Research Infrastructure Co-investment Fund (RICF)

Attracting critical co-investment in National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) capabilities with existing or planned Queensland operations.

What's important

In 2019 up to $25,000,000 (excluding GST) over four years (2019–23) was awarded in a single open round.

The following facilities have received funding under the program:

• Australian National Fabrication Facility (Queensland node)
• Bioplatforms Australia (Queensland node)
• Microscopy Australia (Queensland node)
• Compounds Australia
• National Imaging Facility (Queensland node)
• Integrated Marine Observing System (Queensland node)
• Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
• Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation

In 2021 up to $1,700,000 (excluding GST) was awarded in a single closed round. The following facilities have been awarded funding for the period of 2022 to 2023:

• Integrated Design Environment for Advanced Manufacturing (IDEA bio)
  • The project will expand and automate a high throughput fermentation facility (microbial phenomics) located at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and establish a virtual design lab for strain engineering to enable researchers and companies to rapidly optimise their bioprocesses for the development of new bioproducts.
• Terrestrial Ecosystems and Agricultural Imaging Hub (TEAIH)
  • The project will install a new magnetic resonance imaging machine at The University of Queensland Gatton Campus to help quantify below ground mineral uptake of commercial crop root structures and monitor impacts of climate change on production (yield), productivity (yield per resource) and the quality (value) of agriculture outputs.

Co-investment Areas

The Queensland Government invited applications for co-investment in the following priority focus areas framed in the previous 2016 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap:

• Digital Data and eResearch Platforms
• Platforms for Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
• Characterisation
• Advanced Fabrication and Manufacturing
• Advanced Physics and Astronomy
• Earth and Environmental Systems
• Biosecurity
• Complex Biology, and
• Therapeutic Development.

Eligibility

The RICF grant application process was open to organisations that:

• were committed NCRIS funds (for the period 2018–2022) by the Australian Government in its 2018 Research Infrastructure Investment Plan for identified priority national research infrastructure projects, and are the established lead agent in the NCRIS 2018 Guidelines for the project or in a collaborative agreement with the lead agent (as explained by the Department of Education and Training (PDF, 253.0KB) ) to deliver the Queensland component of the funded project
• demonstrated significant leverage (matched or greater) of Australian Government, industry or university sector funds for the proposed project
• were organisations that conducted research in Queensland and included, but were not limited to:
  • universities
  • research agencies (e.g. statutory authorities)
  • limited companies
• were registered for GST and had an Australian Business Number
• proposed a project that addressed at least one of the co-investment areas above and benefited Queensland through alignment with an Advance Queensland Industry Roadmap, or other Queensland Government priority such as from  Our Future State: Advancing Queensland's Priorities.
• proposed to spend project related funds in Queensland
• proposed the acquisition of capital equipment and major systems and/or key expertise and personnel that will lift the competitiveness of existing or planned Queensland NCRIS capabilities
• had their headquarters and/or a research presence located (or planned to be located) in Queensland.