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Selection Report: Linkage Projects 2021 Round 3

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

Applications for Linkage Projects 2021 Assessment Round 3 opened on 17 August 2021 and closed on 17 December 2021. Applications were submitted using a continuous application process, this is the third and final 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 recommendations are 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 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 Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.

 

Assessment Criteria

All applications that meet the eligibility criteria for Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 3) were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:

  1. 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; and
  • time and capacity to undertake and manage the proposed research in collaboration with the Partner Organisation(s).
  1. 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; and
  • how 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; and
  • the intellectual content and scale of the work proposed is appropriate to a higher degree by research student where relevant.
  1. 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; and
  • the 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); and
  • any existing or developing, supportive and high quality research communities.
  1. 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; and
  • where 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 3) involved 17 SAC members as part of one multidisciplinary panel and was managed in RMS. A total of 745 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 207 applications for Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 3), none of which were withdrawn.

The overall success rate for Linkage Projects for funding applied for in 2021 (Round 3) is 29.5 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 (Rounds 1, 2 and 3)

Scheme RoundApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess 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$26,881,00187.6
2020 (Round 2)2596725.9$138,269,232$36,054,450$30,666,57585.1
2020 (Round 3)2766724.3$140,742,080$36,563,401$31,724,73886.8
2021 (Round 1)1565233.3$79,107,431$27,924,670$24,453,51287.6
2021 (Round 2)2066833.0$104,442,886$36,666,155$31,795,81386.7
2021 (Round 3)2076129.5$114,276,759$36,477,703$29,657,24381.3

*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 3) applications by discipline

Discipline*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 ($)Return
Rate for approved applications (%)
BEM551527.3$34,434,989$9,722,986$7,979,14382.1
ET561730.4$31,829,232$11,736,116$9,338,49279.6
HSE621625.8$31,797,226$8,564,232$7,000,10281.7
PMI341338.2$16,215,312$6,454,369$5,339,50682.7
Total2076129.5$114,276,759$36,477,703$29,657,24381.3

*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 3) applications by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research PrioritiesApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Approved funds over project life ($)
Advanced Manufacturing26934.6%$4,921,804
Cybersecurity13430.8%$1,502,821
Energy12433.3%$2,325,446
Environmental Change40922.5%$5,117,112
Food17635.3%$2,654,122
Health27622.2%$3,050,159
Resources14321.4%$1,606,529
Soil and Water18738.9%$3,904,304
Transport2150.0%$289,448
None selected381231.6%$4,285,498
Total Applications2076129.5$29,657,243
Total Applications within Science and Research Priorities1694929.0$25,371,745
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)81.680.3 85.5

 

Leverage of ARC Funding

Of the 207 applications considered, 61 were approved with a total approved funding, of $29.7 million over the life of these projects. There are 222 unique Partner Organisations involved with these projects, and they have pledged a total (cash and in-kind) of $59.3 million. This represents $2.00 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 3) applications by Administering Organisation

Administering 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 Territory11327.3$1,943,753$2,513,830
The Australian National University8337.5$1,943,753$2,513,830
University of Canberra30--
New South Wales631523.8$7,039,491$11,839,585
Australian Catholic University10 -
Macquarie University7228.6$895,903$945,435
Southern Cross University100 - -
The University of New South Wales22313.6$2,102,043$3,988,163
The University of Newcastle6233.3$756,193$1,127,687
The University of Sydney8225.0$1,007,623$2,281,401
University of Technology Sydney7228.6$721,340$875,184
University of Wollongong6350.0$1,197,299$2,111,715
Western Sydney University5120.0$359,090*
Northern Territory3133.3$935,882*
Charles Darwin University3133.3$935,882*
Queensland431841.9$9,826,241$20,968,792
Bond University100
Central Queensland University11100.0$448,440*
Griffith University8337.5$1,506,533$2,518,594
James Cook University22100.0$1,065,557$3,040,597
Queensland University of Technology7342.9$952,285$1,276,599
The University of Queensland21838.1$4,843,856$9,930,806
The University of Southern Queensland2150.0$1,009,570*
University of Sunshine Coast100 -
South Australia22627.3$2,680,399$3,786,398
Flinders University400 - -
The University of Adelaide16637.5$2,680,399$3,786,398
University of South Australia200 -
Tasmania3133.3$204,900*
University of Tasmania3133.3$204,900*
Victoria461226.1$4,017,864$7,921,052
Deakin University6116.7$190,691*
La Trobe University100 -
Monash University19631.6$2,597,546$5,587,050
RMIT University5240.0$534,450$707,000
Swinburne University of Technology11100.0$241,960*
The University of Melbourne13215.4$453,217$630,750
Victoria University100 - -
Western Australia16531.3$3,008,713$6,087,606
Curtin University7114.3$435,984*
Murdoch University100 -
The University of Notre Dame Australia11100.0$700,411*
The University of Western Australia7342.9$1,872,318$3,521,122
Total2076129.5$29,657,243$59,266,466

* 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 3) applications approved for funding are shown below in Table 5.

Table 5. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 3) applications

Type CashIn-KindTotal
  $%$%$%
Government 
International $220,0041.4$562,5621.3$782,5661.3
Australian Federal $1,401,1108.7$1,423,8053.3$2,824,9154.8
Australian state, territory and local $3,065,36419.1$9,279,76421.5$12,345,12820.8
 Sub-total$4,686,47829.2$11,266,13126.1$15,952,60926.9
Industry Body 
Australian $7,499,87146.8$17,699,03240.9$25,198,90342.5
International $1,056,0006.6$1,863,1524.3$2,919,1524.9
 Sub-total$8,555,87153.4$19,562,18445.3$28,118,05547.4
Non-profit 
Australian $1,449,7509.0$8,905,52320.6$10,355,27317.5
International $816,0005.1$435,5601.0$1,251,5602.1
 Sub-total$2,265,75014.1$9,341,08321.6$11,606,83319.6
Higher Education 
International $86,8000.5$1,237,7192.9$1,324,5192.2
 Sub-total$86,8000.5$1,237,7192.9$1,324,5192.2
Other 
Other $441,0002.8$1,823,4504.2$2,264,4503.8
 Sub-total$441,0002.8$1,823,4504.2$2,264,4503.8
 Total$16,035,899100$43,230,567100$59,266,466100

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 231 instances of collaboration with Partner Organisations (including multiple collaborations with a number of organisations) in Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 3) applications approved for funding, giving an average of 3.79 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 3)

Field of Research categoryNumber of applications approved#Partner Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)
Physical Sciences2$884,600
Chemical Sciences3$1,414,405
Earth Sciences3$4,190,058
Environmental Sciences6$11,506,012
Biological Sciences2$2,201,306
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences7$6,036,574
Information and Computing Sciences5$3,767,795
Engineering15$16,349,546
Technology2$1,396,383
Medical and Health Sciences2$3,602,309
Education3$1,616,437
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services1*
Studies in Human Society1*
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences1*
Law and Legal Studies2$564,727
Studies in Creative Arts and Writing1*
Language, Communication and Culture3$1,287,811
History and Archaeology2$2,630,727
Total61$59,266,466

# 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 824 Chief Investigators (CIs) in this round, 306 were female, 516 were male and 2 chose not to specify their gender. The success rate for female, male and unspecified CIs in Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 3) is 31.4 per cent, 31.8 and 0 per cent respectively. 

Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 3) 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 (1.0 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 3) 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 207 applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 165 instances of collaboration with researchers in 41 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 29 foreshadowed 51 instances of collaboration with researchers in 21 overseas locations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. International collaborations by location on approved Linkage Projects 2021 (Round 3) applications*

*The top 10 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 2 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.