The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia welcomes the proposed changes to the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) and supports the overall direction of the review.
The Academy particularly welcomes the recognition of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) critical role as the primary funder of early-stage research in Australian universities, the strengthened support for both Early Career Researchers and for Indigenous researchers, simplified and better-coordinated grant schemes, stronger alignment across government funding programs, and increased emphasis on potentially transformative research.
Academy President Professor Kate Darian-Smith said that successful implementation of the reforms will be critical.
“Reforms should reduce administrative burden on researchers while maintaining the rigour and integrity of peer review and decision-making processes.
“We support the ARC exploring innovative approaches to research assessment, and to ensuring these approaches are evidence-based, carefully piloted, and evaluated to avoid unintended consequences.
“The Academy continues to emphasise the dual importance of research that is discipline-based alongside research that is interdisciplinary. We look forward to seeing further details about how interdisciplinary proposals will be assessed to ensure they are not disadvantaged within the funding process”, said Professor Darian-Smith.
Professor Darian-Smith said, “The ARC’s proposals demonstrate clear willingness to engage with evidence and stakeholder perspectives in shaping a more effective, equitable and sustainable approach to research funding.”
While redesigning the NCGP is an important step, the Academy believes that increased national investment in R&D overall is essential to support excellence in Australian-led research in all fields and to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for all Australians.
The Academy appreciates the extent to which the changes reflect feedback from the research community, including recommendations made by the Academy through consultation and formal submissions including:
2025 Submission: Policy Review of the National Competitive Grants Program – A New Plan for ARC Funded Research
2024 Submission: Policy Review of the National Competitive Grants Program
2022 Submission: Review of the Australian Research Council Act 2001
Background
NCGP plays a central role in social science research funding. More than 27,800 Australian social science researchers rely on the NCGP as the primary source of funding for their research. Between 2021–2025, $958.9 million in ARC competitive research grants (Discovery and Linkage) were awarded to social science researchers (24% of all funding). In 2025, Discovery grants to social science researchers totalled $169.7 million (27.10% of all NCGP funding) and Linkage grants to social science researchers totalled $41.3 million (15.90% of all NCGP funding).