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Linkage International
Awards Round 11
Selection Report for Funding Commencing in 2006

Overview
Objectives
Selection process
Selection criteria
National Research Priorities
Duration of Funding
Summary of Outcomes
Grant Size
International Collaboration
Research Training and Postdoctoral Researchers
Outcomes by Organisation
Scheme Budget

Overview

Linkage International comprises two elements:

  • Awards: to build links among researchers, research teams or research centres of excellence in Australia and overseas by funding extended collaborations; and
  • Fellowships, comprising:
    • ARC International Fellowships funded under international agreements for the reciprocal exchange of postdoctoral researchers, including the Anglo-Australian Observatory Fellowship Agreement;
    • ARC International Fellowships to fund overseas researchers to work in Australia;
    • ARC International Fellowships to fund Australian researchers to work in overseas institutions; and
    • Australia-Israel Fellowships co-funded by the ARC and the Australia-Israel Scientific Exchange Foundation.

Linkage International applications are received continuously throughout the year and are batched for processing at least three times a year.  Linkage International Fellowships are assessed once per year, whereas Awards are assessed each batch.

Round 11 consisted of Award applications only. 

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

Round 11 applications were closed for batching on 15 July 2005.  Assessment of applications was undertaken by a Selection Advisory Committee drawn from members of the ARC’s College of Experts. The Selection Advisory Committee:

  • ranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the applications;
  • assessed and recommended budgets; and
  • prepared funding recommendations.

Following receipt of the Selection Advisory Committee report the ARC Board submitted recommendations to the Minister for his approval.

Selection criteria

Assessment of applications for Linkage International Awards is based on the following criteria and weightings:

  • strength and benefits of the collaboration (as evidenced, for example, by ongoing research collaboration, reciprocal and matching funding contributions and/or the participation of early career researchers)
 40%
  • Chief Investigator, including track record and research management skills
 20%
  • Overseas Investigator, including track record and research management skills
 20%
  • research proposed, in particular, aims, significance, research plan and methodology
 20%

National Research Priorities

Fifty-one applications were considered in Round 11.  One of the applications was subsequently withdrawn by the applicant.  Forty-five of the fifty remaining applications (90.00%) identified their application as being within a national research priority area.  Of these, 15 are approved for funding with a success rate of 30.00%.  Within those approved for funding, applications in priority areas represented 93.33% by number and received 95.38% of total approved 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 applications submitted and applications approved for funding are shown in Table 1 below.

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

Priority area
No. of Award applications considered
Award applications approved
Success rate %
Approved funding
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
11
3
27.27%
$52,000
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
7
3
42.86%
$56,000
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
25
8
32.00%
$243,185
Safeguarding Australia
1
0
0.00%
$0
None selected
6
1
16.67%
$17,000
Total
50
15
30.00%
$368,185

Duration of Funding

Linkage International Awards may be awarded funding for up to 3 years subject to parliamentary appropriation.

Summary of Outcomes

Fifty-one applications for Linkage International Awards were submitted in Round 11 seeking $2,370,308 in ARC funds.  One of the applications was subsequently withdrawn by the applicant.  Fifteen applications are approved for funding, representing a total ARC commitment of $368,185 over the financial years 2005-06 to 2008-09. Thirty-five applications are not approved for funding, including two ineligible applications. The overall success rate is 30.00%.  Numbers of applications considered and approved and success rates, by discipline group, are shown at Table 2 below.  This success rate represents an increase on the success rate of 25% in the previous round this calendar year.

Table 2: Numbers and success rates for applications for Awards, by discipline group

Discipline Group
No. of applications considered
Approved applications
Applications not approved for funding
Applications considered ineligible
Success Rate %
BSB
8
2
6
0
25.00%
EE
14
4
8
2
28.57%
HCA
2
1
1
0
50.00%
MIC
8
3
5
0
37.50%
PCG
13
3
10
0
23.08%
SBE
5
2
3
0
40.00%
Total
50
15
33
2
30.00%

* 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 2005-06 to 2008-09 for all applications considered was $2,345,808. Total approved funding is $368,185 or 46.53% of the total funding requested by approved applications, as shown in Table 3 below.

Table 3: Amounts requested and approved for Awards, by discipline group

Discipline Group
Total requested over project life (all considered applications)
Total requested over project life (approved applications)
Total approved over project life
Total approved funding as % of funding requested (approved applications)
BSB
$220,322
$62,080
$36,000
57.99%
EE
$590,375
$157,375
$68,500
43.53%
HCA
$62,640
$57,740
$20,000
34.64%
MIC
$596,384
$267,600
$121,000
45.22%
PCG
$791,332
$212,600
$90,000
42.33%
SBE
$84,755
$33,941
$32,685
96.30%
Total
$2,345,808
$791,336
$368,185
46.53%

* 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

Grant Size

The allocations from the Linkage International budget approved for Round 11 Awards to commence in 2006 are shown in Table 4 below.

The average funding per award for Linkage International Awards in this round is $24,545.67 (46.53% of the average requested in those applications).

Table 4: Funding for Linkage International Awards

Number approved
Amount requested
over project
life (approved
applications)
Amount approved
Average Funding
% of funding requested
(approved
applications)
15
$791,336

2006 = $163,185
2007 = $151,000
2008 = $54,000
Total = $368,185
$24,545.67
46.53%

International Collaboration

Linkage International applicants are asked to indicate which countries will be involved in the proposed collaborations.  For the fifteen approved applications, twenty-three incidences of international collaboration are identified. The highest numbers of identified international collaborations are with Canada, the USA and the United Kingdom, as indicated in Table 5 below.

Table 5: Incidences of international collaboration

Country
Incidences of International Collaboration
Canada
6
USA
4
United Kingdom
3
China
1
Czech Rep
1
Denmark
1
Ireland
1
Israel
1
Japan
1
Korea
1
Netherlands
1
New Zealand
1
Singapore
1
TOTAL
23

Research Training and Postdoctoral Researchers

The 15 applications approved for funding include 41 postgraduate students and 25 postdoctoral researchers in Australian organisations, and 23 postgraduate students and 12 postdoctoral researchers in overseas organisations.  A total of 101 postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers will be supported in developing international research experience and networks, as shown in Table 6 below.

Table 6: Research training and postdoctoral researchers

  Australian
organisations		 Overseas
organisations		 Total
Applications
Approved
Applications
Approved
Applications
Approved
Postgraduates
89
41
86
23
175
64
Postdoctoral researchers
53
25
55
12
108
37
Total
142
66
141
35
283
101

Outcomes by Organisation

The number of applications considered and approved, and funding requested and approved, by organisation, is shown in Table 7 below.

Table 7: Award applications by organisation: total requested and approved funding

Organisation
Funding Requested
Funding
approved over project life
Applications considered in Round 11
Applications approved
Applications success rate %
Curtin University of Technology
$16,428
$16,000
1
1
100.00
Deakin University
$27,050
$0
1
0
0
Flinders University
$17,000
$0
1
0
0
James Cook University
$19,000
$0
1
0
0
La Trobe University
$43,842
$0
1
0
0
Macquarie University
$7,422
$0
1
0
0
Murdoch University
$13,300
$0
2
0
0
Swinburne University of Technology
$125,200
$19,500
3
1
33.33
The Australian National University
$53,300
$0
1
0
0
The University of Adelaide
$405,920
$47,000
6
3
50.00
The University of Melbourne
$288,850
$75,000
3
1
33.33
The University of New South Wales
$69,900
$16,000
3
1
33.33
The University of Newcastle
$41,000
$0
1
0
0
The University of Queensland
$285,475
$45,000
6
1
16.67
The University of Sydney
$394,629
$67,000
5
3
60.00
The University of Western Australia
$119,339
$24,000
3
1
33.33
University of South Australia
$19,500
$0
1
0
0
University of Tasmania
$62,640
$20,000
2
1
50.00
University of Technology Sydney
$103,513
$16,685
4
1
25.00
University of Wollongong
$232,500
$22,000
4
1
25.00
TOTAL
$2,345,808
$368,185
50
15
30.00

Scheme Budget

The allocations from the Linkage International budget approved for Round 11 Awards to commence in 2006 are shown in Table 8 below.

Table 8: Allocations for Round 11 Awards, by financial year
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
TOTAL
Total
$81,593
$157,092
$102,500
$27,000
$368,185

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