Appendix 2: National Competitive Grants Programme, Discovery

This appendix provides additional information to support the performance data for the Discovery programme provided in Chapter 4.

Discovery funding schemes

Table A2.1: Discovery, funding schemes

Scheme	Description
Australian Laureate Fellowships
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2009
Frequency	Annual
Description	The Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme is aimed at attracting and retaining outstanding researchers in Australia. The scheme provides fellows with project funding in addition to a salary supplement and salary-related (on-cost) support.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2012
Frequency	Annual
Description	The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award scheme is aimed at supporting early career researchers.
Discovery Indigenous
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2002 (Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development); funding commencing in 2012 (Discovery Indigenous)
Frequency	Annual
Description	The Discovery Indigenous scheme supports the development of Indigenous researchers' skills and expertise.
Discovery Projects
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2002
Frequency	Annual
Description	The Discovery Projects scheme provides funding for research projects undertaken by excellent individual researchers and research teams.
Future Fellowships
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2009
Frequency	Annual
Description	The Future Fellowships scheme is aimed at supporting mid-career researchers.

Discovery grant statistics

Table A2.2: Discovery, funding commencing in 2012–13 to 2014–15

Scheme	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
Australian Laureate Fellowships	2012	2013	2014
Number of proposals	108	112	90
Number of awards	17	17	16
Total funding ($)	46,654,655	47,432,835	42,151,524
Success rate (%)	15.7	15.2	17.8
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award	2013	2014	2015
Number of proposals	1281	1468	1394
Number of awards	200	200	200
Total funding ($)	72,321,876	75,7892,32	70,567,494
Success rate (%)	15.6	13.6	14.3
Discovery Indigenous	2013	2014	2015
Number of proposals	32	26	32
Number of awards	10	10	10
Total funding ($)	4,320,000	4,886,142	4,392,609
Success rate (%)	31.3	38.5	31.3
Discovery Projects	2013	2014	2015
Number of proposals	3425	3534	3689
Number of awards	732	703	665
Total funding ($)	253,982,000	257,632,541	250,044,435
Success rate (%)	21.4	19.9	18.0
Future Fellowships	2012	2013	2014
Number of proposals	603	1234	830
Number of awards	209	201	150
Total funding ($)	151,559,267	152,292,682	114,919,482
Success rate (%)	34.7	16.3	18.1

Additional Discovery performance data

Table A2.3: Discovery programme, number of research outputs, funding commencing in 2008 to 2010⁽¹⁾

Outputs	2008	2009	2010
Academic outputs
Books and book chapters	1116	1362	633
Journal articles	8419	8385	4848
Conference publications	5518	3650	1802
Other	903	485	132
Total	15,956	13,882	7415
Commercialisation outputs
Invention disclosures	39	23	24
Licences executed	5	8	7
Patents filed	74	76	39
Patents pending	29	32	35
Plant breeder rights	1	7	0
Start-up companies	6	11	6
Total	154	157	111
Number of final reports	819	835	611

Note

(1) Outputs arising from research projects funded under the Discovery programme for which final reports had been submitted to the ARC as at 30 June 2015.

Table A2.4: Discovery Projects scheme, number of research personnel outputs, funding commencing in 2010⁽¹⁾

Personnel	2010
Research
PhD students receiving stipends and research support	222
Masters students receiving stipends and research support	20
PhD students receiving research support but not stipends	858
Masters students receiving research support but not stipends	198
Honours students receiving research support but not stipends	762
Overseas PhD students involved in the project	375
Overseas research Masters students involved in the project	105
Overseas Honours students involved in the project	134
Early career researchers (excluding those named in the application)	616
Other employed personnel
Research associates/assistants funded (full-time)	314
Research associates/assistants funded (part-time)	722
Professional and/or technical officers	187
Industry partner employees	13
Other personnel involved	388
Number of final reports	591
Total number of research projects awarded funding	925

Note

(1) Research personnel on projects funded under the Discovery Projects scheme for which final reports had been submitted to the ARC as at 30 June 2015.