Applications for access and subsidies

Access to NCRIS Facilities is available to meritorious Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 researchers. Researcher classifications are defined as follows.

Tier 1 Researchers - Australian higher education institution or public sector research organisation.
Tier 2 Researchers - Australian companies with less than 15 equivalent full-time employees;
- Collaborations between a Tier 1 Researcher and one or more Tier 3 Researchers; and,
- Australian companies owned wholly or in part by a Tier 1 Researcher.
Tier 3 Researchers - International companies and all Australian companies not satisfying the criteria for a Tier 2 Researcher.

The process for applying for access to the facilities is outlined below:

Note: Researchers may apply directly to the Facility representative where projects are to be conducted at the AIBN, Monash/CSIRO and UNSW nodes and have a project value of less than $100,000.

1. Initial Discussions with Program Manager

Before submitting a formal application for access to NCRIS facilities, it is recommended that the researcher contact the Program Manager, Ms Nicole Bleasdale, to discuss requirements and receive information on availability, suitability, pricing and access criteria.

2. Submission of initial application

A researcher seeking access to an NCRIS facility must complete and submit a Application Form to the Program Manager.

3. Review of initial application

On receipt of a completed NCRIS Application Form, the Program Manager will, following consultation with the NCRIS facility representative/s, recommend to the researcher one or more NCRIS facilities which may meet the researcher’s project requirements.

The Program Manager’s recommendations will be made based on an assessment of the relevant NCRIS Facilities in respect of the following criteria:

Capacity – whether the NCRIS Facility has the necessary expertise;
Availability – whether the NCRIS Facility is available for the proposed project at the time requested by the researcher;
Location – whether the NCRIS Facility is conveniently located to the researcher’s site;
Cost – the competitiveness of the cost of using the NCRIS Facility for the researcher’s project; and
NCRIS Facility use – NCRIS Facilities that have not received a significant number of NCRIS research projects, will receive special consideration.

Please note that a recommendation by the Program Manager is not confirmation that the researcher will be successful in obtaining access to the chosen NCRIS facility or that the researcher will qualify for a NCRIS Discount Certificate to offset the costs of access to the chosen NCRIS facility.

The researcher will be solely responsible for the final choice of NCRIS Facility and neither AusBiotech nor the Program Manager will have any liability to the researcher in relation to the final choice of NCRIS Facility.

4. Negotiation with NCRIS Facility Representative

The researcher will contact the relevant NCRIS facility representative to discuss specific project requirements, access terms and other relevant considerations including IP ownership. The NCRIS facility representative must agree on the terms of the NCRIS Facility Access Agreement to govern the researcher’s access to the NCRIS facility.

A NCRIS facility representative may refuse to grant a researcher access to the NCRIS facility where:

The researcher refuses to comply with the NCRIS facility owner’s reasonable requirements in respect of insurance coverage or workplace health and safety procedures;
The researcher and the NCRIS facility representative are unable to agree on the terms of the NCRIS Facility Access Agreement; or
In the reasonable assessment of the NCRIS facility wwner in consultation with the chairperson of the ASC, the project, if undertaken, would consume too much of the available time at the NCRIS Facility or conflict with the development of other projects at that NCRIS Facility.
The facility is not fit-for-purpose.

5. Submission of proposal to Program Manager

Once the researcher reaches agreement with the NCRIS facility representative on the terms of the NCRIS Facility Access Agreement, the researcher must submit the project proposal to the Program Manager.

The Program Manager will determine whether the researcher is a Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 Researcher according to the established criteria and, based on that classification and the pricing principles set out in this Code, the amount of any discount to apply in respect of the researcher’s access to the NCRIS Facility. The Program Manager will issue an NCRIS Discount Certificate to the researcher.

6. Review of Classification

Where the Program Manager is uncertain as to the classification to apply to a researcher, or if the researcher disputes the classification determined by the Program Manager, the proposal must be referred to the chairperson of the Recombinant Proteins Access and Strategy Committee (ASC) for resolution.

If the ASC is unable to reach a unanimous decision, the issue will be referred to the CEO of AusBiotech whose decision will be final.