Linkage Projects

Critical Dates

Linkage Projects applications submitted in 2024 will be assessed by the ARC in two rounds. The key dates for rounds 1 and 2 are provided below:

Linkage Projects 2024 Assessment Round 1
10am Monday 15 April 2024

LP24 Submit review-ready application to RIC & upload NIT statement to RMS

10am Monday 22 April 2024

LP24 Request not to Assess (if applicable) due to RIC

Wednesday 24 April 2024

LP24 Request not to Assess due to ARC  

10am Thursday 2 May 2024

LP24 Final applications due to RIC

Wednesday 8 May 2024

LP24 Final applications due to ARC

10 July 2024–23 July 2024

LP24 Round 1 Rejoinders open and close

Linkage Projects 2024 Assessment Round 2
10am Monday 11 November 2024

LP24 Submit review-ready application to RIC & upload NIT statement to RMS

10am Monday 25 November 2024

LP24 Request not to Assess due to RIC

Wednesday 27 November 2024

LP24 Request not to Assess due to ARC

10am Thursday 5 December 2024

LP24 Final applications due to RIC

Wednesday 11 December 2024

LP24 Final applications due to ARC  

26 February 2025–12 March 2025

LP24 Round 2 Rejoinders open and close

Overview

The Linkage Project scheme supports projects which initiate or develop long-term strategic research alliances to apply advanced knowledge to problems, acquire new knowledge, and provide a basis for securing commercial and other benefits of research.

The scheme aims to:

  • support internationally competitive research projects and teams on challenges or opportunities of relevance to research end-users;
  • foster the establishment and strengthening of research alliances between higher education organisations and research end-users; and
  • enhance the scale and focus of research, including in Australian Government priority areas.

While applications are open continuously, Linkage Project applications made in 2024 will be assessed in two rounds. The relevant dates are listed on the Grants Calendar on the ARC website and under Critical Dates at the top of this page.

Please note that draft applications will carry over in the ARC's Research Management System (RMS) between rounds (i.e., an application started during assessment Round 1 can be submitted in Round 2 without the need to restart the application).

FUNDING

The scheme provides a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $300,000 of funding for each year of the project. The amount requested from the ARC must be at least matched by the cash and in-kind support provided by partner organisations. The cash component of this support must be at least 25 per cent of the funding requested from the ARC. For more information, see Sections 4.3(c,d) and 4.9 of the Grant Guidelines.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The selection criteria and their weightings are as follows:

  • Project quality and innovation: 30%
  • Impact: 20%
  • Investigator(s’) capability and quality of team: 20%
  • Strength of the proposed research alliance: 30%

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to be a Chief Investigator on a Linkage Project applied for in 2024, you must at the grant commencement date (and if successful for the whole project activity period):
a. be an employee for at least 0.2 FTE at an Eligible Organisation; or
b. be a holder of an honorary academic appointment at an Eligible Organisation (as defined by the ARC).

Honorary academic appointment for eligibility purposes means any honorary position that gives full academic status, as certified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or equivalent in the application. The researcher must have access to research support comparable to employees e.g. an emeritus appointment. The researcher is not eligible to be a Chief investigator using their honorary academic appointment if they are employed by an organisation other than an Eligible Organisation for more than 0.2 FTE.

If you you wish to apply as a Chief Investigator and you hold an honorary appointment (with no more than 0.2 FTE paid appointment at an organisation other than an Eligible Organisation), please contact ric-arclinkage@unimelb.edu.au as soon as possible to arrange DVCR certification.

ACTIVE PROJECT ASSESSMENT DATES

The active project assessment date for Linkage Projects applied for in Round 1 2024 will be 1 July 2025.

The active project assessment date for Linkage Projects applied for in Round 2 2024 will be 1 January 2026.

Applicants should review the limits on the number of possible projects and applications in Sections 4.23 - 4.25  of the Grant Guidelines.

OPTIONAL PROPOSAL REVIEW BY AN EXTERNAL CONSULTANT

Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (RIC) engages the services of an external consultant to review ARC Linkage proposals to improve their competitiveness. Please provide the responses to Parts A4, A5, and C1 in one Microsoft Word or pdf document. Alternatively, applicants can download a pdf of the full proposal from the RMS. Applicants should email their draft responses to ric-arclinkage@unimelb.edu.au.

Applicants (especially early career researchers and Linkage Project first-timers) are strongly encouraged to submit their draft as early as possible so there is time for feedback to be provided and incorporated. Refer to Critical Dates for the time frame of the LP24 assessment rounds.

Please note that requesting a review from an external consultant is optional. RIC will still review draft applications before the final due date.

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Research outputs must first be added to an applicant's RMS profile before they can be selected for inclusion on an application. The University's recommended approach is to export research outputs from Elements as a BibTeX file and then import this file into RMS to achieve best data integrity. For help with this process or with Elements, please contact your Faculty Research Office or research-outputs@unimelb.edu.au.

Further resources to assist with managing Research Outputs are available below under Supporting documents > Research Outputs.

REQUEST NOT TO ASSESS

If you have a conflict of interest with a researcher from an external institution, it is possible to request that they not be considered as a detailed assessor for your application. More details about this can be found on the ARC Request Not to Assess webpage.

How to apply

  1. Submit a Notice of Intent (NOI)

    The NOI should be completed early so that the RIC has the CIA's contact details.

  2. Update RMS profile

    Each CI and Partner Investigator (PI) must obtain access to RMS and update their profile information (see RMS information)

  3. Review documentation

    Review the Linkage Project Grant Guidelines and the Instructions to Applicants.

  4. Complete the application

    Log in to RMS and complete the application with all PI sections included.

  5. Upload National Interest Test Statement (NIT) to RMS

    Unless you are an FEIT applicant, it is mandatory to upload your National Interest Test (NIT) Statement to Part A5 in RMS by 15 April for Round 1 and 11 November for Round 2.

    RIC will then provide a copy of the uploaded NIT Statement to your Faculty, who will then review and approve your statement. Once your Faculty has approved your Statement, please update RMS with any applicable changes prior to the final submission deadline.

    It will not be possible to make changes to your statement once Faculty approval has been granted.

    Each Faculty has its own process for administering the review and approval of Statements. Any questions about this process should be directed to your Faculty Research Office.

  6. Submit 'Review ready' application to RIC

    Submit your application by emailing RIC (ric-arclinkage@unimelb.edu.au) before the RIC submission date. Attach a complete review-ready draft application downloaded from RMS as a pdf.

    A review-ready draft application should include the following:

    Part A - Administrative Summary
    Part B -  Participant Details including ROPE (It is especially important that the profile of each CI and PI be complete as the RMS uses these to auto-populate other parts of the application.)
    Part C - Project Description (This can be incomplete, but should include Investigator/Capability and Communication of Results sections)
    Part D - Project Cost
    Part E - Classifications and Other Statistical Information
    Part F - Project Eligibility
    Part G - Partner Organisation Details

  7. Application review

    Two RIC staff members will review the application and provide you with feedback via email.

  8. Complete the application

    After taking feedback from the RIC team into consideration, complete the application in RMS. It is suggested that you also seek advice from colleagues, faculty mentors, etc., before finalising the application.

  9. Submit the UOM Authority to Submit form

    This form should include:

    • A complete compliance and eligibility section
    • The signature of the Head of Department for each CI
    • The signature of the DVCR or CEO (or delegate) for all Participating Organisations

    Electronic signatures are permitted.

    This is an ARC requirement and the application cannot be submitted to ARC until the Authority to Submit is received.

  10. Final submission

    On 2 May for Round 1 and 15 December for Round 2, the applicant must:

    • Email RIC (ric-arclinkage@unimelb.edu.au) a pdf copy of the final application and a scanned, signed Authority to Submit form
    • Submit final application by clicking ‘Submit to Research Office’ in RMS.
  11. RIC will submit the application

    Once the application has been submitted to ARC, you will receive an email from RIC confirming submission.

Supporting documents

ARC Documents and Resources

RIC Documents and Resources

(UoM login required for some of the following documents/links. Please email ric-arclinkage@unimelb.edu.au or your faculty research office if you require copies)

Research Outputs

Seminars

Rejoinders

Note on rejoinders: Assessor comments should only include details on Project Quality and Innovation, Impact, Investigator(s’) capability and quality of team and Strength of the proposed research alliance. Assessors should not be commenting on Eligibility and Compliance. If you identify an assessment that contains inappropriate elements, you can have this reviewed by the ARC. You can do this by completing an ARC Assessment Review Request form within 3 working days after the opening of the Rejoinder period. Please note that applicants should never contact the ARC directly. Always speak to your Faculty or RIC first.

Contacts

Questions and primary email
ric-arclinkage@unimelb.edu.au

Key contacts

Swarna Vijayaraj+61 3 8344 9123
Leah Sullivan+61 3 8344 2012
Carrie Liang+61 3 8344 0440
Joy Ji Liu+61 3 8344 0214
Hugo Branley+61 3 9035 6124