Linkage Projects

Fact Sheet (PDF 249KB)

For information on recently announced grant outcomes under the Linkage Projects scheme please visit the following pages: 

The Linkage Program promotes national and international research partnerships between researchers and business, industry, community organisations and other publicly funded research agencies. By supporting the development of partnerships, the ARC encourages the transfer of skills, knowledge and ideas as a basis for securing commercial and other benefits of research.

The Linkage Projects grant opportunity supports projects which initiate or develop long term strategic research alliances to apply advanced knowledge to problems, acquire new knowledge and as a basis for securing commercial and other benefits of research.

There will be one assessment round for Linkage Projects 2026.

The Linkage Projects scheme objectives are to:

  • support internationally competitive research projects and teams on challenges or opportunities of relevance to research end-users;
  • foster the establishment and strengthening of research alliances between higher education organisations and research end-users;
  • enhance the scale and focus of research, including in Australian Government priority areas.

Applications for funding under the Linkage Projects scheme must include at least one Partner Organisation. The Partner Organisation must make a contribution in cash and/or in kind to the project. The combined Partner Organisation contributions for an application (i.e. the total of the cash and in-kind contributions of the Partner Organisations) must at least match the total funding requested from the ARC.

The Linkage Projects scheme provides project funding of $50,000 to $300,000 per year for two to five years.

Who is this for?

This scheme is intended to support researchers from higher education organisations and industry to build partnerships with organisations, to conduct research which will benefit the organisations and Australia. 

How do I apply?

University Research Offices manage applications for any ARC scheme. Interested researchers should contact the relevant Research Office who will assist in preparing and submitting an application through the ARC’s Research Management System.

How do I find out more?

The Grant Guidelines provide further detail on the schemes, including eligibility requirements and assessment criteria. These are published on Grant Connect.

Opening and closing dates are listed on the ARC Grants Calendar.

If you are an applicant and have any queries about this scheme, please contact a university research office in the first instance.

Key Documents and Information for Linkage Projects 2026