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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF)

Fact Sheet (PDF 254KB)

For information on recently announced grant outcomes under the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme please visit the following pages: 

The Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) scheme provides funding to eligible organisations for research infrastructure, equipment and facilities.

Under this scheme researchers participate in cooperative initiatives so that expensive research infrastructure, equipment and facilities can be shared between higher education organisations and industry.

The scheme fosters collaboration through its support of the cooperative use of international or national research facilities.

Applicants may seek funding for:

  • infrastructure, equipment and facility purchases, construction and installation
  • salaries directly associated with creating and installing infrastructure, equipment or facilities
  •  leasing of infrastructure, equipment or facilities
  • consortium membership costs, in the case of Australia's participation in the use of significant international-scale or national research facilities
  • specialised computing facilities and software
  • compilations, catalogues, clearing houses or bibliographies.

Objectives

The objectives of the LIEF scheme are to:

  • support excellent pure basic, strategic basic and applied research and research training, across all disciplines excluding clinical and other medical research, through the acquisition (purchase, upgrade, construction, transportation, installation, and/or maintenance) of research equipment and infrastructure and access to national and international research facilities;
  • 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;
  • enhance the scale and focus of research in areas of existing and/or emerging research strength; and
  • expand the availability of research infrastructure for the broader research community.

An application for funding under the LIEF scheme can be submitted once per year.

Who is this for?

This scheme is intended to support researchers from higher education organisations and industry to gain access to the infrastructure, equipment and facilities that they need to carry out their research. The scheme provides funding to eligible organisations to purchase, construct or access expensive research infrastructure. 

How do I apply?

University Research Offices manage applications for any ARC scheme. Interested researchers should contact the relevant Research Office who will assist in preparing and submitting an application through the ARC’s Research Management System.

How do I find out more?

The Grant Guidelines provide further detail on the schemes, including eligibility requirements and assessment criteria. These are published on Grant Connect.

Opening and closing dates are listed on the ARC Grants Calendar.

If you are an applicant and have any queries about this scheme please contact a university research office in the first instance.

Key Documents and Information for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities 2026

Australian Government Investment into Research Infrastructure

Quality research infrastructure is a critical component of Australia’s research and development system. The Australian Government provides a variety of funding for research infrastructure necessary to deliver high quality research and innovation outcomes, to improve national wellbeing, and to enable Australian researchers to address key national and global challenges.

In most cases Government funding requires that the funded infrastructure be operated in a collaborative manner and made accessible to all researchers.

In addition to the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) scheme, the Australian Government funds research infrastructure projects across Australia through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). The NHMRC has provided infrastructure support grants through the Independent Research Institute Infrastructure Support grants and Equipment Grants.

The Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) Scheme

The ARC’s LIEF scheme provides funding for research infrastructure, equipment and facilities to eligible organisations.

LIEF funding recipients are required to plan for the use of the proposed research infrastructure, including proposed arrangements for broader access to individuals not named on the funded LIEF application, and the alignment of this planned use with other similar existing infrastructure within Australia and/or internationally. 

LIEF Register 

The LIEF Register summarises the infrastructure, equipment and facilities which have been funded under the LIEF scheme.  The register will aid researchers interested in requesting funding under the LIEF scheme to prevent duplicative applications by identifying any already existing infrastructure, and will facilitate the coordination of access to equipment through direct contact with the relevant organisation.

Researchers who are interested in applying for funding under the LIEF scheme for new infrastructure should first refer to the LIEF Register to ascertain whether the infrastructure is warranted, either due to non-existence or non-availability.

Researchers interested in obtaining access to specific existing infrastructure should contact the relevant organisation directly.

To assist researchers in identifying infrastructure, equipment and facilities funded by other Government agencies, links to other initiatives are provided below.*

The Department of Education Infrastructure initiatives

Through the Department of Education, the Australian Government provides funding to deliver world-class research infrastructure of national significance, through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

A list of NCRIS-funded projects is available on the Department of Education. 

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Infrastructure Support and Equipment Grants

To build Australia’s future capability for research and translation and to support the infrastructure required to complete health and medical research in Australia, the NHMRC has provided infrastructure support grants through:

  • the Independent Research Institute Infrastructure Support grants, available on the GrantConnect website.
  • the Equipment Grants, available on the GrantConnect website.

*Please note that the ARC does not maintain the content of these websites and cannot verify the accuracy or completeness therein. Interested parties are recommended to contact each responsible agency/organisation to confirm any information.

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