and/or
  • an important discovery or innovation; and/or
  • practical outcomes of importance to the research endeavour or to applications of social and economic value.
The minimum grant size is $20,000 pa in the mathematical sciences and the average level of funding, in recent years, over all disciplines has been approximately $53,000 pa. This has ranged from $37,000 in the humanities to $81,000 in the mathematical and physical sciences. Funding is for a maximum of three years and most highly-rated research projects in all categories are supported for this period.

Assessment of Large Grant applications is the responsibility of the Research Grants Committee (RGC) of the ARC. The RGC is assisted by four Discipline Panels, which are divided into ten Sub-panels and a Multi-Panel Committee:

  • Biological Sciences
    • A0 Molecular and Cell Biology
    • A1 Plant and Animal Biology
  • Engineering, Earth and Applied Sciences
    • A3 Earth Sciences
    • A4 Engineering-Electrical and Computer
    • A8 Engineering-Civil, Mechanical and Chemical
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
    • A5 Humanities
    • A7 Social Sciences (excluding Education, Psychology, Linguistics and Nursing)
    • A9 Social Sciences (Education, Psychology, Linguistics and Nursing)
  • Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences
    • A2 Chemistry
    • A6 Physics and Mathematics
The RGS is a nine member committee composed of a chairperson and two chairs of sub-panels in each of the four disciplines.

The current membership of all the ARC panels can be found by consulting the ARC members page of the ARC website.

A summary of the Panel program and Panel procedures for assessments is found by following the links.


This site is located in the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (MSI) at the ANU
Please send comments and suggestions to Derek.Robinson@anu.edu.au