Skip to Specific Areas

Search ARC website

Site Navigation

Main Content

Breadcrumb Navigation

You are here: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Selection Report for Funding Commencing in 2012

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
Selection Report for Funding Commencing in 2012

Overview

The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award scheme is a separate element of the Discovery Program. It aims to provide more focused support for researchers and create more opportunities for early-career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions. It supports research in areas of critical national importance by enabling outstanding Australian and international early-career researchers to conduct their research in Australia.

[top]

Objectives

The objectives of the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award scheme are to:

  • support and advance promising early career researchers;
  • promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways;
  • focus research effort in the National Research Priority areas to improve research capacity and policy outcomes; and
  • enable research and research training in high quality and supportive environments.

[top]

Selection Process

The closing date for proposals was 18 May 2011. Proposals were submitted through the ARC Research Management System (RMS).
ARC Executive Directors, assisted by relevant ARC staff, prepared funding recommendations for submission to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  The recommendations were based on advice from Selection Advisory Committees which:

  • assessed proposals and reviewed assessments made by independent readers;
  • ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposal and the assessors’ reports; and
  • assessed and recommended budgets;

and, advice from the ARC Eligibility Committee which:

  • considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff or the members of the Selection Advisory Committees;
  • sought advice from institutions with respect to issues raised; and
  • made recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible proposals.

This report reflects the recommendations of the ARC CEO to the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.

[ top]

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria and corresponding weightings for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award proposals are:
DECRA candidate                                                                     (30%)
project quality; and                                                                 (50%)
institutional support                                                                (20%)

[top]

Funding Level and Duration

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award projects are funded for three consecutive years on a full-time basis. In addition to the annual salary contribution of $85,000 including 28 per cent on costs the ARC may provide up to $40,000 project costs per annum.

[top]

Summary of Outcomes

The ARC received a total of 2170 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award proposals for funding commencing in 2012, of which eleven were subsequently withdrawn by the Administering Organisations. The overall success rate is 12.8 per cent.

Table 1.    Approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award proposals for funding commencing in 2012

Proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Total requested funds (over project life)
Requested funds (over project life) of approved proposals
Funds allocated (over project life)
2159
277
12.8%
$809,625,000
$ 103,875,000
$ 103,875,000

Table 2.    Indicative funds for approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award proposals for funding commencing in 2012

2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
Total
Indicative Funding
$17,312,500
$34,625,000
$34,625,000
$17,312,500
$103,875,000

[top]

Approved funding by discipline panel

Table 3.    Numbers and success rates for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award proposals for funding commencing in 2012, by Disciplines

Panel*
Proposals considered
% of proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Allocated funds (over project life)
BSB
499
23%
70
14.0%
$26,250,000
EMI
503
23%
57
11.3%
$21,375,000
HCA
367
17%
45
12.3%
$16,875,000
PCE
404
19%
51
12.6%
$19,125,000
SBE
386
18%
54
14.0%
$20,250,000
Total
2159
100%
277
12.8%
$103,875,000

*(BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EMI – Engineering, Mathematics and Informatics; PCE – Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE – Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; HCA – Humanities and Creative Arts)
[top]

National Research Priorities

Table 4.    Numbers and success rates for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award proposals for funding commencing in 2012, by National Research Priority

National Research Priority
Proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Allocated funds (over project life)
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
419
47
11.2%
$17,625,000
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
546
73
13.4%
$27,375,000
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
766
97
12.7%
$36,375,000
Safeguarding Australia
307
46
15.0%
$17,250,000
None selected
121
14
11.6%
$5,250,000
Total proposals
2159
277
12.9%
$103,875,000
Total priority proposals
2038
263
12.9%
$98,625,000
% within priority area
94.4%
94.9%
94.9%

[top]

Gender of Candidates

Table 5.    Numbers and success rates by gender for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2012

Panel*
Number of female candidates
Number of approved female candidate
Female success rate
Number of male candidates
Number of approved male candidate
Male success rate
BSB
228
40
17.5%
269
30
11.2%
EMI
97
7
7.2%
404
50
12.4%
HCA
226
29
12.8%
138
16
11.6%
PCE
101
17
16.8%
303
34
11.2%
SBE
215
27
12.6%
170
27
15.9%
Total
867
120
13.8%
1284
157
12.2%

*(BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EMI – Engineering, Mathematics and Informatics; PCE – Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE – Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; HCA – Humanities and Creative Arts)

Please note that a small number of proposal participants did not provide gender information and are not included.

Citizenship and residency status

Proposals were open to Eligible Organisations to nominate candidates who are promising early career researchers, resident either within Australia or overseas.

Table 6.    Citizenship/residency status of Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Candidates for funding commencing in 2012

Citizenship/residency status
Proposals considered
% of proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Returning Australians
89
4.1%
18
6.5%
Foreign Nationals
604
28.0%
91
32.9%
Resident Australians
1466
67.9%
168
60.6%
Total
2159
100%
277
12.8%

[top]

Time since PhD

At the closing time of submission of proposals, 1925 of all Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Candidates were within 5 years of the award of their PhD and 234 were within 5 to 8 years of the award of their PhD. Of the approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, 256 are within 5 years of the award of their PhD and 21 are within 5 to 8 years of the award of their PhD.

Table 7.     Years since the award of PhD (at time of submission) for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award forfunding commencing in 2012

Years since award of PhD
No. of considered proposals
% of considered proposals
No. of approved proposals
% of approved proposals
0-1 
321
14.9%
27
8.4%
1-2
351
16.3%
39
11.1%
2-3
420
19.5%
64
15.2%
3-4
411
19.0%
58
14.1%
4-5
422
19.5%
68
16.1%
5-6
128
5.9%
20
15.6%
6-7
69
3.2%
1
1.4%
7-8
37
1.7%
0
0.0%
TOTAL
2159
 
277
12.8%

[top]

Administering Organisation

Table 8.    Number of Discovery Early Career Researcher Award proposals and success rates for funding commencing in 2012, by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation
Proposals considered
Proposals approved
Success rate
Allocated funding
Australian Capital Territory
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
1
0
0.0%
$0
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
39
3
7.7%
$1,125,000
The Australian Institute of Marine Science
5
0
0.0%
$0
The Australian National University
159
30
18.9%
$11,250,000
University of Canberra
5
0
0.0%
$0
New South Wales
Australian Catholic University
6
0
0.0%
$0
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
2
0
0.0%
$0
Charles Sturt University
8
0
0.0%
$0
Macquarie University
63
8
12.7%
$3,000,000
Southern Cross University
14
1
7.1%
$375,000
The Australian Museum
3
0
0.0%
$0
The University of New England
18
1
5.6%
$375,000
The University of New South Wales
202
28
13.9%
$10,500,000
The University of Newcastle
44
3
6.8%
$1,125,000
The University of Sydney
194
36
18.6%
$13,500,000
University of Technology, Sydney
49
3
6.1%
$1,125,000
University of Western Sydney
29
2
6.9%
$750,000
University of Wollongong
52
7
13.5%
$2,625,000
Northern Territory
Charles Darwin University
1
0
0.0%
$0
Queensland
Bond University
4
1
25.0%
$375,000
Central Queensland University
4
0
0.0%
$0
Griffith University
68
5
7.4%
$1,875,000
James Cook University
23
1
4.3%
$375,000
Queensland University of Technology
61
10
16.4%
$3,750,000
The University of Queensland
213
34
16.0%
$12,750,000
University of Southern Queensland
19
0
0.0%
$0
University of the Sunshine Coast
6
1
16.7%
$375,000
South Australia
The Flinders University of South Australia
21
2
9.5%
$750,000
The University of Adelaide
86
12
14.0%
$4,500,000
University of South Australia
45
4
8.9%
$1,500,000
Tasmania
University of Tasmania
32
2
6.3%
$750,000
Victoria
Deakin University
25
2
8.0%
$750,000
La Trobe University
30
5
16.7%
$1,875,000
Melbourne College of Divinity
1
0
0.0%
$0
Monash University
155
22
14.2%
$8,250,000
RMIT University
53
2
3.8%
$750,000
Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium of Victoria
1
0
0.0%
$0
Swinburne University of Technology
24
3
12.5%
$1,125,000
The University of Melbourne
193
24
12.4%
$9,000,000
University of Ballarat
7
0
0.0%
$0
Victoria University
6
0
0.0%
$0
Western Australia
Curtin University of Technology
37
3
8.1%
$1,125,000
Edith Cowan University
9
0
0.0%
$0
Murdoch University
20
4
20.0%
$1,500,000
The University of Western Australia
119
18
15.1%
$6,750,000
University of Notre Dame Australia
3
0
0.0%
$0
Total
2159
277
12.8%
$103,875,000

[top]

Content Last Modified:14/11/11