UQ attracts top ARC funding over five years

The Australian Research Council has given the green light to more than 100 University of Queensland research projects, and will back them to the tune of almost $42 million.
Cumulatively over the last five rounds, UQ has received more funding for Discovery Projects and Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA) than any other Australian university.

UQ’s combined result in these two schemes for 2016 also tops the country, with more than $39.7 million awarded.
UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said this reinforced UQ’s position among the nation’s leading research-focused institutions, and recognised UQ’s excellence in developing the next generation of world-class researchers.
“Our consistent success in attracting competitive research funding is evidence of our high-calibre researchers and the direct relevance of their projects to solving pressing global problems,” Professor Høj said.
UQ attracted funding across three ARC schemes:

• In Discovery Projects, 78 UQ proposals share a total of just over $30 million. UQ enjoyed a 23.56 per cent success rate across its Discovery Project applications, well ahead of the national average of 17.7 per cent.
• A total of 27 UQ researchers share more than $9.7 million under the Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards scheme, with UQ a clear leader in Australia.
• Three Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities projects were funded for a total of almost $3.3 million.

“It’s fantastic to see the breadth of research that will proceed at UQ in coming years as a result of this new funding, in areas such as engineering, social sciences, biochemistry and climate change strategy,” Professor Høj said.
“As a former head of the ARC, I know how tough the competition is, and how truly impressive the research proposals need to be to succeed.
“It’s a great delight again to congratulate a group of UQ researchers who have attracted funding for their work, which is independently seen as the nation’s best in their respective areas.”
Significant highlights of the funding announcement:

• In UQ’s largest Discovery Project grant this round, the Institute for Molecular Bioscience’s (IMB) Professor Kirill Alexandrov secured $650,000, for a four-year project to develop novel, sensitive, inexpensive and flexible electric biosensors to potentially monitor any molecule.
• Professor Mark Moran and Professor Jennifer Corrin from UQ’s Institute for Social Sciences Research secured $628,000 for a project to address how to better manage the flow of public finances and people across international borders.

The Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Queensland Brain Institute at UQ enjoyed success rates of 55 per cent and 50 per cent respectively for Discovery Project grants, reinforcing their position as leading Australian research institutes.
*

The University of Queensland is one of Australia’s leading teaching and research institutions, internationally renowned for its highly awarded teaching staff, world-acclaimed researchers and superior campus facilities and services. Email OzTREKK’s Admissions Officer Adam Smith at adam@oztrekk.com for more information about UQ research.