Selection Report: Linkage Projects 2021 Round 3

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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 Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.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:

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).

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.

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.

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 Round	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success 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)	180	61	33.9	$87,268,182	$30,685,046	$26,881,001	87.6
2020 (Round 2)	259	67	25.9	$138,269,232	$36,054,450	$30,666,575	85.1
2020 (Round 3)	276	67	24.3	$140,742,080	$36,563,401	$31,724,738	86.8
2021 (Round 1)	156	52	33.3	$79,107,431	$27,924,670	$24,453,512	87.6
2021 (Round 2)	206	68	33.0	$104,442,886	$36,666,155	$31,795,813	86.7
2021 (Round 3)	207	61	29.5	$114,276,759	$36,477,703	$29,657,243	81.3

*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 considered	Applications approved	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	55	15	27.3	$34,434,989	$9,722,986	$7,979,143	82.1
ET	56	17	30.4	$31,829,232	$11,736,116	$9,338,492	79.6
HSE	62	16	25.8	$31,797,226	$8,564,232	$7,000,102	81.7
PMI	34	13	38.2	$16,215,312	$6,454,369	$5,339,506	82.7
Total	207	61	29.5	$114,276,759	$36,477,703	$29,657,243	81.3

*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 Priorities	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Approved funds over project life ($)
Advanced Manufacturing	26	9	34.6%	$4,921,804
Cybersecurity	13	4	30.8%	$1,502,821
Energy	12	4	33.3%	$2,325,446
Environmental Change	40	9	22.5%	$5,117,112
Food	17	6	35.3%	$2,654,122
Health	27	6	22.2%	$3,050,159
Resources	14	3	21.4%	$1,606,529
Soil and Water	18	7	38.9%	$3,904,304
Transport	2	1	50.0%	$289,448
None selected	38	12	31.6%	$4,285,498
Total Applications	207	61	29.5	$29,657,243
Total Applications within Science and Research Priorities	169	49	29.0	$25,371,745
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)	81.6	80.3		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 Organisation	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	ARC approved funding over project life (approved applications)	Partner Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)
Australian Capital Territory	11	3	27.3	$1,943,753	$2,513,830
The Australian National University	8	3	37.5	$1,943,753	$2,513,830
University of Canberra	3	0	0	-	-
New South Wales	63	15	23.8	$7,039,491	$11,839,585
Australian Catholic University	1	0	0	-	-
Macquarie University	7	2	28.6	$895,903	$945,435
Southern Cross University	1	0	0	-	-
The University of New South Wales	22	3	13.6	$2,102,043	$3,988,163
The University of Newcastle	6	2	33.3	$756,193	$1,127,687
The University of Sydney	8	2	25.0	$1,007,623	$2,281,401
University of Technology Sydney	7	2	28.6	$721,340	$875,184
University of Wollongong	6	3	50.0	$1,197,299	$2,111,715
Western Sydney University	5	1	20.0	$359,090	*
Northern Territory	3	1	33.3	$935,882	*
Charles Darwin University	3	1	33.3	$935,882	*
Queensland	43	18	41.9	$9,826,241	$20,968,792
Bond University	1	0	0	-	-
Central Queensland University	1	1	100.0	$448,440	*
Griffith University	8	3	37.5	$1,506,533	$2,518,594
James Cook University	2	2	100.0	$1,065,557	$3,040,597
Queensland University of Technology	7	3	42.9	$952,285	$1,276,599
The University of Queensland	21	8	38.1	$4,843,856	$9,930,806
The University of Southern Queensland	2	1	50.0	$1,009,570	*
University of Sunshine Coast	1	0	0	-	-
South Australia	22	6	27.3	$2,680,399	$3,786,398
Flinders University	4	0	0	-	-
The University of Adelaide	16	6	37.5	$2,680,399	$3,786,398
University of South Australia	2	0	0	-	-
Tasmania	3	1	33.3	$204,900	*
University of Tasmania	3	1	33.3	$204,900	*
Victoria	46	12	26.1	$4,017,864	$7,921,052
Deakin University	6	1	16.7	$190,691	*
La Trobe University	1	0	0	-	-
Monash University	19	6	31.6	$2,597,546	$5,587,050
RMIT University	5	2	40.0	$534,450	$707,000
Swinburne University of Technology	1	1	100.0	$241,960	*
The University of Melbourne	13	2	15.4	$453,217	$630,750
Victoria University	1	0	0	-	-
Western Australia	16	5	31.3	$3,008,713	$6,087,606
Curtin University	7	1	14.3	$435,984	*
Murdoch University	1	0	0	-	-
The University of Notre Dame Australia	1	1	100.0	$700,411	*
The University of Western Australia	7	3	42.9	$1,872,318	$3,521,122
Total	207	61	29.5	$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		Cash		In-Kind		Total
		$	%	$	%	$	%
Government
International		$220,004	1.4	$562,562	1.3	$782,566	1.3
Australian Federal		$1,401,110	8.7	$1,423,805	3.3	$2,824,915	4.8
Australian state, territory and local		$3,065,364	19.1	$9,279,764	21.5	$12,345,128	20.8
	Sub-total	$4,686,478	29.2	$11,266,131	26.1	$15,952,609	26.9
Industry Body
Australian		$7,499,871	46.8	$17,699,032	40.9	$25,198,903	42.5
International		$1,056,000	6.6	$1,863,152	4.3	$2,919,152	4.9
	Sub-total	$8,555,871	53.4	$19,562,184	45.3	$28,118,055	47.4
Non-profit
Australian		$1,449,750	9.0	$8,905,523	20.6	$10,355,273	17.5
International		$816,000	5.1	$435,560	1.0	$1,251,560	2.1
	Sub-total	$2,265,750	14.1	$9,341,083	21.6	$11,606,833	19.6
Higher Education
International		$86,800	0.5	$1,237,719	2.9	$1,324,519	2.2
	Sub-total	$86,800	0.5	$1,237,719	2.9	$1,324,519	2.2
Other
Other		$441,000	2.8	$1,823,450	4.2	$2,264,450	3.8
	Sub-total	$441,000	2.8	$1,823,450	4.2	$2,264,450	3.8
	Total	$16,035,899	100	$43,230,567	100	$59,266,466	100

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 category	Number of applications approved#	Partner Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)
Physical Sciences	2	$884,600
Chemical Sciences	3	$1,414,405
Earth Sciences	3	$4,190,058
Environmental Sciences	6	$11,506,012
Biological Sciences	2	$2,201,306
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences	7	$6,036,574
Information and Computing Sciences	5	$3,767,795
Engineering	15	$16,349,546
Technology	2	$1,396,383
Medical and Health Sciences	2	$3,602,309
Education	3	$1,616,437
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services	1	*
Studies in Human Society	1	*
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences	1	*
Law and Legal Studies	2	$564,727
Studies in Creative Arts and Writing	1	*
Language, Communication and Culture	3	$1,287,811
History and Archaeology	2	$2,630,727
Total	61	$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.