Applications have now closed for the 2020 ALCG Round.
The inaugural round of Australasian Leadership Computing Grants will be available to access NCI's new HPC system, Gadi.
The call for applications is designed to identify meritorious research projects with demonstrated ability to use HPC systems effectively at scale, and to provide these projects with larger allocations for extreme scale computational science.
Australian researchers are invited to submit an Expression of Interest to participate in the ALCG scheme.
Allocations will be 30-50 MSU per project, valid for Q2-Q4 2020.
Information session
NCI User Support ran an online information session on Tuesday 3rd. The session will be available to download soon. Please see FAQ's below that were raised by participants. If you have further questions please contact help@nci.org.au
Application Procedure
Application for allocations is a two-stage process.
1. Expression of Interest (deadline 6 March 2020)
NCI invites applicants to submit an Expression of Interest through the NCI registration system https://my.nci.org.au.
Expressions of Interest are shortlisted by the Allocation Committee. The Lead CIs of unsuccessful EOIs will be notified of this outcome as soon as possible following assessment and successful applications will be invited to submit a full application.
2. Full Application (deadline 8 April 2020)
The Lead CI provides additional track record information in the NCI registration system, and submits an 8-page written application (PDF document) to help@nci.org.au.
Note that a Full Application will be accepted only for EOIs which have been favourably assessed and shortlisted by the Allocation Committee.
Full criteria and instructions for applicants can be found in the PDF below.
ALCG Instructions for Applicants
Downloads
| Date | Task | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 February 2020 | Call for Expressions of Interest | |||
| 3 March 2020 | Online information session | |||
| 6 March 2020 | Expressions of Interest deadline (5pm AEDT) | |||
| 12 March 2020 | EOI shortlisting | |||
| 13 March 2020 | Shortlisted EOIs invited to submit a full application | |||
| 8 April 2020 | Full application deadline (5pm AEDT) | |||
| 16 April 2020 | Allocation Committee meeting | |||
| 17 April 2020 | Allocations announced |
FAQ's
1. What are the eligibility requirements?
In keeping with guidelines for access to Commonwealth-funded research infrastructure, and relevant Australian Government legislation, Lead Chief Investigators of ALCG projects must:
- Be Australian-based researchers;
- Be in control of the research and resourcing, such as funding and staffing; and,
- Hold an appointment at the level of at least 0.2 FTE at the nominated institution.
A researcher may be a Lead Chief Investigator or a (regular) Chief Investigator on only one ALCG application.
Any grants referenced by a Lead CI or CI must name that applicant as a primary recipient. Applications citing grants on which the applicants are not primary (named) grant recipients will be disqualified for non-compliance.
CSIRO employees are eligible to apply, however they must hold appointments at the level CSOF 5 or above and have direct oversight of the proposed research work.
2. Is industry participation allowed?
Industry engagement is allowed, but the Lead CI on an application must meet the above eligibility criteria.
3. Can one application support multiple projects (ie a consortium bid)?
No. The ALCG is intended to identify meritorious research projects with demonstrated ability to use HPC systems effectively at scale, and to provide these projects with larger allocations for extreme scale computational science.
4. Can new users apply?
Yes, as long as eligibility requirements are met and the application demonstrates a track record of HPC utilisation at large scales.
5. Does it matter which hardware we apply for?
No, proposals utilising Gadi CPU and/or GPU capabilities (or both) will be accepted.
