OverviewThe Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme provides funding for research infrastructure, equipment and facilities to Eligible Organisations. It enables researchers to participate in cooperative initiatives so that expensive research infrastructure, equipment and facilities can be shared between higher education organisations and also with Industry. The scheme also fosters collaboration through its support of the cooperative use of international or national research facilities.The objectives of the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme are to:encourage Eligible Organisations to develop collaborative arrangements with other Eligible Organisations and/or Partner Organisations to develop and support research infrastructure;support large-scale national or international cooperative initiatives allowing expensive research infrastructure to be shared and/or accessed;support areas of existing and/or emerging research strength; andsupport and develop research infrastructure for the broader research community. Selection ProcessApplications for funding commencing in 2020 opened on 23 January 2019, and closed on 20 March 2019. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines the outcomes from the selection process for that round.The ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) provided recommendations to the Minister based on advice from the ARC Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which:assessed applications and reviewed assessments made by independent assessorsreviewed applicants’ comments on assessors’ reportsranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, the assessors’ reports and applicants’ responses to those assessmentsassessed 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 SAC or independent assessors where required, sought advice from the ARC’s Medical Research Advisory Groupmade 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 Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.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 CriteriaAssessment criteria and corresponding weightings for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 applications are: Project Quality and Innovation(25%)Feasibility(25%)Investigator(s)(20%)Benefit(30%)The ARC assessment process for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 used 16 SAC members and was managed in the RMS. A total of 524 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC. Funding levels and durationThe minimum level of funding provided by the ARC under Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 is $150,000 per annum and the maximum level of funding cannot exceed 75 per cent of the total direct cost of the eligible budget item(s). Funding is provided for up to one year; or, up to five consecutive years for construction of research infrastructure, or subscription or coordinated access to international facilities and major national facilities. Summary of OutcomesThe ARC received a total of 164 applications for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities for funding commencing in 2020. This represents a 14 per cent increase from the 144 Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications received for funding commencing in 2019. Of the unsuccessful applications, three did not meet eligibility requirements. The overall success rate for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities for funding commencing in 2020 is 28.7 per cent, with a similar percentage of allocation of requested funds compared to funding that commenced in 2019. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1.Table 1. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications from 2019 to 2020Funding yearApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds allocated over project life for approved applications*($)Return rate for approved applications (%)20191443625.0$111,480,217$29,520,578$27,421,22392.920201644728.7$116,305,596$33,144,068$30,672,75292.5*May include indicative funds Outcomes by discipline A summary of outcomes by discipline panel is shown in Table 2.Table 2. Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 applications by disciplineDiscipline *Applications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)ReturnRate for approved applications (%)BSB31825.8$21,837,505$6,798,747$6,173,00090.8EIC531426.4$36,217,638$8,238,788$7,723,75093.7HCA8112.5$5,800,943$1,228,182$1,100,00089.6MPCE672334.3$48,771,989$16,258,934$15,096,00292.8SBE5120.0$3,677,521$619,417$580,00093.6Total1644728.7$116,305,596$33,144,068$30,672,75292.5 *BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HCA – Humanities and Creative Arts; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE – Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Outcomes by Science and Research PrioritiesA summary of outcomes by Science and Research Priorities is shown in Table 3.Table 3. Approved funding and success rate for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 applications by Science and Research PrioritiesScience and Research PrioritiesApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccessrate (%)Approved funds over project life ($)Advanced manufacturing632133.3$14,678,752Cybersecurity200-Energy13323.1$1,743,000Environmental change18422.2$1,900,000Food5360.0$2,945,000Health9333.3$2,425,000Resources12216.7$1,310,000Soil and water7228.6$860,000Transport6116.7$475,000Unspecified29827.6$4,336,000Total1644728.7$30,672,752Total within Science and Research Priorities1353928.9$26,336,752Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)82.383.0 85.9 Outcomes by Administering OrganisationA summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 4. Table 4. Number of applications and success rates for approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 applications by Administering OrganisationAdministering OrganisationApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)Australian Capital Territory10220.0$1,232,000The Australian National University10220.0$1,232,000New South Wales551730.9$10,067,697Macquarie University500-Southern Cross University5360.0$1,320,000The University of New South Wales17635.3$4,422,947The University of Newcastle5240.0$1,160,000The University of Sydney13323.1$1,989,000University of Technology Sydney3133.3$400,000University of Wollongong5120.0$245,750Western Sydney University2150.0$530,000Queensland16318.8$2,309,000Griffith University11100$744,000Queensland University of Technology500-The University of Queensland9222.2$1,565,000University of Southern Queensland100-South Australia8112.5$950,000Flinders University100-The University of Adelaide400-University of South Australia3133.3$950,000Tasmania6116.7$420,000University of Tasmania6116.7$420,000Victoria531630.2$10,820,055Deakin University11100$475,000Federation University Australia100-La Trobe University22100$1,700,000Monash University22627.3$3,943,000RMIT University9111.1$535,000Swinburne University of Technology4125.0$580,000The University of Melbourne14535.7$3,587,055Western Australia16743.8$4,874,000Curtin University5360.0$1,480,000The University of Western Australia11436.4$3,394,000Total1644728.7$30,672,752GenderOf the 1675 Chief Investigators (CIs) in this round, 357 were female CIs and 1318 were male CIs. The success rate for female and male CIs in this round of Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities is 30.5 per cent and 28.1 per cent respectively. Collaboration with Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications are expected to develop collaborative arrangements with Other Eligible Organisations and/or Partner Organisations and Other Organisations. The success rate for applications with one Eligible Organisation (the Administering Organisation) is 14.3 per cent. A summary of success rates by number of Eligible Organisations is shown in Table 5.Table 5. Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 application success rates by number of Eligible OrganisationsNumber of Eligible OrganisationsNumber of applications consideredNumber of applications approvedSuccess rate within band (%)1*7114.3219842.1339923.14311032.35331133.3618211.173133.388225.0922100103133.311100Total1644728.7* An application with only one Eligible Organisation (the Administering Organisation) may or may not include Partner Organisations and/or Other Organisations. A summary of application success rates by number of collaborating organisations is shown in Table 6. Applications involving collaboration with five Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and/or Other Organisations have the highest success rate - 54.8 per cent.Table 6. Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 application success rates by number of collaborating organisationsNumber of collaborating organisations*Number of applications consideredNumber of applications approvedSuccess rate within band (%)1300213430.8325520.0426623.15311754.8625416.0712650.08110096233.3104125.0115120.0122150.014100Total1644728.7* Collaborating organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations. There were no applications with 13 collaborating organisations. International CollaborationAmong 164 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 288 instances of collaboration with researchers in 42 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 25 foreshadowed 80 instances of collaboration with researchers in 21 overseas locations (Figure 1).Figure 1. International collaborations by location in approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 applications* *The top 13 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 1 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category. Leverage of ARC fundingOn Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2020 applications approved for funding, for every dollar funded by the ARC the proposed dollar contribution of the collaborating organisations listed on these applications is $1.46. The leverage of ARC funds for approved applications is shown in Table 7.Table 7. Leverage of ARC funds for approved applicationsNumber of applications approvedApproved ARC fundingNumber of unique collaborating organisations*Incidence of involvement of collaborating organisations*Collaborating organisation* Cash and In-kind contributionLeverage (Collaborating organisation* contribution/ARC approved funding)47$30,672,75261249$44,775,762$1.46 *Collaborating organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations. Summary of Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications approved for fundingA summary of the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications approved for funding commencing in 2020, by Administering Organisation is outlined in Table 8. The application titles indicate the variety of equipment, infrastructure and facilities supported in this scheme round.Table 8. Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications approved for funding commencing in 2020Applications approved for fundingAdministering OrganisationLead CIA particle detector array for the Murchison Widefield ArrayCurtin UniversityDr Clancy JamesReturning WA Rapid Acquisition Fluorescent Microscopy to the cutting edge.Prof John MamoWA CRC-MC-ICPMS for Earth, Planetary and Environmental scienceProf Noreen EvansA high-payload, high-fidelity haptically-enabled motion simulation facilityDeakin UniversityProf Saeid NahavandiMulti-kilohertz laser for attosecond and ultrafast scienceGriffith UniversityA/Prof Igor LitvinyukA platform consortium for integrated 'systems-omics' researchLa Trobe UniversityProf Tony BacicX-Ray Nanolithography Facility: Towards the ultimate resolutionDr Grant Van RiessenA facility for quantification and isotopic analysis of trace gasesMonash UniversityProf Perran CookA triple beam microscope: new frontiers in materials nanocharacterisationDr Amelia LiuFast Disk Storage to Enable Big Data Science in Weather, Oceans and ClimateProf Michael ReederIntegrated Functional Printing Facility for Advanced Material TechnologiesProf Mainak MajumderNew generation direct electron detector for cryo-electron microscopyDr Georg RammThe 3D Nanofabrication FacilityProf Nicolas VoelckerPhotonic Chip Integration FacilityRMIT UniversityProf Arnan MitchellA 4D habitat-modelling facility to support marine ecological researchSouthern Cross UniversityProf Brendan KelaherAn Equilibrium Inlet-Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass SpectrometerProf Bradley EyreNew frontier in Geoscience: A tandem trace element and isotopes facilityDr Renaud Joannes-BoyauData Co-operative Platform for Social Impact and WellbeingSwinburne University of TechnologyProf Jane FarmerAdvanced Multifunctional Electro-Opto-Magneto-Mechanical Analysis PlatformThe Australian National UniversityA/Prof Yuerui LuExploring the Dynamic Universe with DREAMSProf Anna MooreCrossing the biology meso-nanoscale divide by scanning electron microscopyThe University of MelbourneProf Geoffrey McFaddenLive Cell Super Resolution Imaging FacilityProf Frank CarusoNational Facility for Quantum DiamondDr David SimpsonSingle Particle Elemental Analysis – Imaging Mass Cytometer FacilityProf Amanda EllisUltrafast Laser Spectroscopy FacilityA/Prof Trevor SmithA 4-D X-Ray Microscopy LaboratoryThe University of New South WalesProf Klaus Regenauer-LiebAustralian Rheo-Scattering FacilitiesA/Prof Patrick SpicerCryogenic Scanning Microwave Measurement Facility for Quantum MaterialsProf Alexander HamiltonHigh Performance Solid State NMR Spectroscopy for Materials ResearchProf Martina StenzelIn situ Environmental Electron Microscope FacilityProf Richard TilleyNext generation facility to measure microfluidic flowsDr Charitha de SilvaAdaptive Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography for Multiphase FlowsThe University of NewcastleProf Behdad MoghtaderiSynthetic Biology: from Genomics to Valuable BioproductsProf Brett NeilanElectrophysiology Platform for Ion-channel CharacterisationThe University of QueenslandProf Glenn KingAn integrated, multi-nodal bio-layer interferometry facilityA/Prof Bryan FryHigh Resolution PET-CT for Small Animal Molecular and Anatomical ImagingThe University of SydneyProf Steven MeikleRapid Molecular (Bio)material Imaging by Infrared and Raman MicroscopiesProf Peter LayWhopping Volta GPU Cluster – Transforming Artificial Intelligence ResearchProf Dacheng TaoA next-generation receiver for Radio AstronomyThe University of Western AustraliaProf Lister Staveley-SmithAustralian Seismic Imaging ArrayProf Li JuQuantitative Movies of Nanoscale Dynamics by Video Atomic Force MicroscopyProf Rob AtkinThe Digitisation Centre of Western Australia (Phase 1)Prof Benjamin SmithProtein Quantitation Centre of South Australia renewal for Systems BiologyUniversity of South AustraliaProf Peter HoffmannRapid Deployment Seismic Recorders for Interdisciplinary Antarctic ResearchUniversity of TasmaniaProf Anya Reading3D Nanofabrication and Nanocharacterisation facilityUniversity of Technology SydneyProf Igor AharonovichAn upgraded nanoindenter facility with in-situ Raman at high temperatureUniversity of WollongongProf Kiet TieuA major upgrade to the Australia Telescope Compact ArrayWestern Sydney UniversityProf Raymond Norris