Selection Report: Future Fellowships 2019

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Overview

The Future Fellowships scheme provides support for excellent mid-career researchers to undertake high quality research in areas of national and international benefit by enabling outstanding Australian and international mid-career researchers to conduct their research in Australia.

The objectives of Future Fellowships scheme are to:

• support outstanding mid-career researchers to be recruited and retained, by universities in continuing academic positions
• build collaboration across industry and/or research organisations and/or disciplines
• support research in Australian Government’s Science and Research 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

Applications for funding commencing in 2019 opened on 15 October 2018 and closed on  21 December 2018. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines the 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 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 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 applications.

The ARC assessment process for Future Fellowships 2019 used 54 College of Experts members across four discipline panels and was managed in RMS. A total of 2038 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC for Future Fellowships 2019.

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 Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment criteria and corresponding weightings for Future Fellowships 2019 applications are: 

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

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 $154,920 or $187,537 or $220,150, (2018$) 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 591 Future Fellowships applications for funding commencing in 2019, of which two applications were withdrawn. Of the unsuccessful applications, 12 were found to not meet eligibility requirements. 

The overall success rate for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2019 is 17.0 per cent.

Table 1. Application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships applications 2019

Salary Level	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate	Requested funds over project life (all applications)	Requested funds over project life (approved applications)	Approved funds over project life (approved applications)	Approved funds as % of requested funds
Level 1	167	28	16.8	$131,830,967	$22,522,916	$20,922,963	92.9
Level 2	223	38	17.0	$206,353,368	$35,521,926	$33,303,226	93.8
Level 3	199	34	17.1	$210,599,243	$36,228,067	$33,617,255	92.8
Total	589	100	17.0	$548,783,578	$94,272,909	$87,843,444	93.2

Outcomes by discipline panels

Table 2. Comparison of application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships 2019 applications by discipline panel

Panel †	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Requested funds over project life for all applications considered	Requested funds over project life for approved applications	Approved funds over project  life (approved applications)	Approved funds as % of requested funds
BSB	137	23	16.8	$123,814,977	$20,853,737	$19,428,849	93.2
EIC	128	23	18.0	$121,278,156	$22,022,724	$20,602,403	93.6
HSE	192	31	16.1	$186,140,667	$30,477,174	$28,412,073	93.2
MPCE	132	23	17.4	$117,549,778	$20,919,274	$19,400,119	92.7
Total	589	100	17.0	$548,783,578	$94,272,909	$87,843,444	93.2

† BSB - Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HSE – Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences

Science and Research Priorities

Of the 589 Future Fellowship applications submitted, at least 367 (62.3%) of the applications fall within one of the Science and Research Priorities (Table 3). 

Table 3. Approved funding and success rate for Future Fellowships 2019 applications by Science and Research Priorities

Science and Research Priorities	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Approved funds (over project life)
Advanced manufacturing	79	14	17.7	$12,077,605
Cybersecurity	19	6	31.6	$5,460,060
Energy	37	6	16.2	$5,198,014
Environmental change	94	16	17.0	$13,753,159
Food	23	2	8.7	$1,493,290
Health	78	11	14.1	$10,053,293
Resources	13	3	23.1	$2,645,870
Soil and water	18	3	16.7	$2,594,716
Transport	6	0	0.0	$0
Unspecified	222	39	17.6	$34,567,437
Total	589	100	17.0	$87,843,444
Total within Science and Research Priorities	367	61	16.6	$53,276,007
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)	62.3	61		60.6

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

Table 4. Numbers of applications and success rates for approved Future Fellowships 2019 applications by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Approved funds over project life ($)
Australian Capital Territory	39	2	5.1	$1,769,900
The Australian National University	36	2	5.6	$1,769,900
University of Canberra	3	0	0	$0
New South Wales	186	28	15.1	$25,098,831
Australian Catholic University	1	0	0	$0
Charles Sturt University	1	0	0	$0
Macquarie University	27	6	22.2	$5,410,268
Southern Cross University	4	0	0	$0
The University of New South Wales	51	13	25.5	$11,547,805
The University of Newcastle	19	0	0	$0
The University of Sydney	37	2	5.4	$1,733,016
University of Technology Sydney	14	2	14.3	$1,884,000
University of Wollongong	26	2	7.7	$1,723,162
Western Sydney University	6	3	50.0	$2,800,580
Northern Territory	2	0	0	$0
Charles Darwin University	2	0	0	$0
Queensland	84	15	17.9	$12,582,243
Griffith University	15	1	6.7	$913,150
James Cook University	3	1	33.3	$710,470
Queensland University of Technology	12	4	33.3	$3,477,930
The University of Queensland	47	8	17	$6,592,693
University of Southern Queensland	2	1	50.0	$888,000
University of the Sunshine Coast	5	0	0	$0
South Australia	37	11	29.7	$9,032,331
Flinders University	2	0	0	$0
The University of Adelaide	23	7	30.4	$5,763,146
University of South Australia	12	4	33.3	$3,269,185
Tasmania	13	3	23.1	$2,579,911
University of Tasmania	13	3	23.1	$2,579,911
Victoria	191	33	17.3	$29,560,208
Deakin University	10	1	10.0	$931,148
La Trobe University	14	1	7.1	$843,270
Monash University	61	13	21.3	$11,369,267
RMIT University	18	2	11.1	$1,821,810
Swinburne University of Technology	12	1	8.3	$784,832
The University of Melbourne	76	15	19.7	$13,809,881
Western Australia	37	8	21.6	$7,220,020
Curtin University	16	4	25.0	$3,298,218
Murdoch University	1	0	0	$0
The University of Western Australia	20	4	20.0	$3,921,802
Total	589	100	17.0	$87,843,444

Career age and gender

A total of 589 Future Fellowship candidates were named on all applications considered in this round. Of these, 200 were female, 387 were male and two candidates have chosen not to specify their gender. The success rate for female and male candidates is 20.5 per cent and 15.2 per cent respectively (Figure 1).

At the closing time of submission of applications, of the 589 candidates, 530 were between five to 15 years of the award of their PhD and 59 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, 92 candidates were within five to 15 years of the award of their PhD and eight 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 2019 candidates by gender and career age*

* Career age is calculated as years since PhD.

Attracting and retaining outstanding researchers

Applications 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 2019 candidates and approved Awardees

Citizenship/residency status	Applications considered	% of Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)
Foreign Nationals	71	12.1	8	11.3
Resident Australians	493	83.7	90	18.3
Returning Australians	25	4.2	2	8.0
Total	589	100	100	17.0

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

International Collaboration

Applicants foreshadowed 1530 instances of collaboration with researchers in 103 overseas locations on 553 applications. Of the applications approved for funding, 98 foreshadowed 286 instances of collaboration with researchers in 49 overseas locations.

Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Future Fellowships 2019 applications*

 

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