Linkage Projects

The Linkage Project (LP) 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:

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

Draft applications will carry over in the ARC's Research Management System (RMS) between rounds (ie, an application started but not submitted for assessment during Round 1 can be submitted in Round 2).

Funding

The scheme provides a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $300,000 of funding for each year of the project. Projects can be 2 to 5 years long. 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:

Eligibility

To be eligible to be a Chief Investigator (CI) on a Linkage Project applied for in 2024, you must at the grant commencement date (and, if successful, for the whole project activity period):

For eligibility purposes, honorary academic appointment means any unpaid position with full academic status. You must have access to research support comparable to employees, eg an emeritus appointment. You are not eligible to be a CI using your honorary academic appointment if you are also employed by another organisation at 0.2 FTE or more.

All honorary appointments must be certified by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) (DVC-R) or equivalent before application

If you wish to apply as a CI and you believe you have an honorary appointment that satisfies this definition, please contact ric-arclinkage@unimelb.edu.au as soon as possible to arrange certification.

Active project assessment date

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

You should review the limits on the number of possible projects and applications in Section 4.23-25 of the Grant Guidelines.

Research outputs

Research outputs must first be added to your RMS profile before they can be selected for inclusion on an application. To keep bibliographical data organised, we recommend exporting research outputs from Elements as a BibTeX file and then importing this file into RMS. 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.

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 can be found on the ARC Request Not to Assess webpage.

How to apply

1. Submit a Notice of Intent

2. Update RMS profile

3. Review documentation

4. Complete the application

5. Reach out if you encounter issues

6. Upload National Interest Test Statement to RMS

7. Submit your application to RIC for review

Email RIC (ric-arclinkage@unimelb.edu.au) before 21 August (for Round 2) to request a review of your application. Attach a complete draft application downloaded from RMS as a pdf. A review-ready draft application should include the following:

8. Complete the application

9. Submit the UOM Authority to Submit form

Electronic signatures are permitted.

This is an ARC requirement. Your application cannot be submitted to ARC until we receive your Authority to Submit form.

10. Submit to research office

11. RIC will submit the application

Supporting documents

ARC Documents and Resources

The ARC has made some minor changes to the grant guidelines since the first round of 2024. They have provided a summary of these changes.

RIC Documents and Resources

(UoM login required)

Research Outputs

Seminars

Recordings of past seminars (UoM login required)

Rejoinders

Note on rejoinders: Assessor comments should only address the assessment criteria: project quality and innovation, investigator(s’) capability and quality of team, strength of the proposed research alliance, and impact. Assessors should not comment on eligibility and compliance. If your assessment contains inappropriate elements, you can appeal it by contacting RIC or your faculty within 3 working days of the opening of the rejoinder period and completing an ARC Assessment Review Request form.

You should not contact the ARC directly. Always speak to your faculty or RIC first.

Contacts

Key contacts

Hugo Branley+61 3 8344 9104
Leah Sullivan+61 3 8344 2012
Carrie Liang+61 3 8344 0440

Research Funding