(as at 4 November 2022) Overview The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme aims to enhance and develop Australia’s research excellence through highly innovative and collaborative research, as well as build Australia’s human capacity in a range of research areas. The ARC Centres of Excellence are prestigious focal points of expertise through which high-quality researchers maintain and develop Australia’s international standing in research areas of national priority. Through the ARC Centres of Excellence, significant collaborations occur between universities, publicly funded research organisations, other research bodies, governments and businesses in Australia and overseas, all to support outstanding research. Selection process Expression of Interest (EOI) applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 opened on 1 June 2021 and closed on 21 July 2021. Shortlisted EOI applications were invited to submit full applications, which opened on 15 December 2021 and closed on 23 March 2022. EOI applications and full applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines recommendations from the ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The funding recommendations are based on advice from a Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which: assessed EOI applications, reviewed assessments made by independent assessors and reviewed applicants’ comments on assessor reports shortlisted EOI applications for submission of full applications assessed full applications, reviewed assessments made by independent assessors and reviewed applicants’ comments on assessor reports interviewed applicants ranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the full application, the assessors’ reports, applicants’ responses to those assessments and interview performance assessed and recommended budgets recommended application feedback and advice from the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) Eligibility Committee which: considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the SAC or independent assessors. This report reflects the outcomes approved by the Minister. Assessment criteria Assessment criteria and corresponding weights for EOI applications are: Research program - Quality and Innovation (70%) Demonstrate this through identifying how the Centre: addresses the objectives of the ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity; will be innovative and potentially transformational, and lead to significant advancement of knowledge, expertise and technologies; will build effective collaboration and critical mass across groups of researchers; is assembled into an effective and integrated research program (including the proposed conceptual framework, design, human resource commitments, methods and analyses, project structures, budget planning and risk mitigation strategies); and will build effective and high quality national and international partnerships, exchanges and networks. If the project involves research pertaining to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities describe: the strategies for enabling collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor); any existing or developing, supportive and high-quality relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities; and any personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research. Investigators (30%) Demonstrate this through identifying: the contribution of the Centre Director, CIs and PIs to the proposed research program and their demonstration of appropriate capability, capacity and commitment to the Centre; and the extent to which the investigators are suitable and relevant to the conduct and delivery of the proposed research program, giving consideration to Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE). Assessment criteria and corresponding weights for full applications are: Research program - Quality and Innovation (20%) Demonstrate this through identifying how the Centre: addresses the objectives of the ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity; will be innovative and potentially transformational, and lead to significant advancement of knowledge, expertise and technologies; will build effective collaboration and critical mass across groups of researchers; is assembled into an effective and integrated research program (including the proposed conceptual framework, design, human resource commitments, methods and analyses, project structures, budget planning and risk mitigation strategies); and will build effective and high quality national and international partnerships, exchanges and networks. If the project involves research pertaining to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities describe: the strategies for enabling collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor); any existing or developing, supportive and high-quality relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities; and any personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research. Investigators (20%) Demonstrate this through identifying: the contribution of the Centre Director, CIs and PIs to the proposed research program and their demonstration of appropriate capability, capacity and commitment to the Centre; and the extent to which the investigators are suitable and relevant to the conduct and delivery of the proposed research program, giving consideration to Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE). Institutional Support (20%) Demonstrate this through identifying: the extent to which the Centre is aligned with the research focus and strategic direction of the Administering Organisation; and how the combined level of support and commitment from the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations will be sufficient for the proposed Centre. Governance, leadership and mentoring (20%) Demonstrate this through identifying: the appropriateness of the organisational structure of the Centre, including: proposed management arrangements and responsibilities (including management of dispersed and diverse teams and reporting arrangements both internally and externally) financial systems, strategic and translation plans, milestones for achievement of objectives and delivery of outputs, outcomes and benefits, and draft Key Performance Indicators the relevance of the performance measures listed in the application to the proposed Centre’s objectives, project outputs, outcomes and benefits, and their appropriateness for assessing the Centre’s performance; the leadership ability and vision of the Centre Director and leadership team including their capacity to perform the responsibilities of the role including strategic planning and management; the contribution of the Centre to research training and mentoring at the Honours, postgraduate and postdoctoral level; and the contribution of the Centre’s education and engagement programs to professional development, ethical and technical training, and outreach. Outcomes and linkages (20%) Demonstrate this through identifying the: proposed research program articulates the path to Research Impact of the proposed research program in terms of delivering benefit to Australia; links with Australian researchers in universities, other research organisations, industry and strategic agencies that will facilitate collaboration in, and application of the outcomes of, the proposed research program; partners and end-users which will be involved in the translation of outcomes arising from the proposed research program; plans and strategies in place for translation of research outcomes including: knowledge transfer, knowledge application, and if applicable, technology transfer, including fostering a culture of innovation, focus on outcomes and Centre legacy; supporting organisational arrangements and plans in place relating to ownership and potential exploitation of intellectual property and/or utilisation or commercialisation of research (where appropriate); proposed research program expands Australia’s knowledge base and research capability and enhance Australia’s international reputation and competitiveness; proposed research program makes a significant contribution to one or more of the Science and Research Priorities; proposed research program delivers effective outcomes commensurate with the request for appropriate resources (value for money); proposed Centre involves partners and end-users in development of strategic and translation plans and proposed Centre governance; and proposed Centre develops and enhances high-level international linkages to benefit the research, training and translation of program outcomes. Assessment process The ARC Centres of Excellence assessment and reporting process for ARC Centres of Excellence is managed through RMS and used a panel of 18 SAC members during the EOI application phase and 17 SAC members during the full application phase. A total of 261 independent assessor reports were submitted to the ARC for EOI applications and 50 for full applications. Funding levels and duration Funding of between $1 million and $5 million per annum for up to 7 consecutive years may be awarded for each ARC Centre of Excellence. Summary of outcomes The ARC received 101 EOI applications and invited 17 EOIs to submit full applications. Of the 17 ARC Centres of Excellence full applications submitted, 11 are approved for funding. As shown in Table 1, the overall success rate was 64.7%, which is a higher success rate than that of the previous ARC Centres of Excellence 2020 round. Table 1. Number of EOI applications, full applications and success rates by discipline for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 Discipline* EOI applications considered EOI applications shortlisted † EOI application success rate (%) Full applications considered † Full applications approved Full application success rate (%) BSB 28 5 14.3 4 1 25.0 EIC 18 4 22.2 2 1 50.0 HCA 11 2 18.2 1 1 100.0 MPCE 24 4 16.7 6 6 100.0 SBE 20 3 15 4 2 50.0 Total 101 17 16.8 17 11 64.7 *BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC = Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; MPCE = Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economics Sciences † Field of Research (FoR) codes used to determine discipline panels changed to the new ABS classification between the closing of the EOI application stage and the opening of the full application stage. Therefore, some full applications were assigned to a different discipline panel than that assigned for the shortlisted EOI application. Approved ARC Centres of Excellence for funding Table 2 lists summary information on the approved ARC Centres of Excellence applications commencing in 2023. Table 2. Details of approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 ARC Centre of Excellence Title Administering Organisation Centre Director Approved funds over project life ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures James Cook University Professor Sean Ulm $35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Monash University Professor Jacqui True $34,999,990 ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century Monash University Professor Christian Jakob $35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science RMIT University Professor Arnan Mitchell $34,948,820 ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery of Technology Swinburne University Professor Matthew Bailes $35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space The University of Adelaide Professor Matthew Gilliham $35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems The University of Melbourne Professor Michael Stumpf $35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation The University of New South Wales Professor Liming Dai $35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of Carbon Dioxide The University of Queensland Professor Xiwang Zhang $34,956,464 ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures The University of Queensland Professor Brendan Hokowhitu $35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology The University of Queensland Professor Warwick Bowen $35,000,000 Selection outcomes by Administering Organisation Administering Organisations in 7 Australian States and Territories submitted applications for ARC Centres of Excellence. In addition to ARC funding, significant contributions are made by participating organisations as shown in Table 3. Table 3. Numbers of EOI applications and full applications, success rates and ARC approved funding by Administering Organisation for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 Administering Organisation EOI applications considered EOI applications shortlisted EOI application success rate (%) Full applications considered Full applications approved Full application success rate (%) Total allocated funding amount Participating organisation* contributions (cash & in-kind for approved applications) Australian Capital Territory 3 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - The Australian National University 3 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - New South Wales 31 4 12.9 4 1 25.00 $35,000,000 $42,575,848 Australian Catholic University 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - Macquarie University 2 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - The University of New South Wales 11 2 18.2 2 1 50.0 $35,000,000 $42,575,848 The University of Newcastle 3 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - The University of Sydney 11 1 9.1 1 0 0.0 $0 $0 University of Technology, Sydney 1 1 100.0 1 0 0.0 $0 $0 Western Sydney University 2 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - Queensland 17 4 23.3 4 4 100.0 $139,956,464 $185,189,56 James Cook University 2 1 50.0 1 1 100.0 $35,000,000 $54,070,197 Queensland University of Technology 7 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - The University of Queensland 8 3 37.5 3 3 100.0 $104,956,464 $131,119,372 South Australia 10 1 10.0 1 1 100.0 $35,000,000 $53,450,715 The University of Adelaide 7 1 14.3 1 1 100.0 $35,000,000 $53,450,715 Flinders University 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - University of South Australia 2 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - Tasmania 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - University of Tasmania 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - Victoria 36 7 19.4 7 5 71.4 $174,948,810 $398,569,916 Deakin University 4 1 25.0 1 0 0.0 $0 $0 La Trobe University 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - Monash University 10 3 30.0 3 2 66.7 $69,999,990 $78,693,634 RMIT University 2 1 50.0 1 1 100.0 $34,948,820 $37,278,565 Swinburne University of Technology 1 1 100.0 1 1 100.0 $35,000,000 $236,174,241 The University of Melbourne 18 1 5.6 1 1 100.0 $35,000,000 $46,423,476 Western Australia 3 1 33.3 1 0 0.0 $0 $0 Curtin University 2 1 50.0 1 0 0.0 $0 $0 The University of Western Sydney 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 - - Total 101 17 16.8 17 11 64.7 $384,905,274 $679,786,048 * Participating Organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations. Participating organisation contributions by organisation type As shown in Table 4, contributions to ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 from Partner Organisations total over $304 million, 45% of the total organisation contributions to successful ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023. Table 4. Participating organisation contributions by organisation type for approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 Organisation type Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications) Administering Organisation $147,238,596 Other Eligible Organisation $227,897,390 Partner Organisation $304,650,062 Total $679,786,048 Partner Organisation contributions by sector Partner Organisations were identified as either Australian, international, government, non-profit, industry or overseas higher education organisations. Leverage of ARC funding Of the 17 full applications considered, 11 are approved, with total approved funding over the life of these projects of $384,905,274. There are 221 Partner Organisations involved, committing a total of $304,650,062 in cash and in-kind funding. This represents $0.79 from Partner Organisations for every dollar of funding from the ARC. The Partner Organisation contributions in these categories for applications approved for funding in 2023 are shown below in Table 5. Table 5. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 Type Cash In-kind Total $ % $ % $ % Industry Body Australian $5,765,000 35.28 $14,040,798 4.87 $19,805,798 6.50 International $1,792,500 10.97 $15,144,418 5.25 $16,936,918 5.56 Sub-total $7,557,500 46.25 $29,185,216 10.12 $36,742,716 12.06 Non-Profit Australian $2,350,000 14.38 $12,628,665 4.38 $14,978,665 4.92 International $0 0.00 $904,022 0.31 $904,022 0.30 Sub-total $2,350,000 14.38 $13,532,687 4.69 $15,882,687 5.22 Government Australian Federal Government $3,347,500 20.48 $46,140,475 16.00 $49,487,975 16.24 Australian state, territory and local government $2,497,000 15.28 $7,262,218 2.52 $9,759,218 3.20 International government $0 0.00 $4,369,778 1.52 $4,369,778 1.43 Sub-total $5,844,500 35.76 $57,772,471 20.04 $63,616,971 20.87 Other Other $206,000 1.26 $12,480,135 4.33 $12,686,135 4.16 Sub-total $206,000 1.26 $12,480,135 4.33 $12,686,135 4.16 Education International higher education $385,000 2.36 $175,336,553 60.82 $175,721,553 57.68 Sub-total $385,000 2.36 $175,336,553 60.82 $175,721,553 57.68 Total $16,343,000 100.00 $288,307,062 100.00 $304,650,062 100.00 Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum. Science and Research Priorities As shown in Table 6, all applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 selected a Science and Research Priority. Table 6. Application data and approved funding by Science and Research Priority for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 Science and Research Priority Applications submitted Applications approved Success rate (%) Approved funding Advanced manufacturing 6 5 83.3 $174,905,284 Energy 1 1 100.0 $35,000,000 Environmental change 2 2 100.0 $70,000,000 Food 2 1 50.0 $35,000,000 Health 5 2 40.0 $69,999,990 Soil and water 1 0 - - Total 17 11 64.7 $384,905,274 Total within Science and Research Priorities 17 11 64.7 $384,905,274 Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%) 100.0 100.0 - 100.0 Field of Research categories Table 7. Application data by Field of Research category for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 Field of Research category Applications submitted Applications approved Approved funding Participating Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications) Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences 1 0 - - Biological Sciences 2 1 $35,000,000 $53,450,715 Chemical Sciences 1 1 $34,956,464 $42,929,784 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services 1 0 - - Earth Sciences 1 1 $35,000,000 $44,089,597 Engineering 1 1 $35,000,000 $42,575,848 Environmental Sciences 1 0 - - Human Society 1 1 $34,999,990 $34,604,037 Indigenous Studies 2 2 $70,000,000 $83,337,040 Information and Computing Sciences 1 0 - - Mathematical Sciences 1 1 $35,000,000 $46,423,476 Physical Sciences 3 3 $104,948,820 $332,375,551 Psychology 1 0 - - TOTAL 17 11 $384,905,274 $679,786,048 Gender A total of 584 participants were named on applications considered in this round. Of these, 344 (58.9%) are male, 235 (40.2%) are female, and five (0.9%) chose not to specify. Of the 381 participants named on the 11 approved applications: 155 participants are female (40.7%), including one Centre Director 224 participants are male (58.8%), including 10 Centre Directors two participants are unspecified (0.5%). International collaboration International collaboration is an important component of ARC Centres of Excellence. As shown in Table 9, there are 69 instances where a total of 27 countries are participating in the approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023. Table 9. International collaboration by country for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 Country Number of instances for submitted applications with international collaboration Number of instances for approved applications with international collaboration Austria 2 2 Canada 7 6 China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) 1 0 Denmark 4 2 England 11 7 Fiji 1 1 Finland 1 0 France 5 4 Germany 11 7 India 2 1 Indonesia 1 1 Ireland 2 0 Italy 2 1 Japan 5 2 Korea, Republic of (South) 2 2 Malaysia 1 0 Netherlands 4 1 New Zealand 3 3 Norway 2 1 Papua New Guinea 2 2 Philippines 1 1 Samoa 1 1 Saudi Arabia 1 0 Scotland 4 2 Singapore 3 2 South Africa 1 1 Spain 3 1 Sweden 3 1 Switzerland 5 4 Thailand 1 1 United States of America 17 11 Vietnam 1 1 Wales 1 0 Total 111 69