Department of Science and Technology Studies
University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia

27 May 1996
David Murphy, Director
Individual Grants Section
Research Branch
DEETYA
GPO Box 9880
Canberra ACT 2601

Dear Dr Murphy,

My application for an ARC large grant (file number A79700005, category 705) was rejected without being sent to external assessors. (A copy of the feedback form is attached.) I write to request some information (not to appeal).

My application is in the field of peace research, in conjunction with technology studies. After my unsuccessful application last year, I talked with Graham Hugo of the Social Sciences & Humanities discipline panel of the ARC about my application, with which he was quite impressed. He said that for such an application he would probably consult a leading peace researcher such as Professor Andrew Mack (International Relations, ANU).

Did the relevant panel consult, formally or informally, a peace researcher such as Professor Mack in relation to my application? Alternatively, is there such a peace researcher on the panel? If the answer is no, then I must conclude that in future it is not worth my while applying in this area.

Please note that an earlier application in the same area was funded for three years, receiving extremely high ratings from external assessors. My research performance since that time has been at a consistently high level. It is not clear to me what has changed since then, though of course it is well documented that contingent factors play a large role in research grant decisions.


Yours,



Brian Martin