OverviewThe 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; andenhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas. Selection process Applications for Linkage Projects 2021 Assessment Round 1 opened on 18 December 2020 and closed on 13 April 2021. Applications were submitted using a continuous application process, this is the first of the three assessment rounds for this scheme. 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:assigned independent assessors to review the applicationsassessed 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 Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.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 CriteriaAll applications that meet the eligibility criteria for Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:a. Investigator(s)/Capability (25%)Describe the quality of the candidates’ Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including evidence of:potential to engage in collaborative research with end-users;experience in research training, mentoring and supervision; andtime and capacity to undertake and manage the proposed research in collaboration with the Partner Organisation(s).b. Project quality and innovation (25%)Describe the extent to which the project is significant and innovative including:any new methods or technologies to be developed that address a specific market opportunity;how the anticipated outcomes will advance the knowledge base to address an important problem and/or provide an end-user and/or industry advantage;how the project’s aims and concepts are novel and innovative; andhow the project will significantly enhance links with industry and/or other organisations outside the Australian publicly-funded research and higher education sectors.Describe the research approach and training including:the conceptual framework, design, methods and analyses, demonstrating these are adequately developed, well integrated and appropriate to the aims of the project; andthe intellectual content and scale of the work proposed is appropriate to a higher degree by research student where relevant.c. Feasibility and commitment (20%)Describe:the extent to which the project represents value for money;the supportive and high quality environment for this research in the Administering Organisation and the Partner Organisation(s);the availability of the necessary facilities to conduct the research;the commitment of each Partner Organisation to collaboration in the research project and capacity to implement the outcomes of the research; andthe adequacy of the budget, including cash and in-kind contributions pledged by the participating organisations.If the project involves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research describe:the strategies for enabling collaboration with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities where appropriate (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor); andany existing or developing, supportive and high quality research communities.d. Benefit (30%)Describe:the new or advanced knowledge resulting from outcomes of the research;the economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for relevant Australian research end-users (including relevant industry sectors);the potential contribution to building capacity in the Australian Government’s National Science and Research Priorities and other priorities identified by Government;benefits of the research for Partner Organisation(s) and other relevant end-users;the contribution of the research to developing strategic research alliances between the higher education organisation(s) and industry and/or other organisation(s);strategies to encourage dissemination, commercialisation, and if appropriate, the promotion of research outcomes; 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 and/or end-users. Assessment process The ARC assessment process for Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) involved 17 SAC members as part of one multidisciplinary panel and was managed in RMS. A total of 538 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC. Funding levels and durationFunding of between $50,000 and $300,000 per annum for up to five years may be awarded for each Linkage Projects application. Summary of outcomes The ARC received a total of 156 applications for Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1), none of which were withdrawn.The overall success rate for Linkage Projects for funding applied for in 2021 (Round 1) is 33.3 per cent.Of the unsuccessful applications, one was found to not meet eligibility requirements.A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1.Table 1. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Projects applications from 2020 (Rounds 1, 2 and 3) and 2021 (Round 1)Scheme RoundApplications consideredApplicationsapprovedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds allocated over project life for approved applications* ($)Return rate for approved applications (%)2020 (Round 1)1806133.9$87,268,182$30,685,046$26,881,00187.62020 (Round 2)2596725.9$138,269,232$36,054,450$30,666,57585.12020 (Round 3)2766724.3$140,742,080$36,563,401$31,724,73886.82021 (Round 1)1565233.3$79,107,431$27,924,670$24,453,51287.6*May include indicative funds Outcomes by discipline A summary of outcome by discipline is shown in Table 2.Table 2. Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) applications by disciplineDiscipline*Applications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)ReturnRate for approved applications (%)BEM26726.9$13,950,363$3,779,879$3,586,00094.9ET491836.7$25,934,213$9,819,880$8,709,00288.7HSE451533.3$21,212,040$8,000,901$6,471,31480.9PMI361233.3$18,010,815$6,324,010$5,687,19689.9Total1565233.3$79,107,431$27,924,670$24,453,51287.6*BEM = Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Environmental, Medical and Health Sciences; ET = Engineering and Technology; HSE = Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; PMI = Physical, Mathematical and Information Sciences Outcomes by Science and Research priorities A summary of outcomes by Science and Research Priorities is shown in Table 3.Table 3. Approved funding and success rate for Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) applications by Science and Research PrioritiesScience and Research PrioritiesApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Approved funds over project life ($)Advanced Manufacturing281035.7$5,554,550Cybersecurity800-Energy11654.5$2,381,816Environmental Change20630.0$2,961,578Food8225.0$1,346,688Health241041.7$4,688,777Resources9333.3$1,059,884Soil and Water11218.2$1,375,926Transport9444.4$1,441,964None selected28932.1$3,642,329Total Applications1565233.3$24,453,512Total Applications within Science and Research Priorities1284333.6$20,811,183Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)82.182.7 85.1 Leverage of ARC funding Of the 156 applications considered, 52 were approved with a total approved funding, of $24.5 million over the life of these projects. There are 104 unique Partner Organisations involved with these projects and they have pledged a total (cash and in-kind) of $36.5 million. This represents $1.49 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 2021 (Round 1) applications by Administering OrganisationAdministering OrganisationApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)ARC approved funding over project life (approved applications)Partner Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)Australian Capital Territory5120.0$238,000*The Australian National University5120.0$238,000*New South Wales621930.6$8,983,550$15,720,908Australian Catholic University4125.0$777,000*Macquarie University4125.0$459,593*Southern Cross University11100.0$429,569*The University of New South Wales17529.4$1,960,137$4,128,321The University of Newcastle5240.0$909,009$1,160,000The University of Sydney12650.0$2,974,768$4,470,695University of Technology Sydney10330.0$1,473,474$2,417,736University of Wollongong500--Western Sydney University400--Northern Territory11100.0$532,815*Charles Darwin University11100.0$532,815*Queensland27933.3$3,171,055$3,733,635Griffith University700--James Cook University100-- Queensland University of Technology6350.0$837,077$1,009,412The University of Queensland10550.0$1,635,537$1,824,223The University of Southern Queensland11100.0$698,441*University of Sunshine Coast200-- South Australia10660.0$2,880,791$3,962,188Flinders University5240.0$1,667,959$2,107,724The University of Adelaide4375.0$927,194$1,495,064University of South Australia11100.0$285,638*Tasmania5120.0$478,589*University of Tasmania5120.0$478,589*Victoria30620.0$3,056,884$4,002,432La Trobe University5240.0$1,084,189$1,432,779Monash University10110.0$617,990*RMIT University300--Swinburne University of Technology4125.0$470,000*The University of Melbourne8225.0$884,705$1,017,637Western Australia16956.3$5,111,828$7,557,762Curtin University4125.0$290,831*Edith Cowan University2150.0$499,654*Murdoch University2150.0$1,069,066*The University of Western Australia8675.0$3,252,277$4,691,804Total1565233.3$24,453,512$36,478,542* 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 2021 (Round 1) applications approved for funding are shown below in Table 5.Table 5. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) applicationsType CashIn-KindTotal $%$%$%Government Australian Federal $113,9001.2$1,078,6064.1$1,192,5063.3Australian state, territory and local $1,133,90011.5$3,516,83413.2$4,650,73412.7 Sub-total$1,247,80012.6$4,595,44017.3$5,843,24016.0Industry Body Australian $6,102,41961.8$12,200,63045.9$18,303,04950.2International $440,0004.5$1,516,3185.7$1,956,3185.4 Sub-total$6,542,41966.3$13,716,94851.6$20,259,36755.5Non-profit Australian $1,196,75312.1$6,594,50524.8$7,791,25821.4International $125,0001.3$287,8221.1412,8221.1 Sub-total$1,321,75313.4$6,882,32725.9$8,204,08022.5Higher Education International $00.0$89,4630.3$89,4630.2 Sub-total$00.0$89,4630.3$89,4630.2Other Other $760,9007.7$1,321,4925.0$2,082,3925.7 Sub-total$760,9007.7$1,321,4925.0$2,082,3925.7 Total$9,872,872100$26,605,670100$36,478,542100Note: 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 107 instances of collaboration with Partner Organisations (including multiple collaborations with a number of organisations) in Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) giving an average of 2.06 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 2021 (Round 1)Field of Research categoryNumber of applications approved#Partner Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)Mathematical Sciences1*Physical Sciences1*Chemical Sciences4$2,597,221Earth Sciences3$2,480,561Environmental Sciences3$2,022,167Biological Sciences3$1,735,775Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences1*Information and Computing Sciences3$2,392,231Engineering16$11,527,853Technology2$1,619,896Medical and Health Sciences2$2,192,231Built Environment and Design1*Education2$2,749,999Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services1*Studies in Human Society4$1,335,436Law and Legal Studies1*Studies in Creative Arts and Writing1*History and Archaeology3$1,839,972Total52$36,478,542# 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. Career age and gender Of the 543 Chief Investigators (CIs) in this round, 189 were female, 353 were male and one chose not to specify their gender. The success rate for female, male and unspecified CIs in Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) is 35.4 per cent, 34.0 and 100 per cent respectively. Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) are presented in Figure 1. CIs who did not provide gender information (0.2 per cent) and CIs who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD (or equivalent) or who do not hold a PhD (2.2 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) 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. International Collaboration In the 156 applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 129 instances of collaboration with researchers in 39 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 26 foreshadowed 45 instances of collaboration with researchers in 21 overseas locations (Figure 2).Figure 2. International collaborations by location on approved Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 1) applications* *The top 8 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 2 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.