OverviewThe Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme provides funding for research infrastructure, equipment and facilities to Eligible Organisations. It enables researchers to participate in cooperative initiatives so that expensive research infrastructure, equipment and facilities can be shared between higher education organisations and also with industry. The scheme also fosters collaboration through its support of the cooperative use of international or national research facilities.The objectives of the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme are to:support excellent basic and applied research and research training through the acquisition of research equipment and infrastructure and access to national and international research facilities; andencourage Eligible Organisations to develop collaborative arrangements with other Eligible Organisations and/or Partner Organisations for the acquisition and use of research equipment and infrastructure or access to national and international facilities; Selection processApplications for funding commencing in 2022 opened on 27 January 2021, and closed on 31 March 2021. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines outcomes from the selection process for that round.These outcomes are based on advice from the ARC 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 budgets;and, advice from the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) Eligibility Committee which:considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the members of the ARC College of Experts 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. Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications. Assessment Criteria All applications that meet the eligibility criteria for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:a. Investigator(s)/Capability (20%)Describe the:demonstrated record in these activities (for CIs and PIs who will manage the purchase, design, manufacture, installation, maintenance and coordination of access to the proposed research infrastructure); andrelevance of the research infrastructure to the research capacity and planned activities of each CI and PI on the application and, where relevant, to the research groups represented on the application.b. Project quality and innovation (25%)Describe the:aims and significance of the research that will be supported by LIEF funding;relevance of the proposed research infrastructure to the needs of ARC and other competitively funded research projects/programs;importance of equipment for the training of research students;enhancement of support for areas of existing and/or emerging research strength; anddemonstrated national or international focus for large scale cooperative initiatives.c. Feasibility and strategic alignment (25%)Describe the:extent to which the project represents value for money;feasibility of the plan to use the research infrastructure;relevance of the research to the strategic priorities of the organisations;evidence that each of the organisations is genuinely committed to, and prepared to collaborate in, the project;existing or planned strategic research alliances between the higher education organisation(s) and other organisation(s); andeffectiveness of cooperative arrangements for the management and sharing of the proposed research infrastructure, including arrangements for ongoing operational expenditure where applicable.d. Benefit (10%)Describe the:benefit of the proposed research infrastructure to the broader research community; 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.e. Suitability/Need (20%)Describe the:demonstrated needs from the researchers and/or research projects that they will utilise the proposed research infrastructure, including level of demand and likely measurable impact on the research program, including beyond the project activity period;availability of and access to similar research infrastructure at organisational, regional, national and/or international level;planned rate of use of the proposed research infrastructure, including proposed arrangements for broader access to individuals not named on the application;alignment of the planned use with other similar existing infrastructure within Australia and/or internationally; andspecial needs for regional or otherwise remote institutions. Assessment process The ARC assessment process for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 involved 16 SAC members as a part of one multidisciplinary panel and was managed in the RMS. A total of 454 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC. Funding levels and duration The minimum level of funding provided by the ARC under Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 is $150,000 per annum and the maximum level of funding cannot exceed 75 per cent of the total direct cost of the eligible budget item(s). Funding is provided for up to one year; or, up to five years for leasing infrastructure, equipment or facilities, the construction of research infrastructure, or subscription or coordinated access to international facilities and major national facilities. Summary of OutcomesThe ARC received a total of 139 applications for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities for funding commencing in 2022, one of which was withdrawn.The overall success rate for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities for funding commencing in 2022 is 33.3 per cent.Of the unsuccessful applications, three were found to not meet eligibility requirements.A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1.Table 1. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications from 2021 and 2022.Funding yearApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds allocated over project life for approved applications*($)Return rate for approved applications (%)20211384734.1$112,226,899$41,171,620$38,827,81294.320221384633.3$127,970,814$34,910,236$32,611,77293.4*May include indicative funds Outcomes by discipline A summary of outcomes by discipline is shown in Table 2.Table 2. Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 applications by discipline.Discipline *Applications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)Return Rate for approved applications (%)BSB20525.0$14,347,643$2,775,950$2,593,95093.4EIC551934.5$49,495,707$18,172,122$16,588,94491.3HCA7228.6$4,287,955$1,389,515$1,371,72398.7MPCE511835.3$57,196,137$11,678,815$11,182,13195.7SBE5240.0$2,643,372$893,834$875,02497.9Total1384633.3$127,970,814$34,910,236$32,611,77293.4* BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HCA – Humanities and Creative Arts; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE – Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Outcomes by Science and Research Priorities A summary of outcomes by Science and Research Priorities is shown in Table 3.Table 3. Approved funding and success rate for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 applications by Science and Research Priorities.Science and Research PrioritiesApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Approved funds over project life ($)Advanced manufacturing502142.0$14,697,394Cybersecurity600-Energy13215.4$1,407,000Environmental change8337.5$2,126,791Food7114.3$675,000Health4250.0$875,024Resources10440.0$4,482,745Soil and water7228.6$487,234Transport4125.0$548,940Unspecified291034.5$7,311,644Total1384633.3$32,611,772Total within Science and Research Priorities1093633.0$25,300,128Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)79.078.3 77.6 Outcomes by Administering Organisation A summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 4.Table 4. Number of applications and success rates for approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 applications by Administering Organisation.Administering OrganisationApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)Australian Capital Territory12433.3$1,599,888The Australian National University11327.3$1,284,864University of Canberra11100.0$315,024New South Wales541833.3$14,964,174Charles Sturt University100-Macquarie University4250.0$2,046,279Southern Cross University100-The University of New South Wales17635.3$6,024,373The University of Newcastle5120.0$420,347The University of Sydney15533.3$3,679,658University of Technology, Sydney4250.0$1,058,350University of Wollongong3133.3$521,816Western Sydney University4125.0$1,213,351Queensland18633.3$4,849,892James Cook University200-Queensland University of Technology5360.0$1,997,296The University of Queensland10330.0$2,852,596University of Southern Queensland100-South Australia9444.4$1,715,929Flinders University2150.0$405,049The University of Adelaide7342.9$1,310,880Tasmania11100.0$552,086University of Tasmania11100.0$552,086Victoria351234.3$8,544,803Deakin University300-La Trobe University11100.0$675,000Monash University11327.3$3,519,691RMIT University300-Swinburne University of Technology3266.7$1,071,723The University of Melbourne14642.9$3,278,389Western Australia9111.1$385,000Curtin University400-The University of Western Australia5120.0$385,000Total1384633.3$32,611,772 Career age and gender Of the 1396 Chief Investigators (CIs) in this round, 332 were female, 1057 were male and seven chose not to specify their gender. The success rate for female and male and unspecified CIs in Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 is 33.4 per cent, 32.5 per cent and 71.4 per cent respectively.Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 are presented in Figure 1. CIs who did not provide gender information (0.5 per cent) and CIs who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or who do not hold a PhD (0.9 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 by gender and career age* *Career age is calculated as years since PhD (or equivalent). The earliest PhD award date was used where there was more than one PhD. Collaboration with Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications are expected to develop collaborative arrangements with Other Eligible Organisations and/or Partner Organisations and Other Organisations.A summary of success rates by number of Eligible Organisations is shown in Table 5.Table 5. Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 application success rates by number of Eligible OrganisationsNumber of Eligible Organisations*Number of applications consideredNumber of applications approvedSuccess rate within band (%)17114.3220525.03341338.24281139.3515213.3614750.079444.484125.0920010100113133.31311100.0Total1384633.3* An application with only one Eligible Organisation (the Administering Organisation) may or may not include Partner Organisations and/or Other Organisations. There were no applications with 12 Eligible Organisations.A summary of application success rates by number of collaborating organisations is shown in Table 6.Table 6. Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 application success rates by number of collaborating organisations.Number of collaborating organisations*Number of applications consideredNumber of applications approvedSuccess rate within band (%)14125.0210220.0327725.9422836.4520630.06201050.0715853.386116.7930010300113133.3121001511100.0161002111100.027100Total1384633.3* Collaborating organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations. There were no applications with 13,14,17-20,22-26 collaborating organisations. International Collaboration In the 138 applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 247 instances of collaboration with researchers in 38 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 33 foreshadowed 115 instances of collaboration with researchers in 28 overseas locations (Figure 2).Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 applications*. *The top 13 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 1 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category. Leverage of ARC fundingOn Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2022 applications approved for funding, for every dollar funded by the ARC the proposed dollar contribution of the collaborating organisations listed on these applications is $1.20. The leverage of ARC funds for approved applications is shown in Table 7.Table 7. Leverage of ARC funds for approved applications.Number of applications approvedApproved ARC fundingNumber of unique collaborating organisations*Incidence of involvement of collaborating organisations*Collaborating organisation* Cash and In-kind contributionLeverage (Collaborating organisation* contribution/ARC approved funding)46$32,611,77276259$39,109,326$1.20*Collaborating organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations. Summary of Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications approved for fundingA summary of the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications approved for funding commencing in 2022, by Administering Organisation is outlined in Table 8. The application titles indicate the variety of equipment, infrastructure and facilities supported in this scheme round.Table 8. Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications approved for funding commencing in 2022.Applications approved for fundingAdministering OrganisationLead CISA Spectromicroscopy Facility: From Band Mapping to Atomic Scale ImagingFlinders UniversityHarmer, Prof SarahA flow cytometry suite for multiscale biosortingLa Trobe UniversityHumbert, Prof PatrickMAVIS: A Revolutionary New Instrument for the European Southern ObservatoryMacquarie University McDermid, A/Prof RichardThe MARVEL exoplanet facilitySchwab, Dr ChristianAdvanced lattice light sheet microscope optimised for biological imagingMonash University Lieschke, Prof GrahamAn in-situ and multiscale scanning electron microscopy suitePreuss, Prof MichaelNear Infrared Fluorescence and Photoacoustic Imaging FacilityEgan, Prof GaryA cyclic ion-mobility mass spectrometer for resolving molecular isomersQueensland University of Technology Blanksby, Prof StephenA platform for upscaled demonstration of emerging photovoltaic materialsWang, Prof HongxiaDynaMix-FM, dynamic mixed reality environment for future mobilityGlaser, Prof SebastienThe Australian Emulation Network: Born Digital Cultural Collections AccessSwinburne University of Technology Swalwell, Prof MelanieTransportable high-power blue laser for processing of reflective materialsJuodkazis, Prof SauliusEnhanced high-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopyThe Australian National University Otting, Prof GottfriedIntegrated volatile-mineral-isotope micro-analysis of Earth environmentsKing, Prof PenelopeThe milli-arcsecond cosmos: astrophysical imaging with HeimdallrIreland, Prof MichaelEnhancing the SA Regional Facility for Molecular Ecology & EvolutionThe University of Adelaide Sanders, A/Prof KateMass spectrometry for mass geochronologySpandler, A/Prof CarlThe Australian Rental Monitor: A Data InfrastructureBaker, Prof EmmaA facility to produce and quantify accelerated flow mixing at high fidelityThe University of Melbourne Klewicki, Prof JosephA geotechnical centrifuge to underpin Australia's energy and constructionCassidy, Prof MarkAn autonomous sea state monitoring system for Australia's research fleetToffoli, A/Prof AlessandroMATRIX: enhancing access to global research in the mathematical sciencesDeGier, Prof JanModularised cultural heritage archives – future-proofing PARADISECThieberger, A/Prof NicholasX-LAB beamline: accelerating applied research with tunable electron beamsSheehy, Dr SuzieAtomic Scale Control over Quantum MaterialsThe University of New South Wales Rogge, Prof SvenAustralian Participation in the Legacy Survey of Space and TimeBrough, Prof SarahFacility for enabling low thermal budget Si/SiGe technologiesttMichael, Dr AronNano-IR Facility for the Search of New Multifunctional MaterialsSeidel, Prof JanNational groundwater recharge observing systemBaker, Prof AndrewSpace Resources Environmental Analogue FacilityDempster, Prof AndrewBioSHeM: A High-Resolution Imaging and Spectroscopic Helium Atom MicroscopeThe University of NewcastleDastoor, Prof PaulAn integrated analytical network for protein characterisationThe University of Queensland Schulz, A/Prof BenjaminMicroanalytical Facility Supporting Resources Development and ManufacturingJak, Prof EvgueniSolar Photovoltaics forecasting for efficient power managementSaha, Prof TapanAdvanced materials synthesis and environmental characterisation facilityThe University of Sydney Bilek, Prof MarcelaAustralian Peptide Display FacilityPayne, Prof RichardInvestigating biological processes in tissues by spatial profilingMolloy, Prof Mark PMetallurgical Facility for Solid-State Additive ManufacturingParadowska, Prof AnnaVersatile laser processing system for multi-disciplinary researchHo-Baillie, Prof AnitaEquipment for research on future gravitational wave detectorsThe University of Western AustraliaZhao, Dr ChunnongA national eInfrastructure for high-resolution population spatial modellingUniversity of CanberraCoffee, A/Prof NeilHydroBox: A containerised hydrochemistry lab for Australian oceanographyUniversity of TasmaniaChase, Prof ZannaA Secure Smart Sensing and Industry Analytics Facility for Industry 4.0University of Technology Sydney Xu, Prof GuandongAustralian 3D Beam Measurement Platform from Radio Waves to Terahertz WavesYang, Dr YangScoping the world of ultra-thin film and ultra-high pressure environmentsUniversity of WollongongWang, Prof XiaolinNational Facility for Physical Fire SimulationWestern Sydney UniversityTao, Prof Zhong