IH25 Selection Report

Overview

Research Hubs engage Australia's best researchers to develop collaborative solutions to the Industrial Transformation Priorities. The focus is on the creation of industry and academic partnerships working together on research and development projects to create innovative and transformative solutions for industry.

The Research Hubs objectives are to: 

• support collaborative research projects between universities and organisations outside the Australian higher education sector that involve cutting-edge research on new technologies; and
• leverage national and international investment in targeted industry sectors, including from industry and other research end-users.

Selection process

Applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 opened on 9 October 2024 and closed on 26 November 2024. 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 outcomes are based on advice from the SAC which:

• 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

This report reflects the funding 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 Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.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 the Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:

a. Investigator(s)/Capability                                        20%

Describe the:

• demonstrated Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) of the proposed team including:
  • evidence of experience in managing distributed and/or collaborative industrial and end-user focussed research;
  • evidence of significant outcomes on industry related projects; and
  • evidence of experience in and capacity to provide effective supervision, support and mentoring for HDR candidates and postdoctoral researchers over the life of the Research Hub.
  • appropriateness of the team research track record to achieve the Research Hub’s goals; and
  • time and capacity of the team to undertake and manage the proposed research in collaboration with the Partner Organisation(s).

b. Project Quality and Innovation                              30%

Describe the extent to which the:

• aims, concepts, methods and outcomes will drive growth, productivity and competitiveness within relevant sectors;
• conceptual/theoretical framework is genuinely integrated, cross-disciplinary, innovative and original; and
• project draws together high quality innovative national and international partnership(s) into an integrated Research Hub.

c. Feasibility and Commitment                                   20%

Describe the:

• extent to which the Research Hub represents value for money;
• appropriateness of the design of the Research Hub and the expertise of the participants to ensure the project can be completed within the proposed budget and timeframe (including identified risks and mitigation strategies);
• proposed level of collaboration to support the research project, including national and international networks and linkages;
• high-quality intellectual support provided for the Research Hub by the research environment of the participating organisations;
• availability of and access to the necessary facilities required to support the proposed research (physical, technical, access to infrastructure, etc);
• commitment by each Partner Organisation(s) to collaboration in the Research Hub;
• adequacy of the budget, including cash and in-kind Contributions pledged by participating organisations; and
• extent to which the proposed Research Hub engages, and will continue to engage, meaningfully with the relevant industry experts.

If the project involves Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander research, additional criteria include:

• The project’s level of collaboration, engagement, relationship building and benefit sharing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and First Nations Organisations and Communities;
• The project’s strategy and mechanisms for Indigenous research capacity building within the project;
• The project’s level of internal leadership of Indigenous research;
• The project’s adherence to the Australian Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles (2018); and
• The project’s understanding of, and proposed strategies to adhere to, the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (2020) and NHMRC’s guidelines on Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities (2018).

d. Benefit                                                                        30%

Describe:

• the extent to which the research clearly addresses one or more of the Industrial Transformation Priorities;
• the economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for relevant Australian research end-users (including relevant industry and manufacturing sectors);
• the extent to which the proposed Research Hub supports clearly identified market opportunity(ies) and intended transformation for Australian industry or other end users;
• the extent to which the proposed Research Hub will build research capacity in the Partner Organisation(s);
• the extent to which there are adequate strategies to encourage dissemination, promotion, and the commercialisation of research outcomes;
• the potential contribution of the proposed research to addressing the needs of industries and communities as articulated in Australia’s Industrial Transformation Priorities; 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.

Assessment process

The ARC assessment process for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 involved 12 Selection Advisory Committee members comprising of members from the ARC College of Experts and experts from industry on one multi-disciplinary panel. The process was managed in RMS. In addition, independent assessors submitted a total of 46 reports to the ARC to support the assessment process.

Funding levels and duration

Funding of between $500,000 and $1 million per annum for between three to five consecutive years may be awarded for each Industrial Transformation Research Hub. 

Summary of outcomes

The ARC received a total of 13 applications for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025. 

6 Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 are approved, shown in Table 1. The overall success rate for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 is 46%.

Of the Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 applications, none were found to breach eligibility requirements.

A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 2.

Table 1. Industrial Transformation Research Hubs approved for funding commencing in 2025

Table 2. Application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs applications from 2024 to 2025.

Outcomes by discipline 

A summary of outcomes by discipline panel is shown in Table 3. 

Table 3.  Number of applications, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 applications by discipline

*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC = Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HSE = Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; MPCE = Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences.

Leverage of ARC Funding

Of the 13 applications considered, 6 were approved with a total approved funding of $27.4 million over the life of these projects. There are 76 unique Partner Organisations involved with these projects, and they have pledged a total (cash and in-kind) of $57.6 million. This represents $2.10 from Partner Organisations for every dollar funded by the ARC.

Outcomes by Administering Organisation 

The Administering Organisations of the 6 applications approved for funding are: 

Table 4. Partner Organisation contributions for approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 applications by Administering Organisation

Outcomes by Industrial Transformation Priorities

A summary of outcomes by Industrial Transformation Priorities is shown in Table 5.

Table 5. Approved funding and success rate for Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 by Industrial Transformation Priorities 

*A single application may select multiple Industrial Transformation Priorities

Industry Partners

Partner Organisations were identified as Australian, international, government, non-profit, industry or overseas higher education organisations. The Partner Organisation contributions in these categories for the approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 are shown below in Table 6.

Table 6. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved Industrial Research Hubs 2025 applications. 

Note: All percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum to 100%.

Career Age and Gender

Of the 67 Industrial Transformation Research Hubs Key Personnel in this round, 14 were females and 53 were male, with success rates of 43.1 per cent and 57.1 per cent respectively. 

Success rates of Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 Key Personnel by career age and gender are presented in Figure 1. Key Personnel who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or equivalent or who do not hold a PhD are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Key Personnel in Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 by gender and career age*

* Career age is calculated as years since PhD based on the earliest PhD Award Date provided by the participant

^ Calculated career age does not take career interruptions into consideration

International Collaboration

For Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025, among 13 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 35 instances of international collaboration with researchers in 17 overseas locations. Of the applications recommended for funding, applicants foreshadowed 17 instances of collaboration with researchers in 12 overseas locations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Industrial Transformation Research Hubs 2025 applications

 *The top 3 international collaboration locations are individually listed in Figure 2 and the remaining are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.