Overview The Future Fellowships scheme reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to excellence in research by supporting excellent mid-career researchers to undertake high quality research in areas of national and international benefit. The objectives of the Future Fellowships scheme are to: support excellent basic and applied research and research training by outstanding mid-career researchers to be recruited and retained by universities in continuing academic positions; support national and international research collaboration; and enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas. Selection process Applications for funding commencing in 2021 opened on 14 October 2020 and closed on 9 December 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 Unless otherwise specified, data represented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.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 Future Fellowships 2021 applications were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria: Investigator/Capability (50%) Describe the quality of the candidate as per the relevant section in Table 1. Table 1. Future Fellowship candidate. Future Fellowship Level 1 Future Fellowship Level 2 Future Fellowship Level 3 Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of high quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s; evidence of research training, mentoring and supervision; evidence of leadership capability and national research standing; and capability of the candidate to build collaborations across research organisations, industry and other disciplines both within Australia and internationally. Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of high quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s; evidence of research training, mentoring and supervision; evidence of leadership capabilities and national and emerging international research standing; and capability of the candidate to build collaborations across research organisations, industry and other disciplines both within Australia and internationally. Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of outstanding research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s; evidence of experience in initiating and managing large research projects; evidence of international research standing; evidence of excellence in research training, mentoring and supervision; and capability of the candidate to build collaborations across research organisations, industry and other disciplines both within Australia and internationally. a. 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. b. 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. c. Feasibility and strategic alignment (10%) Describe the: cost effectiveness of the research and its value for money; extent to which the Future Fellowship candidate aligns with and/or complements the core or developing research strengths and staffing profile of Your organisation; availability of the necessary facilities to conduct the research; resources You will provide to support the Future Fellowship candidate during her/his Future Fellowship; and capacity within Your organisation to transition the candidate at the end of the Future Fellowship to a continuing position. If the project involves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research: 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 Future Fellowships 2021 involved 54 College of Experts members across four discipline panels and was managed in RMS. A total of 1989 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC. 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 $160,705, $194,540 or $228,370, (2020$) including 30 per cent on-costs. In addition, the ARC may provide up to $60,000 in project costs per annum. Summary of outcomes The ARC received a total of 677 applications for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2021, of which 2 applications were withdrawn. One hundred Future Fellows are approved for funding commencing in 2021, shown in Table 2. The overall success rate for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2021 is 14.8%. Of the unsuccessful applications in 2021, 27 were found not to meet eligibility requirements. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 2 and the overall success rate by salary level is shown in Table 3. Table 2. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships applications from 2020 to 2021 Funding year Applications considered Applications approved Success rate (%) Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($) Requested funds over project life approved applications ($) Funds allocated over project life approved applications ($) Return rate for approved applications (%) 2020 689 100 14.5 $669,985,169 $97,817,158 $90,512,393 92.5 2021 675 100 14.8 $676,822,277 $100,291,555 $93,020,678 92.8 Table 3. Application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships applications 2021 Salary Level Applications considered Applications approved Success rate (%) Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($) Requested funds over project life approved applications ($) Funds allocated over project life approved applications ($) Return rate for approved applications (%) Level 1 182 27 14.8 $154,851,531 $22,588,816 $20,948,975 92.7 Level 2 243 35 14.4 $240,472,450 $34,938,325 $32,318,504 92.5 Level 3 250 38 15.2 $281,498,296 $42,764,414 $39,753,199 93.0 Total 675 100 14.8 $676,822,277 $100,291,555 $93,020,678 92.8 Outcomes by discipline A summary of outcomes by discipline panel is shown in Table 4. Table 4. Number of applications, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships 2021 applications by discipline Discipline* Applications considered Applications approved Success rate (%) Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($) Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($) Funds over project life for approved applications ($) Return Rate for approved applications (%) BSB 144 22 15.3 $140,847,938 $21,679,872 $20,039,700 92.4 EIC 154 21 13.6 $153,834,100 $21,075,389 $19,625,376 93.1 HSE 229 34 14.8 $240,706,393 $35,728,227 $33,168,395 92.8 MPCE 148 23 15.5 $141,433,846 $21,808,067 $20,187,207 92.6 Total 675 100 14.8 $676,822,277 $100,291,555 $93,020,678 92.8 *BSB - Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HSE – Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences Outcomes by Science and Research Priorities A summary of outcomes by Science and Research Priorities is shown in Table 5. Table 5. Approved funding and success rates for Future Fellowships 2021 applications by Science and Research Priorities Science and Research Priorities Applications considered Applications approved Success rate (%) Approved funds over project life ($) Advanced Manufacturing 101 14 13.9 $12,513,365 Cybersecurity 27 4 14.8 $3,952,143 Energy 42 5 11.9 $4,273,917 Environmental Change 99 15 15.2 $14,110,612 Food 32 7 21.9 $6,502,450 Health 90 9 10.0 $8,907,418 Resources 16 6 37.5 $5,692,718 Soil and Water 20 4 20.0 $3,310,219 Transport 11 4 36.4 $4,055,318 None Selected 237 32 13.5 $29,702,518 Total 675 100 14.8 $93,020,678 Total within Science and Research Priorities 438 68 15.5 $63,318,160 Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%) 64.9 68.0 68.1 Outcomes by Administering Organisation A summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 6. Table 6. Number of applications and success rates for approved Future Fellowships 2021 applications by Administering Organisation Administering Organisation Applications considered Applications approved Success rate (%) Funds over project life for approved applications ($) Australian Capital Territory 32 7 21.9 $6,786,943 The Australian National University 31 7 22.6 $6,786,943 University of Canberra 1 0 0 $0 New South Wales 225 29 12.9 $27,290,686 Australian Catholic University 1 0 0 $0 Macquarie University 20 6 30.0 $5,357,710 Southern Cross University 2 0 0 $0 The University of New England 1 1 100.0 $900,000 The University of New South Wales 71 10 14.1 $9,783,083 The University of Newcastle 20 0 0 $0 The University of Sydney 69 9 13.0 $8,582,700 University of Technology Sydney 23 1 4.3 $840,905 University of Wollongong 11 1 9.1 $802,288 Western Sydney University 7 1 14.3 $1,024,000 Northern Territory 1 0 0 $0 Charles Darwin University 1 0 0 $0 Queensland 128 20 15.6 $18,514,779 Central Queensland University 1 1 100.0 $1,099,480 Griffith University 21 5 23.8 $4,926,499 James Cook University 3 0 0 $0 Queensland University of Technology 39 7 17.9 $6,556,000 The University of Queensland 57 7 12.3 $5,932,800 University of Southern Queensland 5 0 0 $0 University of the Sunshine Coast 2 0 0 $0 South Australia 40 7 17.5 $6,190,641 Flinders University 9 2 22.2 $1,667,300 The University of Adelaide 25 5 20.0 $4,523,341 University of South Australia 6 0 0 $0 Tasmania 13 2 15.4 $2,008,498 University of Tasmania 13 2 15.4 $2,008,498 Victoria 194 27 13.9 $24,603,443 Deakin University 19 2 10.5 $1,828,866 La Trobe University 15 2 13.3 $1,822,573 Monash University 49 5 10.2 $4,643,078 RMIT University 21 2 9.5 $1,745,146 Swinburne University of Technology 23 4 17.4 $4,266,308 The University of Melbourne 67 12 17.9 $10,297,472 Western Australia 42 8 19.0 $7,625,688 Curtin University 22 6 27.3 $5,712,998 Edith Cowan University 1 0 0 $0 The University of Western Australia 19 2 10.5 $1,912,690 Total 675 100 14.8 $93,020,678 Career age and gender Of the 675 Future Fellowship candidates in this round, 257 were female, 411 were male and 7 chose not to specify gender. The success rate for female, male and unspecified candidates in this round is 16.3 per cent, 13.9 per cent and 14.3 per cent respectively. Success rates of Future Fellowship candidates by career age and gender in the current Future Fellowship round are presented in Figure 1. Candidates who did not provide gender information (1.0 per cent) are not represented in the figure below. At the closing time of submission of applications, of the 675 candidates, 600 were between 5 and 15 years of the award of their PhD and 73 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 Fellows, 91 candidates were between 5 and 15 years of the award of their PhD and 9 were beyond 15 years of the award of their PhD. Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Future Fellowships 2021 candidate by gender and career age* 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 7). Table 7. Citizenship/residency status of Future Fellowships 2021 candidates and approved Awardees Citizenship/residency status Applications considered % of Applications considered Applications approved Success rate (%) Foreign Nationals 60 8.9 5 8.3 Resident Australians 590 87.4 89 15.1 Returning Australians 25 3.7 6 24.0 Total 675 100 100 14.8 Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum. International collaboration Among 675 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 1888 instances of collaboration with researchers in 99 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 97 foreshadowed 348 instances of collaboration with researchers in 60 overseas locations (Figure 2). Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Future Fellowships 2021 applications* *The top 9 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 2 and the remaining are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.