Appendix 3: National Competitive Grants Programme, Linkage

This appendix provides additional information to support the performance data for the Linkage programme provided in Chapter 5.

Linkage funding schemes

Table A3.1: Linkage, funding schemes

Scheme	Description
ARC Centres of Excellence
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2003
Frequency	Periodic
Description	The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme is aimed at building critical mass in areas of research priority. Funding of between $1 million and $4 million per annum for up to seven years may be awarded for each ARC Centre of Excellence.
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2012
Frequency	Periodic
Description	The Industrial Transformation Research Hubs scheme supports collaborative research activity between the Australian higher education sector and industry.
Industrial Transformation Training Centres
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2013
Frequency	Annual
Description	The Industrial Transformation Training Centres scheme fosters close partnerships between university-based researchers and other research end-users to provide innovative higher degree by research and postdoctoral training for the end-user focused research industries vital to Australia's future.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2002
Frequency	Annual
Description	The Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme encourages institutions to develop collaborative organisational arrangements to support research infrastructure.
Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2002
Frequency	Every three years
Description	The Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects scheme funds the Australian Council of Learned Academies and the Learned Academies to undertake research projects.
Linkage Projects
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2002
Frequency	Annual (previously twice per year until 2012)
Description	The Linkage Projects scheme supports collaborative research and research training between universities and partner organisations.
Special Research Initiatives
First selection round	Funding commencing in 2002
Frequency	As required
Description	Under the Special Research Initiatives scheme, the ARC identifies new or emerging areas of research for funding. Applications for funding may be submitted only when invited by the ARC by means of a call for proposal(s).

Linkage grant statistics

Table A3.2: Linkage, funding commencing in 2012–13 to 2014–15

Scheme	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
ARC Centres of Excellence¹	2013	2014	2015
Number of proposals	n/a	103	n/a
Number of awards	n/a	12	n/a
Total funding ($)	n/a	284,999,996	n/a
Success rate (%)	n/a	11.7	n/a
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs	2012	2013	2014
Number of proposals	12	21	15
Number of awards	4	10	4
Total funding ($)	14,500,000	34,619,005	18,681,869
Success rate (%)	33.3	47.6	26.7
Industrial Transformation Training Centres	2013	2014	2015
Number of proposals	13	13	17
Number of awards	4	7	5
Total funding ($)	9,300,204	15,667,347	20,895,677
Success rate (%)	30.8	54.0	29.4
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities	2013	2014	2015
Number of proposals	169	148	159
Number of awards	72	63	66
Total funding ($)	29,025,000	31,982,047	28,995,463
Success rate (%)	42.6	42.6	41.5
Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects	2013	2014	2015
Number of proposals	n/a	5	n/a
Number of awards	n/a	2	n/a
Total funding ($)	n/a	834,160	n/a
Success rate (%)	n/a	40.0	n/a
Linkage Projects²	2012 (rd 2 only)	2013	2014
Number of proposals	504	785	699
Number of awards	185	306	251
Total funding ($)	58,404,739	101,809,345	88,154,841
Success rate (%)	36.7	39.0	35.9
Special Research Initiatives³	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
Number of proposals	4	2	1
Number of awards	2	2	1
Total funding ($)	19,198,392	77,000,000	24,000,000

Notes

n/a not applicable

1 The ARC Centres of Excellence scheme includes a preliminary expression of interest (EOI) stage. The number of proposals recorded in Table A3.2 is the number of EOIs received for consideration in each selection round.

2 The Linkage Projects scheme was restructured in 2012 following the introduction of the Industrial Transformation Research Programme and now has only one selection round each year (for funding commencing on 1 July). Prior to and including 2012, two selection rounds were conducted each year under the Linkage Projects scheme. As a result 2012–13 only includes Linkage Projects for funding commencing in 2012 (round 2); and 2013 is the first year in which only one selection round was conducted.

3 Special Research Initiatives includes: the Special Research Initiative for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Researchers' Network (funding commencing in July 2012); the Special Research Initiative for a Science of Learning Research Centre (funding commencing in December 2012); the Special Research Initiative for Tropical Health and Medicine (funding commencing in 2014); the Special Research Initiative for Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes (funding commencing in 2014) and the Special Research Initiative for Antarctic Gateway Partnership (funding commencing in 2014).

Additional Linkage performance data

Table A3.3: Linkage programme, number of research outputs, funding commencing in 2008 to 2010⁽¹⁾

Outputs	2008	2009	2010
Academic outputs
Books and book chapters	368	315	164
Journal articles	2654	2185	1371
Conference publications	2103	1760	803
Other	1509	269	106
Total	6634	4529	2444
Commercialisation outputs
Invention disclosures	16	14	16
Licences executed	36	5	3
Patents filed	19	33	19
Patents pending	10	11	13
Patents unknown	1	0	2
Plant breeder rights	4	1	3
Start-up companies	12	9	5
Total	86	73	61
Number of final reports	469	409	245

Note

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

Table A3.4: ARC Centres of Excellence, number of research outputs, 2014

Outputs	2011 Centres	2014 Centres
Research
Books	27	7
Book chapters	130	35
Journal articles (articles in scholarly refereed journal)	1558	840
Journal articles (other)	123	11
Unpublished reports	25	17
Major reviews	5	18
Conference publications	1442	414
Audio-visual recording	48	2
Computer software	16	4
Patents filed	5	4
Patents pending	18	0
Creative works	1	0
Exhibition curatorship	1	0
Collaboration
Number of national collaborating institutions (average per centre)	17	10
Number of international collaborating institutions (average per centre)	64	38
Number of countries involved in collaboration (average per centre)	20	13
Number of countries from which international visitors originated (average per centre)	16	8
Number of international visitors (average per centre)	65	23
Number of overseas visits by Centre personnel (average per centre)	94	31
Training
Number of PhD students graduated	110	36
Number of Masters students graduated	35	20
Number of Honours students graduated	127	24
Number of PhD students enrolled	698	341
Number of Masters students enrolled	76	51
Number of Honours students enrolled	158	49
Number of early career researchers (within 5 years of PhD completion)	350	122
Training programmes/teaching packages conducted	179	87
Number of Centres	11	13

Table A3.5: Linkage Projects scheme, number of research personnel outputs, funding commencing in 2010⁽¹⁾

Personnel	2010
Research
PhD students receiving stipends and research support	84
Masters students receiving stipends and research support	4
PhD students receiving research support but not stipends	139
Masters students receiving research support but not stipends	42
Honours students receiving research support but not stipends	173
Overseas PhD students involved in the project	57
Overseas research Masters students involved in the project	28
Overseas Honours students involved in the project	22
Early career researchers (excluding those named in the application)	157
Other employed personnel
Research associates/assistants funded (full-time)	117
Research associates/assistants funded (part-time)	232
Professional and/or technical officers	71
Industry partner employees	194
Other personnel involved	115
Number of final reports	183
Total number of research projects awarded funding	429

Note

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