The Linkage Program

Abstract

The Linkage Program promotes national and international research partnerships between researchers and business, industry, community organisations and other publicly funded research agencies. By supporting the development of partnerships, the ARC encourages the transfer of skills, knowledge and ideas as a basis for securing commercial and other benefits of research.

The Linkage Projects grant opportunity supports projects which initiate or develop long term strategic research alliances to apply advanced knowledge to problems, acquire new knowledge and as a basis for securing commercial and other benefits of research.

To facilitate successful collaboration between higher education institutions and other parts of the innovation system, Linkage Projects applications can be submitted at any time and funding outcomes are recommended to the Minister within six months of application submission.

The objectives of the Linkage Projects grant opportunity are to:

• support the initiation and/or development of long-term strategic research alliances between higher education organisations and industry and other research end-users, in order to apply advanced knowledge to problems to provide opportunities to achieve national economic, commercial, environmental, or social benefits;
• provide opportunities for internationally competitive research projects to be conducted in collaboration with organisations outside the higher education sector;
• encourage growth of a national pool of world-class researchers to meet the needs of the broader Australian innovation system; and
• build the scale and focus of research in the Australian Government’s Science and Research Priorities.