Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Announces Successful ARC Discovery, Linkage and Indigenous Researchers Development Grants. (October 26, 2009)

The Executive Director, Bradley Smith, of the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS) has provided the following summary of the Australian Research Council's (ARC) Discovery and Linking Grants awarded for 2010.

A snapshot of Discovery Grants shows

• Average project duration has increased from 3/18 year in 2006 to 3.3 years in 2010

• Average first year funding decreased from $116,055 in 2009 to $109,179 in 2010

• There were 4085 proposals (down from 4164 in 2009)

• Success rates were 22.7% up from 20.4% in 2009 (but lower than 24.5% in 2006).

• There were 925 projects funded – up from 845 in 2009

• Success rates for Biological sciences was 22%; Engineering & Env sciences 23.2%; Humanities and Creative arts $24.9%; Maths, Info and Comms 21.6%; Physics, Chem & Earth 22.5% and Soc & Behavioural 22.5%

• Average funding per grants was 62.9% of funds requested up from 55% last year (perhaps suggesting more ‘realistic’ funding requests)

• 90.7% were identified as addressing a National Research Priority

• Success rates for ECR proposals was 15.5% (with success rates ranging from 11.4% in Humanities to 19.6% in Biology)

• success rates for proposals including al least one ECR was 19.9% (including ECR only)

• success rates by gender - women 21.2% men 25.3% (women were 24.5% of applicants)
  

A snapshot of Linkage Grants shows

• Success rates for round 1 2010 were 44.9% (ranging from 42.7% for biology to 54.2% for Physics, Chem and earth) which is within the range of 42.9% - 49.4% of the past 3 years

• Average allocation in year 1 is $104.265 up from $96.131 in 2007 (but assume about 3% CPI and it is essentially static in real terms)

• Average project life allocation was 70.6% of request which is marginally up on the previous 3 rounds (at about 68%)

• Total ARC funding over life of projects is $66.8m and leveraged funding from other organisations/firms is $121.3m (a leverage ratio of 1.8 which is same as last round and trending up from 1.3 or 1.4 5 years ago.
  

For more details see:

Discovery

http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/dp/dp_outcomes.htm

Linkage

http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/lp/LP10_rd1_selrpt.htm