Selection Report: Linkage Projects 2023 Round 2

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 internationally competitive research projects and teams on challenges or opportunities of relevance to research end-users;
• foster the establishment and strengthening of research alliances between higher education organisations and research end-users;
• enhance the scale and focus of research, including in Australian Government priority areas.

Selection Process

Applications for Linkage Projects 2023 Assessment Round 2 opened on 11 May 2023 and closed on 13 December 2023. Applications were submitted using a continuous application process; this is the second of the two 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 Committee (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 approved 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 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 Unless otherwise specified, data represented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.

Assessment Criteria

All applications that meet the eligibility criteria for Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:

1. Project quality and innovation (30%) 

• significance and innovativeness of the research in the context of previous research in the area;
• robustness and appropriateness of the conceptual framework, design, methods and analyses;
• the adequacy and appropriateness of the budget, including cash and in-kind contributions pledged by the participating organisations, and value for money considerations. 

If the project involves Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander research, additional criteria include:

• The project’s level of collaboration, engagement, relationship building and benefit sharing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and First Nations Organisations and Communities;
• The project’s strategy and mechanisms for Indigenous research capacity building within the project;
• The project’s level of internal leadership of Indigenous research;
• The project’s adherence to the Australian Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles; and
• The project’s understanding of, and proposed strategies to adhere to, the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research and NHMRC’s guidelines on Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities.

2. Impact (20%)

• demonstration of the mutual benefit for participating organisations now and into the future;
• evidence of how the research will advance/address Partner Organisation(s)’s core strategy;
• potential contribution to Australian Government priority areas;
• potential economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and
• appropriateness of strategies for adoption, commercialisation, promotion, and/or dissemination of research outcomes, including IP management arrangements.

3. Investigator(s’) capability and quality of team (20%)

• quality of the named participant(s)’ skills and experience, relative to opportunity, including evidence of potential to engage in collaborative research;
• experience in research training, mentoring and supervision;
• capability and capacity of the team to undertake and manage the project; and
• evidence of previous history of successful collaboration between the named participant(s) and this or other Partner Organisation(s).

4. Strength of the proposed research alliance (30%)

• extent and nature of commitment to the project, including provision of research environment, facilities and personnel (where relevant), relative to the scale of the project and the capacity of the participating organisations;
• extent and appropriateness of proposed governance, structures and processes to support the project;
• capacity and intent of Partner Organisations to use the outcomes of the research; and
• potential of partnership to lead to long-term collaborations.

Assessment process

The ARC assessment process for Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) involved 17 SAC members as part of one multidisciplinary panel and was managed in RMS. A total of 930 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 275 applications for Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2), one of which was withdrawn. 

The overall success rate for Linkage Projects for funding applied for in 2023 (Round 2) is 26.3 per cent. 

Of the unsuccessful applications, none 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 2022 (Rounds 1 and 2) and 2023 (Rounds 1 and 2)

*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 2023 (Round 2) applications by discipline

* BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HSE – Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences

Leverage of ARC Funding

Of the 274 applications considered, 72 were approved with a total approved funding of $43.1 million over the life of these projects. There are 170 unique Partner Organisations involved with these projects, and they have pledged a total (cash and in-kind) of $61.1 million. This represents $1.42 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 3.

Table 3. Numbers of applications, success rates, ARC approved funding and Partner Organisation contributions for approved Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) applications by Administering Organisation

* 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 3 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 2023 (Round 2) applications approved for funding are shown below in Table 4.

Table 4. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) applications 

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 182 instances of collaboration with Partner Organisations (including multiple collaborations with a number of organisations) in Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) applications approved for funding, giving an average of 2.53 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 5.

Table 5. Application data by Field of Research category for Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2)

# 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 5 total does, however, include the total contributions by Partner Organisations on approved Projects associated with those FoR codes.

Career age and gender

Of the 995 Chief Investigators (CIs) in this round, 357 were female, 634 were male and 4 were unspecified. The success rate for female, male and unspecified CIs in Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) is 26.6 per cent, 25.6 per cent and 0 per cent respectively.

Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) are presented in Figure 1. CIs who did not provide gender information (0.4 per cent) and CIs who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or who do not hold a PhD (0.6 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) 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 274 applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 207 instances of collaboration with researchers in 47 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 33 foreshadowed 60 instances of collaboration with researchers in 19 overseas locations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. International collaborations by location on approved Linkage Projects 2023 (Round 2) applications*

*The top 12 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 2 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.