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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
Selection Report for Funding Commencing in 2011

Overview

The objectives of the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) for funding commencing in 2011 scheme are to:

  • encourage Eligible Organisations to develop collaborative arrangements in the higher education sector and with other organisations outside the sector in order to develop research infrastructure;
  • support large-scale cooperative initiatives thereby allowing expensive infrastructure, equipment and facilities to be shared;
  • enhance support for areas of research strength; and
  • ensure that researchers in fields of recognised research potential have access to the support necessary to carry out high-quality research.

LIEF supports access to resources essential for undertaking high quality research projects particularly those funded through Australian Government competitive schemes.

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Selection process

The closing date for LIEF applications was 26 May 2010. The ARC Executive Director responsible for the LIEF scheme, assisted by ARC staff, prepared funding recommendations for submission to the Chief Executive Officer. The recommendations were based on advice from the Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which:

  • assessed proposals and considered the assessments of other SAC members;
  • ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposals and the SAC members’ reports; and
  • assessed and recommended budgets;

and, advice from the ARC Eligibility Committee which:

  • considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff and the SAC;
  • sought advice from institutions with respect to issues raised; and
  • made recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible proposals.

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Selection criteria

Selection criteria and corresponding weights for LIEF proposals are:

  • Significance of research to be supported with the proposed infrastructure, equipment and facilities (20%);
  • Need for excellent Australian researchers to access the proposed infrastructure, equipment or facility (30%);
  • Strength and benefits of collaboration between Eligible Organisations and/or other organisations (30%); and
  • Investigator(s) (20%).

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Funding duration

Funding for LIEF proposals may be awarded for one year only, except in the case of subscriptions or other payments in respect of major international research facilities where up to five years of funding may be provided.

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Selection outcomes

Summary of outcomes
Table 1: Comparison of LIEF proposal numbers, success rates, requested and approved funding for successful proposals from 2008 to 2011

Funding year Proposals considered Proposals approved Success rate %# Requested funds over project life (all proposals) # Requested funds over project life (approved proposals) # Approved for ARC funding # Allocation as a percentage of requested funding # %

2011

 165 78* 47.3 $85,228,283 $41,378,296 $30,873,624 74.6

2010

 170 71 (2)† 42.9 $89,640,606 $43,773,794 $30,957,412 70.7

2009

 169 73 43.2 $86,028,730 $44,520,262 $31,681,456 71.2

2008

 155 67 (7)† 47.7 $85,222,724 $50,826,550 $34,940,000 68.7

* Two of the 78 approved proposals for 2011 are international facilities.
† Figures in brackets are funded reserves.
# Figures include funded reserves.

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Selection outcomes by Administering Organisation

Table 2: Numbers of proposals, success rates, ARC funding and Collaborating Organisations’* contributions, by Administering Organisation†

Administering Organisation Proposals considered Proposals approved Success rate % ARC funding (approved proposals) Collaborating Organisations’* contributions (approved proposals, cash & in-kind)
Macquarie University 5 3 60.0 $750,000 $1,300,385
Southern Cross University 1 0 0.0 0 0
The University of New South Wales 14 10 71.4 $3,570,240 $17,954,123
The University of Newcastle 7 4 57.1 $1,430,000 $1,616,802
The University of Sydney 16 7 43.8 $2,988,000 $5,916,739
University of New England 1 0 0.0 0 0
University of Wollongong 5 3 60.0 $890,000 $1,182,356
University of Technology Sydney 3 0 0.0 0 0
University of Western Sydney 2 0 0.0 0 0
Deakin University 4 2 50.0 $1,724,000 $2,076,028
La Trobe University 2 1 50.0 $250,000 $230,000
Monash University 5 1 20.0 $1,000,000 $1,572,500
RMIT University 4 0 0.0 0 0
Swinburne University of Technology 4 3 75.0 $1,480,000 $4,959,109
The University of Melbourne 15 6 40.0 $2,456,384 $12,392,895
Griffith University 6 0 0.0 0 0
James Cook University 1 1 100.0 $150,000 $202,800
Queensland University of Technology 4 2 50.0 $830,000 $1,351,869
The University of Queensland 15 10 66.7 $3,600,000 $6,739,185
The Flinders University of South Australia 2 1 50.0 $600,000 $600,000
The University of Adelaide 8 5 62.5 $1,950,000 $2,240,000
University of South Australia 6 0 0.0 0 0
Edit Cowan University 1 0 0.0 0 0
Murdoch University 1 1 100.0 $480,000 $540,000
The University of Western Australia 11 10 90.9 $4,400,000 $18,010,267
Curtin University of Technology 3 1 33.3 $190,000 $502,000
University of Tasmania 5 2 40.0 $515,000 $8,066,456
The Australian National University 14 5 35.7 $1,620,000 $2,780,267
Total all Administering Organisations 165 78 47.3% $30,873,624 $90,233,781

* Collaborating Organisations include the Administering Organisation, other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations.
† Funding under LIEF is provided by the ARC only to Administering Organisations which are responsible for the administration of the funding of projects.

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Selection outcomes by Field of Research (FoR)

Table 3: Proposal data by FoR category

Field of Research category Approved Proposals † Total funding from all sources*
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences 1 $395,000
Biological Sciences 13 $10,226,025
Chemical Sciences 8 $7,231,173
Earth Sciences 7 $5,786,907
Engineering 23 $34,590,658
Language, Communication and Culture 1 $3,002,836
Law and Legal Studies 1 $500,000
Medical and Health Sciences 5 $5,605,613
Physical Sciences 11 $31,301,251
Studies in Human Society 3 $2,949,354
Technology 5 $19,518,588
Grand Total 78 $121,107,405

† Based on the 2 digit FoR code which predominates on each proposal.
* Funding from all sources includes approved ARC funding as well as Administering Organisation, Eligible Organisation/s, and Partner Organisation/s cash and in-kind contributions.

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Single-organisation proposals

A single-organisation proposal is defined as a proposal on which only one Eligible Organisation is listed as a contributor to the project. There may be Partner Organisations involved (that is, organisations which are not themselves eligible to apply for and receive funding under the LIEF scheme). Proposals normally are expected to involve two or more Eligible Organisations unless they can demonstrate that collaborative use of the proposed infrastructure, equipment or facility by other Eligible Organisations would not be practicable.

Table 4: Approved single-organisation proposals for calendar years 2008 to 2011

Year Total Proposals considered Total Proposals approved Total number of single organisation proposals considered# Total number of single organisation proposals approved # Single-organisation proposals as a proportion of all proposals# % Single-organisation proposals approved as a proportion of all approved proposals# %
2011 165 78 22 7 13.3 9.0
2010 170 71 (2) † 32 6 18.8 8.2
2009 169 73 34 10 20.1 13.7
2008 155 67 (7) † 28 8 18.1 10.8

† Figures in brackets are funded reserves.
# Figures include funded reserves.

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Leverage of ARC funding

Table 5: Leverage of ARC funds for approved proposals

Approved Proposals Approved ARC funding Number of Collaborating Organisations* Incidence of involvement of Collaborating Organisations* Collaborating Organisation* contribution (cash & in-kind) Leverage
78 $30,873,624 77 330 $90,233,781 $2.92

*Collaborating Organisations include the Administration Organisation, other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations.

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National Research Priorities

Table 6: Numbers of proposals and success rates by National Research Priority

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Priority Area Proposals considered Proposals approved Success rate % ARC funding (approved proposals)
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia 31 15 48.4 $5,200,240
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries 95 51 53.7 $21,515,384
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health 30 10 33.3 $3,370,000
Safeguarding Australia 6 1 16.7 $238,000
None Selected 3 1 33.3 $550,000
Total proposals 165 78 47.3 $30,873,624

Collaboration

Table 7: Number of considered and approved proposals by number of Collaborating Organisations

Number of Collaborating Organisations* Proposals considered Proposals approved Success rate %
1 15 5 33.3
2 31 13 41.9
3 48 24 50.0
4 26 9 34.6
5 21 14 66.7
6 5 1 20.0
7 7 3 42.9
8 3 2 66.7
9 2 2 100.0
10 2 2 100.0
11 3 1 33.3
12 1 1 100.0
17 1 1 100.0
Total 16 78 47.3

*Collaborating Organisations include the Administration Organisation, other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations.

Content Last Modified:

01/12/10


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