ARC CEO welcomes additional round for Future Fellowships scheme

15 May 2013

ARC CEO welcomes additional round for Future Fellowships scheme 

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Australian Research Council (ARC), Professor Aidan Byrne, has welcomed last night’s budget announcement which included an additional $135.3 million to the ARC to continue the Future Fellowships scheme for an additional round, supporting 150 researchers.

The Future Fellowships scheme was announced by the Australian Government in 2008 and was implemented to promote research in areas of critical national importance by giving outstanding researchers incentives to conduct their research in Australia.

The aim of Future Fellowships is to attract and retain the best and brightest mid-career researchers. At present many highly qualified mid-career researchers choose to work overseas to further their careers due to lack of opportunities in Australia. The Future Fellowships scheme helps address this problem.

The five-year scheme was due to terminate with the last cohort of Future Fellows to be announced this year.

Professor Byrne said he was pleased the Government had committed to an additional round of the scheme, which will offer a further 150 fellowships.

“This is a great scheme that has worked extremely well and is strongly supported throughout the research sector,” he said.

“The ARC has just completed a consultation process with the sector on the Future Fellowships scheme and there is overwhelming acknowledgment that it is meeting its objective of attracting and retaining outstanding mid-career researchers.

“Our Future Fellows are undertaking research critical to our nation, for example, two of our inaugural Future Fellows: Professor Kathy Belov is working to save the Tasmanian Devil from extinction researching the facial tumours that are decimating our native population and with great results; and Professor Mark Kendall developed the Nanopatch for efficient vaccine delivery which won him the 2011 Australian Innovation Challenge.”

“I will continue to work with the Government to give this scheme even greater security into the future,” Professor Byrne said.

Media contact: 
ARC Stakeholder Relations 
0412 623 056 or communications@arc.gov.au