Skip to Specific Areas

Search ARC website

Site Navigation

Main Content

Breadcrumb Navigation

You are here:

Linkage International
Awards
Selection Report for Funding commencing in 2008

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 Administering 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 to fund overseas researchers to work in Australia;
    • ARCIFs to fund Australian researchers to work in overseas institutions; 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.

The selection round for Linkage International Awards for funding commencing in 2008 consisted of 134 proposals. 

Objectives

Linkage International aims to:

  • build collaborations among researchers, research teams and/or research centres of excellence in Australia and overseas;
  • generate opportunities for researchers to participate in leading-edge international research networks and strengthen their international research experience;
  • build Australian research capability by enhancing existing and developing new collaborations among researchers;
  • develop innovative modes of international collaboration; and
  • foster participation in global innovation networks.

Selection process

The closing date for Linkage International Awards proposals was 20 April 2007. Assessment of proposals was undertaken by a Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) comprising 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.

The CEO considered the recommendations of the ARC's College of Experts SAC before making recommendations to the Minister who, in accordance with the ARC Act, determined the funding outcomes.

Selection Criteria

Assessment of Linkage International Awards 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.

National Research Priorities

Of the 134 Linkage International Awards proposals, 118 were identified by their proponents as addressing a National Research Priority (88.1%) and would receive $1,178,169 (79.3%) of the total $1,485,113 approved for 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 proposals approved for funding are shown in Table 1. The greatest amount of approved funding ($909,201) is for proposals in the area of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.

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

Priority area
Awards proposals considered
Awards proposals approved
Success rate %
Funding $
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
17
5
29.4%
$189,168
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
15
1
6.7%
$25,000
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
76
22
28.9%
$909,201
Safeguarding Australia
10
3
30.0%
$54,800
None selected
16
9
56.3%
$306,944
Total
134
40
29.9%
$1,485,113

Summary of Selection Outcomes

Of the 134 Linkage International Awards Proposals considered, 40 are approved for funding. The remaining 94 are not approved for funding.  The overall success rate is 29.9%.  Table 2 shows the number of proposals considered, approved and the success rate by discipline group.

Table 2: Numbers of proposals and success rates for Linkage International Awards, by discipline group

Discipline group*
Proposals considered
Approved proposals
Proposals not approved for funding
Success rate %
BSB
24
8
16
33.3%
EE
28
6
22
21.4%
HCA
3
0
3
0.0%
MIC
22
6
16
27.3%
PCG
36
14
22
38.9%
SBE
21
6
15
28.6%
Total
134
40
94
29.9%

*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

The success rate for Linkage International Awards for funding commencing in 2008 (29.9%) is slightly higher than the overall success rate for Linkage International Awards proposals submitted in 2006 (29.3%).

Funding Assistance

The total requested funding over the financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11 for the 134 Linkage International Awards proposals considered was $5,222,757. The total funding is $1,485,113 or 87.5% of the total funding requested for approved proposals, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Amounts requested for Linkage International Awards, by discipline group

Discipline Group*
Total requested over project life (all proposals)
$
Total requested over project life (approved proposals)
$
Funding over project life (approved proposals)
$
Funding as % of funding requested (approved proposals)
BSB
$957,673
$325,504
$303,504
93.2%
EE
$1,327,215
$333,698
$281,073
84.2%
HCA
$122,703
$0
$0
0.0%
MIC
$769,357
$221,790
$190,400
85.8%
PCG
$1,311,320
$572,074
$497,832
87.0%
SBE
$734,489
$243,304
$212,304
87.3%
Total
$5,222,757
$1,696,370
$1,485,113
87.5%

*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 proposed funding per approved Linkage International Awards proposal for funding commencing in 2008, $37,128, as shown in Table 4, is higher than the corresponding figure for Linkage International Awards submitted in 2006 ($31,617).

Table 4: Proposed funding for approved Linkage International Awards

Number of proposals approved
Amount requested for approved proposals
Funding over project life (approved proposals)
Average funding per approved proposal
40
$1,696,370
2007-08 = $255,500
2008-09 = $511,999
2009-10 = $487,057
2010-11 = $230,557
Total = $1,485,113
$37,128

International Collaboration

Participants on Linkage International proposals are asked to indicate which countries will be involved in the proposed collaborations.  There were 77 instances of international collaboration reported within the 40 approved Linkage International Awards proposals. The highest incidence of international collaboration was with the USA and the UK, followed by Germany, Japan and Canada, as indicated in Table 5.

Table 5: Instances of international collaboration reported in approved Linkage International Awards proposals

Location of collaborators
Reported Instances of international
collaboration
USA
16
UK
12
Germany
8
Japan
5
Canada
4
China
3
Republic of Korea
3
Sweden
3
Austria
2
France
2
India
2
Italy
2
Netherlands
2
New Zealand
2
Switzerland
2
Botswana
1
Chile
1
Czech Republic
1
Denmark
1
Hong Kong
1
Norway
1
Singapore
1
South Africa
1
Taiwan
1
Total
77

Research Training and Postdoctoral Researchers

A total of 189 postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers is supported in developing international research experience and networks through Linkage International Awards, as shown in Table 6.  The 40 proposals approved for funding included 71 postgraduate students and 14 postdoctoral researchers in Australian organisations, and 79 postgraduate students and 25 postdoctoral researchers in overseas organisations.

Table 6: Research training and postdoctoral researchers
Australian organisations
Overseas organisations
Total
No. researchers cited in all proposals
No. researchers cited in approved proposals
No. researchers cited in all proposals
No. researchers cited in approved proposals
No. researchers cited in all proposals
No. researchers cited in approved proposals
Postgraduates
190
71
215
79
405
150
Postdoctoral researchers
33
14
86
25
119
39
Total
223
85
301
104
524
189

Selection Outcomes by Administering Organisation

The number of proposals considered and approved, and funding requested and total ARC funding, by administering organisation, is shown in Table 7.

Table 7: Linkage International Awards proposals by administering organisation: total requested and approved funding over project life

Administering organisation
Funding requested (all proposals) $
Funding over project life (approved proposals) $
Proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
%
Charles Sturt University
39,442
0
2
0
0.0
Curtin University of Technology
67,852
18,450
2
1
50.0
Deakin University
68,060
0
2
0
0.0
Flinders University
95,550
0
2
0
0.0
Griffith University
249,734
75,514
5
1
20.0
Macquarie University
142,560
0
4
0
0.0
Monash University
163,000
0
5
0
0.0
Queensland University of Technology
296,180
96,800
9
2
22.2
RMIT University
72,130
0
3
0
0.0
Southern Cross University
148,126
0
1
0
0.0
Swinburne University of Technology
123,200
66,700
4
2
50.0
The Australian National University
274,958
138,899
8
5
62.5
The University of Adelaide
101,840
51,008
4
2
50.0
The University of Melbourne
574,322
308,626
15
8
53.3
The University of New England
48,200
0
1
0
0.0
The University of New South Wales
674,597
148,700
14
3
21.4
The University of Newcastle
174,850
10,800
6
1
16.7
The University of Queensland
420,524
92,200
10
3
30.0
The University of Sydney
282,628
87,928
7
2
28.6
The University of Western Australia
112,469
21,000
3
1
33.3
University of Ballarat
37,400
0
1
0
0.0
University of South Australia
95,360
46,000
2
1
50.0
University of Tasmania
35,466
0
2
0
0.0
University of Technology, Sydney
107,587
28,584
4
1
25.0
University of Western Sydney
243,093
69,700
5
1
20.0
University of Wollongong
573,629
224,204
13
6
46.2
Total
5,222,757
1,485,113
134
40
29.9

Scheme Budget

The proposed allocations from the Linkage International budget for Awards proposals approved for funding commencing in 2008 are shown in Table 8 and Table 9.

Table 8: Proposed funding allocations, by financial year
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
TOTAL
Funding Allocations
$255,500
$511,999
$487,057
$230,557
$1,485,113

Table 9: Proposed funding allocations, by calendar year
2008
2009
2010
TOTAL
Funding Allocations
$511,000
$512,998
$461,115
$1,485,113
Content Last Modified:

25/9/07


Top of page