Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities for funding commencing in 2027

### 🇦🇺 Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) Grant Opportunity 2027 The Australian Research Council (ARC) is inviting applications for the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) scheme, providing funding commencing in 2027 for research infrastructure, equipment, and facilities. This scheme aims to support cooperative initiatives, enabling shared access to expensive research assets between higher education organizations and industry partners, fostering collaboration nationally and internationally. #### 🎯 Key Objectives & Scope The primary goals of the LIEF scheme are to: * Support excellent basic, strategic, and applied research (excluding clinical/medical research) through the acquisition, upgrade, or maintenance of research infrastructure/equipment, and access to national/international facilities. * Encourage collaborative arrangements between Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations. * Enhance the scale and focus of research in areas of strength. * Expand research infrastructure availability for the broader community. The minimum funding provided by the ARC is $150,000 per year. Funding duration can be one year, or one to five years for leasing, construction, or access to major facilities. #### 📜 Eligibility and Submission Applications must be submitted through the Research Office of an **Eligible Organisation**. Key personnel include Chief Investigators (CIs) who must meet specific employment and residency criteria (e.g., 0.2 FTE at an Eligible Organisation, >50% time in Australia during the project). A CI is limited to a maximum of two concurrently funded LIEF projects. Partner Investigators (PIs) must not meet CI eligibility criteria. #### 🗓️ Important Dates and Contact * **Publish Date:** 22-Jan-2026 * **Close Date:** 9-Apr-2026 5:00 pm (ACT Local Time) * **Selection Process:** Targeted or Restricted Competitive Submissions must be mature research plans ready for implementation, submitted via the Research Management System (RMS). Categories covered include Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research and STEM Research. Contact the Director, Grant Opportunities via arc-ncgp@arc.gov.au or 0262876600 for queries.