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Discovery Projects
Selection Report for funding Commencing in 2006

Overview

Recognising the importance of fundamental research to the national innovation system, Discovery Projects supports excellent research projects and excellent individual researchers and teams of researchers. To build research capability and foster the research careers of outstanding young researchers, Discovery Projects includes targets for funding Early Career Researchers. Under Discovery Projects, ARC Fellowships provide opportunities for emerging and established researchers to undertake research of national and international significance.

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Objectives

The objectives of Discovery Projects are to:

  • support excellent fundamental research by individuals and teams;
  • assist researchers to undertake their research in conditions most conducive to achieving best results;
  • expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability; and
  • encourage research training in high-quality research environments.

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Selection process

Assessment of applications was undertaken by the ARC College of Experts, which:

  • assigned independent readers/assessors to review the applications;
  • sought applicants’ comments on assessors’ reports;
  • ranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, the assessors’ reports and applicants’ responses to those assessments;
  • assessed and approved budgets; and
  • prepared funding recommendations for submission to the ARC Board and, subject to its views, then to the Minister for approval.

The ARC applied strict procedures for declaring conflicts of interest and for members to withdraw from considering particular applications. Readers for each discipline grouping were drawn from a range of institutions to avoid potential conflict of interest problems.

At the advisory selection meeting held on 22-26 August 2005, the ARC College of Experts ranked the applications, taking into account readers' and assessors' reports and rejoinders from applicants. The Committee made final checks on eligibility. A list of applications recommended for funding was then prepared for submission to the ARC Board. The Board's recommendations, which also took into account the recommendations of the ARC Quality and Scrutiny Committee (regarding the distribution of funds among discipline groupings, the handling of College of Experts members' applications, and the potential of proposed projects to deliver national benefit were subsequently presented to the Minister for Education, Science and Training from the ARC Board for approval.

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Selection criteria

The selection criteria for Discovery Projects are:

  • track record of the researchers relative to opportunities (40%)
  • significance and degree of innovation in the proposed research program (30%)
  • relevance and adequacy of the proposed approach (20%)
  • national benefit (10%)

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National Research Priorities

The Australian Government has identified four National Research Priorities and, within these, 21 national research priority goals.

A total of 3,048 applications identified their research projects as addressing a National Research Priority.  This represented 81.5% of all applications.  Of those 3,048 NRP applications, 752 are approved for funding, which represents a success rate of 24.7%.  National Research Priority applications represented 82.0% of the 917 applications approved for funding.

In terms of funding endorsed over 2006-2010, priority applications will receive $232, 802,742 (85.1% of the total approved). 

The greatest amount of funding ($115,724,882) over the five years is approved for projects in the area of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.

Table 1: Numbers and Success Rates for Discovery Projects by National Research Priority (NRP)
Applications received less withdrawns
Approved applications
Success rate %
Approved funds 2006-2010
No area
694
165
23.8%
$40,784,031
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
634
131
20.7%
$46,218,291
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
647
175
27.0%
$44,628,626
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
1,298
340
26.2%
$115,724,882
Safeguarding Australia
469
106
22.6%
$26,230,943
Total applications
3,742
917
24.5%
$273,586,773
Total NRP applications
3,048
752
24.7%
$232,802,742
Priority as % of total
81.5%
82.0%
85.1%

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Summary of outcomes

The ARC considered 3,742 applications (3,766 minus 24 withdrawn) for funding under Discovery Projects. Of these, 917 (24.5%) were approved for funding, 2,761 were not approved for funding, and 51 were ineligible. Thirteen applications have been placed on a reserve list to be funded subject to the availability of funds. The 917 approved applications represent a funding commitment of $95,155,373 in 2006 and $273,586,773 over five years.

Table 2: Success Rates for Discovery Projects projects commencing 2003 to 2006
2003
2004
2005
2006
Number of applications:
Received
3,601
3,260
3,441
3,766
Withdrawn
27
20
27
24
Funded
942
875
1,055
917
Success Rate %
26.4%
27.0%
30.9%
24.5%

In all cases, success rates are calculated without including withdrawn applications.

Table 3: Numbers and Success Rates for Discovery Projects projects by Discipline Group

Discipline
Applications received less withdrawns
Approved applications
Success rate %
Requested funds by funded projects 2006-2010
Approved funds 2006-2010
BSB
641
159
24.8%
$97,956,220
$52,033,314
EE
509
120
23.6%
$77,221,046
$43,849,478
HCA
663
163
24.6%
$58,507,826
$36,548,294
MIC
519
133
25.6%
$76,486,311
$38,784,661
PCG
652
165
25.3%
$116,009,152
$60,912,564
SBE
758
177
23.4%
$69,881,884
$41,458,462
Total
3,742
917
24.5%
$496,062,439
$273,586,773

The average first-year funding per project for Discovery Projects is $103,768.  In 2005, the equivalent figure was $94,340.

Table 4: Average first-year funding for Discovery Projects projects commencing 2003 to 2006

DP
2003
2004
2005
2006
Average first year funding
$81,461
$84,060
$94,340
$103,768

The average total grant for Discovery Projects over the projects’ lives is listed in Table 5.

Table 5: Average total grant size for Discovery Projects projects commencing 2003-2006

DP
2003
2004
2005
2006
Average total grant size
$249,240
$271,939
$282,030
$298,350

Applicants may seek funding for up to five years. For funding commencing in 2006, 840 applications requested funding for four or five years, of which 282 are approved – but not all for the duration requested. Table 6 shows comparative data for 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Table 6: Duration of Funding for Discovery Projects projects *
2004
2005
2006
No. of years
Applications
Funded
Applications
Funded
Applications
Approved
for Funding
1
40
10
37
9
28
5
2
203
27
191
45
161
30
3
2,352
514
2,434
865
2,713
757
4
159
32
184
36
225
43
5
486
78
568
100
615
82
Total
3,240
661
3,414
1,055
3,742
917

* Note: a number of projects were given funding for a shorter duration than was requested.

It should be noted that, in applications for funding commencing in 2006, the ARC will fund 69.4% of the average amount requested for 2006.  In applications for funding commencing in 2005 the equivalent figure was 72.4%. Discipline group percentages are shown in Table 7.

Table 7: Amounts requested by and allocated to successful applicants for 2006

Discipline
Average amount requested by funded applications for 2006
Average funds approved for 2006
Average amount approved as a proportion of amount requested %
BSB
$168,061
$117,028
69.6%
EE
$176,388
$124,728
70.7%
HCA
$102,927
$76,885
74.7%
MIC
$152,332
$101,294
66.5%
PCG
$191,105
$127,232
66.6%
SBE
$116,210
$82,390
70.9%
Total
$149,430
$103,768
69.4%

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Early Career Researcher applications

Early Career Researcher (ECR)-only applications are a subset of Discovery Projects applications. The ARC introduced specific measures to encourage and support Early Career Researchers in 2001. A separate budget allocation was identified for ECR-only applications (that is, applications in which all Investigators are Early Career Researchers).

ECR-only applications were assessed against the same criteria as other Discovery Projects applications.

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Summary of ECR-only application outcomes

Of the 860 ECR-only applications, 155 are approved for funding, giving a success rate of 18.0% for those applications. Table 8 shows all ECR-only and approved ECR-only applications and success rates by discipline.

Table 8: ECR-only application numbers and success rates

Discipline
ECR-only applications
ECR-only applications approved for  funding
Success rate %
ECR approved funding for 2006
ECR approved funding for 2006 as proportion of DP 2006 allocations %
BSB
101
23
22.8%
$2,681,210
14.4%
EE
114
21
18.4%
$2,029,020
13.6%
HCA
214
31
14.5%
$2,106,224
16.8%
MIC
123
24
19.5%
$1,946,395
14.4%
PCG
140
30
21.4%
$3,296,360
15.7%
SBE
168
26
15.5%
$1,758,977
12.2%
Total
860
155
18.0%
$13,818,186
14.5%

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History of ECR-only application funding

In the years 2000 and 2001, ECR-only applications were identified but not allocated a separate budget. The years 2002 and 2003 saw a surge in the number of applications. Table 9 gives application numbers and success rates over five years. The relatively high success rate of 24.7% in 2002 was, in part, due to the funding of 51 one-year ECR-only grants in that year.

Table 9: Total and funded applications and success rates - funding commencing 2000 to 2006
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Number of applications
450
251
653
861
663
747
860
Funded ECR-only applications
82
47
161
162
138
171
155
Success rate %
17.3%
18.0%
24.7%
18.8%
20.8%
22.9%
18.0%

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Fellowships

Fellowships are integrated into Discovery Projects. Researchers are encouraged to tailor their applications to their specific research needs and applications may request funding for one or more fellowship together with research project support. (Fellowship applicants who do not request project funding are required to demonstrate that their research is supported.)

The ARC offers three categories of Fellowship under Discovery Projects:

  • Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship (APD): three or four years
  • Australian Research Fellowship (ARF) and Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship_(QEII): five years
  • Australian Professorial Fellowship (APF): five years

ARFs and QEIIs are treated as a single category, with the top applicants awarded QEII Fellowships. APDs and QEIIs are tenable at universities and other Commonwealth/State/Territory-funded research organisations.

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Summary of Fellowship outcomes

The ARC received 1,131 Discovery Projects applications (less withdrawns) seeking a total of 1,159 Fellowships. The minimum number of available Fellowships was 155 (110 APDs, 30 ARF/QEIIs, 15 APFs). Some additional flexibility in the number available resulted from the take-up of the 50:50 option, with 168 Fellowships approved for funding, representing a commitment for Fellowship salaries in 2006 of $13,601,170.

The success rate across all discipline clusters for all Fellowships is 14.5%. Table 10 shows success rates by discipline cluster. Table 11 shows success rates by discipline cluster for APDs, ARF/QEIIs and APFs.

Table 10: Fellowship applicants, and success rates by discipline cluster

Discipline Fellowship applicants Fellowships approved Success rate for Fellowship applicants %
BSB 190 27 14.2%
EE 173 26 15.0%
HCA 230 33 14.3%
MIC 136 22 16.2%
PCG 286 40 14.0%
SBE 144 20 13.9%
Total 1,159 168 14.5%

Table 11: APD, ARF/QEII and APF total applicants and approved applicants, and success rates by discipline cluster

  APD ARF/QEII APF
Discipline Applcts Fund Success rate % Applcts Fund Success rate % Applcts Fund Success rate %
BSB 113 18 15.9% 50 5 10.0% 27 4 14.8%
EE 91 15 16.5% 59 7 11.9% 23 4 17.4%
HCA 150 25 16.7% 41 4 9.8% 39 4 10.3%
MIC 76 13 17.1% 38 6 15.8% 22 3 13.6%
PCG 152 26 17.1% 77 8 10.4% 57 6 10.5%
SBE 97 13 13.4% 27 3 11.1% 20 4 20.0%
Total 679 110 16.2% 292 33 11.3% 188 25 13.3%

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2006 Outcomes compared with previous years

Noting that Fellowships applications are now integrated into Discovery Projects, in contrast to the separate Research Fellowships scheme which existed until 2001, indicative success rate comparisons are given in Table 12.

Table 12: Total funded applicants, and success rates, for funding commencing in 1999 to 2006
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Number of applicants
742
687
701
830
1,005
871
1,010
1,159
Fellowships awarded
102
100
100
163
166
161
167
168
Success rate %
13.8%
14.6%
14.3%
19.6%
16.5%
18.5%
16.5%
14.5%

ARC/university partnerships to fund Fellowships

The ARC offers partnership funding to universities for APDs and the senior fellowships (ARF/QEII and APFs).

For APDs, the four-year ‘75% research and 25% teaching’ option was introduced in 1999 to provide a development opportunity.  The ARC funds the 75% research component and the university the 25% teaching component.  The usual APD is a three-year full-time research position.  Of 679 applicants, 73 requested ARC salary funding at 75% over four years. Table 13 indicates the number of total and approved applicants requesting 100% salary over three years and 75% salary over four years.

Table 13: APD, by 100% and 75% salary request: total and approved applicants, and success rates
Applicants
Approved
Success rate %
100% salary requested over 3 years
606
92
15.2%
75% salary requested over 4 years
73
18
24.7%
Total
679
110
16.2%

Under the 50:50 salary option for ARF/QEIIs and APFs, the ARC funds 50% of the salary costs for research fellows on continuing appointments, with the university also contributing 50% salary costs over the standard duration of five years.  The combined salary funding is to support a full-time research position.

Increased flexibility in the number of Fellowships awarded results from the introduction of the 50:50 option, particularly for APFs. Table 14 indicates the number of total and funded applications requesting 100% salary and 50% salary.

Table 14: ARF/QEII and APF applicants, by 100% and 50% salary request: total and funded applications, and success rates
ARF/QEII
APF
Applicants
App-
roved
Success rate %
Applicants
App-
roved
Success rate %
100% salary requested
269
28
10.4%
126
12
9.5%
50% salary requested
23
5
21.7%
62
13
21.0%
Total
292
33
11.3%
188
25
13.3%

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Success Rates by Gender

Of a total of 7,566 applicants, 1,857 (24.5%) investigators applying were female and 5,709 (75.5%) were male. In approved applications, 444 (21.7%) applicants are female and 1,602 (78.3%) are male. The overall success rate is 23.9% for female investigators and 28.1% for male investigators.

Table 15: Comparative success rate for applicants by gender

Gender
Number of applicants
Percentage of applicants %
Number of approved applicants
Percentage of approved applicants %
Success Rate %
Female
1,857
24.5%
444
21.7%
23.9%
Male
5,709
75.5%
1,602
78.3%
28.1%
Total
7,566
100%
2,046
100%
27.0%

Of the 996 ECR applicants on ECR-only applications, 381 (38.3%) are female and 615 (61.7%) are male. Of 184 ECR applicants approved for funding, 62 (33.5%) are female and 122 (66.3%) are male.

Of the 1,159 Fellowship applicants, 364 (31.4%) are female and 795 (68.6%) are male. Of the 168 applicants approved for funding, 43 (25.6%) are female and 125 (74.4%) are male.

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Outcomes by Organisation

The following table shows applications and total approved funding by organisation for Discovery Projects commencing in 2006.

Table 16: Applications and approved funding by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation Applications received less withdrawns Approved Applications Success rate % Total Allocation 2006-2010
Australian Catholic University 14 2 14.3 $516,545
Bond University 2 0 0.0 $0
Central Queensland University 6 1 16.7 $206,000
Charles Darwin University 11 2 18.2 $569,000
Charles Sturt University 21 2 9.5 $518,020
CSIRO - Australia Telescope National Facility 1 1 100.0 $120,000
CSIRO - Marine Research 1 0 0.0 $0
CSIRO - Molecular Science 2 2 100.0 $763,000
CSIRO - Plant Industry 2 0 0.0 $0
Curtin University of Technology 68 15 22.1 $4,360,120
Deakin University 67 9 13.4 $2,014,270
Edith Cowan University 21 0 0.0 $0
Griffith University 97 17 17.5 $3,870,600
James Cook University 37 5 13.5 $2,098,000
La Trobe University 68 11 16.2 $2,669,420
Macquarie University 124 31 25.0 $7,695,206
Melbourne College of Divinity 1 0 0.0 $0
Monash University 269 70 26.0 $20,944,806
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute 1 0 0.0 $0
Murdoch University 41 9 22.0 $2,023,072
Museum of Western Australia 1 1 100.0 $235,000
Museum Victoria 2 0 0.0 $0
Queensland Institute of Medical Research 2 0 0.0 $0
Queensland Museum 1 0 0.0 $0
Queensland University of Technology 101 20 19.8 $4,653,561
RMIT University 57 14 24.6 $3,087,376
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust 1 0 0.0 $0
Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium of Victoria 1 0 0.0 $0
Southern Cross University 13 3 23.1 $900,000
Swinburne University of Technology 45 11 24.4 $3,523,170
The Australian Museum 6 0 0.0 $0
The Australian National University 358 113 31.6 $36,184,535
The Flinders University of South Australia 62 15 24.2 $3,302,257
The University of Adelaide 147 33 22.4 $9,789,557
The University of Melbourne 353 91 25.8 $25,252,574
The University of New England 46 6 13.0 $1,396,200
The University of New South Wales 366 91 24.9 $26,336,559
The University of Newcastle 112 26 23.2 $8,473,934
The University of Queensland 310 83 26.8 $26,090,661
The University of Sydney 340 115 33.8 $40,397,958
The University of Western Australia 162 41 25.3 $14,106,734
University of Ballarat 8 2 25.0 $666,200
University of Canberra 14 2 14.3 $981,000
University of South Australia 48 5 10.4 $1,353,688
University of Southern Queensland 27 2 7.4 $232,254
University of Tasmania 79 16 20.3 $4,384,118
University of Technology, Sydney 75 15 20.0 $4,120,390
University of the Sunshine Coast 2 0 0.0 $0
University of Western Sydney 35 8 22.9 $2,002,340
University of Wollongong 93 25 26.9 $7,390,628
Victoria University of Technology 17 1 5.9 $135,000
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research 4 1 25.0 $223,020
Total 3,742 917 24.5 $273,586,773

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Scheme Budget

The following allocations from the Discovery Projects budget are approved for new grants to commence in 2006.

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total
$95,155,373 $77,168,359 $76,691,234 $14,064,565 $10,507,242 $273,586,773

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