Record low success rate for Australian research grants

Reform of the application process for Australia’s main funding scheme for basic non-medical research has failed to enhance outcomes for early career academics, with just one in six winning grants in the latest round of bids.

Success rates for Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Projects grants have slumped to an all-time low of 16.25 per cent, around five percentage points below average and barely half of the 2005 levels, when almost one-third of submissions secured funding.

Just 421 projects received support this year, down from an average of 740 and a peak of 1,055. The A$220 million (£115 million) overall allocation was the second-lowest in the scheme’s 23-year history.

Application numbers are also at near-record lows, with just 2,590 lodged this year, 25 per cent below average. “Researchers aren’t applying because it’s not worth their time,” tweeted an academic activist known as ARC Tracker. “It’s harder to get funding for basic research projects than ever before in Australia.”

The outcomes have deteriorated despite improvements in the ARC’s processes, after the Labor government vowed to reduce researchers’ paperwork burden, improve transparency and stamp out delays.

The agency broke with tradition by notifying the research community in advance that an announcement of the successful projects was imminent, and by revealing assessment scores for the 2,000-plus unsuccessful applications.

The ARC has also confirmed that it will proceed with a two-stage application process for the upcoming round of the Discovery Projects scheme.

“It will be easier for researchers to apply because the first stage will involve submitting a short expression of interest outlining the research proposal,” explained Christina Twomey, the ARC’s executive director for humanities and creative arts. “The most competitive applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal. Importantly, those not invited to progress further will be provided with their results much sooner.”

However, they will be forced to lodge their applications later, with the opening of the next round delayed from 28 November to 22 January.

ARC chief executive Judi Zielke said the agency’s competitive grants delivered “excellent outcomes”, with every dollar of funds generating A$3.32 in economic output. The grants help “expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability and enhance the scale and focus of research in the Australian government priority areas”, she said.

“Many ARC-funded Discovery Projects also enhance international research collaborations.”

However, the latest round suggests that joint research with China remains in the doldrums. The east Asian giant, until recently one of Australia’s top research partners, was not among the top 10 international collaborators in applications for this year’s Discovery Projects.

The results of this year’s funding round will exacerbate concerns about overall support for research. Australian government investment in research and development is at its lowest level in at least 45 years, while expenditure from all sources – business, government, higher education and the private non-profit sector – is also at record lows.

In a rare bright spot for this year’s Discovery Projects, successful applicants received 80 per cent of the funds they had requested – well above the scheme’s long-term average of 64 per cent.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com