Other Grants Guidelines (Research) Amendment (No. 2) 2020

I, Dan Tehan, Minister for Education, make the following instrument.

Dated 15 November 2020   

Dan Tehan

Minister for Education

Contents

1  Name

2  Commencement

3  Authority

4  Schedules

5  Savings provision

Schedule 1—Amendments

Other Grants Guidelines (Research) 2017

1  Name

  This instrument is the Other Grants Guidelines (Research) Amendment (No. 2) 2020.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3  Authority

  This instrument is made under section 238-10 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003, for the purposes of Part 2-3.

4  Schedules

  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

5  Savings provision

  Despite the repeal of section 1.4 of the Other Grants Guidelines (Research) 2017 made by Part 1 of this instrument, that section, as in force immediately before the commencement of this Part, continues to apply on and after that commencement in relation to a RSP grant to be determined for a HEP for the 2020 Grant Year.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Other Grants Guidelines (Research) 2017

Part 1 – Amendments

1 Paragraph i.v.ii Interpretation

Insert the following definitions so that the resulting list remains in alphabetical order:

2 Paragraph i.v.ii Interpretation

Omit the definitions for “Funding Pool”, “Funding Pool A” and “Funding Pool B”.  

3 Section 1.4 Grant Amounts

Repeal section 1.4, substitute:

1.4  Grant Amounts

1.4.1  Determination of Grants and Indexation

For the purposes of paragraph 41-30(a) of the Act, the RSP Grant Amounts are determined in accordance with the method set out in paragraph 1.4.5 of these Guidelines.

Note: The RSP Funding Pool is to be indexed in the same way as amounts are indexed under Part 5-6 of the Act.

1.4.5  How Grant Amounts are Determined

(1)  Subject to any adjustment that may be made under paragraph 1.4.40, the RSP Grant Amount paid to a HEP for the Grant Year is the sum of:

 (a) the HEP’s RSP Base Grant Amount calculated under paragraph 1.4.15 and any changes made through the application of the transitional safety net calculated under paragraph 1.4.20 (if applicable), and

 (b) the HEP’s COVID-19 Supplementary Grant Amount calculated under paragraph 1.4.30 (if applicable),

 as rounded in accordance with paragraph 1.4.35.

1.4.10  Percentage Share of Competitive and Engagement Income

The formula for calculating each HEP’s relative percentage share of competitive and engagement income is as follows:

1.4.15  RSP Base Grant Amounts

The formula for calculating each HEP’s RSP Base Grant Amount for the Grant Year is:

BGAi,y = (COMPETITIVEi × Ay × 47%) + (ENGAGEMENTi × Ay × 53%)

1.4.20  Transitional Safety Net

For the 2021 Grant Year, a transitional safety net is applied to ensure that no HEP’s RSP Base Grant Amount for the Grant Year will fall below 95 per cent of that HEP’s indexed RSP Grant Amount for the previous Grant Year.

The transitional safety net is applied as follows:

(1) Each HEP’s RSP Grant Amount for the previous Grant Year is indexed by multiplying that amount by the indexation component. The indexation component is determined by dividing the RSP Funding Pool for the Grant Year by the RSP Funding Pool for the previous Grant Year.

(2) For each HEP whose RSP Base Grant Amount calculated under paragraph 1.4.15 is greater than the indexed amount calculated under subparagraph 1.4.20(1), the difference between the two amounts is included in what would be a notional safety net pool.

(3) For each HEP whose RSP Base Grant Amount calculated under paragraph 1.4.15 is less than 95 per cent of the indexed amount calculated under subparagraph 1.4.20(1), funds are taken from the notional safety net pool created in subparagraph 1.4.20(2) to top up the HEP’s RSP Base Grant Amount to 95 per cent of that HEP’s indexed RSP Grant Amount for the previous Grant Year.

(4) After the calculation at subparagraph 1.4.20(3), any funds remaining in the notional safety net pool are then returned to HEPs that added to the notional safety net pool under subparagraph 1.4.20(2), based on their percentage contribution to the safety net pool.

1.4.25  RSP Base Grant Amounts for 2022 and future Grant Years

For 2022 and future Grant Years, the transitional safety net as specified in paragraph 1.4.20 is not applied to RSP Base Grant Amounts.

1.4.30  COVID-19 Supplementary Grant Amounts

For the 2021 Grant Year, the COVID-19 Supplementary Grant Amount for a HEP will be calculated using the same method for calculating a RSP Base Grant Amount specified in paragraph 1.4.15 with the RSP Funding Pool substituted with the COVID-19 Supplementary Funding Pool. The Transitional Safety Net outlined in paragraph 1.4.20 will not be applied to COVID-19 Supplementary Grant Amounts.

  1.4.35  Rounding Process

The rounding process for RSP Grant Amounts is as follows:

(1) The Grant Amount calculated for each HEP under paragraph 1.4.5 is rounded down to the nearest whole dollar. The difference in cents between a HEP’s rounded and unrounded RSP Grant Amount is its Remainder. The sum of all Remainders is the Unallocated Dollars.

(2) Each HEP is ranked in descending order based on how close the HEP’s remainder is to one hundred cents. One dollar is paid to each HEP in order of ranking until all Unallocated Dollars are paid.

(3) Each HEP’s RSP Grant Amount is equal to the rounded amount calculated under subparagraph 1.4.35(1) plus any whole dollars assigned in subparagraph 1.4.35(2).

1.4.40  Adjustments

(1) If a HEP provides incorrect HERDC data used to calculate the HEP’s RSP Grant Amount for a Grant Year, the HEP must correct the information provided to the department (‘corrected data’).

(2) If the HEP provides corrected data on or before 1 October in the year the data was first provided, the department will take into account the corrected data when calculating RSP Grant Amounts under paragraph 1.4.5.

(3) Subject to subparagraph 1.4.40(4), if a HEP provides corrected data after 1 October in the year the data was first provided, the corrected data will not be used to calculate, or adjust, the HEP’s RSP Grant Amount for a Grant Year.

(4) Where corrected data is provided in accordance with subparagraph 1.4.40(3), the department will use the method specified in paragraph 1.4.5 to determine the Grant Amount the HEP would have been paid for the Grant Year if the corrected data had been used. If the department determines that the HEP has received an overpayment in respect of the Grant Year, the HEP must repay the amount of the overpayment to the department.

1.4.45  Rollover of Grant Amounts

A RSP grant is made in respect of the relevant Grant Year for the purpose of section 41-40 of the Act.

4 Before sub-subparagraph 2.5(3)(a)

Insert:

(aa) Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS);

5  Subparagraph 2.15(2)

Omit “four” (wherever occurring), substitute “five”. 

6  Sub-subparagraph 2.15(3)(a)

Omit “and ASSA”, substitute “ASSA and AAHMS”.