OverviewThe 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; andenhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas. Selection processApplications for funding commencing in 2020 opened on 9 October 2019 and closed on 27 November 2019. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines recommendations from the ARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the Minister.These recommendations are based on advice from the ARC Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which: assigned independent assessors to review the applicationsassessed applications and reviewed assessments made by independent assessorsreviewed candidates’ comments on assessors’ reportsranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, the assessors’ reports and candidates’ responses to those assessmentsassessed 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 assessorswhere required, sought advice from the ARC’s Medical Research Advisory Groupmade 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 Unless otherwise specified, data represented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.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 criteriaAll applications that meet the eligibility criteria for the Future Fellowships 2020 applications were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:a. Investigator/Capability (50%)The quality of the candidate as per the relevant section in Table 1.Table 1: Future Fellowship candidateFuture Fellowship Level 1Future Fellowship Level 2Future Fellowship Level 3Research 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; andcapability 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; andcapability 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; andcapability of the candidate to build collaborations across research organisations, industry and other disciplines both within Australia and internationally.b. Project quality and innovation (25%)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); andextent to which the research has the potential to enhance international collaboration.c. Benefit (15%)new or advanced knowledge resulting from outcomes of the research;economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia and international communities; andpotential contribution to capacity in the Australian Government’s National Science and Research Priorities and other priorities identified by government.d. Feasibility and strategic alignment (10%)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); andany existing or developing, supportive and high quality research communities. Assessment processThe ARC assessment process for Future Fellowships 2020 involved 53 College of Experts members across four discipline panels and was managed in RMS. A total of 2225 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC. Funding levels and durationFuture 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 $157,863, $191,101 or $224,332, (2019$) including 30 per cent on-costs. In addition, the ARC may provide up to $60,000 in project costs per annum. Summary of outcomesThe ARC received a total of 690 applications for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2020, of which one application was withdrawn. One hundred Future Fellows are approved for funding commencing in 2020, shown in Table 2. The overall success rate for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2020 is 14.5%.Of the unsuccessful applications in 2020, 21 were found not to meet eligibility requirements.A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 2 and the overall success rate by salary level is shown in Table 3.Table 2. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships applications from 2019 to 2020Funding yearApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life approved applications ($)Funds allocated over project life approved applications ($)Return rate for approved applications (%)201958910017.0$548,783,578$94,272,909$87,843,44493.2202068910014.5$669,985,169$97,817,158$90,512,39392.5Table 3. Application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships applications 2020Salary LevelApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life approved applications ($)Funds allocated over project life approved applications ($)Return rate for approved applications (%)Level 12133114.6$178,337,281$26,418,627$24,516,83692.8Level 22463514.2$237,310,706$34,161,707$31,248,41991.5Level 32303414.8$254,337,182$37,236,824$34,747,13893.3Total68910014.5$669,985,169$97,817,158$90,512,39392.5Outcomes by discipline A summary of outcomes by discipline panel is shown in Table 4.Table 4. Number of applications, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Future Fellowships 2020 applications by disciplineDiscipline*Applications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)Return Rate for approved applications (%)BSB1672414.4$158,489,569$22,901,910$21,233,46792.7EIC1532214.4$150,417,677$21,976,961$20,005,84691.0HSE2213214.5$224,690,772$32,484,751$30,290,98693.2MPCE1482214.9$136,387,151$20,453,536$18,982,09492.8Total68910014.5$669,985,169$97,817,158$90,512,39392.5*BSB - Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; HSE – Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth SciencesOutcomes by Science and Research PrioritiesA summary of outcomes by Science and Research Priorities is shown in Table 5. Table 5. Approved funding and success rate for Future Fellowships 2020 applications by Science and Research PrioritiesScience and Research PrioritiesApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccessrate (%)Approved funds over project life ($)Advanced manufacturing941920$16,443,799Cybersecurity32412.5$3,830,968Energy42614.3$5,491,080Environmental change951616.8$14,156,883Food3339.1$2,730,790Health921112$10,335,798Resources13215.4$2,071,764Soil and water26311.5$2,715,385Transport1400$0Unspecified2483614.5$32,735,926Total68910014.5$90,512,393Total within Science and Research Priorities4416414.5$57,776,467Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%)6464 63.8Outcomes by Administering OrganisationA summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 6.Table 6. Number of applications and success rates for approved Future Fellowships 2020 applications by Administering OrganisationAdministering OrganisationApplications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Funds over project life for approved applications ($)Australian Capital Territory40615$5,582,718The Australian National University37616.2$5,582,718University of Canberra3000New South Wales2222511.323,323,646Australian Catholic University100$0Charles Sturt University200$0Macquarie University2328.7$1,704,045Southern Cross University6116.7$1,048,328The University of New England3133.3$998,395The University of New South Wales611016.4$9,520,333The University of Newcastle2100$0The University of Sydney56712.5$6,605,944University of Technology Sydney17317.6$2,512,553University of Wollongong2813.6$934,048Western Sydney University400$0Northern Territory200$0Charles Darwin University200$0Queensland1121816.1$16,833,911Central Queensland University100$0Griffith University18422.2$3,824,013James Cook University300$0Queensland University of Technology1815.6$900,000The University of Queensland641117.2$10,128,304University of Southern Queensland200$0University of the Sunshine Coast6233.3$1,981,594South Australia45613.3$5,009,324Flinders University600$0The University of Adelaide34411.8$3,437,783University of South Australia5240$1,571,541Tasmania13430.8$3,410,969University of Tasmania13430.8$3,410,969Victoria2203515.9$30,968,146Deakin University2015$791,428La Trobe University18211.1$1,918,469Monash University801620$13,906,443RMIT University20315$2,876,644Swinburne University of Technology1516.7$738,000The University of Melbourne671217.9$10,737,162Western Australia35617.1$5,383,679Curtin University11218.2$1,768,176Murdoch University100$0The University of Western Australia23417.4$3,615,503Total68910014.5$90,512,393Career age and genderOf 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.Of the 689 Future Fellowship candidates in this round, 247 were female, 437 were male, one candidate was indeterminate/intersex and four candidates did not specify their gender. The success rate for female, male, indeterminate/intersex and unspecified candidates is 15.8 per cent, 13.5 per cent, 100.0 per cent and 25.0 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. At the closing time of submission of applications, of the 689 candidates, 626 were between 5 and 15 years of the award of their PhD and 57 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.Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Future Fellowships 2020 candidates by gender and career age* *Career age is calculated as years since PhD. Attracting and retaining outstanding researchersApplications 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 2020 candidates and approved AwardeesCitizenship/residency statusApplications considered% of Applications consideredApplications approvedSuccess rate (%)Foreign Nationals618.969.8Resident Australians60287.48914.8Returning Australians263.8519.2Total68910010014.5Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum.International CollaborationAmong 689 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 2015 instances of collaboration with researchers in 93 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 98 foreshadowed 312 instances of collaboration with researchers in 56 overseas locations (Figure 2).Figure 2. International collaborations by location in approved Future Fellowships 2020 applications* *The top 10 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 2 and the remaining are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.