Linkage Projects 2020 Round 3 Announcement Banner

Selection Report: Discovery Early Career Research Award 2022

Overview

The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme provides focused research support for early career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions.

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

  • support excellent basic and applied research by early career researchers;
  • support national and international research collaboration;
  • enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas;
  • advance promising early career researchers and promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways; and
  • enable research and research training in high quality and supportive environments

 

Selection process 

Applications for funding commencing in 2022 opened on 16 September 2020 and closed on 25 November 2020. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines outcomes from the ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the Minister.

These outcomes are based on advice from the ARC Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which:

  • assigned independent assessors to review the applications
  • assessed applications and reviewed assessments made by independent assessors
  • reviewed candidates’ comments on assessors’ reports
  • ranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, the assessors’ reports and candidates’ responses to those assessments
  • assessed and recommended budgets;

and, advice from the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) Eligibility Committee which:

  • considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the members of the ARC College of Experts or independent assessors
  • where required, sought advice from the ARC’s Medical Research Advisory Group
  • made recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible applications.

This report reflects the outcomes approved by the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, data represented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.

 

Assessment criteria 

All applications that meet the eligibility criteria for the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2022 applications were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:

a. Investigator/Capability (50%)

Describe the:

  • Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of high quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s.
  • capability of candidate to build collaborations both within Australia and internationally.

b. Project quality and innovation (25%)

Describe the:

  • contribution to an important gap in knowledge or significant problem;
  • novelty/originality and innovation of the proposed research (including any new methods, technologies, theories or ideas that will be developed);
  • clarity of the hypothesis, theories and research questions;
  • cohesiveness of the project design and implementation plan (including the appropriateness of the aim, conceptual framework, method, data and/or analyses); and
  • extent to which the research has the potential to enhance international collaboration.

c. Benefit (15%)

Describe the potential benefits including the:

  • new or advanced knowledge resulting from outcomes of the research;
  • economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia and international communities; and
  • potential contribution to capacity in the Australian Government’s National Science and Research Priorities and other priorities identified by government.

d. Feasibility (10%)

Describe the:

  • cost-effectiveness of the research and its value for money;
  • feasibility of the research (including contribution of the project’s design, participants and resources to the timely completion of the project);
  • supportive environment for the DECRA candidate and their project, and for HDR students where appropriate; and
  • availability of the necessary facilities to complete the project.

If the project involves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research describe:

  • the strategies for enabling collaboration with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities where appropriate (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor); and
  • any existing or developing, supportive and high quality research communities.

 

Assessment process 

The ARC assessment process for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2022 involved 64 College of Experts members across five discipline panels and was managed in RMS. A total of 3104 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC.

 

Funding levels and duration 

Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards are funded for three consecutive years on a full-time basis. The annual salary contribution that may be awarded is fixed at $106,194 (2020$), including 30 per cent on-costs. In addition, the ARC may provide up to $50,000 in project costs per annum.

 

Summary of outcomes 

The ARC received a total of 997 applications for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2022, of which one application was withdrawn.

One hundred and ninety-six Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards are approved for funding commencing in 2022, shown in Table 1. The overall success rate for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2022 is 19.7%. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1.

Of the unsuccessful applications in 2022, 25 were found not to meet eligibility requirements.

Table 1. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award applications from 2021 to 2022

Funding yearApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds allocated over project life for approved applications ($)Return rate for approved applications (%)
2021117320017.1$506,629,691$87,483,735$84,041,53396.0
202299619619.7$439,916,659$87,547,551$83,014,28494.8

*May include indicative funding amounts

 

Outcomes by discipline 

A summary of outcomes by discipline panel is shown in Table 2. 

Table 2.    Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2022 by discipline

Discipline *Applications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds over project
 life for approved applications ($)
Return
Rate for approved applications (%)
BSB1953819.5$88,364,436$17,500,092$16,587,37894.8
EIC2715219.2$120,847,185$23,260,469$21,964,03494.4
HCA1523321.7$65,036,852$14,519,674$13,576,95993.5
MPCE1933618.7$83,856,843$15,943,107$15,224,29195.5
SBE1853720.0$81,811,343$16,324,209$15,661,62295.9
Total99619619.7$439,916,659$87,547,551$83,014,28494.8

*BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences, HCA – Humanities and Creative Arts; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE – Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences

 

Outcomes by Science and Research Priorities 

A summary of outcomes by Science and Research Priorities is shown in Table 3.

Table 3.    Approved funding and success rate for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2022 applications by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research PrioritiesApplications considered

Applications

approved

Success
rate (%)
Approved funds over project life ($)
Advanced manufacturing1453524.1$14,964,962
Cybersecurity35720.0$2,844,626
Energy901314.4$5,621,985
Environmental change1272519.7$10,576,247
Food3638.3$1,311,939
Health1453423.4$14,629,486
Resources33618.2$2,571,296
Soil and water26623.1$2,616,037
Transport26830.8$3,315,777
Unspecified3335917.7$24,561,929
Total99619619.7$83,014,284
Total within Science and Research Priorities66313720.7$58,452,355
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)66.669.9 70.4


Outcomes by Administering Organisation 

A summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 4.

Table 4. Numbers of applications and success rates for approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2022 applications by Administering Organisation

Administering OrganisationApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)
Australian Capital Territory761418.4$6,057,335
The Australian National University701420.0$6,057,335
University of Canberra600.0$0
New South Wales3117323.5$30,547,508
Australian Catholic University11218.2$765,227
Charles Sturt University2150.0$410,523
Macquarie University40922.5$3,761,114
Southern Cross University300.0$0
The University of New England10220.0$799,368
The University of New South Wales791721.5$7,238,735
The University of Newcastle18527.8$2,031,108
The University of Sydney882225.0$9,163,921
University of Technology Sydney28932.1$3,791,740
University of Wollongong18316.7$1,281,816
Western Sydney University14321.4$1,303,956
Northern Territory11100.0$455,766
Charles Darwin University11100.0$455,766
Queensland1763218.2$13,760,655
Central Queensland University200.0$0
Griffith University27622.2$2,652,739
James Cook University200.0$0
Queensland University of Technology39410.3$1,697,823
The University of Queensland1002121.0$8,956,511
University of Southern Queensland3133.3$453,582
University of the Sunshine Coast300.0$0
South Australia591016.9$4,268,178
Flinders University10330.0$1,344,637
The University of Adelaide36513.9$2,050,541
University of South Australia13215.4$873,000
Tasmania15320.0$1,324,711
University of Tasmania15320.0$1,324,711
Victoria3005919.7$25,002,816
Deakin University40922.5$3,724,275
Federation University Australia100.0$0
La Trobe University12216.7$880,948
Monash University811518.5$6,252,740
RMIT University33618.2$2,473,264
Swinburne University of Technology16212.5$888,958
The University of Melbourne1162521.6$10,782,631
Victoria University100.0$0
Western Australia5846.9$1,597,315
Curtin University1300.0$0
Edith Cowan University5120.0$413,482
Murdoch University4125.0$386,708
The University of Notre Dame Australia200.0$0
The University of Western Australia3425.9$797,125
Total99619619.7$83,014,284


Career age and gender

Of the 996 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award candidates in this round, 413 were female, 574 were male and nine chose not to specify their gender. The success rate for female, male and unspecified candidates is 19.4 per cent, 19.5 per cent and 44.4 per cent respectively.

Success rates of Discovery Early Career Researcher Award candidates by career age and gender in the current Discovery Early Career Researcher Award round are presented in Figure 1. Discovery Early Career Researcher Award candidates who did not provide gender information (0.90%) are not represented in the figure below.

At the closing time of submission of applications, of the 996 candidates, 842 were within five years of the award of their PhD and 154 candidates were beyond five years of the award of their PhD. To be eligible to apply for a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, the latter group of researchers had their significant career interruptions certified by their Administering Organisation.

Of the approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards, 161 candidates were within five years of the award of their PhD and 35 candidates were beyond five years of the award of their PhD.

Figure 1.  Participation and success rate of candidates in Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2022 by gender and career age*^

Career Age Gender Graph

* Career age is calculated as years since PhD based on the relevant qualification as selected in the application.

^ Calculated career age does not take career interruptions into consideration.

 

Attracting and retaining outstanding researchers 

Applications were open to Eligible Organisations to nominate candidates who are promising early career researchers, resident either within Australia or overseas. (Table 5).

Table 5. Citizenship/residency status of Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2022 candidates and approved Awardees

Citizenship/residency statusApplications considered% of Applications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)
Foreign Nationals25225.35019.8
Resident Australians67567.813019.3
Returning Australians696.91623.2
Total99610019619.7

Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum.

 

International Collaboration 

Among 996 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 2045 instances of collaboration with researchers in 91 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 180 foreshadowed 447 instances of collaboration with researchers in 52 overseas locations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2022 applications*

International Collaboration

*The top 11 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 2 and the remaining are grouped in the ‘Other’ category