Guide for Applicants

How to Apply for Funding: A Step-by-Step Guide

There are three avenues through which the FRDC funds research and development:

1. FRDC's Annual Competitive Cycle

The avenue for most of the FRDC's research and development funding is via an annual competitive cycle. To apply for funding follow these steps:

Step 1: Contact the relevant Fisheries Research Advisory Body (FRAB)

Step 2: Contact an FRDC Subprogram Leader (if applicable)

Step 3: Submit a pre-proposal to your FRAB

Step 4: Submit a full Application to FRDC

Step 5: Evaluation

The FRDC Board will evaluate applications for research and development funding outside the annual competitive cycle (due date 1 November) only when it is urgent and addresses a high priority issue.

Contact the FRDC for information on the process for submitting an out of cycle application.

2. Tactical Research Fund

The aim of the TRF is to allow the FRDC to provide investment funds to its stakeholders in a timely manner to take advantage of opportunities, avert threats, or manage unforeseen events, as they arise. A TRF project may be of an urgent ‘break-the-glass’ type; or, it could also be a project that is used to overcome significant hurdles in, or to significantly fast track, important stakeholder processes, including production. In these cases it is likely that the adoption and benefits will be significantly brought forward if the project had not been funded at all.

Investment Criteria

The FRDC’s investment criteria specifically for the Tactical Response Fund are:

• The project should be a high priority and driven by the relevant stakeholders. The project proposal must formally demonstrate that the stakeholder supports the proposed project as a high priority, aimed at achieving a specific outcome or responding to an unforseen event.
  
• The project’s outputs should be immediately adoptable by the stakeholder in order to achieve the specific outcome;
  
• FRDC investment (including any industry cash contributions) must not exceed $75,000 (this is not inclusive of in-kind contributions);
  
• The project must be completed within 18 months.

Developing an Application

1. Applications must be developed in consultation with the relevant stakeholder (which includes Fisheries Research Advisory Bodies – FRABs). FRABs themselves may commission the development of an application, based on the needs outlined by stakeholders, or to address priorities in their strategic plans.
2. An application for TRF investment must be submitted using FishNet (the FRDC’s electronic application submission system).

3. FRDC Initiated research and development

There are a number of ways for FRDC to initiate research and development, including:

• commissioning a research provider,
• forming a collaborative research team,
• requesting tenders, or
• forming a joint venture entity.