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Selection Report: Discovery Projects 2020

Overview

The Discovery Projects scheme provides funding for excellent fundamental research projects that can be undertaken by individual researchers or research teams.

The objectives of Discovery Projects are to:

  • support excellent basic and applied research by individuals and teams;
  • encourage high-quality research and research training;
  • enhance international collaboration in research;
  • expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability; and
  • enhance the scale and focus of research in the Australian Government’s Science and Research Priorities.

 

Selection Process

Applications for funding commencing in 2020 opened on 10 December 2018, and closed on 27 February 2019. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines recommendations from the ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the Minister.

These recommendations are based on advice from the ARC Selection Advisory Committee 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 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 reflect the funding recommendations to the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.

 

Assessment Criteria

Assessment criteria and corresponding weightings for Discovery Projects 2020 applications are: 

Investigator(s)        (35%) 
Project Quality and Innovation  (40%)
Feasibility(10%)
Benefit  (15%)

The ARC assessment process for Discovery Projects 2020 used 80 ARC Selection Advisory Committee members across five discipline panels and was managed in the RMS. A total of 10,005 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC.

 

Funding levels and duration

Funding of between $30,000 and $500,000 per annum for up to five years may be awarded for each Discovery Project application.

 

Summary of Outcomes

The ARC received a total of 2877 applications for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2020, of which two applications were withdrawn. This represents a 1.6 per cent decrease from the 2924 Discovery Project applications received for funding commencing in 2019. Of the unsuccessful applications, 46 did not meet eligibility requirements.

The overall success rate for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2020 is 23.0 per cent, with a higher percentage of allocation of requested funds compared to funding that commenced in 2019. 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 Discovery Project applications from 2019 to 2020

Funding yearApplications 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 (%)
20192,92165422.4$1,621,899,946$371,198,944$262,590,36770.7
20202,87566023.0$1,641,948,285$387,282,768$284,952,92473.6

 

Outcomes by discipline 

A summary of outcomes by discipline panel is shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Projects 2020 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 (%)
BSB70015021.4$467,381,014$102,665,794$77,894,23275.9
EIC74316922.7$411,621,921$99,068,951$71,860,38372.5
HCA2877024.4$135,957,239$32,194,309$23,356,61872.5
MPCE63915323.9$365,943,319$93,409,337$68,033,26272.8
SBE50611823.3$261,044,792$59,944,377$43,808,42973.1
Total287566023.0$1,641,948,285$387,282,768$284,952,92473.6

† BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HCA – Humanities and Creative Arts; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE – Social, Behavioural and Economic 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 Discovery Projects 2020 applications by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research PrioritiesApplications considered

Applications

approved

Success
rate (%)
Approved funds over project life
Advanced manufacturing46710121.6$46,950,098
Cybersecurity1173529.9$14,605,975
Energy1423323.2$14,954,157
Environmental change3498524.4$36,300,596
Food1363122.8$14,800,730
Health3056120$26,198,112
Resources752330.7$9,153,531
Soil and water76911.8$4,265,370
Transport731926$7,416,654
Unspecified113526323.2$110,307,701
Total287566023$284,952,924
Total within Science and Research Priorities174039722.8$174,645,223
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)60.560.2 61.3

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

A summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 4.

Table 4.  Number of applications and success rates for approved Discovery Projects 2020 applications by Administering Organisation

Administering OrganisationApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)
Australian Capital Territory1725532$23,615,509
The Australian National University1645533.5$23,615,509
University of Canberra800$0
New South Wales94521823.1$92,322,316
Australian Catholic University9222.2$986,065
Charles Sturt University400$0
Macquarie University1052321.9$9,662,148
Southern Cross University10220$712,487
The University of New England1815.6$351,803
The University of New South Wales2967224.3$30,818,887
The University of Newcastle701318.6$5,327,689
The University of Sydney2395824.3$25,506,240
University of Technology Sydney992020.2$8,533,546
University of Wollongong581831$6,860,255
Western Sydney University37924.3$3,563,196
Northern Territory4125$348,536
Charles Darwin University4125$348,536
Queensland4209522.6$42,830,577
Central Queensland University6350$1,494,719
Griffith University63711.1$3,140,073
James Cook University9333.3$1,375,082
Queensland University of Technology821822$7,717,690
The University of Queensland2466225.2$28,216,725
University of Southern Queensland600$0
University of the Sunshine Coast8225$886,288
South Australia1934020.7$16,628,229
Flinders University46817.4$3,830,011
The University of Adelaide1222722.1$10,887,021
University of South Australia25520$1,911,197
Tasmania571119.3$4,395,063
University of Tasmania571119.3$4,395,063
Victoria87519822.6$87,256,071
Deakin University55814.5$3,294,577
Federation University Australia500$0
La Trobe University52917.3$3,349,187
Monash University3118326.7$36,452,728
RMIT University721723.6$7,370,629
Swinburne University of Technology621117.7$4,624,325
The University of Melbourne3086521.1$29,817,574
Victoria University10550$2,347,051
Western Australia2094220.1$17,556,623
Curtin University761114.5$3,921,531
Edith Cowan University10110$380,000
Murdoch University9333.3$1,018,071
The University of Western Australia1142723.7$12,237,021
Total287566023$284,952,924

Career age and gender

Of the 6555 Chief Investigators (CIs) in this round, 1883 were female, 4654 were male and 18 were unspecified. The success rate for female, male and unspecified CIs in this round of Discovery Projects is 25.0 per cent, 22.7 per cent and 16.7 per cent respectively. 
Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in the current Discovery Projects round are presented in Figure 1. CIs who did not provide gender information (0.3 per cent) and CIs who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or who do not hold a PhD (1.1 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Discovery Projects 2020 by gender and career age*

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Discovery Projects 2020 by gender and career age*

*Career age is calculated as years since PhD based on most relevant qualification.

 

International Collaboration

Among 2875 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 4469 instances of collaboration with researchers in 117 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 523 foreshadowed 1114 instances of collaboration with researchers in 74 overseas locations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Discovery Project 2020 applications*

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Discovery Project 2020 applications

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

 

Discovery International Awards

Discovery International Awards (DIAs) aim to enhance opportunities for collaboration among researchers, research teams and/or research centres in Australia and overseas, and to build Australia’s international research capability. A summary of the outcomes for DIA requests is shown in Table 5.

Table 5.  Number of Discovery Projects 2020 applications approved for one or more Discovery International Awards (DIAs)

Funding yearNumber of submitted applications requesting one or more DIAsNumber of applications approved with one or more DIAs
2019609115
202052198