Selection Report: PFAS Remediation Research Program (SR18) Round One
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Overview
The Linkage Program—Special Research Initiative: PFAS (per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances) Remediation Research Program is a Commonwealth initiative to fund research to facilitate the development of innovative technologies and investigate and remediate PFAS contaminated areas, including soil, groundwater waterways and marine systems.
The objectives of the PFAS Remediation Research Program is to:
- develop technologies which will do one or more of the following
- immobilise PFAS and prevent its movement in the environment
- remove PFAS from soil, water and/or waste
- breakdown PFAS by destroying the carbon-fluorine bonds, to form environmentally benign products with limited adverse environmental outcomes.
- establish the potential for relevant technologies developed to be deployed in the field to treat contaminated soil, waterways, waste, debris and/or large volumes of groundwater
- develop technologies that can be scaled up for efficient and effective field deployment.
Selection process
Proposals for projects commencing in 2018 opened on 14 December 2017 and closed on 28 February 2018. Proposals were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines outcomes from the selection process for Round One.
These recommendations are based on advice from the Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which:
- assessed proposals and reviewed assessments made by independent assessors
- reviewed candidates’ comments on assessors’ reports
- ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposal, the assessors’ reports and candidates’ responses to those assessments
- assessed and recommended budgets
- recommended proposal feedback.
and advice from the ARC Eligibility Committee which:
- considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the 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 proposals.
This report reflects the outcomes approved by the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.
Selection criteria
Selection criteria and corresponding weighting for PFAS Remediation Research Program proposals are:
- Research Project – Quality and Innovation (30%)
- People and Partners (30%)
- Feasibility (20%)
- Benefit and Outcomes (20%).
The ARC assessment process for PFAS Remediation Research Program used 10 SAC members and was managed in RMS. A total of 100 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC for Round One of PFAS Remediation Research Program.
Summary of Outcomes
The ARC received 31 proposals with the Committee recommending nine proposals. There were no withdrawn proposals. The overall success rate was 29 per cent. Overall funding amounts are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Summary of PFAS Round One Selection Outcomes
|
Funding year |
Proposals considered |
Proposals approved |
Success rate (%) |
Requested funds over project life (all proposals) |
Requested funds over project life (approved proposals) |
Approved funds over project life (approved proposals) |
Approved funds as a percentage of request (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2018 |
31 |
9 |
29.0 |
$28,093,158 |
$9,749,480 |
$8,166,350 |
83.8 |
Approved PFAS Remediation Research Proposals for Funding
Details of approved PFAS Remediation Research Proposals for funding in 2018 are shown in Table 2.
Table 2 – Approved Proposals for Funding
|
Project Title |
Administering Organisation |
Lead Chief Investigator |
Approved funds over project life |
|---|---|---|---|
|
PFAS source zone remediation by foam fractionation and in situ fluidisation |
The University of New South Wales |
Associate Professor Robert Niven |
$900,000 |
|
Development of electrochemically activated sorbents for PFAS defluorination |
The University of New South Wales |
Associate Professor Denis O'Carroll |
$1,103,883 |
|
Thermal decomposition of per- and polyfluroalkyl substances |
The University of Newcastle |
Professor Eric Kennedy |
$940,000 |
|
Remediation of PFAS in current and legacy biosolids application sites |
The University of Newcastle |
Professor Megharaj Mallavarapu |
$650,054 |
|
Remediation of PFAS contaminated soil using a soil washing treatment train |
The University of Queensland |
Professor Jochen Mueller |
$1,225,000 |
|
A skid-based transportable plant for PFAS contaminated site remediation |
The University of Queensland |
Professor Victor Rudolph |
$880,187 |
|
Integrated, scalable technology solutions for PFAS removal and destruction |
The University of Queensland |
Professor Jurg Keller |
$1,086,676 |
|
Efficient PFAS removal from urban wastewater using a novel 2-step approach |
The University of Queensland |
Dr Ilje Pikaar |
$381,468 |
|
Holistic remediation of PFAS-affected soils, waters and debris |
Deakin University |
Dr Will Gates |
$999,082 |
Selection Outcomes by Administering Organisation
The numbers of proposals, success rates and approved funding in Round One are shown in Table 3.
Table 3 – Selection Outcomes by Administering Organisation
|
Administering Organisation |
Proposals considered |
Proposals approved |
Success rate (%) |
Approved funds over project life |
Participating organisation*# |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Australian Capital Territory |
2 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
The Australian National University |
2 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
New South Wales |
12 |
4 |
33.3 |
$3,593,937 |
$5,480,294 |
|
Southern Cross University |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
The University of New South Wales |
2 |
2 |
100 |
$2,003,883 |
$3,426,767 |
|
The University of Newcastle |
6 |
2 |
33.3 |
$1,590,054 |
$2,053,527 |
|
The University of Sydney |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
University of Technology Sydney |
2 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Queensland |
5 |
4 |
80 |
$3,573,331 |
$6,309,832 |
|
The University of Queensland |
5 |
4 |
80 |
$3,573,331 |
$6,309,832 |
|
South Australia |
4 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Flinders University |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
The University of Adelaide |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
University of South Australia |
2 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Victoria |
7 |
1 |
14.3 |
$999,082 |
$2,159,786 |
|
Deakin University |
1 |
1 |
100 |
$999,082 |
$2,159,786 |
|
Monash University |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
RMIT University |
3 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Swinburne University of Technology |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
The University of Melbourne |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Western Australia |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Murdoch University |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Total |
31 |
9 |
29 |
$8,166,350 |
$13,949,912 |
* Participating Organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations.
# Participating Organisation contributions are shown by organisation type in Table 4.
Participating Organisation Contributions by Organisation Type
The participating organisation contributions, by organisation type, for approved Round One proposals are shown in Table 4.
Table 4 – Participating Organisation Contributions by Organisation Type
|
Organisation type |
Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved proposals) |
|---|---|
|
Administering Organisation |
$4,979,213 |
|
Other Eligible Organisation |
$767,945 |
|
Partner Organisation |
$8,015,606 |
|
Other Organisation |
$187,148 |
|
Total |
$13,949,912 |
Partner Organisation Contributions by Category
Partner Organisations were identified as government, non-profit organisation, industry body or other. The Partner Organisation contributions in these categories for approved proposals are shown in Table 5.
Table 5 – Partner Organisation Contributions by Category
|
Type |
Cash |
In-kind |
Total |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$ |
% |
$ |
% |
$ |
% |
||
|
Government |
|
||||||
|
Australian Government |
$0 |
0.00 |
$199,789 |
3.50 |
$199,789 |
2.49 |
|
|
Australian state, territory/local government |
$805,000 |
34.83 |
$839,700 |
14.72 |
$1,644,700 |
20.52 |
|
|
|
Sub-Total |
$805,000 |
34.83 |
$1,039,489 |
18.22 |
$1,844,489 |
23.01 |
|
Industry Body |
|
||||||
|
Australian |
$1,081,435 |
46.79 |
$4,163,684 |
72.99 |
$5,245,119 |
65.44 |
|
|
International |
$0 |
0.00 |
$32,500 |
0.57 |
$32,500 |
0.41 |
|
|
|
Sub-Total |
$1,081,435 |
46.79 |
$4,196,184 |
73.56 |
$5,277,619 |
65.85 |
|
Non-profit |
|
||||||
|
Australian |
$30,000 |
1.30 |
$60,000 |
1.05 |
$90,000 |
1.12 |
|
|
|
Sub-Total |
$30,000 |
1.30 |
$60,000 |
1.05 |
$90,000 |
1.12 |
|
Other |
|
||||||
|
Other |
$345,000 |
14.93 |
$270,000 |
4.73 |
$615,000 |
7.67 |
|
|
|
Sub-Total |
$345,000 |
14.93 |
$270,000 |
4.73 |
$615,000 |
7.67 |
|
Education |
|
||||||
|
Higher Education International |
$50,000 |
2.16 |
$138,498 |
2.43 |
$188,498 |
2.35 |
|
|
|
Sub-Total |
$50,000 |
2.16 |
$138,498 |
2.43 |
$188,498 |
2.35 |
|
|
Total |
$2,311,435 |
100 |
$5,704,171 |
100 |
$8,015,606 |
100 |
Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum.
Leverage of ARC funding
Of the 31 proposals considered, nine were approved with a total approved funding, over the life of these projects, of around $8.16 million. There are 31 unique Partner Organisations involved with these proposals, committing a total of $8.02 million in cash and in-kind funding. This represents around one dollar contribution from Partner Organisations for every dollar of funding from the ARC.
Discipline Statistics
Approved funding for PFAS Remediation Research Proposals by Discipline Groups are shown in Table 6.
Table 6 – Selection Outcomes by Discipline
|
Discipline† |
Proposals considered |
Proposals approved |
Success rate (%) |
Requested funds over life of project (approved proposals) |
Approved funds over project life (approved proposals) |
Approved funds as a percentage of request (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
BSB |
8 |
1 |
12.5 |
$1,672,698 |
$1,225,000 |
73.2 |
|
EIC |
11 |
4 |
36.4 |
$3,754,635 |
$3,574,124 |
95.2 |
|
MPCE |
12 |
4 |
33.3 |
$4,322,147 |
$3,367,226 |
77.9 |
|
Total |
31 |
9 |
29 |
$9,749,480 |
$8,166,350 |
83.8 |
† BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences, MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Budget Breakdown
The budget breakdown across the forward years is shown in Table 7.
Table 7 – Budget Breakdown by Financial Year
|
|
2017-18 |
2018-19 |
2019-20 |
2020-21 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Approved Project Funding |
$1,418,015 |
$2,762,147.50 |
$2,665,160 |
$1,321,027.50 |
$8,166,350 |
|
Total |
$1,418,015 |
$2,762,147 |
$2,665,160 |
$1,321,027 |
$8,166,350 |
Field of Research
Proposal data by Field of Research category for PFAS Remediation Research proposals are shown in Table 8.
Table 8 – Selection Outcomes by Field of Research Category
|
Participating Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved proposals) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chemical Sciences |
2 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Earth Science |
1 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Enviromental Sciences |
6 |
1 |
$1,225,000 |
$2,110,301 |
|
Engineering |
19 |
8 |
$6,941,350 |
$11,839,611 |
|
Technology |
3 |
0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Total |
31 |
9 |
$8,166,350 |
$13,949,912 |
Gender
A total of 185 participants were identified as Chief Investigator or Partner Investigator on all proposals considered in Round One. Of these, 153 were male and 32 were female. The success rates for male participants was 29.7 per cent, and 5.4 per cent for female participants.