Selection Report: ARC Centre of Excellence 2011
Overview
The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme aims to enhance and develop Australia’s research excellence through highly innovative and collaborative research, as well as build Australia’s human capacity in a range of research areas.
Objectives
As indicated in the Funding Rules for this scheme, the objectives of the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme are to:
- undertake highly innovative and potentially transformational research that aims to achieve international standing in the fields of research envisaged and leads to a significant advancement of capabilities and knowledge
- link existing Australian research strengths and build critical mass with new capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems
- develop relationships and build new networks with major national and international centres and research programmes to help strengthen research, achieve global competitiveness and gain recognition for Australian research
- build Australia’s human capacity in a range of research areas by attracting and retaining, from within Australia and abroad, researchers of high international standing as well as the most promising research students
- provide high-quality postgraduate and postdoctoral training environments for the next generation of researchers
- offer Australian researchers opportunities to work on large-scale problems over longer periods of time
- establish Centres of such repute in the wider community that they will serve as points of interaction among higher education institutions, governments, industry and the private sector generally.
Selection process
The ARC Centres of Excellence selection round was conducted through the following competitive three-stage process.
Applicants submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) between 9 October and 25 November 2009. These EOIs were reviewed by an ARC Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) comprising international experts across the discipline areas. Successful EOIs were invited to submit a Proposal between 16 February and 19 April 2010.
Proposals were assessed by SAC members and specialist assessors against the selection criteria as listed in the ARC Centres of Excellence Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2011. The SAC ranked each Proposal relative to the others on the basis of the Proposal and assessors’ reports. The highest ranked Proposals were shortlisted for interview.
Interviews were held in the week of 5 July 2010. The SAC ranked each shortlisted Proposal relative to the others on the basis of the assessor reports and the interview. Individual budgets were assessed alongside the total ARC Centres of Excellence budget. The ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) made funding recommendations to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and these recommendations were subsequently approved.
Selection criteria
Selection criteria and corresponding weights for EOIs:
- Proposed research programme (50%)
- Investigators (50%).
Selection criteria and corresponding weights for Proposals:
- Research programme (25%)
- Investigators (25%)
- Governance, leadership and mentoring (25%)
- Outcomes and linkages (25%)
Funding levels and duration
Funding of between $1 million and $4 million per annum for up to seven years may be awarded for each ARC Centre of Excellence.
Approved funding
The ARC received 111 EOIs and invited 32 applicants to submit Proposals. One invited Proposal was not submitted. Of the 31 ARC Centres of Excellence Proposals submitted, 13 (41.9%) are approved for funding. This represents an Australian Government commitment of $255.9 million over the life of these Centres.
Table 1. Numbers of EOIs, Proposals and success rates for ARC Centre of Excellence 2011 by discipline panel
Panel* | EOIs considered | EOIs shortlisted | EOI Success rate | Proposals considered | Proposals interviewed | Proposals approved | Proposal Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BSB | 38 | 8 | 21.1% | 8 | 3 | 2 | 25.0% |
EMI | 23 | 6 | 26.1% | 6 | 2 | 1 | 16.7% |
HCA | 17 | 5 | 29.4% | 4 | 2 | 1 | 25.0% |
PCE | 19 | 9 | 47.4% | 9 | 8 | 7 | 77.8% |
SBE | 14 | 4 | 28.6% | 4 | 3 | 2 | 50.0% |
Total | 111 | 32 | 28.8% | 31 | 18 | 13 | 41.9% |
*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EMI = Engineering, Mathematics and Informatics; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; PCE = Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences
Table 2. Requested and approved funding for ARC Centre of Excellence 2011 by discipline panel
Panel* | Proposals approved | Requested funds over project life (approved Proposals) | Approved funds over project life (approved Proposals) | Approved funds as % of requested funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BSB | 2 | $51,379,062 | $31,150,000 | 60.6% |
EMI | 1 | $28,000,000 | $14,400,000 | 51.4% |
HCA | 1 | $25,942,941 | $24,250,000 | 93.5% |
PCE | 7 | $182,569,206 | $152,400,000 | 83.5% |
SBE | 2 | $46,408,554 | $33,700,000 | 72.6% |
Total | 13 | $334,229,763 | $255,900,000 | 76.5% |
*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EMI = Engineering, Mathematics and Informatics; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; PCE = Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences
Outcomes by Administering Organisation
Table 3. Numbers of EOIs and Proposals, success rates and ARC approved funding for ARC Centres of Excellence 2011 by Administering Organisation
Administering Organisation | EOIs considered | EOIs shortlisted | EOI Success rate | Proposals considered | Proposals approved | Proposal Success rate | Approved funds over project life (approved Proposals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central Queensland University | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
Charles Sturt University | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
Curtin University of Technology | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
Edith Cowan University | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
Griffith University | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – |
La Trobe University | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
Macquarie University | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | $33,400,000 |
Monash University | 9 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
Murdoch University | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
Queensland University of Technology | 5 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
RMIT | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – |
Southern Cross University | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
The Australian National University | 10 | 3 | 30.0% | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | – |
The University of Adelaide | 5 | 2 | 40.0% | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | $19,250,000 |
The University of Melbourne | 18 | 5 | 27.8% | 5 | 1 | 20% | $25,200,000 |
The University of New England | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
The University of New South Wales | 12 | 6 | 50.0% | 6 | 3 | 50.0% | $58,600,000 |
The University of Newcastle | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | $14,400,000 |
The University of Queensland | 13 | 4 | 30.8% | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | $36,400,000 |
The University of Sydney | 5 | 4 | 80.0% | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | $44,400,000 |
The University of Western Australia | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | $24,250,000 |
University of South Australia | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
University of Tasmania | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
University of Technology Sydney | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – |
University of Western Sydney | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
University of Wollongong | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | – | – | – | – |
Table 4. ARC Centre of Excellence 2011 Proposals approved for funding
ARC Centre of Excellence title | Centre Director | Administering Organisation | Total approved funds over project life |
|---|---|---|---|
All-sky Astrophysics | Professor B Gaensler | The University of Sydney | $20,600,000 |
Climate System Science | Professor A Pitman | The University of New South Wales | $21,400,000 |
Core to Crust Fluid System | Professor S O’Reilly | Macquarie University | $12,400,000 |
Engineered Quantum Systems | Professor G Milburn | The University of Queensland | $24,500,000 |
Environmental Decisions | Professor H Possingham | The University of Queensland | $11,900,000 |
Geotechnical Science and Engineering | Professor S Sloan | The University of Newcastle | $14,400,000 |
History of Emotions | Professor P Maddern | The University of Western Australia | $24,250,000 |
Particle Physics at the Tera-Scale | Professor G Taylor | The University of Melbourne | $25,200,000 |
Plant Cell Wall Biology | Professor G Fincher | The University of Adelaide | $19,250,000 |
Population Ageing Research | Professor J Piggott | The University of New South Wales | $12,700,000 |
Quantum Computation and Communication Technology | Professor M Simmons | The University of New South Wales | $24,500,000 |
Study of Cognition and its Disorders | Professor S Crain | Macquarie University | $21,000,000 |
Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems | Professor B Eggleton | The University of Sydney | $23,800,000 |
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Collaboration
ARC Centres of Excellence encourage collaboration between university researchers at the Administering and Collaborating Organisations and researchers and end-users at Partner Organisations, both within Australia and internationally.
The approved Proposals involve eight Administering Organisations, 18 Collaborating Organisations and 124 Partner Organisations.
Table 5. ARC requested funds and cash commitments from all Organisations for ARC Centres of Excellence 2011 approved Proposals
ARC Centre of Excellence title | ARC requested funds over project life | Cash commitment from all Organisations* over project life | Cash commitment from all Organisations* as % of ARC requested funds over project life |
|---|---|---|---|
All-sky Astrophysics | $21,931,461 | $7,514,280 | 34.3% |
Climate System Science | $28,000,000 | $9,510,383 | 34.0% |
Core to Crust Fluid System | $23,647,745 | $13,580,400 | 57.4% |
Engineered Quantum Systems | $26,950,000 | $14,615,521 | 54.2% |
Environmental Decisions | $24,079,062 | $7,152,740 | 29.7% |
Geotechnical Science and Engineering | $28,000,000 | $8,225,000 | 29.4% |
History of Emotions | $25,942,941 | $6,112,122 | 23.6% |
Particle Physics at the Tera-Scale | $28,000,000 | $8,344,000 | 29.8% |
Plant Cell Wall Biology | $27,300,000 | $12,190,000 | 44.7% |
Population Ageing Research | $20,327,075 | $8,037,750 | 39.5% |
Quantum Computation and Communication Technology | $28,000,000 | $11,604,750 | 41.4% |
Study of Cognition and its Disorders | $26,081,479 | $7,989,411 | 30.5% |
Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems | $26,040,000 | $9,238,831 | 35.5% |
Total | $334,299,763 | $124,115,188 | 37.1% |
*Administering Organisation, Collaborating Organisations and Partner Organisations
International collaboration is an important component of ARC Centres of Excellence. All approved Proposals indicated international collaborations with at least three countries, with the majority indicating international collaborations with five or more countries. Data relating to international collaboration is shown in Table 6.
Table 6. International collaboration for ARC Centres of Excellence 2011 by country of collaboration
Collaborating country | Proposals considered | Proposals approved |
|---|---|---|
Argentina | 1 | 0 |
Austria | 3 | 2 |
Belgium | 3 | 1 |
Brazil | 1 | 0 |
Canada | 13 | 7 |
Chile | 2 | 0 |
China, People’s Republic | 9 | 2 |
Colombia | 1 | 0 |
Costa Rica | 1 | 0 |
Denmark | 3 | 1 |
Finland | 1 | 1 |
France | 9 | 3 |
Germany | 22 | 10 |
India | 4 | 1 |
Indonesia | 1 | 0 |
Ireland | 1 | 0 |
Israel | 1 | 1 |
Italy | 3 | 2 |
Japan | 10 | 6 |
Korea, Republic of | 2 | 0 |
Netherlands, The | 5 | 1 |
New Zealand | 7 | 1 |
Norway | 2 | 2 |
Portugal | 1 | 0 |
Singapore | 7 | 2 |
South Africa | 2 | 1 |
Spain | 1 | 0 |
Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 |
Sweden | 6 | 3 |
Switzerland | 7 | 2 |
Taiwan | 1 | 0 |
United Kingdom | 25 | 12 |
United States | 29 | 13 |
Uruguay | 1 | 0 |
Vietnam | 1 | 0 |
Total | 187 | 74 |
Gender
Table 7. Proportion of male and female Centre Directors on Proposals for ARC Centres of Excellence 2011
Centre Director | Proposals considered | Proposals approved | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|
Male | 26 | 10 | 38.5% |
Female | 5 | 3 | 60.0% |
*BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EMI = Engineering, Mathematics and Informatics; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; PCE = Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences
National Research Priorities
The Australian Government has identified four National Research Priorities and, within these, 21 National Research Priority goals. A number of Proposals identified multiple National Priority Areas and the information shown below is using the first priority listed.
Table 8. Approved funding for ARC Centres of Excellence 2011 by National Research Priority
| Priority Area | Proposals considered | Proposals approved | Success rate | Approved funds over project life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia | 12 | 3 | 25.0% | $45,700,000 |
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health | 5 | 3 | 60% | $57,950,000 |
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries | 13 | 7 | 53.8% | $152,250,000 |
Safeguarding Australia | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | – |
Total Proposals | 31 | 13 | 41.9% | $255,900,000 |