Twice a year, the Australian Research Council releases a major announcement of grants awarded under its two major competitive grant streams: the Discovery Program and the Linkage Program.
Competitive Funding
In November 2017, a first instalment of 2018 ARC grants delivered more than $332 million, including almost $227 million for Discovery Projects and fellowships for early career researchers. The second major tranche announced in August is providing more than $180 million for 132 new fellowships and collaborative training and research hubs:
$84.7 million over 4 years for 100 Future Fellowships (Discovery Program) supporting mid-career researchers;
$46.4 million over 5 years for 16 Laureate Fellowships (Discovery Program) awarded to researchers of international repute;
$28.9 million over 5 years for 7 Industrial Transformation Training Centres (Linkage Program) that will lead to next generation researchers who are 'industry-ready' and actively engage with end-users; and
$18 million for 4 Industrial Transformation Research Hubs (Linkage Program) undertaking collaborative research between the Australian higher education sector and industry with a focus on outcomes that are not independently realisable.
Laurels for Qld and Vic
Especially the Laureate Fellowships are associated with considerable prestige, being awarded to world-class researchers with established linkages to the international research/industry community. The selection process of Laureate Fellows also considers a capacity to mentor younger researchers.
Laureate Fellowships across states and universities Graph based data from ARC
With a success rate of only 12% in this year's round, it's an extremely competitive scheme which reflects the significant cloud and potential impact associated with these fellowships. It is therefore notable that the 16
fellowships concentrate in just 7 universities, with the University of Queensland taking the lion's share hosting 6 of the new Laureate Fellows.
The other successful universities are:
Curtin University (2);
Macquarie University (1)
Monash University (2);
RMIT University (1);
Swinburne University of Technology (1); and
Melbourne University (2)
Victoria (7) and Queensland (6) were the big winners among the states, while South Australia and Tasmania lost out altogether.
Hubs of collaboration
The funding for 4 new research hubs under the Industrial Transformation scheme will boost energy storage, agriculture and transport infrastructure in Ausralia.
Simplified electrical grid with energy storage image: wikipedia published under CC BY 3.0
Funded with $3.1 million the ARC Research Hub for Integrated Energy Storage Solutions at the University of New South Wales will be led by Professor Zhao Yang Dong, and over a period of five years develop new storage technologies for renewable energies. This will include printed batteries, structural supercapacitors, novel fuel cells and power-to-gas systems to be integrated within existing energy networks.
The overarching objective is to deliver storage devices and storage integration solutions that are cheaper while reducing carbon emissions, and improving efficiency in the energy sector.
The Energy storage sector will also benefit from a $4.4 million investment in a new specialist Training Centre at Deakin University for researchers in the energy industry.
Funded with $5 million the ARC Research Hub for Driving Farming Productivity and Disease Prevention at Griffith University will be led by Professor Yongsheng Gao, and develop technologies to fight disease and reduce the time and the cost of protecting crops and livestock from disease. The new hub plans to advance and transfer new artificial intelligence technologies into industrial deployment with the aim to build more intelligent systems that will contribute to higher farming efficiency, lower production costs and fewer disease risks.
Funded with $5 million the ARC Research Hub for Medicinal Agriculture at LatTrobe University will be led by Professor Tony Bacic, and transform the production of high quality plant-derived therapeutics into an integrated, national industry that spans primary producers and manufacturers.
Funded with $5 million the ARC Research Hub for Smart Next Generation Transport Pavements at Monash University will be led by Professor Jayantha Kodikara, and deliver new material and modelling, smart construction and rehabilitation systems to make road, airport and dockyard pavements adaptable to future transport demands.
New linkages
The agency also awarded 5 new projects under the Linkage Project grant scheme, which since 2016 follow a continuous application process. The grants totalling $2.4 million will leverage a further $6.8 million in cash and in-kind contributions from project partners.
