Section Navigation
Media
Breadcrumb Navigation
15 October 2008
Over $71.7 million in research funding for 218 Linkage Projects
The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research today announced that 218 projects will share in funding of over $71.7 million under Linkage Projects Round 1 for funding commencing in January 2009.
"Through the Linkage Projects scheme, the Australian Government encourages collaborative research and development between higher education organisations and other organisations, including within industry," Senator Carr said.
"This funding round will see partner organisations, which include national, international and other government organisations, pledge $128.8 million in cash and in-kind contributions to research".
"Approximately 39 per cent of funding for successful projects under Linkage Projects Round 1 will support the Australian Government's commitment to improve conditions in regional and rural communities, by conducting research on regional and rural issues such as health, environment and agriculture."
"Some of the projects include modelling synergistic climate change and land use impacts on biodiversity, enhancing automation of close-range photogrammetry and developing printable multi-bit radio frequency identification for banknotes."
Average funding for Linkage Projects Round 1 has increased by 7.4 per cent on funding provided to successful projects in Linkage Projects Round 2 in 2008.
The Linkage Projects scheme is part of the Australian Research Council’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP). The NCGP nurtures the creative abilities and skills of Australia's most promising researchers.
Applications for NCGP funding are subject to a rigorous, independent peer review process that considers factors such as the researcher's track record and capacity to undertake the work, the significance and innovation of the proposed research, the approach to be taken, training opportunities to be made available, and the national benefit.
A summary of Linkage Projects Round 1 for funding commencing in January 2009 is below. For more information, visit www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/
| Media contacts: | ||
Catriona Jackson |
Minister's office |
0417 142 238 |
Summary of Linkage Projects Round 1 for funding commencing in January 2009
- Total ARC funding for Linkage Projects in this round is $71,704,687.
- Total number of successful projects is 218.
- Average funding per project increased by 7.4 per cent on funding provided to successful projects in Linkage Projects Round 2for fundingcommencing in July 2008. Average ARC funding per project in this round is $328,921.
- 125 Australian Postgraduate Awards Industry (APAIs), 29 Australian Postgraduate Awards Industry (Information Technology) (APAI–ITs), 14 Australian Postdoctoral Fellowships Industry (APDI) and three Linkage Industry Fellowship (LIF) will be funded.
- 35 projects involve research on issues of benefit to regional and rural communities. Total ARC funding allocated to these projects is $27.7 million, representing approximately 39% of total funding for this round.
- The overall success rate for female investigators is 49.8 per cent and for male investigators the success rate is 52.5 per cent.
- The total number of partner organisations is 458.
- Total contribution (cash + in-kind) pledged by partner organisations for successful projects totals $128.9 million.
- Total investment (cash + in-kind) by private companies is $65 million. Australian company contributions total $42.4 million. International company contributions total $22.6 million.
- Value of partner organisation contributions for each dollar provided by the Australian Government is $1.80.
Funding by ARC discipline panel:
| Approved funds over project life | Percentage of total funding | |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Sciences and Biotechnology | $14,422,502 | 20.11% |
| Engineering and Environmental Sciences | $17,049,460 | 23.78% |
| Humanities and Creative Arts | $5,310,210 | 7.41% |
| Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences | $8,265,420 | 11.53% |
| Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience | $6,917,420 | 9.65% |
| Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences | $19,739,675 | 27.53% |
| TOTAL | $71,704,687 | 100.00% |
Projects in the ARC discipline panel Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences will receive the highest funding at $19,739,675.
Projects in National Research Priority areas:
| Approved funds over project life | Number of projects | |
|---|---|---|
| An Environmentally Sustainable Australia | $26,166,689 | 76 |
| Promoting and Maintaining Good Health | $15,323,100 | 52 |
| Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries | $21,744,293 | 59 |
| Safeguarding Australia | $5,791,033 | 19 |
| Total National Research Priority | $69,025,115 | 206 |
96.3 per cent of the successful Linkage Projects proposals are considered by the applicants to lie within the National Research Priority areas.
State/Territory outcomes
| Success rate | Funding | |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 49.3% | $21,635,090 |
| Queensland | 50.0% | $12,731,885 |
| Victoria | 52.0% | $20,033,029 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 69.6% | $6,505,341 |
| South Australia | 60.6% | $5,775,922 |
| Western Australia | 26.3% | $4,030,000 |
| Tasmania | 30.0% | $915,000 |
| Northern Territory | 25.0% | $78,420 |
Investment by industry sector
| Partner organisation contribution (cash + in-kind) |
|
|---|---|
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | $8,135,440 |
| Communication Services | $1,232,350 |
| Construction | $1,451,310 |
| Cultural and Recreational Services | $10,892,492 |
| Education | $8,546,698 |
| Electricity, Gas and Water Supply | $10,790,759 |
| Finance and Insurance | $876,299 |
| Government Administration and Defence | $16,464,825 |
| Health and Community Services | $23,561,843 |
| Manufacturing | $23,392,353 |
| Mining | $9,121,020 |
| Personal and Other Services | $2,312,282 |
| Property and Business Services | $8,930,124 |
| Transport and Storage | $2,987,540 |
| Wholesale Trade | $182,400 |
