Selection Report: Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2021

Overview

The 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; and
• leverage national and international investment in targeted industry sectors, including from industry and other research end-users.

Selection process

Applications for funding commencing in 2021 opened on 2 September 2020 and closed on 18 November 2020. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines recommendations from the ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the Minister.

These recommendations are based on advice from the Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which:

• assessed applications and reviewed assessments made by independent assessors
• reviewed applicants’ comments on assessors’ reports
• ranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, the assessors’ reports and applicants’ responses to those assessments
• assessed and recommended budgets
• recommended application feedback and 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 assessors
• where required, sought advice from the ARC's Medical Research Advisory Group
• made recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible applications.

This report reflects the funding recommendations to the Minister.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Criteria and corresponding weightings for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs applications are:

a. Investigator(s)/Capability (20%)

• 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; and
  • evidence 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 team research track record to achieve the Research Hub’s goals and
• time and capacity of the team to undertake and manage the proposed research in collaboration with the Partner Organisation(s)

b. Project Quality and Innovation (30%)

• 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; and
• project draws together high quality innovative national and international partnership(s) into an integrated Research Hub.

c. Feasibility and Commitment (20%)

• extent to which the proposed 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 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; and
• extent to which the proposed Research Hub engages, and will continue to engage, meaningfully with the relevant industry experts including Industry Growth Centres.

d. Benefit (30%)

• 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 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; and
• where 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 process

The ARC assessment and reporting process for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2021 involved a panel of 12 SAC members and was managed in RMS. A total of 51 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2021.

Funding levels and duration

Funding 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 Outcomes

The ARC received 16 applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding commencing in 2021. All applications met eligibility requirements.

As shown in Table 1, eight applications are recommended for funding. The overall success rate is 50.0 per cent. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 2.

Table 1. Details of recommended Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021

Table 2. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for recommended applications from Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2020 and 2021*

*May include indicative funding amounts

Outcomes by discipline

A summary of outcomes by discipline grouping is shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Number of applications, success rates and requested and allocated funds for recommended Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2021 applications by discipline

*BEM – Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Environmental, Medical and Health Sciences; ET –Engineering and Technology; HSE – Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; PMI – Physical, Mathematical and Information Sciences

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

Institutions across six Australian States submitted applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021. 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 recommended funding for recommended Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021

* 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 type

As shown in Table 5, contributions to Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021 from Partner Organisations total over $72 million, 64 per cent of the total organisation contributions to successful Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021.

Table 5.  Participating organisation contributions by organisation type for recommended Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021 applications

Partner Organisation contributions by sector

Partner 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 recommended for funding in 2021 are shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for recommended Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021 applications

Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum.

Leverage of ARC funding

Of the 16 applications considered, eight were recommended with a total recommended funding, over the life of these projects, of $36.4 million. There are 100 unique Partner Organisations involved, committing a total of $72 million in cash and in-kind funding. This represents $1.98 from Partner Organisations for every dollar of funding from the ARC.

Industrial Transformation Priorities

As shown in Table 7, applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021 were submitted in all Industrial Transformation Priorities.

Table 7. Instances of identified Industrial Transformation Priorities in Industrial Transformation Research Hubs applications recommended for funding commencing in 2021

* A single application may select multiple Industrial Transformation Priorities

Outcomes by Science and Research Priorities

As shown in Table 8, all applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021 selected a Science and Research Priority.

Table 8. Recommended funding for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021 by Science and Research Priority

Field of Research Categories

Table 9. Application data by Field of Research category for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021

Gender

A total of 522 participants were named as a Research Hub Director, Chief Investigator or Partner Investigator on applications considered in this round. Of these, 406 are male, 114 are female and 2 participants chose not to specify their gender. The success rates for male, female and unspecified participants are 52.5 per cent, 43 per cent and zero per cent respectively.

International collaboration

As shown in Figure 1, there are 20 instances where a total of 13 countries are participating in the successful Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021.

Figure 1.  Instances of international collaboration on recommended Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for funding in 2021 applications