The department has been progressively rolling out a package of reforms to streamline the Research Block Grants (RBG).
On this page:
As part of these reforms the department has implemented a self-assessment system for universities to determine which of their R&D income can be classified as Category 1 – Australian Competitive Grant Income, starting from the Higher Education Research Data Collection for 2018 data. The method to self-assess is included in the HERDC Specifications for 2020 R&D income data and all annual specifications thereafter.
The Australian Competitive Grant Income HEPs receive can be reported in Category 1 of the Higher Education Research Data Collection and is a metric used to inform the allocation of the Australian Government's RBGs.
The Category 1 Self-Assessment – Frequently Asked Questions is designed to assist universities to self-assess their R&D income, in conjunction with the Higher Education Research Data Collection Specifications, to determine if it can be reported as Category 1.
ACGR Notes
The Australian Competitive Grants Register (ACGR) was a centralised register that listed schemes that provided competitive research grants to HEPs. The ACGR is no longer updated by the department.
Contact
Queries can be directed to RBGrants@dese.gov.au, with "Category 1" in the subject line.