Outcome in the ARC pre-print shambles

The Australian Research Council announces six disqualified research applications will now receive grants, based on academic merit

They were among 32 ruled out from Discovery Early Career Researcher Award and Future Fellowship rounds for breaking a relatively new and not universally recognised ARC rule against citing research pre-prints (CMM September 15 and umpteen other reports). The ARC has now deleted the pre-print rule.

Of the 32 determined to be ineligible applications, the authors of 28 appealed under ARC rules. Five DECRA and one Future Fellowship applicants are successful.

The original ban led to an outcry in the research community, notably in physics, where many rejected applications originated. It culminating in ARC chief Sue Thomas being closely questioned in Senate committee hearing by Mehreen Faruqi (Greens-NSW) and Kim Carr (Labor-Vic).

The ARC has also exempts all 32 applicants from the rule that caps at three the number of times a researcher can apply for grant funding – word is that this was the third go for three applicants.

Scroll down for the six now successful researchers