OverviewThe Industrial Transformation Research Hub scheme fosters close partnerships between university-based researchers and other researchers. Research Hubs support joint research activity, between the Australian higher education sector and industry, designed to focus on strategic outcomes that cannot be realised independently of each other. The objectives of the Industrial Transformation Research Hubs scheme are to:support collaborative research projects between universities and organisations outside the Australian higher education sector that involve cutting-edge research on new technologies; andleverage national and international investment in targeted industry sectors, including from industry and other research end-users. Selection processApplications for funding commencing in 2023 opened on 21 October 2022 and closed on 15 December 2022. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines outcomes from the selection process for that round.These outcomes are based on advice from the Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which:assessed applications and reviewed assessments made by independent assessorsreviewed applicants’ comments on assessors’ reportsranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, the assessors’ reports and applicants’ responses to those assessmentsassessed and recommended budgetsapproved application feedbackand advice from the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program Eligibility Committee which:considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the members of the SAC or independent assessorswhere required, sought advice from the ARC's Medical Research Advisory Groupmade recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible applications. This report reflects the outcomes approved by the Minister. Assessment criteriaAssessment criteria and corresponding weightings for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs applications are:Investigator(s)/Capability (20%)Describe the:demonstrated Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) of the proposed team including:evidence of experience in managing distributed and/or collaborative industrial and end-user focussed research;evidence of significant outcomes on industry related projects; andevidence of experience in and capacity to provide effective supervision, support and mentoring for HDR candidates and postdoctoral researchers over the life of the Research Hub.appropriateness of the team research track record to achieve the Research Hub’s goals; andtime and capacity of the team to undertake and manage the proposed research in collaboration with the Partner Organisation(s).Project Quality and Innovation (30%)Describe the extent to which the:aims, concepts, methods and outcomes will drive growth, productivity and competitiveness within relevant sectors;conceptual/theoretical framework is genuinely integrated, cross-disciplinary, innovative and original; andproject draws together high quality innovative national and international partnership(s) into an integrated Research Hub.Feasibility and Commitment (20%)Describe the:extent to which the Research Hub represents value for money;appropriateness of the design of the Research Hub and the expertise of the participants to ensure the project can be completed within the proposed budget and timeframe (including identified risks and mitigation strategies);proposed level of collaboration to support the research project, including national and international networks and linkages;high-quality intellectual support provided for the Research Hub by the research environment of the participating organisations;availability of and access to the necessary facilities required to support the proposed research (physical, technical, access to infrastructure, etc);commitment by each Partner Organisation(s) to collaboration in the Research Hub;adequacy of the budget, including cash and in-kind Contributions pledged by participating organisations; andextent to which the proposed Research Hub engages, and will continue to engage, meaningfully with the relevant industry experts including Industry Growth Centres.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; andany personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research.Benefit (30%)Describe:the extent to which the research clearly addresses one or more of the Industrial Transformation Priorities;the economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for relevant Australian research end-users (including relevant industry and manufacturing sectors);the extent to which the proposed Research Hub supports clearly identified market opportunity(ies) and intended transformation for Australian industry or other end users;the extent to which the proposed Research Hub will build research capacity in the Partner Organisation(s);the extent to which there are adequate strategies to encourage dissemination, promotion, and the commercialisation of research outcomes;the potential contribution of the proposed research to addressing the needs of industries and communities as articulated in Australia’s Industrial Transformation Priorities; andwhere relevant, the extent to which the applicants have identified the freedom to operate in the Intellectual Property and patent landscape to enable future benefits to industry. Assessment processThe ARC assessment and reporting process for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 involved a panel of 13 SAC members and was managed in RMS. A total of 17 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023. Funding levels and durationFunding of between $500,000 and $1 million per annum for between 3 to 5 consecutive years may be awarded for each Industrial Transformation Research Hub. Summary of outcomesThe ARC received 7 applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023. All 7 applications met eligibility requirements.As shown in Table 1, 5 applications are approved for funding. The overall success rate is 71.4 per cent. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 2.Table 1. Details of approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023Research Hub TitleAdministering OrganisationResearch Hub DirectorApproved funds over project lifeARC Research Hub in Zero-emission Power Generation for Carbon NeutralityQueensland University of TechnologyProf Zhi-Gang Chen$5,000,000ARC Research Hub for Engineering Plants to Replace Fossil CarbonThe University of QueenslandProf Robert Henry$4,933,330ARC Research Hub for Smart Process Design and ControlMonash UniversityProf Aibing Yu$5,000,000ARC Research Hub for Value-Added Processing of Underutilised Carbon WasteMonash UniversityProf Lian Zhang$4,955,854ARC Research Hub for Future Digital ManufacturingSwinburne University of TechnologyProf Dimitrios Georgakopoulos$5,000,000 Table 2. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved applications from Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2022 and 2023*Funding yearApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate(%)Requested funds over project life - all applicationsRequested funds over project life - approved applicationsFunds allocated over project life* - approved applicationsAllocation as a percentage of request (%)202212433.3$57,033,938$17,768,172$17,768,172100.020237571.4$33,418,809$24,889,184$24,889,184100.0*May include indicative funding amounts Outcomes by disciplineA summary of outcomes by discipline grouping is shown in Table 3.Table 3. Number of applications, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 applications by disciplineDiscipline*Applications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate(%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)Return Rate for approved applications (%)BSB2150.0$8,462,955$4,933,330$4,933,330100.0EIC5480.0$24,955,854$19,995,854$19,955,854100.0Total7571.4$33,418,809$24,889,184$24,889,184100.0*BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC –Engineering and Information Sciences. Outcomes by Administering OrganisationInstitutions across 3 Australian States submitted applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023. In addition to ARC funding, significant contributions are made by participating organisations as shown in Table 4.Table 4. Numbers of applications, success rates and ARC funding for approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023Administering OrganisationApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)ARC approved funding over project life (approved applications)Participating organisation*#contributions(cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)New South Wales100.0$0$0Macquarie University100.0$0$0Queensland3266.7$9,933,330$29,054,215Queensland University of Technology2150.0$5,000,000$12,745,840The University of Queensland11100.0$4,933,330$16,308,375Victoria33100.0$14,955,854$49,300,050Monash University22100.0$9,955,854$36,782,562Swinburne University of Technology11100.0$5,000,000$12,517,488Total7571.4$24,889,184$78,354,265* Participating Organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations.# Participating Organisation contributions are shown by organisation type in Table 4. Participating organisation contributions by organisation typeAs shown in Table 5, contributions to Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 from Partner Organisations total over $52 million, 66.9 per cent of the total organisation contributions to successful Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023.Table 5. Participating organisation contributions by organisation type for approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 applicationsOrganisation typeOrganisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)Administering Organisation$13,514,624Other Eligible Organisation$11,749,101Partner Organisation$52,394,360Other Organisation$696,180Total$78,354,265Partner Organisation contributions by sectorPartner Organisations were identified as either Australian, international, government, non-profit, industry or overseas higher education organisations. The Partner Organisation contributions in these categories for applications approved for funding in 2023 are shown in Table 6.Table 6. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 applicationsTypeCashIn-kindTotal $%$%$%GovernmentAustralian State, Territory and Local Government$850,0003.43$1,900,0006.88$2,750,0005.25Australian Federal Government$00.00$428,1301.55$428,1300.82Sub-total$850,0003.43$2,328,1308.43$3,178,1306.07Industry BodyAustralian Company Industry Body$16,425,00066.30$17,138,73062.05$33,563,73064.06International Company Industry Body$6,950,00028.05$7,420,00026.87$14,370,00027.43Sub-total$23,375,00094.35$24,558,73088.92$47,933,73091.49Non-profitAustralian Non Profit$00.00$100,0000.36$100,0000.19Sub-total$00.00$100,0000.36$100,0000.19EducationHigher Education International$300,0001.21$382,5001.38$682,5001.30Sub-total$300,0001.21$382,5001.38$682,5001.30OtherOther$250,0001.01$250,0000.91$500,0000.95Sub-total$250,0001.01$250,0000.91$500,0000.95Total$24,775,000100.00$27,619,360100.00$52,394,360100.00Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum. Leverage of ARC fundingOf the 7 applications considered, 5 were approved with a total approved funding, over the life of these projects, of $24,889,184. There are 49 unique Partner Organisations involved, committing a total of $52,394,360 million in cash and in-kind funding. This represents $2.11 from Partner Organisations for every dollar of funding from the ARC. Industrial Transformation PrioritiesAs shown in Table 7, applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 were submitted across 7 Industrial Transformation Priorities.Table 7. Instances of identified Industrial Transformation Priorities in Industrial Transformation Research Hubs applications approved for funding commencing in 2023Industrial Transformation PrioritiesInstances in applications considered*Instances in applications approved*Advanced Manufacturing54Cyber Security10Food, Beverage and Agribusiness22Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals10Mining Equipment, Resources Technology and Services, Critical Minerals Processing11Oil, Gas and Energy Resources 22Recycling and Clean Energy54Total1713* A single application may select multiple Industrial Transformation Priorities Science and Research PrioritiesAs shown in Table 8, all applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 selected a Science and Research Priority.Table 8. Approved funding for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2023 by Science and Research PriorityPriority areaApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Approved funds (over project life)Advanced Manufacturing3266.7$10,000,000Energy11100.0$4,933,330Health1000Resources22100.0$9,955,854Total7571.4$24,889,184Total within Science and Research Priorities7571.4$24,889,184Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)100.0100.0 100.0Field of Research categoriesTable 9. Application data by Field of Research category for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023Field of Research categoryApplications consideredApplications approvedARC approved funding over project life (approved applications)Participating Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences21$4,933,330$16,308,375Engineering33$14,955,854$49,528,402Information and Computing Sciences21$5,000,000$12,517,488Total75$24,889,184$78,354,265GenderA total of 194 participants were named as either Research Hub Director, Chief Investigator or Partner Investigator on applications considered in this round. Of these, 150 are male and 44 are female. The success rates for males is 80.4 per cent and for females it is 19.6 per cent. International collaborationAs shown in Figure 1, there are 14 instances where a total of 10 countries are participating in the approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023.Figure 1. Instances of international collaboration on approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 applications