Selection Report: ARC Centres of Excellence for Funding Commencing in 2023

(as at 4 November 2022)

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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.

The ARC Centres of Excellence are prestigious focal points of expertise through which high-quality researchers maintain and develop Australia’s international standing in research areas of national priority.

Through the ARC Centres of Excellence, significant collaborations occur between universities, publicly funded research organisations, other research bodies, governments and businesses in Australia and overseas, all to support outstanding research.

Selection process

Expression of Interest (EOI) applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 opened on 1 June 2021 and closed on 21 July 2021. Shortlisted EOI applications were invited to submit full applications, which opened on 15 December 2021 and closed on 23 March 2022. EOI applications and full applications were submitted through the Australian

Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines recommendations from the ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The funding recommendations are based on advice from a Selection Advisory Committee (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
• recommended application feedback

and advice from the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) Eligibility Committee which:

• considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the SAC or independent assessors.

This report reflects the outcomes approved by the Minister.

Assessment criteria

Assessment criteria and corresponding weights for EOI applications are:

1. Research program - Quality and Innovation (70%)

Demonstrate this through identifying how the Centre:

• addresses the objectives of the ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity;
• will be innovative and potentially transformational, and lead to significant advancement of knowledge, expertise and technologies;
• will build effective collaboration and critical mass across groups of researchers;
• is assembled into an effective and integrated research program (including the proposed conceptual framework, design, human resource commitments, methods and analyses, project structures, budget planning and risk mitigation strategies); and
• will build effective and high quality national and international partnerships, exchanges and networks.
• If the project involves research pertaining to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities describe:
• the strategies for enabling collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor);
• any existing or developing, supportive and high-quality relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities; and
• any personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research.

2. Investigators (30%)

Demonstrate this through identifying:

• the contribution of the Centre Director, CIs and PIs to the proposed research program and their demonstration of appropriate capability, capacity and commitment to the Centre; and
• the extent to which the investigators are suitable and relevant to the conduct and delivery of the proposed research program, giving consideration to Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE).

Assessment criteria and corresponding weights for full applications are:

1. Research program - Quality and Innovation (20%)

Demonstrate this through identifying how the Centre:

addresses the objectives of the ARC Centres of Excellence grant opportunity;

• will be innovative and potentially transformational, and lead to significant advancement of knowledge, expertise and technologies;
• will build effective collaboration and critical mass across groups of researchers;
• is assembled into an effective and integrated research program (including the proposed conceptual framework, design, human resource commitments, methods and analyses, project structures, budget planning and risk mitigation strategies); and
• will build effective and high quality national and international partnerships, exchanges and networks.
• If the project involves research pertaining to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities describe:
• the strategies for enabling collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor);
• any existing or developing, supportive and high-quality relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities; and
• any personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research.

2. Investigators (20%)

Demonstrate this through identifying:

• the contribution of the Centre Director, CIs and PIs to the proposed research program and their demonstration of appropriate capability, capacity and commitment to the Centre; and
• the extent to which the investigators are suitable and relevant to the conduct and delivery of the proposed research program, giving consideration to Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE).

3. Institutional Support (20%)

Demonstrate this through identifying:

• the extent to which the Centre is aligned with the research focus and strategic direction of the Administering Organisation; 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.

4. Governance, leadership and mentoring (20%)

Demonstrate this through identifying:

• the appropriateness of the organisational structure of the Centre, including:
  • proposed management arrangements and responsibilities (including management of dispersed and diverse teams and reporting arrangements both internally and externally)
  • financial systems, strategic and translation plans, milestones for achievement of objectives and delivery of outputs, outcomes and benefits, and draft Key Performance Indicators
• the relevance of the performance measures listed in the application to the proposed Centre’s objectives, project outputs, outcomes and benefits, and their appropriateness for assessing the Centre’s performance;
• the leadership ability and vision of the Centre Director and leadership team including their capacity to perform the responsibilities of the role including strategic planning and management;
• the contribution of the Centre to research training and mentoring at the Honours, postgraduate and postdoctoral level; and
• the contribution of the Centre’s education and engagement programs to professional development, ethical and technical training, and outreach.

5. Outcomes and linkages (20%)

Demonstrate this through identifying the:

• proposed research program articulates the path to Research Impact of the proposed research program in terms of delivering benefit to Australia;
• links with Australian researchers in universities, other research organisations, industry and strategic agencies that will facilitate collaboration in, and application of the outcomes of, the proposed research program;
• partners and end-users which will be involved in the translation of outcomes arising from the proposed research program;
• plans and strategies in place for translation of research outcomes including: knowledge transfer, knowledge application, and if applicable, technology transfer, including fostering a culture of innovation, focus on outcomes and Centre legacy;
• supporting organisational arrangements and plans in place relating to ownership and potential exploitation of intellectual property and/or utilisation or commercialisation of research (where appropriate);
• proposed research program expands Australia’s knowledge base and research capability and enhance Australia’s international reputation and competitiveness;
• proposed research program makes a significant contribution to one or more of the Science and Research Priorities;
• proposed research program delivers effective outcomes commensurate with the request for appropriate resources (value for money);
• proposed Centre involves partners and end-users in development of strategic and translation plans and proposed Centre governance; and
• proposed Centre develops and enhances high-level international linkages to benefit the research, training and translation of program outcomes.

Assessment process

The ARC Centres of Excellence assessment and reporting process for ARC Centres of Excellence is managed through RMS and used a panel of 18 SAC members during the EOI

application phase and 17 SAC members during the full application phase. A total of 261 independent assessor reports were submitted to the ARC for EOI applications and 50 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 101 EOI applications and invited 17 EOIs to submit full applications. Of the 17 ARC Centres of Excellence full applications submitted, 11 are approved for funding.

As shown in Table 1, the overall success rate was 64.7%, which is a higher success rate than that of the previous ARC Centres of Excellence 2020 round.

Table 1. Number of EOI applications, full applications and success rates by discipline for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023

Discipline*	EOI applications considered	EOI applications shortlisted †	EOI application success rate (%)	Full applications considered †	Full applications approved	Full application success rate (%)
BSB	28	5	14.3	4	1	25.0
EIC	18	4	22.2	2	1	50.0
HCA	11	2	18.2	1	1	100.0
MPCE	24	4	16.7	6	6	100.0
SBE	20	3	15	4	2	50.0
Total	101	17	16.8	17	11	64.7

*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 Economics Sciences

† Field of Research (FoR) codes used to determine discipline panels changed to the new ABS classification between the closing of the EOI application stage and the opening of the full application stage. Therefore, some full applications were assigned to a different discipline panel than that assigned for the shortlisted EOI application.

Approved ARC Centres of Excellence for funding

Table 2 lists summary information on the approved ARC Centres of Excellence applications commencing in 2023.

Table 2. Details of approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023

ARC Centre of Excellence Title	Administering Organisation	Centre Director	Approved funds over project life
ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures	James Cook University	Professor Sean Ulm	$35,000,000
ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women	Monash University	Professor Jacqui True	$34,999,990
ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century	Monash University	Professor Christian Jakob	$35,000,000
ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science	RMIT University	Professor Arnan Mitchell	$34,948,820
ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery of Technology	Swinburne University	Professor Matthew Bailes	$35,000,000
ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space	The University of Adelaide	Professor Matthew Gilliham	$35,000,000
ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems	The University of Melbourne	Professor Michael Stumpf	$35,000,000
ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation	The University of New South Wales	Professor Liming Dai	$35,000,000
ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of Carbon Dioxide	The University of Queensland	Professor Xiwang Zhang	$34,956,464
ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures	The University of Queensland	Professor Brendan Hokowhitu	$35,000,000
ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology	The University of Queensland	Professor Warwick Bowen	$35,000,000

Selection outcomes by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisations in 7 Australian States and Territories submitted applications for ARC Centres of Excellence. In addition to ARC funding, significant contributions are made by participating organisations as shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Numbers of EOI applications and full applications, success rates and ARC approved funding by Administering Organisation for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023

Administering Organisation	EOI applications considered	EOI applications shortlisted	EOI application 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	3	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
The Australian National University	3	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
New South Wales	31	4	12.9	4	1	25.00	$35,000,000	$42,575,848
Australian Catholic University	1	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
Macquarie University	2	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
The University of New South Wales	11	2	18.2	2	1	50.0	$35,000,000	$42,575,848
The University of Newcastle	3	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
The University of Sydney	11	1	9.1	1	0	0.0	$0	$0
University of Technology, Sydney	1	1	100.0	1	0	0.0	$0	$0
Western Sydney University	2	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
Queensland	17	4	23.3	4	4	100.0	$139,956,464	$185,189,56
James Cook University	2	1	50.0	1	1	100.0	$35,000,000	$54,070,197
Queensland University of Technology	7	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
The University of Queensland	8	3	37.5	3	3	100.0	$104,956,464	$131,119,372
South Australia	10	1	10.0	1	1	100.0	$35,000,000	$53,450,715
The University of Adelaide	7	1	14.3	1	1	100.0	$35,000,000	$53,450,715
Flinders University	1	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
University of South Australia	2	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
Tasmania	1	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
University of Tasmania	1	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
Victoria	36	7	19.4	7	5	71.4	$174,948,810	$398,569,916
Deakin University	4	1	25.0	1	0	0.0	$0	$0
La Trobe University	1	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
Monash University	10	3	30.0	3	2	66.7	$69,999,990	$78,693,634
RMIT University	2	1	50.0	1	1	100.0	$34,948,820	$37,278,565
Swinburne University of Technology	1	1	100.0	1	1	100.0	$35,000,000	$236,174,241
The University of Melbourne	18	1	5.6	1	1	100.0	$35,000,000	$46,423,476
Western Australia	3	1	33.3	1	0	0.0	$0	$0
Curtin University	2	1	50.0	1	0	0.0	$0	$0
The University of Western Sydney	1	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	-	-
Total	101	17	16.8	17	11	64.7	$384,905,274	$679,786,048

* Participating Organisations include the Administering Organisation, Other Eligible Organisations and Partner Organisations.

Participating organisation contributions by organisation type

As shown in Table 4, contributions to ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 from Partner Organisations total over $304 million, 45% of the total organisation contributions to successful ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023.

Table 4. Participating organisation contributions by organisation type for approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023

Organisation type	Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)
Administering Organisation	$147,238,596
Other Eligible Organisation	$227,897,390
Partner Organisation	$304,650,062
Total	$679,786,048

Partner Organisation contributions by sector

Partner Organisations were identified as either Australian, international, government, non-profit, industry or overseas higher education organisations.

Leverage of ARC funding

Of the 17 full applications considered, 11 are approved, with total approved funding over the life of these projects of $384,905,274. There are 221 Partner Organisations involved, committing a total of $304,650,062 in cash and in-kind funding. This represents $0.79 from Partner Organisations for every dollar of funding from the ARC.

The Partner Organisation contributions in these categories for applications approved for funding in 2023 are shown below in Table 5.

Table 5. Partner Organisation contributions by sector for approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023

Type		Cash		In-kind		Total
		$	%	$	%	$	%
Industry Body
Australian		$5,765,000	35.28	$14,040,798	4.87	$19,805,798	6.50
International		$1,792,500	10.97	$15,144,418	5.25	$16,936,918	5.56
	Sub-total	$7,557,500	46.25	$29,185,216	10.12	$36,742,716	12.06
Non-Profit
Australian		$2,350,000	14.38	$12,628,665	4.38	$14,978,665	4.92
International		$0	0.00	$904,022	0.31	$904,022	0.30
	Sub-total	$2,350,000	14.38	$13,532,687	4.69	$15,882,687	5.22
Government
Australian Federal Government		$3,347,500	20.48	$46,140,475	16.00	$49,487,975	16.24
Australian state, territory and local government		$2,497,000	15.28	$7,262,218	2.52	$9,759,218	3.20
International government		$0	0.00	$4,369,778	1.52	$4,369,778	1.43
	Sub-total	$5,844,500	35.76	$57,772,471	20.04	$63,616,971	20.87
Other
Other		$206,000	1.26	$12,480,135	4.33	$12,686,135	4.16
	Sub-total	$206,000	1.26	$12,480,135	4.33	$12,686,135	4.16
Education
International higher education		$385,000	2.36	$175,336,553	60.82	$175,721,553	57.68
	Sub-total	$385,000	2.36	$175,336,553	60.82	$175,721,553	57.68
	Total	$16,343,000	100.00	$288,307,062	100.00	$304,650,062	100.00

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

Science and Research Priorities

As shown in Table 6, all applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023 selected a Science and Research Priority.

Table 6. Application data and approved funding by Science and Research Priority for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023

Science and Research Priority	Applications submitted	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Approved funding
Advanced manufacturing	6	5	83.3	$174,905,284
Energy	1	1	100.0	$35,000,000
Environmental change	2	2	100.0	$70,000,000
Food	2	1	50.0	$35,000,000
Health	5	2	40.0	$69,999,990
Soil and water	1	0	-	-
Total	17	11	64.7	$384,905,274
Total within Science and Research Priorities	17	11	64.7	$384,905,274
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)	100.0	100.0	-	100.0

Field of Research categories

Table 7. Application data by Field of Research category for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023

Field of Research category	Applications submitted	Applications approved	Approved funding	Participating Organisation contributions (cash & in-kind) over project life (approved applications)
Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences	1	0	-	-
Biological Sciences	2	1	$35,000,000	$53,450,715
Chemical Sciences	1	1	$34,956,464	$42,929,784
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services	1	0	-	-
Earth Sciences	1	1	$35,000,000	$44,089,597
Engineering	1	1	$35,000,000	$42,575,848
Environmental Sciences	1	0	-	-
Human Society	1	1	$34,999,990	$34,604,037
Indigenous Studies	2	2	$70,000,000	$83,337,040
Information and Computing Sciences	1	0	-	-
Mathematical Sciences	1	1	$35,000,000	$46,423,476
Physical Sciences	3	3	$104,948,820	$332,375,551
Psychology	1	0	-	-
TOTAL	17	11	$384,905,274	$679,786,048

Gender

A total of 584 participants were named on applications considered in this round. Of these, 344 (58.9%) are male, 235 (40.2%) are female, and five (0.9%) chose not to specify.

Of the 381 participants named on the 11 approved applications:

• 155 participants are female (40.7%), including one Centre Director
• 224 participants are male (58.8%), including 10 Centre Directors
• two participants are unspecified (0.5%).

International collaboration

International collaboration is an important component of ARC Centres of Excellence. As shown in Table 9, there are 69 instances where a total of 27 countries are participating in the approved applications for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023.

Table 9. International collaboration by country for ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2023

Country	Number of instances for submitted applications with international collaboration	Number of instances for approved applications with international collaboration
Austria	2	2
Canada	7	6
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)	1	0
Denmark	4	2
England	11	7
Fiji	1	1
Finland	1	0
France	5	4
Germany	11	7
India	2	1
Indonesia	1	1
Ireland	2	0
Italy	2	1
Japan	5	2
Korea, Republic of (South)	2	2
Malaysia	1	0
Netherlands	4	1
New Zealand	3	3
Norway	2	1
Papua New Guinea	2	2
Philippines	1	1
Samoa	1	1
Saudi Arabia	1	0
Scotland	4	2
Singapore	3	2
South Africa	1	1
Spain	3	1
Sweden	3	1
Switzerland	5	4
Thailand	1	1
United States of America	17	11
Vietnam	1	1
Wales	1	0
Total	111	69