Overview The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme facilitates significant collaboration at scale which enables the complementary resources of universities, other research organisations, governments and businesses, not for profit organisations to support outstanding pure basic, strategic basic and/or applied research in all fields (except medical research). The ARC Centres of Excellence are prestigious focal points of expertise through which high-quality researchers collaboratively maintain and develop Australia’s international standing in research areas of national priority. Selection process Expression of Interest (EOI) applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2026 opened on 13 August 2024 and closed on 18 September 2024. Shortlisted EOI applications were invited to submit full applications, which opened on 14 January 2025 and closed on 3 April 2025. EOI applications and full 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 EOI applications, reviewed assessments made by independent assessors and reviewed applicants’ comments on assessor reports shortlisted EOI applications for submission of full applications assessed full applications, reviewed assessments made by independent assessors and reviewed applicants’ comments on assessor reports interviewed applicants ranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the full application, the assessors’ reports, applicants’ responses to those assessments and interview performance 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 Unless otherwise specified, data presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.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 eligibility criteria for ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria: Assessment criteria and corresponding weights for EOI applications are: a. Research Program - Quality and Innovation (70%) Demonstrate how the Centre will: undertake innovative and transformational research at the leading edge internationally; synergise Australian research strengths and build critical mass with enhanced capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems and advance knowledge; and build high quality national and international networks and research programs to ensure that Australian research is globally connected and has the capacity to work on large-scale problems over longer periods of time. 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). b. Investigators – Capability and Alignment (30%) Demonstrate: how the Centre Director, CIs and PIs have appropriate capability and skills, to conduct and deliver the proposed Research Program, taking into account Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE); the capacity of the Investigators to develop a diverse and inclusive Australian research workforce; and the capability of the Investigators to realise knowledge impact and/or end user impact in the fields aligned to the proposed Research Program. Assessment criteria and corresponding weights for full applications are: a. Research Program - Quality and Innovation (20%) Demonstrate how the Centre will: undertake innovative and transformational research at the leading edge internationally; synergise Australian research strengths and build critical mass with enhanced capacity for interdisciplinary, collaborative approaches to address the most challenging and significant research problems and advance knowledge; and build high quality national and international networks and research programs to ensure that Australian research is globally connected and has the capacity to work on large-scale problems over longer periods of time. 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). b. Investigators – Capability and Alignment (20%) Demonstrate: how the Centre Director, CIs and PIs have appropriate capability and skills, to conduct and deliver the proposed Research Program, taking into account Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE); the capacity of the Investigators to develop a diverse and inclusive Australian research workforce; and the capability of the Investigators to realise knowledge impact and/or end user impact in the fields aligned to the proposed Research Program. c. Governance, Leadership & Institutional Support (20%) Demonstrate: the appropriateness of the organisational structure of the Centre, including: Leadership: The ability and vision of the Centre Director and leadership team, including their capacity for strategic planning and management Roles and responsibilities: the suitability of the governance structure for the management of dispersed teams and the appropriateness of the allocation of roles and their associated reporting arrangements for delivery of Centre objectives Operational organisation: suitability of specified milestones, strategic and research translation plans and design of financial systems for achievement of objectives and delivery of outputs, outcomes and benefits alignment and relevance of draft key performance indicators to the proposed Centre’s objectives, project outputs, outcomes and benefit; and how the combined level of support and commitment from the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations will be sufficient for the proposed Centre. d. Research Environment, Mentoring & Culture (20%) Demonstrate: the quality of the Centre’s plans to promote equity, diversity and inclusion within a supportive and vibrant research environment, including: the development of research and professional skills for research students career development of early and mid-career researchers through the provision of leadership and professional skills training, mentoring, as well as opportunities to lead research projects and supervise research students contribution of the Centre to developing good practice in Responsible Research through appropriate training in research integrity, ethics, reproducibility, open research strategies and data management; and the quality of the Centre’s plans for public engagement and outreach. e. Outcomes and Linkages (20%) Demonstrate that: the proposed research program articulates pathways to knowledge impact that delivers benefit to Australia; partners and end-users are strongly engaged in the proposed research program through clear strategies for knowledge exchange (and co-creation); the supporting organisational arrangements and plans relating to ownership, mobilisation of intellectual property and commercialisation of research are mature; the proposed research program delivers effective outcomes for its requested resources; and the proposed research program will develop high level international linkages to achieve the program’s research, training, and translation and impact outcomes. Assessment process The ARC assessment process for ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 involved 14 Selection Advisory Committee members during the EOI application stage and 15 Selection Advisory Committee members during the full application stage, including 3 Indigenous Advisors at the interview stage. A total of 302 independent assessor reports were submitted to the ARC for EOI applications and 67 for full applications. Funding levels and duration Funding of between $1 million and $5 million per annum for up to 7 consecutive years may be awarded for each ARC Centre of Excellence. Summary of outcomes The ARC received a total of 85 ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 EOI applications and invited 18 shortlisted EOIs to submit full applications. Of the 18 ARC Centres of Excellence full applications submitted, 8 are approved for funding, as shown in Table 1. The overall success rate for ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 is 44%. Of the full applications submitted for ARC Centres of Excellence 2026, none were found not to meet eligibility requirements. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1. Table 1. ARC Centres of Excellence approved for funding commencing in 2026 ARC Centres of Excellence Title Administering Organisation Centre Director Total Allocated Funding ($) ARC Centre of Excellence for Our Future Oceans The University of New South Wales Prof Matthew England 35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for Prisoner Reintegration Flinders University Prof Mark Halsey 35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence in Mathematics for Quantum Era Security and Trust The University of Sydney Prof Nalini Joshi 35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Performance and Integration The University of New South Wales Prof Andrea Morello 35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age Curtin University Prof Sharon Parker 34,847,731 ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Peptide and Protein Engineering The University of Sydney Prof Richard Payne 35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for Transforming Human Origins Research Griffith University Prof Michael Petraglia 35,000,000 ARC Centre of Excellence for Renewable Fuels University of Wollongong Prof Gerhard Swiegers 35,000,000 Table 2. Application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved ARC Centres of Excellence applications from 2023 to 2026 Funding year EOI considered EOI success rate (%) Full applications considered Full applications approved Full application success rate (%) Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($) Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($) Approved funds over project life ($) Allocation as a percentage of request (%) 2023 101 16.8 17 11 64.7 593,993,976 384,905,274 384,905,274 100.0 2026 85 21.2 18 8 44.4 629,774,790 279,847,731 279,847,731 100.0 Outcomes by discipline A summary of outcomes by discipline panel is shown in Table 3. Table 3. Application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 applications Panel* EOI considered EOI success rate (%) Full applications considered Full applications approved Full application success rate (%) Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($) Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($) Funds allocated over project life for approved applications ($) Allocation as a percentage of request (%) BSB 20 10.0 2 0 0.0 69,928,089 0 0 0.0 EIC 21 9.5 2 1 50.0 70,000,000 35,000,000 35,000,000 100.0 HSE 23 26.1 6 3 50.0 209,847,728 104,847,731 104,847,731 100.0 MPCE 21 38.1 8 4 50.0 279,998,973 140,000,000 140,000,000 100.0 Total 85 21.2 18 8 44.4 629,774,790 279,847,731 279,847,731 100.0 *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 18 full applications considered, 8 were approved with total approved funding of $279,847,731 over the life of these projects. There is 243 unique Partner Organisations involved with these projects, and they have pledged a total (cash and in-kind) of $128,886,849. This represents $0.46 from Partner Organisations for every dollar funded by the ARC. Outcomes by Administering Organisation The Administering Organisations of EOI’s and full applications submitted for ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 are shown in Table 4. Table 4. Numbers of EOI applications and full applications, success rates, ARC approved funding and Partner Organisation contributions for approved ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 applications by Administering Organisation Administering Organisation EOI considered EOI success rate (%) Full applications considered Full applications approved Full application success rate (%) Total allocated funding amount ($) Participating organisation* contributions (cash & in-kind for approved applications) ($) Australian Capital Territory 4 25.0 1 0 0.0 0 0 The Australian National University 4 25.0 1 0 0.0 0 0 New South Wales 28 25.0 7 5 71.4 175,000,000 340,647,884 Macquarie University 2 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 The University of New South Wales 8 25.0 2 2 100.0 70,000,000 170,920,293 The University of Sydney 12 33.3 4 2 50.0 70,000,000 132,477,527 University of Technology Sydney 3 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 University of Wollongong 1 100.0 1 1 100.0 35,000,000 37,250,064 Western Sydney University 2 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Queensland 18 11.1 2 1 50.0 35,000,000 50,015,764 Griffith University 3 33.3 1 1 100.0 35,000,000 50,015,764 Queensland University of Technology 6 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 The University of Queensland 9 11.1 1 0 0.0 0 0 South Australia 3 66.7 2 1 50.0 35,000,000 34,115,601 The University of Adelaide 1 100.0 1 0 0.0 0 0 Flinders University 2 50.0 1 1 100.0 35,000,000 34,115,601 Victoria 27 11.1 3 0 0.0 0 0 Deakin University 3 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 La Trobe University 1 100.0 1 0 0.0 0 0 Monash University 11 9.1 1 0 0.0 0 0 RMIT University 1 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Swinburne University of Technology 2 50.0 1 0 0.0 0 0 The University of Melbourne 9 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Western Australia 5 60.0 3 1 33.3 34,847,731 59,760,327 Curtin University 2 50.0 1 1 100.0 34,847,731 59,760,327 The University of Western Australia 3 66.7 2 0 0.0 0 0 Total 85 21.8 18 8 44.4 279,847,731 484,539,576 * Participating Organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations. Outcomes by Australian Government Priorities A summary of outcomes for National Reconstruction Priorities is shown in Table 5. Table 5. Application data by National Reconstruction Priority for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2026 National Reconstruction Priority Instances in submitted applications Instances in approved applications Defence capability 5 4 Enabling capabilities 9 3 Medical science 4 1 Renewables and low emissions technologies 4 2 Transport 1 1 Value-add in resources 4 2 Value-add in agriculture, forestry and fisheries 5 2 Total 32 15 *A single application may select multiple National Reconstruction Priorities A summary of outcomes for Science and Research Priorities is shown in Table 6. Table 6. Application data by Science and Research Priority for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2026 Science and Research Priority Instances in submitted applications Instances in approved applications Building a secure and resilient nation 14 6 Elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems 10 5 Protecting and restoring Australia’s environment 7 3 Supporting healthy and thriving communities 9 3 Transitioning to a net zero future 7 4 Total 47 21 *A single application may select multiple National Science and Research Priorities Field of Research categories Table 7. Application data by Field of Research category for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2026 Field of Research category Applications submitted Applications approved Allocated funding Participating Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications) Biological Sciences 1 0 $0 $0 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences 1 0 $0 $0 Chemical Sciences 3 1 $35,000,000 $91,752,369 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services 1 1 $34,847,731 $59,760,327 Earth Sciences 1 1 $35,000,000 $81,613,845 Engineering 2 1 $35,000,000 $37,250,064 History, Heritage and Archaeology 1 1 $35,000,000 $50,015,764 Human Society 2 1 $35,000,000 $34,115,601 Information and Computing Sciences 1 1 $35,000,000 $40,725,158 Language, Communication and Culture 2 0 $0 $0 Physical Sciences 3 1 $35,000,000 $89,306,448 TOTAL 18 8 $279,847,731 $484,539,576 Partner Organisations Partner Organisations were identified as either Australian, international, government, non-profit, industry or overseas higher education organisations. The Partner Organisation contributions in these categories for applications approved ARC Centres of Excellence for funding in 2026 are shown below in Table 8. Table 8. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2026 Type Cash In-kind Total $ % $ % $ % Industry Body Australian 5,349,000 30.6 34,100,522 30.6 39,449,522 30.6 International 1,081,000 6.2 8,338,504 7.5 9,419,504 7.3 Sub-total 6,430,000 36.7 42,439,026 38.1 48,869,026 37.9 Non-Profit Australian 2,613,383 14.9 8,384,574 7.5 10,997,957 8.5 International 0 0.0 2,312,447 2.1 2,312,447 1.79 Sub-total 2,613,383 14.9 10,697,021 9.6 13,310,404 10.3 Government Australian Federal Government 2,100,000 12.0 16,310,686 14.6 18,410,686 14.3 Australian State, Territory and Local Government 5,325,858 30.4 8,646,772 7.8 13,972,630 10.8 Government 0 0.0 14,637,625 13.1 14,637,625 11.4 Sub-total 7,425,858 42.4 39,595,083 35.5 47,020,941 36.5 Other Other 1,039,565 5.9 6,227,261 5.6 7,266,826 5.6 Sub-total 1,039,565 5.9 6,227,261 5.6 7,266,826 5.6 Education Higher Education International 0 0 12,419,652 11.2 12,419,652 9.6 Sub-total 0 0 12,419,652 11.2 12,419,652 9.6 Total 17,508,806 100 111,378,043 100 128,886,849 100 Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum. Career Age and Gender Of the 395 ARC Centres of Excellence Chief Investigators (CIs) and Centre Directors in this round, 156 were women or females, 234 were men or male, 3 were non-binary and 2 were unspecified, with success rates of 42.3 percent, 43.6 percent, 33.3 per cent and 100 per cent respectively. Success rates of ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 CIs and Centre Directors by career age and gender are presented in Figure 1. CIs or Centre Directors who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or who do not hold a PhD (1.3 per cent) are not represented in the figure below. Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Key Personnel in ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 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 Among 18 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 152 instances of international collaboration with researchers in 76 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, applicants foreshadowed 76 instances of collaboration with researchers in 29 overseas locations (Figure 2). Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved ARC Centres of Excellence 2026 applications *The top 7 international collaboration locations are individually listed in Figure 2 and the remaining are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.