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Selection Report: Discovery Projects 2021

Overview

The Discovery Projects scheme reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to excellence in research by supporting grant funding to support research projects that may be undertaken by individual researchers or research teams.

The objectives of the Discovery Projects scheme are to: 

  • support excellent basic and applied research and research training by individuals and teams;
  • support national and international research collaboration; and
  • enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas.

 

Selection process

Applications for funding commencing in 2021 opened on 13 November 2019 and closed on 26 February 2020. 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 (SAC) which: 

  • assigned independent assessors to review the applications
  • assessed applications and reviewed assessments made by independent assessors
  • reviewed candidates’ comments on assessors’ reports
  • ranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, the assessors’ reports and candidates’ 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 funding recommendations to the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, data represented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.      

 

Assessment criteria

All applications that meet the eligibility criteria for the Discovery Projects 2021 applications were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:

a. Investigator(s)/Capability (35%)

Describe:

  • Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE);
  • time and capacity to undertake the research;
  • evidence of experience in research training, mentoring and supervision (where appropriate); and
  • the capability of the investigator or team to build collaborations both within Australia and internationally.

b. Project quality and innovation (40%)

Describe the:

  • contribution to an important gap in knowledge or significant problem;
  • novelty/originality and innovation of the proposed research (including any new methods, technologies, theories or ideas that will be developed);
  • clarity of the hypothesis, theories and research questions;
  • cohesiveness of the project design and implementation plan (including the appropriateness of the aim, conceptual framework, method, data and/or analyses); and
  • extent to which the research has the potential to enhance international collaboration.

c. Benefit (15%)

Describe the potential benefits including the:

  • new or advanced knowledge resulting from outcomes of the research;
  • economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia and international communities; and
  • potential contribution to capacity in the Australian Government’s National Science and Research Priorities and other priorities identified by Government.

d. Feasibility (10%)

Describe the:

  • cost-effectiveness of the research and its value for money;
  • suitability of the environment for the research team and their project, and for HDR students where appropriate;
  • availability of the necessary facilities to complete the project; and
  • extent to which the project’s design, participants and requested budget create confidence in the timely and successful completion of the project.

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. 

 

Assessment process

The ARC assessment process for Discovery Projects 2021 involved 80 College of Experts members across five discipline panels and was managed in RMS. A total of 10,766 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 3027 applications for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2021, of which eight applications were withdrawn. 

The overall success rate for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2021 is 20.0 per cent, with 603 Discovery Projects approved for funding. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1.

Of the unsuccessful applications in 2021, 26 were found not to meet eligibility requirements and five were recommended to, but not funded by the Minister.

Table 1. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Projects applications from 2020 to 2021

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 (%)
2020287566023.0$1,641,948,285$387,282,768$284,952,92473.6
2021301960320.00$1,760,327,397$371,657,208$260,034,07970.0

*May include indicative funding amounts 

 

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 2021 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 (%)
BSB78416420.9$546,806,340$120,383,480$83,808,81669.6
EIC77014318.6$436,774,699$88,596,990$59,928,27967.6
HCA2925719.5$127,712,964$26,118,445$18,208,63069.7
MPCE62312319.7$365,334,622$75,408,044$53,722,17571.2
SBE55011621.1$283,698,772$61,150,249$44,366,17972.6
Total301960320.0$1,760,327,397$371,657,208$260,034,07970.0

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

 

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 2021 applications by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research PrioritiesApplications considered

Applications

approved

Success
rate (%)
Approved funds over project life ($)
Advanced manufacturing48910721.9$44,769,691
Cybersecurity1192722.7$11,258,471
Energy1402517.9$11,429,582
Environmental change4078220.1$36,628,016
Food1242822.6$13,701,187
Health3346118.3$26,767,974
Resources64710.9$2,816,404
Soil and water891415.7$6,609,020
Transport821518.3$6,536,512
Unspecified117123720.2$99,517,222
Total301960320.0$260,034,079
Total within Science and Research Priorities184836619.8$160,516,857
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)61.260.7 61.7

 

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

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

Table 4. Numbers of applications and success rates for approved Discovery Projects 2021 applications by Administering Organisation

Administering OrganisationApplications ConsideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)
Australian Capital Territory1503624.0$16,009,115
The Australian National University1403424.3$15,120,465
University of Canberra10220.0$888,650
New South Wales101619118.8$83,793,458
Australian Catholic University23417.4$1,853,137
Charles Sturt University500.0$0
Macquarie University1011413.9$5,142,464
Southern Cross University1616.3$364,850
The University of New England900.0$0
The University of New South Wales3066822.2$32,917,472
The University of Newcastle881415.9$5,191,356
The University of Sydney2614918.8$20,986,078
University of Technology Sydney1152320.0$9,779,446
University of Wollongong591220.3$5,090,233
Western Sydney University33618.2$2,468,422
Northern Territory9444.4$1,624,505
Charles Darwin University9444.4$1,624,505
Queensland4618017.4$32,772,255
Bond University100.0$0
Central Queensland University4125.0$425,912
Griffith University861517.4$6,021,081
James Cook University1317.7$401,000
Queensland University of Technology861315.1$4,917,549
The University of Queensland2554718.4$19,787,676
University of Southern Queensland9222.2$941,578
University of the Sunshine Coast7114.3$277,459
South Australia2123114.6$13,178,713
Flinders University4449.1$1,725,753
The University of Adelaide1332115.8$9,227,942
University of South Australia35617.1$2,225,018
Tasmania52815.4$3,957,269
University of Tasmania52815.4$3,957,269
Victoria92921022.6$90,304,623
Deakin University671420.9$4,906,297
Federation University Australia600.0$0
La Trobe University541018.5$4,182,332
Monash University3178326.2$35,902,333
RMIT University801518.8$5,740,238
Swinburne University of Technology571017.5$4,305,887
The University of Melbourne3387823.1$35,267,536
Victoria University1000.0$0
Western Australia1904322.6$18,394,141
Curtin University591322.0$4,692,187
Edith Cowan University7228.6$637,674
Murdoch University700.0$0
The University of Notre Dame Australia200.0$0
The University of Western Australia.1152824.3$13,064,280
Total301960320.0$260,034,079

 

Career age and gender

Of the 7118 Chief Investigators (CIs) named in applications in this round, 2110 were female, 4972 were male and 36 chose not to specify their gender. The success rate for female, male and unspecified CIs in this round of Discovery Projects is 20.7 per cent, 19.8 per cent and 13.9 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 (0.5 per cent) and CIs who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or who do not hold a PhD (0.8 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators in Discovery Projects 2021 by gender and career age*

Figure 1

* 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

Among 3019 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 4862 instances of collaboration with researchers in 107 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 503 foreshadowed 1029 instances of collaboration with researchers in 69 overseas locations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Discovery Projects 2021 applications*

Figure 2

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