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ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres
2006 Extension Reviews - Selection Report for funding commencing in 2008

Overview
Objectives
Review Process
Selection Criteria
Extension Funding Level and Duration
National Research Priorities
Summary of Selection Outcomes
Funding Assistance
Outcomes by Organisation
Scheme Budget
Renaming of ARC Centres

Overview

The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme was established in 2002 to create the scale and focus necessary to maintain and develop Australia’s international standing in four designated Priority Areas (Nano-Materials and Bio-Materials; Genome/Phenome Research; Complex/Intelligent Systems; and Photon Science and Technology).  Following a competitive selection process, eight ARC Centres of Excellence and nine ARC Centres were established commencing in 2003 (two ARC Centres were subsequently relinquished following the submission of successful proposals in the 2005 Centres of Excellence selection round).  Provision was made for the Centres to be funded for an initial five-year period from 2003 to 2007 inclusive.

The ARC recognises that innovative research leading to outstanding international recognition takes several years to be fully realised. Accordingly the ARC Centres of Excellence Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2003 state in section 3.4 that "Subject to exceptional performance by a Centre and to the availability of funding, the ARC may consider making a recommendation for financial assistance for an additional period of up to five years beyond 2007".  Reviews of the remaining 15 ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres from the 2003 cohort were undertaken in 2006 to assess their performance with a view to funding a number for an additional three years (to 2010).

Objectives

The objectives of the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme are to:

  • undertake highly innovative research at the forefront of developments within the designated Priority Areas, with a scale and focus leading to outstanding international and national recognition;
  • promote research that will enhance Australia’s future economic, social and cultural wellbeing;
  • link existing Australian research strengths and build new capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems;
  • build Australia's human capacity in the Priority Areas by attracting, from within Australia and abroad, researchers of high international standing as well as the most promising research students;
  • provide high quality postgraduate and postdoctoral training environments for the next generation of Australian researchers in the Priority Areas;
  • offer Australian researchers access to world class infrastructure and equipment, and to key research technologies;
  • develop relationships and build new networks with major international centres and research programs that help achieve global competitiveness and recognition for Australian research;
  • establish Centres of such repute in the wider community that they will serve as points of interaction generally among higher education institutions, governments, industry and the private sector generally; and
  • raise awareness of the designated Priority Areas in Australia, particularly their importance in innovation and international competitiveness.

Review Process

In June 2006 the ARC invited all 15 of the 2003 cohort of Centres to participate in the 2006 reviews and to submit extension proposals. All 15 of the 2003 Centres accepted the ARC's offer to participate.

The aims of the reviews of the Centres were to:

  • assess each Centre's past performance against its own objectives and those of the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme;
  • assess each Centre's proposed future research plan; and
  • determine whether a funding extension of up to three years beyond the original five-year term should be recommended.

The assessment of Centre performance for the 2006 ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres reviews was based on submissions prepared by the Centres which, having regard to the key result areas and performance measures outlined in the Funding Agreement, outlined:

  • the extent to which the Centre has met the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme objectives;
  • the extent to which the Centre has met its original aims and objectives as set out in the initial funding application, as adjusted by any subsequent agreements with the ARC;
  • a strategic plan, including plans for dealing with the continuation of the Centre following cessation of Centre funding;
  • the progress of the Centre towards becoming independent of the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme for funding;
  • the extent to which the Centre interacts with, and is visible to, the private sector, State/Territory and Commonwealth Governments as appropriate;
  • the robustness of the Centre’s management and structure, including the leadership role of the Director and the extent to which high-quality staff and students are attracted to the Centre; and
  • the development of commercialisation strategies.

Site visits were conducted from 6 September to 3 October 2006 inclusive, using a Review Panel for each Centre comprising assessors with appropriate expertise.  International experts were also contracted by the ARC to provide written assessments of the Centres on the basis of the written documentation provided by the Centres.

Selection Criteria

Assessment of the extension proposals for the 2006 ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres reviews was based on the following criteria:

  1. Research program and investigators (40%)
  2. Research training and professional education (5%)
  3. National benefit (10%)
  4. International, national and regional links and networks (10%)
  5. End-user links (15%)
  6. Organisational support (10%)
  7. Governance (10%)

Extension Funding Level and Duration

Subject to parliamentary appropriation and the provisions of the ARC Act, funding extensions have been approved for between one and three years over the period 2008-10 inclusive.  Eleven Centres have been approved for an three additional years of funding and three Centres have been approved for one additional year of funding.  Two of the Centres approved for a one year extension will be reviewed again in 2007 with a possibility of extension until 2010.  The funding extensions approved for Centres are listed in Table 1.

Table 1: ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres offered funding extensions

Centre
Amount of additional funding
Years of extended funding
ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology
10,100,000
2008-10
ARC Centre of Excellence for Ultrahigh-bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems
7,500,000
2008-10
ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics
7,200,000
2008-10
ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research
6,900,000
2008-10
ARC Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology and Development
6,420,000
2008-10
ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics
6,000,000
2008-10
ARC Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control
5,400,000
2008-10
ARC Centre of Excellence for Autonomous Systems
5,200,000
2008-10
ARC Centre for Functional Nanomaterials
4,800,000
2008-10
ARC Centre for Bioinformatics
3,300,000
2008-10
ARC Centre for Kangaroo Genomics
1,950,000
2008-10
ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Modelling of Complex Systems
1,800,000
2008*
ARC Centre for Complex Systems
700,000
2008
ARC Centre for Solar Energy Systems
319,627
2008*
Total
67,589,627

*Funding beyond 2008 subject to conditions being met at later review.

National Research Priorities

All of the Centre proposals in 2003 addressed one of the (then) four ARC designated Research Priorities.  Each of these four ARC designated Research Priorities fall within the current National Research Priority Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.  One of the 15 extension proposals identified the National Research Priority – Promoting and Maintaining Good Health.

National Research Priorities identified in either original proposals or extension proposals approved funding are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Numbers of proposals and success rates for ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres extensions by National Research Priority

Priority area
Extension proposals received
Extension proposals funded
Success rate (%)
Funding offered over extension period
($)
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
-
-
-
-
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
1
1
100
6,420,000
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
14
13
92.9
61,169,627
Safeguarding Australia
-
-
-
-
None selected
-
-
-
-
Total
15
14
93.3
67,589,627

Summary of Selection Outcomes

Fifteen extension proposals were considered, seeking $102,396,679 of ARC funds.  Funding has been approved for 14 of those proposals, 11 for the period 2008-10 and three for 2008 only.  This represents a total ARC commitment to extension funding of $67,589,627 over the financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11. Numbers of proposals and success rates, by discipline group, are shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Numbers of proposals and success rates for ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres extensions, by discipline group

Discipline*
Extension proposals received
Extension proposals funded
Extension proposals not funded
Success rate (%)
BSB
4
4
0
100
EE
3
3
0
100
HCA
-
-
-
-
MIC
4
3
1
75
PCG
4
4
0
100
SBE
-
-
-
-
Total
15
14
1
93.3

*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EE = Engineering and Environmental Sciences;
HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; MIC = Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences; PCG = Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences

Total requested funding over the financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11 for all extension proposals received was $102,396,679.  Total extension funding is $67,589,627 or 66.0% of the total funding requested by funded proposals, as shown in Table 4.

Table 4: Amounts requested and approved for funding for ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres extensions, by discipline group

Discipline group*
Total requested over project life (all extension proposals) ($)
Total funding over project life ($)
Total funding as % of funding requested (funded extension proposals)
BSB
23,578,947
18,570,000
78.8
EE
13,950,000
10,519,627
75.4
HCA
-
-
-
MIC
26,793,000
7,700,000
28.7
PCG
38,074,732
30,800,000
80.9
SBE
-
-
-
Total
102,396,679
67,589,627
66

*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EE = Engineering and Environmental Sciences;
HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; MIC = Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences; PCG = Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences

Funding Assistance

The allocations of ARC funding to Centres approved for extensions of funding commencing in 2008 are shown in Table 5.  The average extension funding per proposal over the three-year extension period for ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres extensions commencing in 2008 is $4,827,831.

Table 5: Funding assistance for ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres extensions

Number of proposals approved for extension funding
Amount requested in proposals approved for extension funding
Year
Amount approved
Average funding per approved proposal
14
$97,908,679
2007-08
$12,654,814
$4,827,831
2008-09
$23,399,813
2009-10
$21,140,000
2010-11 $10,395,000
Total $67,589,627

Outcomes by Organisation

The number of proposals considered and approved, and funding requested and approved, by organisation is shown in Table 6.

Table 6: ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres extension proposals by Administering Organisation:  total requested and total approved for funding

Administering Organisation
Funding requested (all extension proposals) ($)
Funding approved over proposal life (approved extension proposals) ($)
Extension proposals considered
Extension proposals approved for funding
Success rate (%)
Other
4,488,000
0
1
0
0
The Australian National University
12,309,000
8,269,627
3
3
100
The University of Melbourne
9,000,000
1,800,000
1
1
100
The University of New South Wales
19,975,000
17,300,000
2
2
100
The University of Newcastle
14,850,000
11,820,000
2
2
100
The University of Queensland
24,562,947
15,700,000
4
4
100
The University of Sydney
17,211,732
12,700,000
2
2
100
TOTAL
102,396,679
67,589,627
15
14
93.3

Scheme Budget

Allocations from the ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres budget for the Centre extensions are shown in Table 7.

Table 7: Allocations for ARC Centres of Excellence and ARC Centres extensions, for funding commencing in 2008Unsuccessful Extension Proposals
2008
2009
2010
TOTAL
Total
$25,309,627
$21,490,000
$20,790,000
$67,589,627

One Centre was not approved for an extension of funding, its performance having been assessed as unexceptional.

Renaming of ARC Centres

The ARC recommended that those ARC Centres for which a three-year funding extension was approved be renamed as ARC Centres of Excellence.  These title changes are shown in Table 8.

Table 8:  Title changes to ARC Centres

Current Centre Title
New Centre Title
ARC Centre for Bioinformatics
ARC Centre of Excellence for Bioinformatics
ARC Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control
ARC Centre of Excellence for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control
ARC Centre for Functional Nanomaterials
ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials
ARC Centre for Kangaroo Genomics
ARC Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics
Content Last Modified:

13/3/07

 

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