The 2019 round of ARC Linkage Projects grants from awarded $78 million to 175 collaborative partnerships between researchers and other parts of the economy.
The ARC has published a summary analysis of the 2019 application round, with the last 77 Linkage Projects announced by Education Minister Dan Tehan in May.
While Engineering was the by far most frequent field of research, accounting for 14 of the approved projects, the Linkage Projects scheme is providing support across the breadth of Australian research. This is highlighted by a project led by the University of New South Wales that aims to develop a framework for a just transitioning strategy to zero emissions in rural Australia.
Another example is a proposal by Associate Professor Jennifer Biddle, also from the University of New South Wales, will study Indigenous culture by developing a long-term research partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders, including the Indigenous dance company TRACKS.
Successful proposals were selected at a success rate of 41 per cent, and spread relative to the size of their population fairly evenly across the larger states (7-8 grants per million residents. However, while South Australia was comparably successful, Western Australia and Tasmania received only around half the number of grants (4 grants per million residents).
The University of Queensland was with 26 funded projects the most successful university, followed by the University of New South Wales with 21 funded projects.
Linkage Projects are a major avenue for Australian academics to work with partners in other sectors towards outcomes that often have commercial or defined community benefits. Applications to the scheme can be made throughout the year, with awarded grants ranging between 50,000 and 300,000 per year for up to five years.