Victoria’s Science Agenda (VSA) is the centrepiece program of Innovation: Victoria’s Future with a budget of $145 million over four years. The VSA will deliver targeted programs to strengthen the State’s robust science and technology base and generate economic and social benefits.
To support continuous improvement in Victoria’s science and technology capability base, the VSA Strategic Project Fund will sustain investment in facilities and human capital through collaborative projects between research and external partner organisations in priority areas.
These investments will be in projects that support activities in the research and development stage of the innovation continuum. They will strengthen Victoria’s international competitiveness and ensure the ongoing vigour of our innovation system.
A budget of up to $25 million is now available for competitive grants under the VSA Strategic Project Fund in 2009-10.
The VSA Strategic Project Fund will make strategic investments in a small number of large projects to establish new internationally competitive science and technology capability in the areas of productivity, sustainability and health. These projects will support activities in the research and development stage of the innovation continuum.
The objective of the SPF is to build internationally competitive science and technology capability and achieve significant solutions to the longer-term goals of sustainability, health and productivity.
The SPF will make significant investments (minimum of $5 million with a maximum of $10 million per investment) in a selected number of exceptional projects. The investments will support world-class research facilities and equipment, the advancement of high level skills, and the development of next-generation platform technologies.
The Government has worked with stakeholders across industry and academia to identify specific areas of the innovation system that are well-placed to achieve world-leading capability.
Eligible Applicants
Grants from the VSA Strategic Project Fund are available for collaborative projects that may include existing collaborations or the formation of new joint ventures or other types of partnerships (public/private or public/public). Applications are open to partnerships between organisations including, but not limited to:
- Universities and other post-secondary educational institutions.
- Research institutes.
- Cooperative Research Centres.
- Private companies (large and small).
- Industry associations.
- Public not-for-profit organisations.
- Victorian Government agencies and other Government agencies active in Victoria.
The lead organisation is responsible for administration of the VSA Strategic Project Funding for and on behalf of its partner organisations, via a funding agreement with the Victorian Government.
Initial applications in the form of a business case, must be able to certify:
- that the lead organisation is a Victorian based-entity with whom the Victorian Government can enter into legally binding funding agreements;
- the commitment of matching funding, including both cash and in-kind contributions of all project partners;
- that the project is to be located in Victoria and ready to commence in January 2010;
- that non-Victorian partners are necessary for achieving the core objectives and delivering significant benefit to Victoria.
Short listed applicants for the VSA Strategic Project Fund will then be invited to prepare a fully costed business plan (stage 2 of application process).
Eligible Expenditure
Eligible VSA Strategic Project Fund proposal costs include:
- Salary and on-costs for new staff.
- Access costs to facilities and equipment, including lease or hire.
- Professional services such as project management, legal services, business planning and evaluation.
- Equipment and machinery.
- Refurbishment of existing facilities.
- Administration and professional services e.g. business planning or marketing.
- Maintenance, insurance and consumables.
- Other costs necessary for partnership formation and maintenance including travel.
Purposes for which funding under the VSA Strategic Project Fund program are ineligible include:
- Construction of new laboratories / facilities unless the cash contribution from the applicant/s is at least 3 times the funding requested from the SPF and a user access plan is approved by the Department.
- Land or sea transportation.
- Substitution of existing operational and/or staffing costs.
If you would like assistance with this grant then please feel free to contact us.