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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:
Applications for Linkage Projects 2020 Assessment Round 2 opened on 23 April 2020 and closed on 12 August 2020. Applications were submitted using a continuous application process, and this is the second of three assessment rounds for this scheme round. 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 Committees (SAC) which
and, advice from the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) Eligibility Committee which:
This report reflects the outcomes approved by the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.
All applications that meet the eligibility criteria for Linkage Projects 2020 (Round 2) were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:
Investigator(s)/Capability (25%) Describe the quality of the candidates’ Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including evidence of:
Project quality and innovation (25%) Describe the extent to which the project is significant and innovative including:
Describe the research approach and training including:
Feasibility and commitment (20%) Describe:
If the project involves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research describe:
Benefit (30%) Describe:
The ARC assessment process for Linkage Projects 2020 (Round 2) involved 17 SAC members as part of one multidisciplinary panel and was managed in RMS. A total of 1045 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC.
Funding of between $50,000 and $300,000 per annum for up to five years may be awarded for each Linkage Projects application.
The ARC received a total of 259 applications for Linkage Projects 2020 (Round 2), none of which were withdrawn.
The overall success rate for Linkage Projects for funding applied for in 2020 (Round 2) is 25.9 per cent.
Of the unsuccessful applications, 11 were found to not meet eligibility requirements.
A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1.
Applications approved
*May include indicative funds
A summary of outcome by discipline is shown in Table 2.
Discipline*
Applications considered
Success rate (%)
Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)
Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)
Funds over project life for approved applications ($)
Return Rate for approved applications (%)
BEM
49
16
32.7
$33,592,563
$10,352,756
$9,168,886
88.6
ET
76
21
27.6
$38,372,478
$11,532,634
$9,528,978
82.6
HSE
87
19
21.8
$40,022,118
$7,619,786
$6,481,228
85.1
PMI
47
11
23.4
$26,282,073
$6,549,274
$5,487,483
83.8
Total
259
67
25.9
$138,269,232
$36,054,450
$30,666,575
*BEM = Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Environmental, Medical and Health Sciences; ET = Engineering and Technology; HSE = Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; PMI = Physical, Mathematical and Information Sciences
A summary of outcomes by Science and Research Priorities is shown in Table 3.
Science and Research Priorities
Approved funds over project life ($)
Advanced Manufacturing
34
8
23.5
$3,664,238
Cybersecurity
12
5
41.7
$2,083,302
Energy
15
6
40.0
$2,707,040
Environmental Change
38
31.6
$6,362,498
Food
22
7
31.8
$3,280,918
Health
42
19.0
$2,646,448
Resources
3
27.3
$1,794,365
Soil and Water
33.3
$3,344,110
Transport
10
2
20.0
$981,399
None selected
54
9
16.7
$3,802,257
Total Applications
Total Applications within Science and Research Priorities
205
58
28.3
$26,864,318
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)
79.2
86.6
87.6
Of the 259 applications considered, 67 were approved with a total approved funding, of $30.7 million over the life of these projects. There are 159 unique Partner Organisations involved with these projects and they have pledged a total (cash and in-kind) of $45.9 million. This represents $1.50 from Partner Organisations for every dollar funded by the ARC.
A summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 4.
Administering Organisation
ARC approved funding over project life (approved applications)
Partner Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)
Australian Capital Territory
1
14.3
$780,000
*
The Australian National University
University of Canberra
0
-
New South Wales
93
20
21.5
$9,352,918
$13,547,105
Macquarie University
$943,650
$2,027,228
Southern Cross University
$1,215,218
$1,693,962
The University of New South Wales
31
16.1
$1,896,004
$2,644,596
The University of Newcastle
60.0
$1,868,005
$2,147,009
The University of Sydney
18
$1,291,881
$2,039,146
University of Technology Sydney
14
21.4
$1,405,711
$1,626,164
University of Wollongong
28.6
$732,449
$1,369,000
Western Sydney University
Queensland
50
36.0
$8,328,529
$14,058,008
Griffith University
4
$1,389,344
$1,542,390
James Cook University
50.0
$615,012
Queensland University of Technology
25.0
$628,447
$787,053
The University of Queensland
25
44.0
$5,695,726
$10,849,547
The University of Southern Queensland
University of the Sunshine Coast
South Australia
26
46.2
$4,866,119
$6,400,625
Flinders University
37.5
$929,021
$1,025,685
The University of Adelaide
17
47.1
$3,622,098
$4,969,940
University of South Australia
100.0
$315,000
Tasmania
$447,376
University of Tasmania
Victoria
$4,821,683
$7,577,129
Deakin University
$218,000
La Trobe University
$1,531,266
$1,731,220
Monash University
18.8
$1,256,857
$1,885,161
RMIT University
Swinburne University of Technology
$407,839
The University of Melbourne
$1,407,721
$3,082,249
Western Australia
$2,069,950
$2,371,321
Curtin University
Murdoch University
The University of Western Australia
13
30.8
$45,854,476
* For confidentiality reasons, total contributions by Partner Organisations are not shown in instances in which Administering Organisations are associated with one approved application only. The 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 2020 (Round 2) applications approved for funding are shown below in Table 5.
Type
Cash
In-Kind
$
%
Government
Australian Federal
$154,881
1.2
$955,601
2.9
$1,110,482
2.4
Australian state, territory and local
$1,911,557
14.5
$6,002,034
18.4
$7,913,591
17.3
Sub-total
$2,066,438
15.7
$6,957,635
21.3
$9,024,073
19.7
Industry Body
Australian
$6,848,579
52.1
$12,130,481
37.1
$18,979,060
41.4
International
$2,261,174
17.2
$3,084,846
9.4
$5,346,020
11.7
$9,109,753
69.3
$15,215,327
46.5
$24,325,080
53.1
Non-profit
$889,648
6.8
$5,523,063
16.9
$6,412,711
14.0
$0
0.0
$1,538,078
4.7
3.4
$7,061,141
21.6
$7,950,789
Higher Education
$195,000
1.5
$339,213
1.0
$534,213
Other
$882,736
6.7
$3,137,585
9.6
$4,020,321
8.8
$13,143,575
100
$32,710,901
Note: All percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum to 100%.
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 162 instances of collaboration with Partner Organisations (including multiple collaborations with a number of organisations) in Linkage Projects 2020 (Round 2) giving an average of 2.42 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.
# 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.
Of the 919 Chief Investigators (CIs) in this round, 323 were female, 591 were male and five chose not to specify their gender. The success rate for female, male and unspecified CIs in Linkage Projects 2020 (Round 2) is 22.9 per cent, 26.6 and 40.0 per cent respectively.
Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in Linkage Projects 2020 (Round 2) 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 equivalent) or who do not hold a PhD (1.2 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.
*Career age is calculated as years since PhD (or equivalent). The earliest PhD award date was used where there was more than one PhD.
In the 259 applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 233 instances of collaboration with researchers in 53 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 36 foreshadowed 61 instances of collaboration with researchers in 33 overseas locations (Figure 2).
*The top nine international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 1 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.