National Computational Merit Allocation Scheme - Evaluation Criteria for Applications

Evaluation Criteria for Applications

Research quality
- Merits of the research (excellence and impact dimensions), as assessed by the potential of the work to generate new knowledge in an important area, the comparative scientific merits of the work within its discipline, its originality and the international competitiveness of the research.
- Experience and demonstrated research capacity of the applicant and the project team.
- Alignment with national research priorities and, as appropriate, complementing other national research infrastructure capability investments.
Computational Assessment of the Project
- Appropriateness of the computational resources requested for the project:
  - The need for such resources to conduct the research.
  - Suitability of the system (hardware and software) and its operational environment to support the project.
  - Evidence or experience to demonstrate that the project will use the facilities efficiently.
    Efficient use of the systems means that the use will result in
    - the stated research outcomes
    - maximal compute output for the grant awarded - i.e. good system utilisation by jobs, without undue overrequests of resources.
- Reasonableness of the level of resources requested:
  - Relative to the total amount available.
  - Needed to make adequate progress in the proposed research program.
- Track record of the applicant in using merit allocated computational resources (where relevant):
  - In the case of proposals to continue a project, or a new project from existing grant holders, this implies a record of achievement and the demonstration of effective and efficient use of previous allocations.