Australian Research Council

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is a Commonwealth entity established as an independent body under the Australian Research Council Act 2001, reporting to the Minister for Education.

The ARC's purpose is to help shape Australian research for the nation's economic, social, environmental and cultural benefit:

The ARC supports early-stage research through the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP), which supports approximately $1 billion per year of research to individuals, teams and large-scale centres in all disciplines except for medical.

Since 2011, ARC has awarded the annual Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship and the Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship, which are research fellowships for female Australian and international researchers, intended to support innovative research programs and mentor early career researchers.

The ARC was founded in 2001 under the Australian Research Council Act 2001 It is directly descended from the 1965 Australian Research Grants Committee. As of 2025^[update], the agency reports to the Minister for Education.

Management of research integrity in Australia is a shared responsibility that involves the Australian Research Council (ARC), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and a range of other institutions and entities.

There is no single Commonwealth agency with regulatory powers for the management or oversight of research integrity in Australia. Responsibility for the various aspects of research integrity is shared among institutions that conduct research, funding agencies, agencies such as Ombudsman Offices in the jurisdictions, Crime and Corruption Commissions in jurisdictions and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).

The ARC funds research and researchers under the National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP). Funding opportunities administered by the ARC include the Australian Laureate Fellowship.