International Science Linkages (ISL) Program Fact Sheet 

KEY POINTS 

• The ISL program supports the Government's commitment to its longstanding bilateral and multilateral international science relationships and contributes to Australia’s economic, social and environmental well-being by:
• facilitating Australia’s access to the global science and technology (S&T) system; and
• enabling Australian scientists, from both the public and private sectors, to collaborate with international partners.
• The ISL program commenced in 2002.  Total funding for the program will amount to approximately $94 million over the 9 year period 2002-03 to 2010-11.
• The ISL program is due to end on 30 June 2011.  At this stage there will be no new calls for applications under the competitive components of the ISL program.
• The ISL program has been able to support a diverse range of activities by providing funding through discrete components:
• Strategic Policy: provides a vehicle for the Australian Government to establish, reinforce and leverage strategic links and relationships with key overseas counterparts. This component will continue to fund some new activities in 2010-11.
• Competitive Funding comprising of:
• Australia-China Special Fund for S&T Cooperation: supports Australian participation in bilateral collaborative research projects which draw on the complementary strengths of researchers from Australia and China. There have been nine rounds held with an average of $1.25 million awarded per round. The last round was held in 2009 and no further rounds are planned at this stage.
• French-Australian Science and Technology Program: supports Australian participation in bilateral collaborative research projects which draw on the complementary strengths of researchers from Australia and France. There have been eight rounds held with up to $250,000 awarded per round. The final round was finalised in June 2010 and no further rounds are planned at this stage.
• Competitive Grants: Competitive Grants supported Australian participation in strategically focussed, leading edge, international research collaborations with priority countries and in priority fields of research. Competitive Grants also provided support for staging major international scientific conferences in Australia. There have been 13 rounds held with an average of $3.2 million awarded per round. The last round was held in 2008.
• Australia-Europe Research Collaboration Fund: provides a vehicle for the Australian Government to establish, reinforce and leverage strategic research links and relationships with the European Union, and with European countries as appropriate.
• The last round of competitive funding was announced in February 2010 for Australia-Germany bilateral cooperation. $450,000 will be provided through the ISL program in 2010-11, to be matched by the German Government, to provide funding to seed future collaborative research partnerships in key areas of importance for both countries.
• On 2 July 2010, it was announced that $750,000 over the 2010-2011 financial year will be provided to pursue research outcomes agreed to at the successful Australia-EU Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee meeting held in June 2010.
• ISL – Science Academies Program: provides targeted support for specific activities using the networks and expertise of the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
• ISL Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Academies Program: under the ISL Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Academies Program, the Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) have each been funded to promote access and participation for Australian HASS researchers in strategically focussed, international research in the HASS disciplines and to increase strategic alliances between Australian and overseas HASS researchers.  
• ISL has funded over 600 projects which have enabled 3,000 Australian researchers to collaborate with leading researchers in 40 countries on diverse topics of strategic importance.
• The focus of ISL supported activities at this stage of the program is on targeted, strategic activities that can be implemented by the scheduled end date in 2011.
• Current funding and forward estimates for the ISL program are:

2010-11

$12,323,000

FACTS AND FIGURES

In August 2010, there were 241 projects active totalling $44.1 million. These projects include collaborative research projects, scientific workshops and symposia, missions, fellowships and access to international research facilities not available in Australia.
Under the Europe Fund component, $4 million of funding has been allocated to support activities which will take place in 2010-11 including support for:

• Australian involvement in the International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES), which is a project also being funded through the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (managed by the Australian Academy of Science).
• collaboration with European partners, within FP7 projects, in the areas of trustworthy infrastructure and embedded systems.  This project will also develop an Australian ICT research capability map (managed by National ICT Australia).
• Australian involvement with European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Actions.  COST is one of the longest-running European instruments supporting cooperation among scientists and researchers across Europe and internationally (managed by the Australian Academy of Science).
• collaborative research projects and researcher mobility with between Australian and German researchers in key areas of research, with matching funding committed by the German Government (managed by the Australian Academy of Science).