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Linkage International Selection Report
Awards
(Round 1) submitted in 2006
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
Outcomes by Organisation
Scheme Budget by Financial Year
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.
Linkage International Awards proposals have three closing dates throughout the year which are known as rounds. Awards (Round 1) consisted of 45 Linkage International Awards proposals.
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 1) proposals was 5 April 2006. Assessment of proposals was undertaken by a Selection Advisory Committee drawn from members of the ARC's College of Experts. The Selection Advisory Committee:
- ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposals;
- assessed and recommended budgets; and
- prepared funding recommendations.
Selection criteria
Assessment of proposals for Linkage International Awards (Round 1) 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 may be awarded funding for up to three years subject to parliamentary appropriation and the provisions of the ARC Act.
National Research Priorities
Thirty-nine of the forty-five Linkage International Awards proposals considered in Round 1 were identified by their proponents as being within a national research priority area (86.7%). Of the 12 proposals approved for funding, 10 proposals identified research within priority areas (83.3%) and will receive $352,980 of the total $394,980 approved for funding (89.4%).
- Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
- Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
- Research Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
- Research Priority 4: Safeguarding Australia
National Research Priorities identified in proposals submitted and proposals approved for funding are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Numbers and success rates for Linkage International Awards (Round 1) by National Research Priority
| Priority area | Awards proposals considered | Awards proposals approved | Success rate (%) | Approved funding ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Environmentally Sustainable Australia | 7 | 3 | 42.9 | 66,000 |
| Promoting and Maintaining Good Health | 6 | 1 | 16.7 | 54,000 |
| Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries | 22 | 6 | 27.3 | 232,980 |
| Safeguarding Australia | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| None selected | 6 | 2 | 33.3 | 42,000 |
| Total | 45 | 12 | 26.7 | 394,980 |
Summary of Selection Outcomes
Forty-five Linkage International Awards (Round 1) proposals were submitted seeking $1,716,884 of ARC funds. Twelve proposals were approved for funding, representing a total ARC commitment of $394,980 over the financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09. Thirty-three proposals were not recommended for funding. On the basis of these approved proposals, the overall success rate is 26.7%. Numbers of proposals considered and approved and success rates, by discipline group, are shown in Table 2 below.
The Linkage International Awards (Round 1) for funding commencing in 2006 success rate is slightly higher than the previous Linkage International Awards (Round 12) success rate (26.1%) and lower than the Linkage International Awards (Round 11) success rate (30.0%). It is slightly higher than the overall success rate for all Linkage International Awards proposals considered in 2005 (Rounds 10, 11 and 12) which was 26.0%.
Table 2: Numbers and success rates for proposals for Linkage International Awards (Round 1), by discipline group
| Discipline Group | Proposals considered | Approved proposals | Proposals not recommended for funding | Success Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSB | 6 | 1 | 5 | 16.7 |
| EE | 8 | 5 | 3 | 62.5 |
| HCA | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| MIC | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13.3 |
| PCG | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22.2 |
| SBE | 7 | 2 | 5 | 28.6 |
| Total | 45 | 12 | 33 | 26.7 |
*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 2008-09 for all proposals received was $1,716,884. Total approved funding is $394,980 or 70.7% of the total funding requested by approved proposals, as shown in Table 3 below.
Table 3: Amounts requested and approved funding for Linkage International Awards (Round 1), by discipline group
| Discipline Group | Total requested over project life (all proposals) ($) | Total requested over project life (approved proposals) ($) | Approved funding over project life (approved proposals) ($) | Approved funding as % of funding requested (approved proposals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSB | 208,210 | 64,020 | 38,000 | 59.4 |
| EE | 395,382 | 234,673 | 164,000 | 69.9 |
| HCA | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| MIC | 535,822 | 78,650 | 42,000 | 53.4 |
| PCG | 410,050 | 121,500 | 98,400 | 81.0 |
| SBE | 167,420 | 59,580 | 52,580 | 88.3 |
| Total | 1,716,884 | 558,423 | 394,980 | 70.7 |
*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 1) project for funding commencing in 2006 is $32,915 as shown in Table 4 below.
Table 4: Approved funding for approved Linkage International Awards (Round 1)
| Number of proposals approved | Amount requested for approved proposals | Approved funding over project life | Average approved funding |
|---|---|---|---|
|
12 |
$558,423 |
2006-07 = $157,800 |
$32,915 |
International Collaboration
Participants on Linkage International proposals are asked to indicate which countries will be involved in the proposed collaborations. Twenty incidences of international collaboration were reported within the 12 approved proposals. The highest number of reported international collaborations was with the USA, followed by China, Germany and Japan as indicated in Table 5 below.
Table 5: Incidences of international collaboration in approved Linkage International Awards (Round 1)
| Location of collaborators | Incidences of international collaboration |
|---|---|
| USA | 6 |
| China | 4 |
| Germany | 2 |
| Japan | 2 |
| Republic of Korea | 1 |
| Singapore | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 |
| Switzerland | 1 |
| UK | 1 |
| Ukraine | 1 |
| Total | 20 |
Research Training and Postdoctoral Researchers
A total of 58 postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers will be supported in developing international research experience and networks through Linkage International Awards (Round 1), as shown in Table 6 below. The 12 proposals approved for funding included 21 postgraduate students and eight postdoctoral researchers in Australian organisations, and 19 postgraduate students and ten postdoctoral researchers in overseas organisations.
Table 6: Research training and postdoctoral researchers
| Australian organisations | Overseas organisations | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of researchers cited in all proposals | No. of researchers cited in approved proposals | No. of researchers cited in all proposals | No. of researchers cited in approved proposals | No. of researchers cited in all proposals | No. of researchers cited in approved proposals | |
Postgraduates |
69 | 21 | 91 | 19 | 160 | 40 |
Postdoctoral researchers |
24 | 8 | 49 | 10 | 73 | 18 |
Total |
93 | 29 | 140 | 29 | 233 | 58 |
Outcomes by Organisation
The number of proposals considered and approved, and funding requested and approved, by organisation, is shown in Table 7 below.
Table 7: Linkage International Awards (Round 1) proposals by administering organisation: total requested and approved funding over project life
| Administering Organisation | Funding requested (all proposals) ($) | Approved funding over project life (approved proposals) ($) | Proposals considered | Proposals approved | Success rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtin University of Technology | 48,258 | 44,000 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 |
| Griffith University | 107,340 | 20,000 | 3 | 1 | 33.3 |
| Macquarie University | 110,030 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Monash University | 176,570 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Queensland University of Technology | 122,611 | 32,500 | 6 | 1 | 16.7 |
| Swinburne University of Technology | 42,300 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| The Australian National University | 54,200 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| The University of Adelaide | 50,350 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| The University of Melbourne | 142,986 | 43,000 | 4 | 2 | 50.0 |
| The University of New South Wales | 73,250 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| The University of Newcastle | 72,030 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 |
| The University of Queensland | 211,196 | 98,400 | 5 | 2 | 40.0 |
| The University of Sydney | 115,104 | 30,000 | 3 | 1 | 33.3 |
| The University of Western Australia | 145,400 | 54,000 | 2 | 1 | 50.0 |
| University of Southern Queensland | 22,400 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| University of Technology Sydney | 28,400 | 15,000 | 2 | 1 | 50.0 |
| University of Western Sydney | 42,980 | 20,080 | 2 | 1 | 50.0 |
| University of Wollongong | 151,479 | 38,000 | 2 | 1 | 50.0 |
| TOTAL | 1,716,884 | 394,980 | 45 | 12 | 26.7 |
Scheme Budget by Financial Year
The approved funding allocations from the Linkage International budget for Awards (Round 1) to commence in 2006 are shown in Table 8 below.
Table 8: Approved funding allocations for Awards (Round 1), by financial year
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | $157,800 | $134,880 | $102,300 | $394,980 |
