The Researchers' Newsletter – Oct 2024

Getting a DECRA

RCA coaches have assisted DECRA applicants with workshops, coaching and feedback on draft applications.

 

Feedback, queries, suggestions for topics most welcome; please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Getting a DECRA

RCA coaches have assisted DECRA applicants with workshops, coaching and feedback on draft applications. Here we summarise what needs to be considered when applying for a DECRA.

 

An ARC DECRA (2025) broadly aims to:

  • support outstanding early-career researchers with demonstrated capacity;
  • foster collaboration, with national or international researchers;
  • support excellent and innovative research that represents value for money;
  • create new or advanced knowledge with clear benefits for Australia; and
  • advance promising early career researchers.

 

The success rate is around 17-20% and they are usually partly funded, so you need to take account of the likelihood of less funding than you ask for.

 

The criteria (2025) that you need to write against are:

Investigator/Capability 35%

Project quality and innovation 35%

Benefit 15%

Feasibility 15%

 

Why am I doing this?

There is pressure for people to apply for a DECRA. But there is no point applying unless you know why you want a DECRA. The key question to ask: “How will winning a DECRA contribute to my research identity and to my career?”.

 

DECRA and your career

Do you have a career plan - as a written document that sets out what you want to achieve over a set number of years? Do you have a research plan, a publication plan, a funding plan?

 

We usually find that if people do not have these sorts of documents in place they cannot answer the “why” of a DECRA, or of any grant funding for that matter.

 

You should not be applying for a DECRA until you are clear on how winning such a grant will impact your career. And you should not be applying without thinking through what your ‘plan B’ is, should you not be successful. 

 

The Art of Grant writing

The art is about telling a relevant, realistic, innovative, achievable, impact-focussed story to persuade. The story of your application should be a coherent and consistent narrative and argument across the 4 criteria. Further, that you have a strong, impactful project that you have the capability to complete.

 

In addition, the reality is that writing any grant is a time consuming, challenging and bureaucratic process with a low chance of success. If there are gaps in your track record, profile, network or strategy then these must be fixed first. You will need to take advice from trusted colleagues in respect of these things.

 

Secret Sause…

Feedback is the known success recipe.

  • at all stages
  • on all aspects
  • from multiple perspectives
  • from ‘critics’ not just ‘friendlies’.

Next steps: Read the ARC guidelines, do what it says and check if you do not understand something; meet all the internal and external deadlines. Have a final draft as soon as you can so that you can seek and receive feedback on your draft from as wide a group as possible. It is not uncommon for 20+ readers. The final ‘polishing’ phase where you are fitting your words to the ARC template, tackling word count, strengthening the arguments, checking case, grammar, spelling is very time consuming. Start early.