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Discovery Projects
Selection Report for funding Commencing in 2007

Overview
Objectives
Selection Process
Selection Criteria
Funding Duration
National Research Priorities
Summary of Outcomes
Early Career Researcher Proposals
Fellowships
Historical Outcomes for Fellowships
Partnerships to Fund Fellowships
Gender of Participants
International Collaboration
Outcomes by Organisation
Scheme Budget

Overview

Recognising the importance of fundamental research to the national innovation system, Discovery Projects supports excellent research projects and individual researchers and teams of researchers. Under Discovery Projects, ARC Fellowships provide opportunities for emerging and established researchers to undertake research of national and international significance.

Objectives

The objectives of Discovery Projects are to:

  • support excellent fundamental research by individuals and teams;
  • enhance the scale and focus of research in the National Research Priorities;
  • assist researchers to undertake their research in conditions most conducive to achieving best results;
  • expand Australia's knowledge base and research capability;
  • foster the international competitiveness of Australian research; and
  • encourage research training in high-quality research environments.

Selection Process

The closing date for Discovery Projects proposals was 3 March 2006. Assessment of proposals was undertaken by the ARC College of Experts, which:

  • assigned independent readers/assessors to review the proposals;
  • sought Applicants’ comments on assessors' reports;
  • identified and considered ineligible proposals;
  • ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposal, the assessors' reports and Applicants’ responses to those assessments;
  • assessed and recommended budgets; and
  • prepared funding recommendations for submission to the CEO of the ARC.

The CEO considered the recommendations of the ARC College of Experts and the ARC Quality and Scrutiny Committee before making recommendations to the Minister who, in accordance with the ARC Act, determined the funding outcomes.

Selection Criteria

The assessment of proposals was based on the scheme’s selection criteria:

  • investigator(s)' track record relative to opportunities and capacity to undertake the research; (40%)
  • significance and innovation in the proposed research; (30%)
  • relevance and adequacy of the proposed approach and methodology; (20%)
  • national benefit. (10%)

Funding Duration

Funding for Discovery Projects projects may be awarded for one to five years subject to parliamentary appropriation and the provisions of the ARC Act. Australian Postdoctoral Fellowships (APDs) may be awarded for a standard duration of three years, but a four-year research and teaching option is available. Australian Research Fellowships (ARFs), Queen Elizabeth II Fellowships (QEIIs) and Australian Professorial Fellowships (APFs) are awarded for a standard duration of five years.

Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.

Table 1 shows the average duration of funded projects since 2003. This shows that the average duration of approved funding has risen from 3.05 years in 2003 to 3.28 years in 2007.

Table 1. Average duration of approved proposals for funding commencing in calendar years 2003 to 2007

  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Average number of requested years 3.40 3.39 3.43 3.50 3.62
Average number of funded years 3.05 3.15 3.16 3.18 3.28

National Research Priorities

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

Within this round, 3,443 of the 4,033 Discovery Projects proposals considered were identified by their proponents as addressing a National Research Priority. This represents 85.4% of proposals considered. Of those 3,443 proposals, 706 (20.5%) were approved for funding, representing 85.9% of the total 822 proposals approved for funding.

The overall commitment for proposals addressing National Research Priorities is $239,200,892 (87.1% of the total funding). 

The greatest amount of funding ($115,026,887) is for projects in the area of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.

Table 2. Numbers of proposals and success rates for Discovery Projects by National Research Priority

National Research Priority Area Proposals received Approved
Proposals		 Success rate
(%) 		Funds over project life for approved proposals
($)
None selected 590 116 19.7 35,566,694
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia 624 130 20.8 42,811,125
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health 786 153 19.5 45,537,445
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries 1462 299 20.5 115,026,887
Safeguarding Australia 571 124 21.7 35,825,435
Total proposals 4033 822 20.4 274,767,586
Total priority proposals 3443 706 20.5 239,200,892
% within priority areas 85.4 85.9   87.1

Summary of Outcomes

The ARC received 4,047 proposals and 14 were withdrawn after submission. Of the 4,033 Discovery Projects proposals which were considered for funding commencing in 2007, 822 were approved for funding; 3,137 were not approved for funding; including 49 that were deemed ineligible (that is, they did not satisfy the eligibility criteria and/or other requirements for the submission of proposals.) In addition twenty-five proposals have been placed on a reserve list to be funded subject to the availability of funds.

The overall success rate for Discovery Projects proposals is 20.4%, compared to a 24.5% overall success rate for Discovery Projects proposals considered for funding commencing in 2006. The 822 approved proposals represent a funding commitment of $86,325,327 in 2007 and a funding commitment of $274,767,586 over five years.

Table 3. Numbers of approved proposals and success rates for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in calendar years 2004 to 2007

Number of proposals: 2004 2005 2006 2007
Received 3,260 3,441 3,766 4,047
Withdrawn 20 27 24 14
Funded 875 1,055 917 822
Success Rate (%) 27.0 30.9 24.5 20.4

Table 4. Numbers of proposals and success rates for Discovery Projects by discipline area

Discipline * Proposals considered Approved Proposals Success rate
(%)		 Requested funds
over project life for
approved Proposals
$		 Funds over
project life for
approved Proposals
$
BSB 712 141 19.8 96,133,217 53,229,470
EE 516 107 20.7 71,321,359 41,826,224
HCA 714 150 21 70,854,301 38,155,462
MIC 598 122 20.4 73,562,529 38,315,131
PCG 660 142 21.5 117,011,657 58,540,611
SBE 833 160 19.2 73,255,325 44,700,688
Total 4033 822 20.4 502,138,388 274,767,586

* 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

The average first-year approved funding per Proposal for Discovery Projects is $105,019. The corresponding figure for 2006 was $103,768.

Table 5. Average first-year funding for approved Discovery Projects proposals, for funding commencing in calendar years 2004 to 2007

DP 2004 2005 2006 2007
Average first-year funding ($) 84,060 94,340 103,768 105,019

The average approved funding per proposal for Discovery Projects for 2007 is 64.3% of the average amount requested, which is lower than the corresponding figure for 2006 (69.4%). Discipline group percentages are shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Funding requested and approved for Discovery Projects proposals for 2007 calendar year

Discipline* Average requested funding per approved proposal for 2007
($)		 Average approved funding per approved proposal for 2007
($)		 Average amount approved for funding as % of requested funding for 2007
BSB 186,342 118,126 63.4
EE 184,365 121,471 65.9
HCA 126,903 80,794 63.7
MIC 155,603 98,276 63.2
PCG 205,436 129,969 63.3
SBE 131,097 88,174 67.3
All Disciplines 164,958 105,019 64.3

* 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

The average total funding per project for Discovery Projects over the life of the project is listed in Table 7.

Table 7. Average funding over project life for approved Discovery Projects proposals, for funding commencing in calendar years 2004 to 2007

DP Funding Round 2004 2005 2006 2007
Average funding over project life ($) 271,939 282,030 298,350 334,267

Early Career Researcher Proposals

For the purposes of Discovery Projects proposals for funding commencing in 2007, Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are identified as researchers who have a PhD, or equivalent research qualification or experience, awarded on or after 1 March 2001. The ARC has identified funds to support Early Career Researchers within Discovery Projects,including through Early Career Researcher-only proposals (that is, proposals in which all the nominated researchers are Early Career Researchers).

ECR-only proposals are assessed against the same criteria as other Discovery Projects proposals.

ECR-only proposals accounted for 869 of the proposals considered, with 127 ECR-only proposals approved for funding commencing in 2007. This represents a success rate of 14.6% for ECR-only proposals.

Table 8 provides details on numbers, success rates and funding levels for ECR-only proposals and success rates by discipline area.

Table 8. Numbers of and success rates for ECR-only proposals by discipline area

Discipline* ECR-only proposals considered ECR-only proposals approved for funding Success rate
(%)		 Approved funding for calendar year 2007 for ECR-only proposals
($) 		% of total funding approved for calendar year 2007 for ECR-only proposals
BSB 142 23 16.2 2,283,991 13.7
EE 100 18 18 1,683,427 13
HCA 201 29 14.4 2,355,226 19.4
MIC 132 23 17.4 1,684,921 14.1
PCG 143 25 17.5 2,657,379 14.4
SBE 151 9 6 761,502 5.4
Total 869 127 14.6 11,426,446 13.2

* 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

Table 9 shows the funding allocations for Discovery Projects proposals for funding commencing 2003-2007 and the percentage of total funds allocated to projects involving ECRs. This indicates that the highest percentage of funding to projects involving ECRs over the last 5 years will be for projects commencing in 2007. The total amount of funding allocated to projects with ECRs was $98,620,487.

Table 9. Funding allocations for approved Discovery Projects proposals involving ECR participants*, for funding commencing in calendar years 2003 to 2007

  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Funding allocations for projects involving ECRs ($) 75,243,446 65,950,618 98,824,695 87,890,148 98,620,487
Funding allocations for all projects ($) 234,504,935 237,946,364 297,541,647 273,586,773 274,767,586
% of total funds allocated to projects involving ECRs 32.1 27.7 33.2 32.1 35.9

* These are proposals where at least one of the researchers nominated as a Chief Investigator, Partner Investigator or Fellowship candidate is an ECR. They include ECR-Only Proposals (where all named participants are ECRs), as well as proposals in which there are non-ECR participants.

Fellowships

A number of different types of fellowship are offered in Discovery Projects. Researchers are encouraged to tailor their proposals to their specific research needs and proposals may request funding for one or more fellowship/s together with research project support. Fellowship candidates who do not request funding for research project support are required to demonstrate that their research costs will be supported by the Administering Organisation.

The ARC offers three categories of fellowship under Discovery Projects:

  • Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship (APD) – offered for a duration of three or four years;
  • Australian Research Fellowship (ARF) and Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship (QEII) – offered for a duration of five years; and
  • Australian Professorial Fellowship (APF) – offered for a duration of five years.

ARFs and QEIIs are treated as a single category, with the top candidates being awarded QEII Fellowships. All fellowships are tenable at approved universities and certain museums and herbaria. APDs and QEIIs are also tenable at other approved organisations, which provide an appropriate training environment.

Of the 4,033 Discovery Projects proposals considered, 1,255 proposals included requests for a total of 1,276 fellowships. The minimum number of fellowships to be awarded in this round was 175 (110 APDs, 50 ARF/QEIIs, and 15 APFs), although the 50:50 salary option has enabled the ARC to fund a larger number. One hundred and ninety-seven fellowships were approved for funding, representing an ARC commitment for salary and salary related on-costs support for new fellows of $16,008,890 for the calendar year 2007. In comparison the number of fellowships offered in 2006 were 110 APDs, 30 ARFs/QEIIs and 15 APFs.

Table 10 shows that the average success rate across all discipline groups for fellowships is 15.4%. Table 11 shows success rates by discipline groups for APDs, ARF/QEIIs and APFs.

Table 10. Numbers of and success rates for Discovery Projects fellowship candidates by discipline area

Discipline* Fellowships requested Fellowships approved Success rate
(%)
BSB 262 40 15.3
EE 166 25 15.1
HCA 234 39 16.7
MIC 174 27 15.5
PCG 280 41 14.6
SBE 160 25 15.6
Total 1276 197 15.4

* 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

Table 11. Numbers of and success rates for APD, ARF/QEII and APF candidates by discipline area

  APD ARF/QEII APF
Discipline* Number requested Approved Success rate
(%)		 Number requested Approved Success rate
(%)		 Number requested Approved Success rate
(%)
BSB 153 23 15 72 12 16.7 37 5 13.5
EE 88 14 15.9 53 8 15.1 25 3 12
HCA 161 25 15.5 34 7 20.6 39 7 17.9
MIC 97 15 15.5 46 8 17.4 31 4 12.9
PCG 124 19 15.3 104 16 15.4 52 6 11.5
SBE 103 14 13.6 31 7 22.6 26 4 15.4
Total 726 110 15.2 340 58 17.1 210 29 13.8

(See Tables 13 and 14 for an outline of the salary support options for fellowship candidates.)

* 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

Historical Outcomes for Fellowships

A separate Research Fellowship scheme existed until 2001.  In 2002, fellowship proposals were integrated into Discovery Projects.  Success rate comparisons are given in Table 12.

Table 12. Numbers of and success rates for approved fellowship candidates, for funding commencing in calendar years 2000 to 2007

  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Number requested 687 701 830 1,005 871 1,010 1,159 1276
Fellowships awarded 100 100 163 166 161 167 168 197
Success rate (%) 14.6 14.3 19.6 16.5 18.5 16.5 14.5 15.4

Partnerships to Fund Fellowships

All fellowships are offered on a full-time basis only. However, the ARC offers a number of salary support options in the form of ARC/Administering Organisation joint funding arrangements to enable flexibility in the activities of the researcher.

For APDs, a four-year ‘75% research and 25% teaching' option was introduced to provide a development opportunity. Under this option, a fellow may spend 25% of her/his time on activities other than the proposed research project, such as teaching.  The usual APD is a three-year full-time research position.  Of the 726 APDs requested, 119 were for the ‘75% research and 25% teaching' option.

Table 13 indicates the number of and success rates for approved APD candidates by salary support option requested.

Table 13. Numbers of and success rates for APD candidates by salary support option

  APDs requested APDs approved Success rate (%)
100% ARC salary contribution requested over three years 607 87 14.3
75% ARC salary contribution requested over four years 119 23 19.3
Total 726 110 15.2

The ARC offers a 50:50 salary support option for ARF/QEIIs and APFs. Under this option the ARC funds 50% of the salary and salary-related on-costs for research fellows who hold continuing appointments at their organisation, with the Administering Organisation also contributing 50% of the salary and salary-related on-costs over the standard duration of five years. 

Table 14 indicates the number of and success rates for ARF/QEII and APF fellows by salary support option.

Table 14. Numbers of and success rates for ARF/QEII and APF candidates by salary support option

  ARF/QEII APF
  Number requested Approved Success rate
(%)		 Number requested Approved Success rate
(%)
100% ARC salary contribution requested over five years 288 45 15.6 103 5 4.9
50% ARC salary contribution requested over five years 52 13 25 107 24 22.4
Total 340 58 17.1 210 29 13.8

Table 15 provides historical figures for fellowships by salary support option, and indicates that in 2007 that there has been a rise in the number of fellowships funded under joint funding arrangements between the ARC and Administering Organisations.

Table 15. Numbers of approved fellowship candidates for funding commencing in calendar years 2003 to 2007 by salary support options

Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
  50
or 75%		 100% 50
or 75%		 100% 50
or 75%		 100% 50
or 75%		 100% 50
or 75%		 100%
APD 13 99 19 93 14 98 18 92 23 87
ARF/QEII 3 29 1 32 2 30 5 28 13 45
APF 17 8 12 12 9 14 13 12 24 5
Total number 33 136 32 137 25 142 36 132 60 137

Gender of Participants

The total number of nominated researchers (Chief Investigators, Partner Investigators, APDs, ARF/QEIIs and APFs) on all proposals considered is 8,412. Of these, 2,184 (26.0%) are female and 6,228 (74.0%) are male. Success rates by gender are shown in Table 16. In the proposals approved for funding, 401 of nominated researchers (21.5%) are female and 1,461 (78.5%) are male. The overall success rates for female and male investigators are 18.4% and 23.5% respectively.

Table 16. Comparative success rates for participants by gender

Gender Number of participants Percentage of participants
(%)		 Number of approved participants Percentage of approved participants
(%)		 Success rate
(%)
Female 2,184 26 401 21.5 18.4
Male 6,228 74 1,461 78.5 23.5
Total 8,412 100 1,862 100 22.1

Of the 961 ECR researchers nominated on ECR-only proposals, 382 (39.8%) are female and 579 (60.2%) are male. Of the 137 participants on ECR-only proposals approved for funding, 37 (27.0%) are female and 100 (73.0%) are male.

Of the 1,276 nominated fellowship candidates, 434 (34%) are female and 842 (66%) are male. Of the 197 fellowships approved for funding, 50 (25.4%) are female and 147 (74.6%) are male.

International Collaboration

Applicants have foreshadowed 4,377 incidences of international collaboration with researchers in 101 countries on 2,105 proposals. Of the 822 proposals approved for funding, 523 foreshadowed 1,195 incidences of international collaboration with researchers in 61 countries.

The highest incidence of collaboration foreshadowed is with researchers in the USA, accounting for 289 of the proposals approved for funding. The second highest incidence of international collaboration foreshadowed is with researchers in the United Kingdom, accounting for 178 of the proposals approved for funding.

Figure 1.  Collaborations by country in approved proposals

Collaborations by country Chart

Outcomes by Organisation

The following table shows proposal numbers and total ARC funding by Administering Organisation for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2007.

Table 17. Numbers of proposals and success rates for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2007, by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation Proposals considered Proposals approved Success rate (%) Funding over proposal life
($)
Australian Catholic University 7 1 14.3 534,000
Australian Institute of Marine Science 1 0 0 0
Bond University 5 1 20 132,882
Central Queensland University 5 0 0 0
Charles Darwin University 5 1 20 270,000
Charles Sturt University 28 5 17.9 974,954
CSIRO 2 0 0 0
Curtin University of Technology 64 5 7.8 1,127,946
Deakin University 67 11 16.4 2,505,181
Edith Cowan University 20 3 15 698,017
Griffith University 138 15 10.9 5,025,230
James Cook University 43 6 14 2,068,278
La Trobe University 88 13 14.8 3,566,949
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research 1 0 0 0
Macquarie University 100 16 16 4,898,575
Melbourne College of Divinity 1 0 0 0
Monash University 312 52 16.7 17,637,495
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute 1 0 0 0
Murdoch University 44 4 9.1 1,062,206
Museum Victoria 6 2 33.3 543,000
National ICT Australia Ltd 5 1 20 231,090
Queensland Institute of Medical Research 2 0 0 0
Queensland Museum 1 0 0 0
Queensland University of Technology 130 16 12.3 4,121,030
RMIT University 64 12 18.8 2,715,512
Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium of Victoria 1 0 0 0
Southern Cross University 12 3 25 668,125
Swinburne University of Technology 52 7 13.5 2,545,244
The Australian Museum 1 0 0 0
The Australian National University 312 100 32.1 35,099,611
Flinders University of South Australia 59 6 10.2 1,850,604
The University of Adelaide 163 31 19 9,545,642
The University of Melbourne 440 92 20.9 28,622,377
The University of New England 50 9 18 2,287,736
The University of New South Wales 363 79 21.8 24,377,920
The University of Newcastle 122 27 22.1 7,846,546
The University of Queensland 320 91 28.4 34,967,568
The University of Sydney 382 97 25.4 40,538,623
The University of Western Australia 153 37 24.2 13,215,813
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research 6 2 33.3 462,180
University of Ballarat 9 1 11.1 231,090
University of Canberra 12 2 16.7 705,000
University of South Australia 50 6 12 1,498,160
University of Southern Queensland 28 4 14.3 827,141
University of Tasmania 91 17 18.7 5,566,608
University of Technology, Sydney 90 18 20 4,742,439
University of Western Sydney 37 7 18.9 1,943,830
University of Wollongong 121 19 15.7 8,283,091
Victoria University 19 3 15.8 829,893
Total 4,033 822 20.4 274,767,586

Scheme Budget

The following table shows funds for Discovery Projects proposals approved for commencement in 2007.

Table 18. Funds for approved Discovery Projects proposals for funding commencing in 2007

2007 ($) 2008 ($) 2009 ($) 2010 ($) 2011 ($) Total ($)
86,325,327 81,826,724 77,247,329 16,773,709 12,594,497 274,767,586

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