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Linkage International Selection Report
Awards (Round 2) for funding commencing in 2007

Overview
Objectives
Selection Process
Selection Criteria
Funding Duration
National Research Priorities
Summary of Outcomes
Funding Assistance
International Collaboration
Outcomes by Organisation
Scheme Budget

Overview

Linkage International comprises three elements:

  • Awards: to build links among researchers, research teams or research centres of excellence in Australia and overseas by funding extended collaborations;
  • ARC International Fellowships (ARCIFs), comprising:

    - ARCIFs funded under international agreements for the reciprocal exchange of postdoctoral researchers, including the Anglo-Australian Observatory Fellowship Agreement;

    - ARCIFs to fund overseas researchers to work in Australia;

    - ARCIFs to fund Australian researchers to work in overseas institutions; and

    - ARCIFs co-funded by the ARC and the Australia-Israel Scientific Exchange Foundation; and

  • Internationally Coordinated Initiatives: collaborative initiatives between the ARC and overseas funding agencies to fund collaborative research proposals in targeted areas of research as defined for each specific initiative.

Fifty-three proposals were submitted for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) for funding commencing in 2007. Three proposals were subsequently withdrawn by the applicants and, unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report do not include withdrawn proposals. 

Objectives

Linkage International aims to:

  • build strong ongoing collaborations among researchers, research teams or centres of excellence in Australia and overseas;
  • strengthen international research experience for early career researchers and generate opportunities for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers to link into leading-edge international research networks;
  • build Australian research capability by enhancing existing, and developing new, collaborations among experienced and senior researchers; and
  • develop innovative modes of international collaboration and links into global innovation networks.

Selection Process

The closing date for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) proposals was 14 July 2006.  Assessment of proposals was undertaken by a Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) drawn from members of the ARC's College of Experts. The Linkage International SAC:

  • identified and considered ineligible proposals;
  • ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposals;
  • 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 SAC before making recommendations to the Minister who, in accordance with the ARC Act, determined the funding outcomes.

Selection Criteria

The assessment of proposals for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) was based on the following criteria and weightings:

  • strengths and benefits of the collaboration (taking into account the nature and merit of the collaboration including the role of, and benefit to, the Australia-based and overseas parties) 40%
  • Australia-based investigators, including track record and research management skills 20%
  • overseas investigators, including track record and research management skills 20%
  • proposed program of collaborative research, in particular aims, significance, research management plan and  methods 20%

Funding Duration

Funding for Linkage International Awards projects may be awarded for one to three years subject to parliamentary appropriation and the provisions of the ARC Act.

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

National Research Priorities

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

Within this round, 45 of the 50 Linkage International Awards (Round 2) proposals considered were identified by their proponents as addressing a National Research Priority (90.0%).  Of the 14 proposals approved for funding, 13 proposals identified research within a priority area (92.9%).

The overall commitment for proposals addressing National Research Priorities is $392,500 of the total $416,200 approved for funding (94.3% of the total funding).

The greatest amount of funding ($322,800) is for projects in the area of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.

National Research Priorities identified in proposals submitted and proposals approved for funding are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Numbers of proposals and success rates for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) by National Research Priority

National Research Priority Area Proposals considered Approved proposals Success rate
(%)
Funding allocations over project life for approved proposals
($)
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia 2 1 50.0 22,000
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health 3 1 33.3 10,700
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries 35 10 28.6 322,800
Safeguarding Australia 5 1 20.0 37,000
None selected 5 1 20.0 23,700
Total 50 14 28.0 416,200

Summary of Outcomes

The ARC received 53 Linkage International Awards (Round 2) proposals seeking $2,248,312 of ARC funds. Three proposals were subsequently withdrawn. Of the 50 proposals considered, 14 proposals were approved for funding commencing in 2007, representing a total ARC indicative funding commitment of $416,200 over the financial years 2006-07 to 2009-10. Thirty-six proposals were not approved for funding including 6 that were deemed ineligible (that is, they did not satisfy the eligibility criteria and/or other requirements for the submission of proposals).

The overall success rate for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) for funding commencing in 2007 is 28.0%, slightly higher than the success rate for Linkage International Awards (Round 1) for funding commencing in 2006 (26.7%).

Numbers of proposals considered and approved and success rates, by discipline group, are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Numbers of proposals and success rates for Linkage International Awards (Round 2), by discipline area

Discipline * Proposals considered Approved proposals Proposals not approved for funding Success rate (%)
BSB 3 2 1 66.7
EE 9 0 9 0.0
HCA 2 1 1 50.0
MIC 10 3 7 30.0
PCG 22 8 14 36.4
SBE 4 0 4 0.0
Total 50 14 36 28.0

*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 2006-07 to 2009-10 for the 50 proposals considered was $2,119,312. Total funding allocated is $416,200 or 70.9% of the total funding requested for approved proposals, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Amounts requested and allocated funding for Linkage International Awards (Round 2), by discipline area

Discipline * Requested funds over project life for all proposals ($) Requested funds over project life for approved proposals ($) Funds over project life for approved proposals ($) Funding as % of funding requested for approved proposals
BSB 115,900 73,500 50,000 68.0
EE 386,615 n/a n/a n/a
HCA 87,100 54,530 37,000 67.9
MIC 437,695 97,975 66,600 68.0
PCG 949,788 361,162 262,600 72.7
SBE 142,214 n/a n/a n/a
Total 2,119,312 587,167 416,200 70.9

*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 average funding per approved Linkage International Awards (Round 2) project for funding commencing in 2007 is $29,729, as shown in Table 4. This is slightly lower than the corresponding figure for Linkage International Awards (Round 1) ($32,915).

Table 4: Funding for approved Linkage International Awards (Round 2)

Number of proposals approved Amount requested
for approved proposals
Funding over project life Average funding per approved proposal

14

$587,167

2006-07 = $89,500
2007-08 = $165,100
2008-09 = $118,600
2009-10 = $43,000
Total = $416,200

$29,729

International Collaboration

Applicants have foreshadowed 18 incidences of international collaboration with researchers in 12 countries on the 14 approved proposals. The highest incidence of collaboration foreshadowed is with researchers in the United States of America, followed by China and Ireland, as indicated in Table 5.

Table 5: Collaborations by country in approved Linkage International Awards (Round 2) proposals

Location of collaborators Incidences of international collaboration
United States of America 5
China 2
Ireland 2
Canada 1
Chile 1
France 1
Germany 1
Indonesia 1
Italy 1
Netherlands 1
Switzerland 1
United Kingdom 1
TOTAL 18

Outcomes by Organisation

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

Table 6: Numbers of proposals, success rates and funding allocations for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) for funding commencing in 2007, by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation Funding requested for all proposals ($) Funding over project life for approved proposals ($) Proposals considered Proposals approved Success
rate
(%)
Charles Sturt University 38,714 n/a 1 0 0.0
Curtin University of Technology 39,050 36,000 1 1 100.0
Griffith University 95,100 n/a 2 0 0.0
La Trobe University 24,700 n/a 1 0 0.0
Macquarie University 86,465 n/a 2 0 0.0
Monash University 97,100 28,000 3 1 33.3
Queensland University of Technology 42,400 n/a 1 0 0.0
RMIT University 40,350 9,800 2 1 50.0
Swinburne University of Technology 90,800 n/a 2 0 0.0
The Australian National University 302,552 94,000 7 3 42.9
The University of Adelaide 82,490 n/a 2 0 0.0
The University of Melbourne 130,200 n/a 2 0 0.0
The University of New South Wales 271,880 n/a 5 0 0.0
The University of Queensland 214,510 68,400 7 4 57.1
The University of Sydney 103,270 n/a 3 0 0.0
The University of Western Australia 262,645 103,100 3 2 66.7
University of South Australia 24,000 n/a 1 0 0.0
University of Southern Queensland 38,300 n/a 1 0 0.0
University of Tasmania 20,606 n/a 1 0 0.0
University of Wollongong 114,180 76,900 3 2 66.7
TOTAL 2,119,312 416,200 50 14 28.0

Scheme Budget

The following table shows funds for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) proposals approved for commencement in 2007, by financial year.

Table 7: Funding allocations for approved Linkage International Awards (Round 2) proposals for funding commencing in 2007, by financial year

  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 TOTAL
Funding Allocations $89,500 $165,100 $118,600 $43,000 $416,200

The following table shows funds for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) proposals approved for commencement in 2007, by calendar year.

Table 8: Funding allocations for approved Linkage International Awards (Round 2) proposals for funding commencing in 2007, by calendar year

  2007 2008 2009 TOTAL
Funding Allocations $179,000 $151,200 $86,000 $416,200

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