Alistair McCulloch (Uni SA) has scheme for the ARC agenda

Professor McCulloch wants the Sheil Review of the Australian Research Council to recommend a small grants programme, “of the sort that would support researchers in disciplines and on topics requiring time but little in the way of large-scale equipment, as is common in the arts, humanities and some of the social sciences.”

He points to US and UK programmes as precedents and suggests such funding would be a boon for ECRs and for researchers laying groundwork for a Discovery bid.

To encourage Professor Sheil and her colleagues he urges those interested to respond to the review’s open-ended “any suggestions?” Question Ten.

“ Imagine if 100 responses suggesting something like this were received,” he writes.

“It would have to be included in the report emanating from the review and the idea of a small-grants scheme would have to be considered.”

No harm in asking people to ask.