Guide for Applicants

Step 1: Contact the relevant Fisheries Research Advisory Body (FRAB)

The FRDC contributes to a network of Fisheries Research Advisory Bodies (FRABs) located in each state and the Northern Territory.

The FRABs have an extremely important role in maximising the efficiency of the FRDC's planning and funding process. Their role is to:

• develop strategic plans for research and development that take into account other strategic plans, and subsequently maintain strategic directions and be responsive to changing circumstances;
• set research and development priorities to maximise investment, avoid duplication and achieve the greatest potential return;
• invite research and development applications to address those priorities;
• encourage collaboration between researchers, and between researchers, fisheries managers and fishing industry interests;
• identify appropriate funding sources (including the FRDC);
• advise the FRDC on the priority and appropriateness of applications attributing benefit to their related fisheries or industry sectors; and
• assist the FRDC with communication and extension of research and development results.

You should contact the FRAB that is most relevant to your proposal. For example if your proposal may potentially benefit the WA Rock Lobster industry then the WAFRAB should be contacted. If the proposal may benefit a number of state industry's then you should contact the FRAB that is likely to receive greatest benefit from the proposal.

FRAB's call for research and development 'pre-proposals' on FRDC's behalf. This usually occurs between late May and early June of each year. However, potential applicants should contact the relevant FRAB for exact details of upcoming calls and deadlines for submissions of pre-proposals.

The FRDC encourages all prospective applicants to contact the relevant FRAB(s) prior to submitting applications to the FRDC. Following is a contact list of FRAB's across Australia.

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