2017 Sydney Research Accelerator SOAR Fellowships – Guidelines

Closing date 28 July 2016

Background

The Sydney Research Accelerator SOAR fellowships are at the heart of our whole-of-university approach to researcher development described in the 2016-2020 University Strategy. These fellowships will recognise and develop our most talented researchers and establish a cohort of future research leaders for Sydney.

SOAR is open to cohorts of early and mid-career researchers. Successful candidates will be offered a two-year fellowship that will include additional funding to enhance and enable their research, an individual development plan and a structured mentoring program. The overarching goals of the SOAR program are to recognise, enable and motivate talented academics, establish a cohort of high-quality and high-potential researchers as future research leaders for the University, and add to our ability to retain and recruit outstanding academics.

Details of the scheme

The focus of SOAR is to offer fellows an integrated and personalised career development plan over two years, accompanied by additional funds to add scale and momentum to their research. The scheme has two entry levels, one for early-career researchers (ECRs) and one for mid-career researchers (MCRs). Participants will be selected according to merit and future potential, and this process will involve consultation with and recommendations from deans, heads of school, and directors of centres and institutes. Applicants must demonstrate that they have an appropriate research track record including history of research outputs, HDR supervision and research funding.

Participants will not be required to propose new or additional research projects or programs; rather the funding is to enhance and expand the fellow’s existing work and to offer increased support. This may include the time and opportunity to enhance or build relationships with new collaborators and partners, or focus more on translation, community and industry engagement or commercialisation. As part of the development plan, however, specific outcomes for the fellowships will need to be proposed.

SOAR fellows will be offered research funding of up to $50,000 per year to enhance and expand the fellow’s existing work and to support the achievement of ambitious research and career goals. Of this $50,000, up to $10,000 can be put towards the activities specified in the individual development goals. In addition, up to $25,000 per year will be available directly to the schools of the fellows to support the relief of teaching and/or administrative activity of the fellow, to be agreed between fellows and heads.

Eligibility

The fellowships will be open to University of Sydney academic staff – on the payroll of the University – at Levels B, C and D, with teaching and research or research-only appointments spanning at least the duration of the award. There will be separate streams for research-only and research and teaching staff, with 75% of the fellowships allocated to teaching and research staff. Staff currently holding research awards or fellowships are permitted to apply. Successful candidates who complete the full term of their fellowships will not be permitted to reapply for another fellowship at the same level.

The early-career researcher (ECR) scheme will be offered to staff who are no more than ten years post-doctoral (with appropriate consideration given to career breaks and other interruptions). Researchers whose PhD was conferred more than ten years ago, again allowing for career breaks, may apply for the mid-career (MCR) scheme. Across the cohorts we will ensure that we advance our equity and diversity agenda, particularly in line with targets we have set for female advancement, and so 50% of SOAR fellows will be female.

Selection criteria

Participants will be selected according to merit and future potential. All proposals will be considered against the following criteria:

  • Achievements of the candidate (research track record) relative to opportunity
  • Transformative potential of the award for the candidate
  • Extent to which the candidate’s proposed activities would advance Sydney’s research goals.

Applications will be ranked by faculties and sent to a central selection committee for review. This committee will consider the faculty rankings and will consult with centres and/or institutes where appropriate. The committee will also review research performance data provided by the Research Portfolio’s data team.

Application process

The application process has two stages: an expression of interest (EOI), followed by a full proposal.

Expressions of interest are invited from eligible staff and consist of:

  • A brief (one-page) statement outlining the applicant’s research strategy for the next two years, including proposed outcomes for the fellowship and the transformative effect it would have on the applicant’s career. Candidates will not need to create a new project for the purpose of this award but should instead focus on describing the ways that the fellowship would allow them to expand or enhance significantly their existing projects or capabilities. The candidate will also demonstrate the alignment of this work with Faculty/SPARC/Centre and University strategies. Applicants may identify senior research and/or academic leaders as potential mentors, hosts for research visits, or for shadowing opportunities.
  • A CV and details of research outputs, income, impacts and contributions to the applicant’s discipline.

Candidates must discuss their applications with their heads of school/department before submitting their EOIs. (A letter of support is not needed at the EOI stage but will be required for full proposals.) Further details are available on the EOI form. Expressions of Interest close at 5pm on Thursday 28 July 2016 – please note that late applications will not be considered.

EOIs will be ranked by faculties and submitted to a central multidisciplinary selection committee chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research. The central committee will create a shortlist of candidates to be invited to submit full proposals.

Full proposals will be sought from shortlisted candidates, who will be contacted via email on Friday 12 August. They will consist of:

  • A two-page (maximum) statement outlining the applicant’s research strategy for the next two years
  • A one-page budget and justification
  • A CV and details of research outputs, income, impacts and contributions to the applicant’s discipline
  • Letter of support from the candidate’s Head of School/Centre/Institute, including proposed arrangements for relieving the SOAR fellow of some local teaching and/or administrative duties, should they be successful.

Full proposals are due by 5pm on Friday 16 September – any proposals received after this time will not be considered.

Successful candidates will be advised by email on Friday 7 October. Planning meetings will be scheduled with fellows and their schools or departments and the fellowships will commence in January 2017.

Conditions of the award

  1. The SOAR fellowships are open to University of Sydney academic staff at Levels B, C and D. Staff must be on the University payroll, with teaching and research or research-only appointments spanning at least the duration of the award. Research productivity over the duration of the award must also come through the University. Fellows currently at Level D who apply successfully for promotion to Level E may continue to hold their fellowships. The timing of any SSP in the context of the Fellowship will be determined on a case by case basis, in consultation with Heads of School or Department.
  1. There will be 20 SOAR fellowships offered in the 2017 program: 10 for ECRs and 10 for MCRs. Research-only staff and teaching and research staff will be assessed in different streams, with 75% of the fellowships allocated to teaching and research staff. Staff currently holding research awards or fellowships are permitted to apply. In support of our targets for equity and diversity, at least 50% of the SOAR fellows will be female.
  1. Each SOAR fellowship will run for two years, from January 2017 until December 2018. Support for the second year will be conditional upon approval of a progress report from the fellow. Fellows will also be required to submit a brief final report at the end of their two-year fellowship, with budget accruals and details of career and research milestones achieved against their development plans.
  1. SOAR fellows will receive research funding of up to $50,000 per year to support the research goals agreed in their individual development plans. Of this $50,000, up to $10,000 can be put towards the professional development activities specified in these plans. In addition, up to $25,000 per year will be available directly to the schools of the fellows to support the relief of teaching and/or administrative activity of the fellow, to be agreed between fellows and heads. All unused funding must be returned to the Research Portfolio.
  1. An academic mentor will be identified for each fellow for the two-year program, with the understanding that other short-term or specific mentoring advice may be sought from other senior leaders within the University and externally. This person might be their APD advisor, but if not, the APD advisor, along with RD&C and the fellow would identify the potential mentor. Both fellows and mentors will be briefed at the beginning of the fellowship to ensure expectations are aligned and a framework for the relationship is in place. RD&C team members will meet regularly with fellows to monitor progress and update and refine the development plans.
  1. Media training will be included in each fellow’s development plan and they will be encouraged to engage with traditional and social media and the communities with whom they are working or for whom the research may have benefits. A public research showcase event will be held at the end of each year, at which the fellows will present brief updates on their work, highlighting achievements to date. They might also be called up to participate in public events highlighting the research excellence of the University during the course of their fellowship.
  1. The progress of the fellowships will be overseen by an academic advisory group, set up as part of the SEG Research Committee and chaired by the Director Research Development and Collaboration. The group will consist of academic research advisors and faculty nominees. The advisory group may apply additional conditions to a fellowship or vary its terms if this is deemed to be necessary.

For further information please contact Dr Andrew Black ()

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