Selection Report: Future Fellowships 2016

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Overview

The Future Fellowships scheme provides funding for outstanding mid-career researchers. It supports research in areas of critical national importance by enabling outstanding Australian and international mid-career researchers to conduct their research in Australia.

The objectives of Future Fellowships scheme are to:

• ensure that outstanding mid-career researchers are recruited and retained, by Administering Organisations in continuing academic positions;
• build collaboration across industry and/or research organisations and/or disciplines;
• support research in national priorities that will result in economic, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and
• strengthen Australia’s research capacity by supporting innovative, internationally competitive research

Selection Process

Proposals for funding commencing in 2016 opened on 15 March 2016, and closed on 10 May 2016. Proposals were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines approved recommendations from the selection process for that round.

Funding recommendations have been prepared for submission to the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The recommendations are based on advice from the ARC College of Experts which:

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

and, advice from the ARC Eligibility Committee which:

• considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the ARC College of Experts or independent assessors
• where required, sought clarification from Administering Organisations with respect to issues raised
• made recommendations to the Acting CEO in respect of ineligible proposals.

This report reflects the approved recommendations by the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria and corresponding weightings for Future Fellowships 2016 proposals are:

• Future Fellowships Candidate (40%)
• Project Quality (35%)
• Strategic Alignment (15%)
• Collaboration/Outreach (10%)

The ARC assessment process for Future Fellowships 2016 used 29 College of Experts members across three discipline panels and was managed in the Research Management System (RMS). A total of 1036 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC for Future Fellowships 2016.

Funding levels and duration

Future Fellowships are funded for four consecutive years on a full-time basis. The annual salary contribution may be awarded at one of three salary levels, either $147,862 or $178,992 or $210,120, (2015$) 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 324 Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2016, of which one proposal was withdrawn. Of the unsuccessful proposals, seven were found to not meet eligibility requirements.

The overall success rate for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2016 is 30.9 per cent.

Table 1. Proposal numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships proposals 2016

Salary Level	Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success rate	Approved funds over project life (all proposals)	Requested funds over project life (approved proposals)	Approved funds over project life (approved proposals)	Approved funds as % of requested funds
Level 1	115	40	34.8%	$88,088,573	$30,601,643	$26,443,400	86.4%
Level 2	114	36	31.6%	$101,632,524	$32,299,675	$28,691,613	88.8%
Level 3	95	24	25.3%	$96,171,493	$24,343,380	$21,888,650	89.9%
Total	324	100	30.9%	$285,892,590	$87,244,698	$77,023,663	88.3%

Outcomes by discipline panels

Table 2. Comparison of proposal numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships 2016 proposals by discipline panel

Panel †	Proposals considered	Proposals  approved	Success rate	Requested funds over project life for all proposals considered	Requested funds over project life for approved proposals	Approved funds over project  life (approved proposals)	Approved funds as % of requested funds
BEM	90	28	31.1%	$79,186,879	$24,412,518	$21,542,875	88.2%
HSE	98	29	29.6%	$88,910,700	$26,306,038	$23,636,194	89.9%
PME	136	43	31.6%	$117,795,011	$36,526,142	$31,844,594	87.2%
Total	324	100	30.9%	$285,892,590	$87,244,698	$77,023,663	88.3%

† BEM—Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Environmental, Medical and Health Sciences; HSE—Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; PME—Physical, Mathematical and Information Sciences and Engineering

Outcomes by Science and Research Priorities

Table 3. Approved funding and success rate for Future Fellowships 2016 proposals by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research Priorities	Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success  rate (%)	Approved funds (over project life)
Advanced manufacturing	44	12	27.3%	$9,395,108
Cybersecurity	9	2	22.2%	$1,304,000
Energy	18	7	38.9%	$4,951,500
Environmental change	43	20	46.5%	$16,291,342
Food	9	3	33.3%	$2,175,881
Health	49	8	16.3%	$6,405,684
Resources	8	1	12.5%	$880,480
Soil and water	10	2	20.0%	$1,428,000
Transport	3	1	33.3%	$776,000
Unspecified	131	44	33.6%	$33,415,668
Total	324	100	30.9%	$77,023,663
Total within Science and Research Priorities	193	56	29	$43,607,995
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)	59.6%	56.0%		56.6%

 

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

Table 4. Numbers of proposals and success rates for approved Future Fellowships 2016 proposals by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation	Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success rate (%)	Approved funds over project life ($)
Australian Capital Territory	41	15	36.6%	$11,637,782
The Australian National University	39	15	38.5%	$11,637,782
University of Canberra	2	0	0.0%	$0
New South Wales	87	25	28.7%	$19,307,859
Macquarie University	12	2	16.7%	$1,457,054
The University of New England	1	1	100.0%	$719,313
The University of New South Wales	22	8	36.4%	$5,847,386
The University of Newcastle	8	1	12.5%	$930,000
The University of Sydney	18	7	38.9%	$5,916,706
University of Technology, Sydney	8	3	37.5%	$2,027,400
University of Wollongong	11	2	18.2%	$1,515,000
Western Sydney University	7	1	14.3%	$895,000
Northern Territory	1	0	0.0%	$0
Charles Darwin University	1	0	0.0%	$0
Queensland	47	13	27.7%	$10,244,250
Griffith University	9	4	44.4%	$3,200,168
James Cook University	2	1	50.0%	$940,000
Queensland University of Technology	6	1	16.7%	$652,000
The University of Queensland	27	7	25.9%	$5,452,082
University of Southern Queensland	2	0	0.0%	$0
University of the Sunshine Coast	1	0	0.0%	$0
South Australia	24	6	25.0%	$5,334,576
The Flinders University of South Australia	5	0	0.0%	$0
The University of Adelaide	12	3	25.0%	$2,730,464
University of South Australia	7	3	42.9%	$2,604,112
Tasmania	7	2	28.6%	$1,332,540
University of Tasmania	7	2	28.6%	$1,332,540
Victoria	100	35	35.0%	$26,406,136
Deakin University	7	3	42.9%	$2,654,992
La Trobe University	9	3	33.3%	$2,061,054
Monash University	40	18	45.0%	$12,978,216
RMIT University	10	3	30.0%	$2,579,108
Swinburne University of Technology	7	1	14.3%	$652,000
The University of Melbourne	27	7	25.9%	$5,480,766
Western Australia	17	4	23.5%	$2,760,520
Curtin University of Technology	6	1	16.7%	$652,000
Murdoch University	2	0	0.0%	$0
The University of Western Australia	9	3	33.3%	$2,108,520
Total	324	100	30.9%	$77,023,663

 

Career age and gender

A total of 324 Future Fellowships Candidates were named on all proposals considered in this round. Of these, 97 were female and 226 were male. One Candidate did not provide gender information. The success rate for female and male Candidates is 26.8 per cent and 32.7 per cent respectively (Figure 1).

At the closing time of submission of proposals, of the 324 Candidates, 304 were between five to 15 years of the award of their PhD and 20 were beyond 15 years of the award of their PhD. To be eligible to apply for Future Fellowships, the latter group of researchers evidenced their significant career interruptions on the ARC Eligibility Exemption Request that was consequently scrutinised by the ARC Eligibility Committee and approved by the ARC CEO.

Of the approved Future Fellowships, 93 Candidates were within five to 15 years of the award of their PhD and seven Candidates were beyond 15 years of the award of their PhD.

Success rates of Future Fellowships Candidates by career age and gender in the current round are represented in Figure 1 below. Future Fellowships Candidates who did not provide gender information (0.3 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Future Fellowships 2016 Candidates by gender and career age*

 

* Career age is calculated as years since PhD.

Attracting and retaining outstanding researchers

Proposals were open to Eligible Organisations to nominate Candidates who are outstanding mid-career researchers of international repute, resident either within Australia or overseas.

Table 5. Citizenship/residency status of Future Fellowships 2016 Candidates and approved Awardees

Citizenship/residency status	Proposals considered	% of Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success rate (%)
Foreign Nationals	51	15.7%	15	29.4%
Resident Australians	252	77.8%	79	31.3%
Returning Australians	21	6.5%	6	28.6%
Total	324	100%	100	30.9%

 

International Collaboration

Applicants foreshadowed 846 instances of collaboration with researchers in 64 overseas locations on 298 proposals. Of the proposals approved for funding, 97 foreshadowed 316 instances of collaboration with researchers in 42 overseas locations.

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Future Fellowships 2016 proposals