Selection Report: Linkage Projects 2019 (as at 21 May 2020)
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Linkage Projects 2019 Selection Report
For applications submitted 21 December 2018 to 19 December 2019 (as at 21 May 2020)
Overview
The Linkage Projects scheme supports projects which initiate or develop long term strategic research alliances to apply advanced knowledge to problems, acquire new knowledge and as a basis for securing commercial and other benefits of research.
The objectives of the Linkage Projects scheme are to:
- support the development of long-term strategic research alliances between higher education organisations and industry and other research end-users, in order to apply advanced knowledge to problems;
- provide opportunities for internationally competitive research projects to be conducted in collaboration with organisations outside the higher education sector; and
- enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas.
Selection Process
This report outlines outcomes from the selection process for Linkage Projects 2019 applications, which used a continuous application process. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines outcomes from the selection process for that round.
The ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) provided recommendations to the Minister based on advice from the ARC Selection Advisory Committees (SAC) which:
- assigned independent assessors to review the applications
- 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;
and, advice from the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) Eligibility Committee which:
- considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the ARC 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 outcomes approved by the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.
Assessment Criteria
Assessment criteria and corresponding weightings for Linkage Projects 2019 applications are:
- Investigator(s) (25%)
- Project quality and innovation (25%)
- Feasibility (20%)
- Benefit (30%)
The ARC assessment process for Linkage Projects 2019 used a total of 79 SAC members across four discipline panels and was managed in the RMS. A total of 1643 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC.
Funding levels and duration
Funding of between $50,000 and $300,000 per annum for up to five years may be awarded for each Linkage Projects application.
Summary of Outcomes
The ARC received a total of 435 applications for Linkage Projects 2019, three of which were withdrawn.
The overall success rate for Linkage Projects for funding applied for in 2019 is 40.5 per cent.
Of the unsuccessful applications, five were found to not meet eligibility requirements.
A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Projects applications from 2018 and 2019
Scheme Round |
Applications considered |
Applications |
Success rate (%) |
Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($) |
Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($) |
Funds allocated over project life for approved applications* ($) |
Return rate for approved applications (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 |
448 |
140 |
31.3 |
$218,670,119 |
$72,558,642 |
$60,550,623 |
83.5 |
2019 |
432 |
175 |
40.5 |
$217,620,359 |
$92,200,635 |
$78,187,269 |
84.8 |
Outcomes by discipline
A summary of outcomes by discipline is shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Projects 2019 applications by discipline
Discipline* |
Applications considered |
Applications approved |
Success rate (%) |
Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($) |
Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($) |
Funds over project life for approved applications ($) |
Return |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEM |
78 |
30 |
38.5 |
$47,679,263 |
$17,893,301 |
$15,071,905 |
84.2 |
ET |
116 |
49 |
42.2 |
$57,626,964 |
$27,822,926 |
$24,186,224 |
86.9 |
HSE |
151 |
68 |
45.0 |
$68,691,724 |
$32,071,621 |
$26,831,855 |
83.7 |
PMI |
87 |
28 |
32.2 |
$43,622,408 |
$14,412,787 |
$12,097,285 |
83.9 |
Total |
432 |
175 |
40.5 |
$217,620,359 |
$92,200,635 |
$78,187,269 |
84.8 |
*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 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 Projects 2019 applications by Science and Research Priority
Science and Research Priorities |
Applications considered |
Applications approved |
Success rate (%) |
Approved funds over project life |
---|---|---|---|---|
Advanced Manufacturing |
63 |
27 |
42.9 |
$11,590,014 |
Cybersecurity |
18 |
7 |
38.9 |
$3,001,163 |
Energy |
23 |
6 |
26.1 |
$2,574,211 |
Environmental Change |
61 |
18 |
29.5 |
$7,953,727 |
Food |
33 |
14 |
42.4 |
$8,470,334 |
Health |
69 |
29 |
42.0 |
$13,047,893 |
Resources |
26 |
17 |
65.4 |
$9,177,426 |
Soil and Water |
28 |
13 |
46.4 |
$6,333,915 |
Transport |
16 |
7 |
43.8 |
$2,443,855 |
None selected |
95 |
37 |
38.9 |
$13,594,731 |
Total Applications |
432 |
175 |
40.5 |
$78,187,269 |
Total Applications within Science and Research Priorities |
337 |
138 |
40.9 |
$64,592,538 |
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%) |
78.0 |
78.9 |
|
82.6 |
Leverage of ARC Funding
Of the 432 applications considered, 175 were approved with a total approved funding, of $78.2 million over the life of these projects. There are 426 unique Partner Organisations involved with these projects and they have pledged a total (cash and in-kind) of $126.6 million. This represents $1.62 from Partner Organisations for every dollar funded by the ARC.
Outcomes by Administering Organisation
A summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Numbers of applications, success rates, ARC approved funding and Partner Organisation contributions for approved Linkage Projects 2019 applications by Administering Organisation
Administering Organisation |
Applications considered |
Applications approved |
Success rate (%) |
ARC approved funding over project life (approved applications) |
Partner Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Capital Territory |
18 |
5 |
27.8 |
$1,977,531 |
$4,435,619 |
The Australian National University |
15 |
4 |
26.7 |
$1,538,531 |
$2,434,569 |
University of Canberra |
3 |
1 |
33.3 |
$439,000 |
* |
New South Wales |
128 |
53 |
41.4 |
$22,139,482 |
$35,712,198 |
Australian Catholic University |
2 |
1 |
50.0 |
$556,000 |
* |
Charles Sturt University |
1 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
Macquarie University |
13 |
8 |
61.5 |
$3,135,293 |
$4,735,152 |
Southern Cross University |
4 |
2 |
50.0 |
$959,776 |
$1,917,500 |
The University of New England |
1 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
The University of New South Wales |
54 |
21 |
38.9 |
$9,382,284 |
$16,262,331 |
The University of Newcastle |
5 |
3 |
60.0 |
$1,367,447 |
$2,238,716 |
The University of Sydney |
24 |
10 |
41.7 |
$3,986,868 |
$5,326,858 |
University of Technology Sydney |
5 |
1 |
20.0 |
$277,600 |
* |
University of Wollongong |
11 |
4 |
36.4 |
$1,549,799 |
$2,836,641 |
Western Sydney University |
8 |
3 |
37.5 |
$924,415 |
$1,103,430 |
Northern Territory |
3 |
1 |
33.3 |
$699,161 |
* |
Charles Darwin University |
3 |
1 |
33.3 |
$699,161 |
* |
Queensland |
87 |
39 |
44.8 |
$18,071,687 |
$31,721,606 |
Griffith University |
17 |
6 |
35.3 |
$2,410,727 |
$3,672,659 |
James Cook University |
4 |
3 |
75.0 |
$1,477,285 |
$2,033,596 |
Queensland University of Technology |
10 |
4 |
40.0 |
$1,348,935 |
$1,899,661 |
The University of Queensland |
50 |
26 |
52.0 |
$12,834,740 |
$24,115,690 |
The University of Southern Queensland |
5 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
University of the Sunshine Coast |
1 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
South Australia |
32 |
13 |
40.6 |
$4,480,776 |
$7,749,097 |
Flinders University |
10 |
4 |
40.0 |
$1,235,387 |
$2,407,840 |
The University of Adelaide |
16 |
5 |
31.3 |
$1,787,028 |
$3,241,662 |
University of South Australia |
6 |
4 |
66.7 |
$1,458,361 |
$2,099,595 |
Tasmania |
7 |
2 |
28.6 |
$599,824 |
$756,066 |
University of Tasmania |
7 |
2 |
28.6 |
$599,824 |
$756,066 |
Victoria |
129 |
52 |
40.3 |
$22,365,098 |
$32,546,458 |
Deakin University |
11 |
3 |
27.3 |
$1,109,557 |
$1,366,204 |
La Trobe University |
10 |
3 |
30.0 |
$1,138,337 |
$1,240,149 |
Monash University |
30 |
17 |
56.7 |
$7,602,125 |
$10,697,323 |
RMIT University |
18 |
9 |
50.0 |
$4,088,267 |
$6,446,853 |
Swinburne University of Technology |
13 |
3 |
23.1 |
$1,434,077 |
$2,155,567 |
The University of Melbourne |
47 |
17 |
36.2 |
$6,992,735 |
$10,640,362 |
Western Australia |
28 |
10 |
35.7 |
$7,853,710 |
$12,784,856 |
Curtin University |
9 |
2 |
22.2 |
$898,035 |
$1,071,000 |
Murdoch University |
3 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
The University of Notre Dame Australia |
1 |
1 |
100 |
$1,342,000 |
* |
The University of Western Australia |
15 |
7 |
46.7 |
$5,613,675 |
$10,339,094 |
Total |
432 |
175 |
40.5 |
$78,187,269 |
$126,646,998 |
*For confidentiality reasons, total contributions by Partner Organisations are not shown in instances in which Administering Organisations are associated with one approved application only. Table 4 total does, however, include the total contributions by Partner Organisations on approved Projects associated with those Administering Organisations.
Partner Organisations were identified as Australian, international, government, non-profit, industry or overseas higher education organisations. The Partner Organisation contributions in these categories for Linkage Projects 2019 applications approved for funding are shown below in Table 5.
Table 5. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved Linkage Projects 2019 applications
Type |
Cash |
In-Kind |
Total |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$ |
% |
$ |
% |
$ |
% |
||
Government |
|
||||||
Australian Federal |
|
$750,948 |
1.7 |
$2,394,130 |
2.9 |
$3,145,078 |
2.5 |
Australian state, territory and local |
|
$8,068,250 |
18.7 |
$11,252,306 |
13.5 |
$19,320,556 |
15.3 |
International |
|
$224,999 |
0.5 |
$616,984 |
0.7 |
$841,983 |
0.7 |
|
Sub-total |
$9,044,197 |
21.0 |
$14,263,420 |
17.1 |
$23,307,617 |
18.4 |
Industry Body |
|
||||||
Australian |
$19,104,602 |
44.3 |
$33,338,494 |
39.9 |
$52,443,096 |
41.4 |
|
International |
$9,685,322 |
22.4 |
$9,765,534 |
11.7 |
$19,450,856 |
15.4 |
|
Sub-total |
$28,789,924 |
66.7 |
$43,104,028 |
51.6 |
$71,893,952 |
56.8 |
|
Non-profit |
|
||||||
Australian |
|
$2,667,538 |
6.2 |
$17,723,833 |
21.2 |
$20,391,371 |
16.1 |
International |
|
$82,000 |
0.2 |
$1,037,099 |
1.2 |
$1,119,099 |
0.9 |
|
Sub-total |
$2,749,538 |
6.4 |
$18,760,932 |
22.5 |
$21,510,470 |
17.0 |
Higher Education |
|
||||||
International |
|
$360,000 |
0.8 |
$1,201,285 |
1.4 |
$1,561,285 |
1.2 |
|
Sub-total |
$360,000 |
0.8 |
$1,201,285 |
1.4 |
$1,561,285 |
1.2 |
Other |
|
||||||
Other |
|
$2,220,599 |
5.1 |
$6,153,075 |
7.4 |
$8,373,674 |
6.6 |
|
Sub-total |
$2,220,599 |
5.1 |
$6,153,075 |
7.4 |
$8,373,674 |
6.6 |
Total |
$43,164,258 |
100 |
$83,482,740 |
100 |
$126,646,998 |
100 |
Note: All percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum to 100%.
Partnerships
Linkage Projects applications represent partnerships between researchers, higher education organisations and other organisations, as well as collaborations between Partner Organisations within projects. There are a total of 462 instances of collaboration with Partner Organisations (including multiple collaborations with a number of organisations) in Linkage Projects 2019 giving an average of 2.64 Partner Organisations involved in each application. These partnerships form congruent and/or complementary linkages in Fields of Research (FoR). A summary of the FoR categories identified by applicants of approved applications and the total Partner Organisation contributions are shown below in Table 6.
Table 6. Application data by Field of Research category for Linkage Projects 2019
Field of Research category |
Number of applications approved# |
Partner Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications) |
---|---|---|
Physical Sciences |
5 |
$2,525,122 |
Chemical Sciences |
6 |
$3,818,089 |
Earth Sciences |
9 |
$9,055,482 |
Environmental Sciences |
13 |
$10,218,790 |
Biological Sciences |
7 |
$5,664,610 |
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences |
9 |
$7,898,927 |
Information and Computing Sciences |
8 |
$5,402,754 |
Engineering |
41 |
$33,054,377 |
Technology |
7 |
$5,228,455 |
Medical and Health Sciences |
6 |
$5,369,038 |
Built Environment and Design |
4 |
$3,048,570 |
Education |
4 |
$2,101,393 |
Economics |
6 |
$2,859,766 |
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services |
6 |
$2,248,292 |
Studies in Human Society |
20 |
$10,177,069 |
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences |
5 |
$3,582,972 |
Law and Legal Studies |
1 |
* |
Studies in Creative Arts and Writing |
5 |
$3,585,916 |
Language, Communication and Culture |
5 |
$2,625,946 |
History and Archaeology |
5 |
$6,470,706 |
Philosophy and Religious Studies |
3 |
$1,610,724 |
Total |
175 |
$126,646,998 |
# Based on the primary FoR
*For confidentiality reasons, total contributions by Partner Organisations are not shown in instances in which FoR codes are associated with one approved application only. The Table 6 total does, however, include the total contributions by Partner Organisations on approved Projects associated with those FoR codes.
Age and Gender
A total of 2,427 participants were named on all applications considered in this round. Of these, 813 were female, 1605 were male and nine have chosen to not specify their gender. Figure 1 shows the number and success rate of participants in the round by age and gender. The success rate for female and male participants in this round of Linkage Projects applications is 41.8 per cent and 39.3 per cent respectively. A total of 288 of the applications approved had a male lead CI, of which 117 were successful, representing a 40.6 per cent success rate. A total of 143 of the applications considered had a female lead CI, of which 57 were successful, representing a 39.9 per cent success rate.
Figure 1. Participation and success rates by age and gender for Linkage Projects 2019
International Collaboration
Among 432 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 419 instances of collaboration with researchers in 52 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 104 foreshadowed 182 instances of collaboration with researchers in 33 overseas locations (Figure 2).
Figure 2. International collaborations by location on approved Linkage Projects 2019 applications*
*The top 10 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 1 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.