Screen Australia is interested in collaborative research proposals on relevant issues, partnering with experienced and innovative researchers.

Note: Guidelines for a new Research and Publications Partnerships Program are due to be released in late July.

Eligibility and focus

From time to time Screen Australia will accept expressions of interest from researchers associated with tertiary institutions, who are looking to build industry partnerships to support applications for Australian Research Council (ARC) funded research projects or similar grants.

Project proposals should align with Screen Australia’s goals, objectives and priorities.

The organisation’s key drivers for 2009–2012 are to grow demand for Australian content and support the development of a more sustainable Australian screen industry.

The goal of Screen Australia’s Strategy and Research function is to “gather and provide market intelligence to inform the decisions of Screen Australia and the wider industry” and “assist the evaluation, design and implementation of Screen Australia programs and screen industry policies more generally”.

The key priorities of the Strategy and Research Unit include:

• audience perspective on Australian content
  
  
• sustainability of Australian screen businesses
  
  
• effectiveness of government support to the screen industry.
  
  

Available support

As an industry partner, Screen Australia may offer support in the form of monetary or in-kind assistance. There is potential for access to Screen Australia’s data and for data sharing.

Staff capacity to collaborate in ad hoc research proposals is likely to accommodate no more than three such projects in a given year. Funds available for such endeavours are limited and dependent on other priorities. In some years, no external research projects may be undertaken.

Assessment criteria

When assessing applications for occasional research partnerships, we will take account of:

• specific current priorities and concerns arising from the Board, Senior Management and industry representatives
  
  
• the applicant’s qualifications, and their record of completing research/creative projects within a given timeframe and disseminating the results
  
  
• the originality of the research project and its tangible outcomes. It must have unique outcomes and not simply be an adjunct to existing projects and grants. The project should deliver a high yield for Screen Australia’s profile. It must produce tangible results that can be disseminated to our target audiences in a clear written format and verbally at industry and public events.

Applications

There are two phases to applying for research partnerships with Screen Australia:

• Phase 1 - an Expression of Interest outlining the proposed project and the nature of the partnership;
  
  
• Phase 2 - selected researchers from phase 1 may be invited to submit a full proposal, generally following the format of an ARC application, developed in consultation with Screen Australia and other industry partners where applicable.
  

Phase 1 Expression of Interest should be no more than three pages describing the principal research question, aims, methodology and expected outcomes / deliverables. It should also include:

• name of participating higher education institution
  
  
• details of project team including names, titles and brief description of roles and experience
  
  
• other industry partners
  
  
• start and end dates of proposed partnership
  
  
• budget outline for the project
  
  
• proposed role and contribution of Screen Australia
  
  
• contribution to Screen Australia’s research priorities
  

Screen Australia will not support proposals seeking funding for:

• more than three years continuous support
  
  
• publication of already completed or partially completed research
  
  
• publications, conferences or travel in isolation from a research project
  
  
• capital works or general infrastructure
  
  
• core organisational operating costs.