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Linkage International
Selection Report Awards (Round 3) for funding commencing in 2007
Overview
Objectives
Selection process
Selection Criteria
Funding Levels and Duration
National Research Priorities
Summary of Selection Outcomes
Funding Assistance
International Collaboration
Research Training and Postdoctoral Researchers
Selection 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:
- 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.
- 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
Eighty proposals were submitted in this round for Linkage International Awards (Round 3) for funding commencing in 2007. One proposal was subsequently withdrawn by the applicants and, unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report do not include the withdrawn proposal.
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 3) proposals was 13 October 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:
- ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposals;
- assessed each proposal and recommended budgets; and
- prepared funding recommendations.
Selection Criteria
Assessment of Linkage International Awards (Round 3) proposals 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 Levels and Duration
Linkage International Awards projects may be awarded funding for up to three calendar years subject to parliamentary appropriation.
Under the ' Linkage International Funding Rules for Proposals for Submission in 2006', funding may be awarded for Linkage International Awards for one to three years. However, the Australian Research Council Act 2001 (the Act) limits (among other things) the years for which the Minister may approve funding. At the time the recommendations which are the subject of this report were made, the Act allows funding to be approved only up to and including the 2008-09 financial year.
Funding for years subsequent to the 2008-09 financial year for proposals approved for funding is to be effected by means of a variation to the Funding Approvals for the relevant proposals once statutory requirements are satisfied.
In this report the term "indicative funding" denotes total funding over the entire duration of funding for the projects.
National Research Priorities
Seventy-four of the 79 Linkage International Awards (Round 3) proposals considered were identified by their proponents as addressing a National Research Priority (93.7%). Of the 25 proposals approved for funding, 23 identified research within a priority area (92.0%) and will receive $719,300 (89.8%) of the total $801,300 funding.
- Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
- Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health Research
- Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
- Research Priority 4: Safeguarding Australia
National Research Priorities identified in proposals submitted and projects approved for funding are shown in Table 1. The greatest amount of funding ($577,300) is for projects in the area of F ron tier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.
Table 1: Numbers of proposals and success rates for Linkage International Awards (Round 3) by National Research Priority
| Priority area | Awards proposals considered | Awards projects approved | Success rate (%) | Indicative funding ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Environmentally Sustainable Australia | 12 |
1 |
8.3 |
35,000 |
| Promoting and Maintaining Good Health | 10 |
3 |
30.0 |
76,000 |
| Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries | 43 |
17 |
39.5 |
577,300 |
| Safeguarding Australia | 9 |
2 |
22.2 |
31,000 |
| None selected | 5 |
2 |
40.0 |
82,000 |
| Total | 79 |
25 |
31.6 |
801,300 |
Summary of Selection Outcomes
Seventy-nine Linkage International Awards (Round 3) proposals were considered seeking $3,374,012 of ARC funds. Twenty-five proposals were approved for funding commencing in 2007, representing a total ARC indicative funding commitment of $801,300 over the financial years 2006-07 to 2009-10. Fifty-four proposals were not recommended for funding. The overall success rate is 31.6%. Numbers of proposals considered and projects 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 3), by discipline group
| Discipline group* | Proposals considered | Approved projects | Proposals not recommended for funding | Success rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSB | 9 |
5 |
4 |
55.6 |
| EE | 19 |
5 |
14 |
26.3 |
| HCA | 5 |
2 |
3 |
40.0 |
| MIC | 18 |
2 |
16 |
11.1 |
| PCG | 14 |
7 |
7 |
50.0 |
| SBE | 14 |
4 |
10 |
28.6 |
| Total | 79 |
25 |
54 |
31.6 |
*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 success rate for Linkage International Awards (Round 3) for funding commencing in 2007 (31.6%) is slightly higher than the success rate for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) (28.0%) and Linkage International Awards (Round 1) (26.7%). The overall success rate for Linkage International Awards proposals submitted in 2006 is 29.3%, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Numbers of proposals and success rates for Linkage International Awards submitted in 2006, by round
| Awards Round | Proposals considered | Approved projects | Success rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awards Round 1 | 45 |
12 |
26.7 |
| Awards Round 2 | 50 |
14 |
28.0 |
| Awards Round 3 | 79 |
25 |
31.6 |
| Total | 174 |
51 |
29.3 |
Funding Assistance
Total requested funding over the financial years 2006-07 to 2009-10 for the 79 Linkage International Awards (Round 3) proposals considered was $3,374,012. Total indicative funding is $801,300 or 82.2% of the total funding requested for approved projects, as shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Amounts requested and indicative funding for Linkage International Awards (Round 3), by discipline group
| Discipline Group* | Total requested over project life (all proposals) ($) | Total requested over project life (approved projects) ($) | Indicative funding over project life (approved projects) ($) | Indicative funding as % of funding requested (approved projects) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSB | 333,666 |
201,166 |
163,000 |
81.0 |
| EE | 879,376 |
231,820 |
200,500 |
86.5 |
| HCA | 131,925 |
51,100 |
31,300 |
61.3 |
| MIC | 778,001 |
70,560 |
51,900 |
73.6 |
| PCG | 693,308 |
309,780 |
270,600 |
87.4 |
| SBE | 557,736 |
110,925 |
84,000 |
75.7 |
| Total | 3,374,012 |
975,351 |
801,300 |
82.2 |
*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
The average indicative funding per Linkage International Awards (Round 3) project for funding commencing in 2007 is $32,052, as shown in Table 5. This is slightly higher than the corresponding figure for Linkage International Awards (Round 2) ($29,729) and slightly lower than the corresponding figure for Linkage International Awards (Round 1) ($32,915).
Table 5: Indicative funding for Linkage International Awards (Round 3) projects
| Number of projects approved | Amount requested for approved projects | Indicative funding over project life | Average indicative funding per project |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $975,351 |
2006-07 = $154,400 2007-08 = $317,650 2008-09 = $246,250 2009-10 = $83,000 Total = $801,300 |
$32,052 |
The total indicative funding for Linkage International Awards projects submitted in 2006 is $1,612,480 for funding of 51 projects. The average indicative funding per Linkage International Awards project submitted in 2006 is $31,617, as shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Indicative funding for Linkage International Awards projects submitted in 2006, by round
| Awards Round | Number of approved projects | Indicative funding over project life | Average indicative funding per approved project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awards Round 1 | 12 |
$394,980 |
$32,915 |
| Awards Round 2 | 14 |
$416,200 |
$29,729 |
| Awards Round 3 | 25 |
$801,300 |
$32,052 |
| Total | 51 |
$1,612,480 |
$31,617 |
International Collaboration
Participants on Linkage International proposals are asked to indicate which countries will be involved in the proposed collaborations. Forty-six incidences of international collaboration were reported within the 25 approved Linkage International Awards (Round 3) projects. The highest numbers of reported incidences of international collaboration were with the USA and the UK followed by Germany, France and Italy as indicated in Table 7.
Table 7: Incidences of international collaboration reported in approved Linkage International Awards (Round 3) projects
| Location of collaborators | Reported Incidences of international collaboration |
|---|---|
| USA | 8 |
| UK | 7 |
| Germany | 4 |
| France | 3 |
| Italy | 3 |
| Canada | 2 |
| China | 2 |
| Japan | 2 |
| Mexico | 2 |
| Spain | 2 |
| Austria | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Greece | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| Portugal | 1 |
| Singapore | 1 |
| South Africa | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| Taiwan | 1 |
| Total | 46 |
Research Training and Postdoctoral Researchers
A total of 252 postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers will be supported in developing international research experience and networks through Linkage International Awards in Round 3, as shown in Table 8 below. The 25 projects approved for funding included 60 postgraduate students and 26 postdoctoral researchers in Australian organisations, and 95 postgraduate students and 71 postdoctoral researchers in overseas organisations.
Table 8: Research training and postdoctoral researcher
| Australian orgs | Overseas orgs | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of researchers cited in all proposals | No. of researchers cited in approved projects | No. of researchers cited in all proposals | No. of researchers cited in approved projects | No. of researchers cited in all proposals | No. of researchers cited in approved projects | |
| Postgraduates | 152 | 60 | 195 | 95 | 347 | 155 |
| Postdoctoral researchers | 79 | 26 | 152 | 71 | 231 | 97 |
| Total | 231 | 86 | 347 | 166 | 578 | 252 |
Selection Outcomes by Organisation
The number of proposals considered and approved projects, and funding requested and total ARC indicative funding, by administering organisation, is shown in Table 9.
Table 9: Linkage International Awards (Round 3) proposals by administering organisation: total requested and indicative funding over project life
| Administering organisation | Funding requested (all proposals) ($) | Indicative funding over project life (approved projects) ($) | Proposals considered | Approved projects | Success rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Sturt University | 37,633 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Curtin University of Technology | 13,200 |
13,000 |
1 |
1 |
100.0 |
| Deakin University | 73,720 |
55,000 |
2 |
2 |
100.0 |
| Griffith University | 94,500 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0.0 |
| James Cook University | 24,200 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.0 |
| La Trobe University | 48,000 |
45,000 |
1 |
1 |
100.0 |
| Macquarie University | 13,600 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Monash University | 245,731 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Queensland University of Technology | 99,265 |
34,300 |
4 |
2 |
50.0 |
| RMIT University | 75,628 |
30,900 |
2 |
1 |
50.0 |
| Swinburne University of Technology | 33,660 |
21,000 |
1 |
1 |
100.0 |
| The Australian National University | 71,396 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0.0 |
| The University of Adelaide | 129,600 |
93,000 |
2 |
1 |
50.0 |
| The University of Melbourne | 662,201 |
130,000 |
8 |
4 |
50.0 |
| The University of New South Wales | 311,295 |
111,000 |
8 |
2 |
25.0 |
| The University of Newcastle | 60,920 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.0 |
| The University of Queensland | 433,518 |
153,500 |
12 |
5 |
41.7 |
| The University of Sydney | 237,230 |
70,600 |
6 |
2 |
33.3 |
| University of Ballarat | 118,300 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.0 |
| University of South Australia | 55,800 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.0 |
| University of Tasmania | 75,628 |
30,000 |
3 |
2 |
66.7 |
| University of Technology, Sydney | 124,857 |
14,000 |
4 |
1 |
25.0 |
| University of Wollongong | 302,530 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Victoria University | 31,600 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.0 |
| TOTAL | 3,374,012 |
801,300 |
79 |
25 |
31.6 |
Scheme Budget
The following table shows funds for Linkage International Awards (Round 3) projects for commencement in 2007, by financial year.
Table 10: Indicative funding allocations for Awards (Round 3), by financial year
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funding Allocations | $154,400 | $317,650 | $246,250 | $83,000 | $801,300 |
The following table shows funds for Linkage International Awards (Round 3) projects for commencement in 2007, by calendar year.
Table 11: Indicative funding allocations for Awards (Round 3), by calendar year
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funding Allocations | $308,800 |
$326,500 |
$166,000 |
$801,300 |
13/3/07
