This project will use existing and new knowledge drawn from western and Indigenous science to produce tools and guidance that will enhance the capabilities of Indigenous and non-Indigenous fire managers to incorporate fire mosaics into landscape fire planning.
This project is currently open for Expressions of Interest.
Project teams responding to this call for Expressions of Interest (see PDF in top-right corner) are required to submit their response using the Centre’s current EOI submission form.
EOI proposals are due by 5:00pm AEDT, 18 December 2024 to research@naturalhazards.com.au.
Project details
The purpose of this project is to develop operational guidance comprised of a shared conceptual framework, language and metrics for describing fire mosaics. This will enhance capability of practitioners throughout temperate Australia to integrate fire mosaics into landscape planning so they can meet their management objectives.
Fire mosaics are perceived to be important for achieving ecological, cultural and hazard reduction objectives in fire-prone landscapes. However, operational guidance regarding mosaics lags substantially behind that for other areas of fire management (e.g. impacts of fire interval on ecosystems). Therefore, managers continue to face considerable uncertainty regarding defining objectives, implementation and assessment of outcomes from ‘mosaic burning’. Establishing commonly understood concepts, language and metrics around fire mosaics is a key first step towards addressing this gap.
This project will deliver operational guidance with practical application to fire management and will also be foundational for subsequent work to develop information and tools to assist in planning, implementing and assessing fire mosaics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q) Are the word limits in the submission form a guideline?
A) Each question in the submission form has a required word limit. Submissions with statements exceeding the word limit will be deemed non-compliant.
Q) Can the Centre connect interested parties with other agencies or organisations involved in developing this project, to discuss it further and assist in developing an EOI submission?
A) While an EOI is open for submissions, the Centre procurement processes don't allow Centre staff to connect interested parties, as this can cause conflicts of interest. However, interested parties are able to contact whomever they wish, excluding those organisations listed on the EOI, to discuss the project and explore opportunities for collaboration or potential consortium submissions. If an online project briefing has been organised for an EOI, we encourage interested parties to attend the briefing to ask questions and meet other interested parties.
Q) Can interested parties contact the Centre with questions about the project design before submitting?
A) While an EOI is open for submissions, Centre procurement processes don't allow Centre staff to share knowledge of the project design directly with interested parties. However, if you have questions, you can email research@naturalhazards.com.au and you will receive a timely response if appropriate, according to our procurement processes
Q) Is there a preference for a project team to be from a single research organisation, or from across multiple organisations?
A) The Centre has no preference for either a single organisation or a multi-organisation project team. EOIs will be accepted from either and will be evaluated against the evaluation criteria in the same way.
Q) Can the proposed project team include researchers from government agencies or research consultancies, as well as university-based researchers?
A) EOIs will be accepted from multi-organisation project teams, and project teams can include researchers at government agencies and research consultancies. The proposed project team's capacity to undertake the project will be evaluated in the same way whether researchers are university-, consultancy- or agency-based.
Q) Would academic salaries (excluding administrative overheads) be eligible to budget?
A) Yes, academic salaries can be included within the project budget, but only when they are direct project costs and their salary is not already covered elsewhere. E.g. the salary costs of a contract researcher who is actively working on the project can be included up to the FTE component they are contributing. However, the salary costs of a tenured academic who is already paid through the university/research organisation would be included as an in-kind contribution up to the amount of their FTE contribution to the project.
Q) What do you mean by “Total cumulative FTE contribution over the life of the project"?
A) This means the total FTE per person over the life of the project. Maximum total FTE for each person is 1.0. Cumulative is to add up all the personnel.
For example:
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If someone is contributing 1 FTE per year for three years, then their FTE is 1.000 FTE
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If someone is contributing 0.1 FTE per year for three years, then their FTE is 0.100 FTE
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If someone is contributing 0.05 FTE for two years of a three-year project, then their FTE 0.033 FTE
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If someone is contributing 0.5 for two years and 0.1 for 1 years of a three-year project, then their FTE is 0.367 FTE
Q) What do you mean by "peer review"?
A) This is a quality control process. The final report must be reviewed by someone who is an expert in the field and independent of the project.
Q) At what rate can salary on-costs be charged?
A) Administrative overheads are limited to direct salary-related on-costs. Indirect cost recoveries are not to be included. Other administrative overheads and indirect costs can be included as in-kind contributions. Where the salary on-cost rate exceeds 28% this will need to be justified.
Q) Can equipment costs be included in the budget?
A) Ordinarily, project funds are not to be used to purchase equipment. Where funds for equipment are requested, they will need to be justified
Q) Can international research teams apply? Alternatively, can international research teams be part of a consortium bid?
A) International research teams can be part of research projects when they are part of a consortium submission that is led by an Australian research organisation. The international team would need to be subcontracted by the lead Australian based research organisation. Please note that all budget submissions must be in Australian dollars and the lead organisation must bear the cost of funds transfer and responsibility for due diligence as required under Australian Foreign Interference regulations.
Q) Is there an option of registering my interest as an independent researcher that could assist a larger team or are you only able to consider proposals that address the entire project?
A) Yes, you can submit an EOI as an independent researcher addressing part of the project requirements. In the EOI submission form, please outline which aspects of the project you can address. Once the EOI closes, we can consider linking researchers together, although whether or not we can do that will depend on a range of factors, so we can’t guarantee that outcome. Of course, the other option is to reach out to potential collaborators now about putting in a joint EOI submission that addresses the entire project.