Selection Report: Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021

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Overview

The 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:

• support excellent basic and applied research and research training through the acquisition of research equipment and infrastructure and access to national and international research facilities; and
• encourage Eligible Organisations to develop collaborative arrangements with other Eligible Organisations and/or Partner Organisations for the acquisition and use of research equipment and infrastructure or access to national and international facilities;

Selection Process 

Applications for funding commencing in 2021 opened on 29 January 2020, and closed on 29 April 2020. 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 ARC Selection Advisory Committee (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;

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 Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.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 Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:

Investigator(s)/Capability (20%)

Describe the:

• demonstrated record in these activities (for CIs and PIs who will manage the purchase, design, manufacture, installation, maintenance and coordination of access to the proposed research infrastructure); and
• relevance of the research infrastructure to the research capacity and planned activities of each CI and PI on the application and, where relevant, to the research groups represented on the application.

Project quality and innovation (25%)

Describe the:

• aims and significance of the research that will be supported by LIEF funding;
• relevance of the proposed research infrastructure to the needs of ARC and other competitively funded research projects/programs;
• importance of equipment for the training of research students;
• enhancement of support for areas of existing and/or emerging research strength; and
• demonstrated national or international focus for large scale cooperative initiatives.

Feasibility and strategic alignment (25%)

Describe the:

• extent to which the project represents value for money;
• feasibility of the plan to use the research infrastructure;
• relevance of the research to the strategic priorities of the organisations;
• evidence that each of the organisations is genuinely committed to, and prepared to collaborate in, the project;
• existing or planned strategic research alliances between the higher education organisation(s) and other organisation(s); and
• effectiveness of cooperative arrangements for the management and sharing of the proposed research infrastructure, including arrangements for ongoing operational expenditure where applicable.

Benefit (10%)

Describe the:

• benefit of the proposed research infrastructure to the broader research community; 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.

Sustainability/Need (20%)

Describe the:

• demonstrated needs from the researchers and/or research projects that they will utilise the proposed research infrastructure, including level of demand and likely measurable impact on the research program, including beyond the project activity period;
• availability of and access to similar research infrastructure at organisational, regional, national and/or international level;
• planned rate of use of the proposed research infrastructure, including proposed arrangements for broader access to individuals not named on the application;
• alignment of the planned use with other similar existing infrastructure within Australia and/or internationally; and
• special needs for regional or otherwise remote institutions.

Assessment process 

The ARC assessment process for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 involved 16 SAC members as a part of one multidisciplinary panel and was managed in the RMS. A total of 430 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC.

Funding levels and duration 

The minimum level of funding provided by the ARC under Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 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 years for leasing infrastructure, equipment or facilities, the construction of research infrastructure, or subscription or coordinated access to international facilities and major national facilities

Summary of Outcomes 

The ARC received a total of 139 applications for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities for funding commencing in 2021, one of which was withdrawn.

The overall success rate for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities for funding commencing in 2021 is 34.1 per cent.

Of the unsuccessful applications, five were 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 Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications from 2020 and 2021

Funding year	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	164	47	28.7	$116,305,596	$33,144,068	$30,672,752	92.5
2021	138	47	34.1	$112,226,899	$41,171,620	$38,827,812	94.3

*May include indicative funds

Outcomes by discipline

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

Table 2. Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 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 (%)
BSB	23	7	30.4	$18,674,616	$5,736,338	$5,530,397	96.4
EIC	46	13	28.3	$30,977,542	$7,693,072	$7,216,439	93.8
HCA	9	5	55.6	$5,305,603	$2,787,595	$2,425,114	87.0
MPCE	52	21	40.4	$49,663,116	$24,056,857	$22,774,104	94.7
SBE	8	1	12.5	$7,606,022	$897,758	$881,758	98.2
Total	138	47	34.1	$112,226,899	$41,171,620	$38,827,812	94.3

* 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 Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 applications by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research Priorities	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Approved funds over project life ($)
Advanced manufacturing	64	22	34.4	$20,099,669
Cybersecurity	6	0	0	-
Energy	7	3	42.9	$1,039,418
Environmental change	10	4	40.0	$5,065,837
Food	5	0	0	-
Health	4	0	0	-
Resources	3	2	66.7	$1,620,654
Soil and water	7	2	28.6	$1,484,728
Transport	4	0	0	-
Unspecified	28	14	50.0	$9,517,506
Total	138	47	34.1	$38,827,812
Total within Science and Research Priorities	110	33	30.0	$29,310,306
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)	79.7	70.2		75.5

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 Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 applications by Administering Organisation

Administering  Organisation	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Funds over project life for approved applications ($)
Australian Capital Territory	13	3	23.1	$6,269,020
The Australian National University	13	3	23.1	$6,269,020
New South Wales	41	13	31.7	$7,950,651
Macquarie University	4	0	0	-
Southern Cross University	1	0	0	-
The University of Newcastle	4	1	25.0	$183,437
The University of New South Wales	14	4	28.6	$2,668,250
The University of Sydney	13	6	46.2	$4,232,164
University of Technology, Sydney	1	0	0	-
University of Wollongong	3	2	66.7	$866,800
Western Sydney University	1	0	0	-
Northern Territory	1	0	0	-
Charles Darwin University	1	0	0	-
Queensland	15	4	26.7	$3,720,348
Queensland University of Technology	5	0	0	-
The University of Queensland	9	4	44.4	$3,720,348
University of Southern Queensland	1	0	0	-
South Australia	10	8	80.0	$6,747,822
Flinders University	3	2	66.7	$846,114
The University of Adelaide	6	5	83.3	$5,186,708
University of South Australia	1	1	100.0	$715,000
Tasmania	2	1	50.0	$275,000
University of Tasmania	2	1	50.0	$275,000
Victoria	44	14	31.8	$10,821,196
Deakin University	3	0	0	-
La Trobe University	2	0	0	-
Monash University	10	1	10.0	$664,580
RMIT University	5	1	20.0	$975,934
Swinburne University of Technology	6	1	16.7	$672,000
The University of Melbourne	18	11	61.1	$8,508,682
Western Australia	12	4	33.3	$3,043,775
Curtin University	2	0	0	-
Edith Cowan University	1	0	0	-
The University of Western Australia	9	4	44.4	$3,043,775
Total	138	47	34.1	$38,827,812

Career age and gender 

Of the 1402 Chief Investigators (CIs) in this round, 329 were female, 1066 were male and seven chose not to specify their gender. The success rate for female and male and unspecified CIs in Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 is 39.6 per cent, 36.4 per cent and 28.6 per cent respectively. 

Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 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 (1.1 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1.  Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 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.

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. 

A summary of success rates by number of Eligible Organisations is shown in Table 5.

Table 5. Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 application success rates by number of Eligible Organisations

Number of Eligible Organisations*	Number of applications considered	Number of applications approved	Success rate within band (%)
1	6	0	0
2	19	3	15.8
3	31	14	45.2
4	30	12	40.0
5	22	7	31.8
6	12	2	16.7
7	10	5	50.0
8	2	1	50.0
9	1	0	0
10	1	0	0
12	2	1	50.0
13	1	1	100.0
14	1	1	100.0
TOTAL	138	47	34.1

* An application with only one Eligible Organisation (the Administering Organisation) may or may not include Partner Organisations and/or Other Organisations.  There were no applications with 11 Eligible Organisations. 

A summary of application success rates by number of collaborating organisations is shown in Table 6. 

Table 6. Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 application success rates by number of collaborating organisations

Number of collaborating organisations*	Number of applications considered	Number of applications approved	Success rate within band (%)
1	5	0	0
2	12	3	25.0
3	15	4	26.7
4	25	9	36.0
5	27	15	55.6
6	19	1	5.3
7	14	5	35.7
8	7	3	42.9
9	3	2	66.7
10	4	1	25.0
11	3	1	33.3
12	2	1	50.0
15	1	1	100.0
20	1	1	100.0
Total	138	47	34.1

* Collaborating organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations, Partner Organisations and Other Organisations. There were no applications with 13, 14 or 16-19 collaborating organisations.

International collaboration 

In the 138 applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 333 instances of collaboration with researchers in 49 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 30 foreshadowed 129 instances of collaboration with researchers in 40 overseas locations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 applications*

*The top 12 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 1 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.

Leverage of ARC funding  

On Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2021 applications approved for funding, for every dollar funded by the ARC the proposed dollar contribution of the collaborating organisations listed on these applications is $9.43. The leverage of ARC funds for approved applications is shown in Table 7.

Table 7. Leverage of ARC funds for approved applications

Number of applications approved	Approved ARC funding	Number of unique collaborating organisations*	Incidence of involvement of collaborating organisations*	Collaborating organisation* Cash and In-kind contribution	Leverage (Collaborating organisation* contribution/ARC approved funding)
47	$38,827,812	78	280	$366,100,980	$9.43

Summary of Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications approved for funding 

A summary of the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities applications approved for funding commencing in 2021, 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 2021

Applications approved for funding	Administering Organisation	Lead CI
A National Facility for the 3D Imaging of the Near Surface	Flinders University	Dr Ian Moffat
AusStage LIEF 7: The international breakthrough		Em/Prof Julie Holledge
Collaborative robotics for structural assembly and construction automation	Monash University	Prof Yu Bai
Multifunctional Platform for Chemical Manufacturing and Energy Materials	RMIT University	Prof Adam Lee
The next generation fast radio burst detector for Australia	Swinburne University of Technology	A/Prof Ryan Shannon
Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program	The Australian National University	Prof Eelco Rohling
Australian Partnership in Advanced LIGO+: continuation		Prof David McClelland
Flexible Flame Aerosol Synthesis Technology		Prof Antonio Tricoli
Advancing 4D fluorescence microscopy within Australia	The University of Adelaide	Prof Matthew Gilliham
Integrated In situ Characterisation Facilities for Energy Studies		Prof Shizhang Qiao
Revitalizing facilities for nuclear magnetic resonance in South Australia		Prof Andrew Abell
Structure Determination Pipeline Capabilities for South Australia		Prof Christopher Sumby
The Cherenkov Telescope Array - From Production towards Operation		Prof Gavin Rowell
A 3-photon imaging system for deep live imaging	The University of Melbourne	Prof Scott Mueller
A cutting-edge and high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance platform		Prof Spencer Williams
A fast fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope to track protein dynamics		Dr Elizabeth Hinde
Australian Cultural Data Engine for Research, Industry and Government		Prof Rachel Fensham
Enabling the Future of the Australian Collider Physics Program		Prof Geoffrey Taylor
Hydrogen-deuterium exchange system -  a missing link in protein analysis		Prof Michael Parker
Magnetometry Facility for Molecular and Nanoscale Materials		A/Prof Colette Boskovic
Near infrared imaging and spectroscopy facility		Dr James Hutchison
New Biomolecular Capabilities for the Melbourne Magnetic Resonance Facility		Prof Paul Gooley
Nyingarn: a platform for primary sources in Australian Indigenous languages		A/Prof Nicholas Thieberger
Ultra-precise dating in Earth, planetary and archaeological science		Prof David Phillips
A platform for probing nanoscale magnetic states under multiple actuations	The University of New South Wales	Prof Tom Wu
Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Facility for soft and hard materials		Prof Richard Tilley
Spacecraft Innovation Laboratory		Prof Andrew Dempster
The Australian Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries Library		A/Prof Philip Chung
Femtoliter Liquid Deposition Facility	The University of Newcastle	Prof Andrew Fleming
A customised triple-beam microscope for precise fabricating/characterising	The University of Queensland	Prof Jin Zou
Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Southeast Queensland		Prof Robert Capon
An Advanced Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy Facility in Queensland		Dr Evan Moore
Australian Environmental Specimen Bank: advancing specimen bank capability		Prof Jochen Mueller
3D Two-Photon Nanoprinter for Advanced Multi-Functional Materials & Devices	The University of Sydney	Prof Hala Zreiqat
Australian Stress Engineering Facility		Prof Anna Paradowska
Electron microscopy facilities for in-situ materials characterisation		Prof Xiaozhou Liao
High Performance Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction Facility		Prof Cameron Kepert
Integrated Multimodal System for Multiplexed Imaging of Signal Transduction		Prof David James
Multifunctional deposition system for advanced superconducting circuits		Dr John Bartholomew
Advanced Maskless Photolitography for Western Australia	The University of Western Australia	A/Prof Mariusz Martyniuk
Founding an Australian Critical Zone Observatory Network		A/Prof Sally Thompson
High Resolution Mass Spectrometer for Chemical Characterisation in WA		Dr Gavin Flematti
National Facility for Infrared Technologies		Prof Lorenzo Faraone
An ICP-ToF-MS facility for environmental, mineral and biological science	University of South Australia	Prof Enzo Lombi
Quarantined ion chromatography mass spectrometry (IC-MS) facility	University of Tasmania	Prof Brett Paull
High-throughput camera system for biological cryo-electron microscopy	University of Wollongong	Prof Antoine van Oijen
Raman Spectroscopic System for In-Operando Electrochemical Studies		Prof Zaiping Guo