Selection Report: Future Fellowships 2018

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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
• strengthen Australia’s research capacity by supporting innovative, internationally competitive research.

Selection Process

Proposals for funding commencing in 2018 opened on 3 October 2017 and closed on 22 November 2017. Proposals were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines outcomes from the selection process for that round.

Funding recommendations have been prepared for submission to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The outcomes 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 candidates’ comments on assessors’ reports
• ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposal, the assessors’ reports and candidates’ 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 advice from the ARC’s Medical Research Advisory Group
• made recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible proposals.

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 Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria and corresponding weightings for Future Fellowships 2018 proposals are:

• Future Fellowship Candidate (40%)
• Proposed Project Quality and Innovation (35%)
• Feasibility and Strategic Alignment (10%)
• Benefit and Collaboration (15%)

The ARC assessment process for Future Fellowships 2018 used 28 College of Experts members across three discipline panels and was managed in RMS. A total of 1447 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC for Future Fellowships 2018.

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 $152,630 or $184,766 or $216,896, (2017$) 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 511 Future Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2018, of which two proposals were withdrawn. Of the unsuccessful proposals, 14 were found to not meet eligibility requirements.

The overall success rate for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2018 is 19.6 per cent.

Table 1.  Proposal numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships proposals 2018

Salary Level	Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success rate	Requested 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	175	37	21.1	$137,871,858	$29,406,093	$27,005,359	91.8
Level 2	178	36	20.2	$162,860,978	$33,063,964	$31,149,256	94.2
Level 3	156	27	17.3	$162,300,375	$28,305,402	$26,568,762	93.9
Total	509	100	19.6	$463,033,211	$90,775,459	$84,723,377	93.3

Outcomes by discipline panels

Table 2. Comparison of proposal numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships 2018 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	134	31	23.1	$119,672,212	$27,866,819	$25,510,720	91.5
HSE	138	19	13.8	$131,423,761	$18,609,699	$18,090,093	97.2
PME	237	50	21.1	$211,937,238	$44,298,941	$41,122,564	92.8
Total	509	100	19.6	$463,033,211	$90,775,459	$84,723,377	93.3

† 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 2018 proposals by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research Priorities	Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success  rate (%)	Approved funds (over project life)
Advanced manufacturing	72	17	23.6	$13,500,125
Cybersecurity	13	3	23.1	$2,696,250
Energy	36	7	19.4	$6,005,199
Environmental change	71	14	19.7	$11,258,117
Food	27	5	18.5	$4,101,719
Health	64	5	7.8	$4,403,521
Resources	15	1	6.7	$998,125
Soil and water	13	1	7.7	$1,000,125
Transport	8	3	37.5	$2,694,439
Unspecified	190	44	23.2	$38,065,757
Total	509	100	19.6	$84,723,377
Total within Science and Research Priorities	319	56	17.6	$46,657,620
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)	62.7	56		55.1

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

Table 4. Numbers of proposals and success rates for approved Future Fellowships 2018 proposals by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation	Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success rate (%)	Approved funds over project life ($)
Australian Capital Territory	37	9	24.3	$7,374,180
The Australian National University	37	9	24.3	$7,374,180
New South Wales	151	25	16.6	$21,573,266
Australian Catholic University	1	1	100	$974,636
Macquarie University	18	2	11.1	$2,057,754
Southern Cross University	2	0	0	$0
The University of New England	1	0	0	$0
The University of New South Wales	46	9	19.6	$7,266,137
The University of Newcastle	13	2	15.4	$1,928,941
The University of Sydney	32	6	18.8	$5,343,625
University of Technology Sydney	15	1	6.7	$733,125
University of Wollongong	19	4	21.1	$3,269,048
Western Sydney University	4	0	0	$0
Northern Territory	2	0	0	$0
Charles Darwin University	2	0	0	$0
Queensland	83	16	19.3	$13,929,323
Bond University	1	0	0	$0
Central Queensland University	1	0	0	$0
Griffith University	12	4	33.3	$3,663,635
James Cook University	3	0	0	$0
Queensland University of Technology	16	4	25.0	$3,587,916
The University of Queensland	48	7	14.6	$5,681,581
University of the Sunshine Coast	2	1	50.0	$996,191
South Australia	36	8	22.2	$6,534,362
Flinders University	5	2	40.0	$1,704,250
The University of Adelaide	23	6	26.1	$4,830,112
University of South Australia	8	0	0	$0
Tasmania	8	0	0	$0
University of Tasmania	8	0	0	$0
Victoria	163	32	19.6	$27,129,627
Deakin University	11	2	18.2	$1,775,305
La Trobe University	15	2	13.3	$1,756,250
Monash University	51	13	25.5	$11,178,338
RMIT University	11	3	27.3	$2,627,410
Swinburne University of Technology	11	2	18.2	$1,861,250
The University of Melbourne	64	10	15.6	$7,931,074
Western Australia	29	10	34.5	$8,182,619
Curtin University	5	2	40.0	$1,566,449
The University of Western Australia	24	8	33.3	$6,616,170
Total	509	100	19.6	$84,723,377

Career age and gender

A total of 509 Future Fellowships Candidates were named on all proposals considered in this round. Of these, 157 were female, 347 were male and five Candidates have chosen not to specify their gender. The success rate for female and male Candidates is 19.7 per cent and 19.6 per cent respectively (Figure 1).

At the closing time of submission of proposals, of the 509 Candidates, five were less than five^# years of the award of their PhD, 455 were between five to 15 years of the award of their PhD and 49 were beyond 15 years of the award of their PhD. To be eligible to apply for Future Fellowships, the latter group of researchers had their significant career interruptions certified by their Administering Organisation.

Of the approved Future Fellowships, 86 Candidates were within five to 15 years of the award of their PhD and 14 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 (1.0 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.

^#Career age is calculated at closing time of proposals, four researchers in this round were less than 5 years PhD

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Future Fellowships 2018 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 2018 Candidates and approved Awardees

Citizenship/residency status	Proposals considered	% of Proposals considered	Proposals approved	Success rate (%)
Foreign Nationals	79	15.5	11	13.9
Resident Australians	408	80.2	86	21.1
Returning Australians	22	4.3	3	13.6
Total	509	100	100	19.6

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

International Collaboration

Applicants foreshadowed 1267 instances of collaboration with researchers in 76 overseas locations on 468 proposals. Of the proposals approved for funding, 92 foreshadowed 270 instances of collaboration with researchers in 42 overseas locations.

Figure 2.  International collaborations by location in approved Future Fellowships 2018 

*The top 10 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 2 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘other’ category

• United States of America—56
• England—38
• Germany—28
• Japan—15
• Canada—13
• France—13
• China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) —9
• Denmark—8
• Italy—7
• Switzerland—7
• Other—76