Future Fellowships

Selection Report

For Funding Commencing in 2013

Future Fellowships

Selection Report for Funding Commencing in 2013

Overview

The Future Fellowships scheme reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to promoting research in areas of critical national importance by enabling outstanding Australian and international mid-career researchers to conduct their research in Australia.

The objectives of the Future Fellowships scheme are to:

attract and retain outstanding mid-career researchers;

build collaboration across industry and/or research institutions and/or disciplines;

support research in national priorities across all disciplines that will result in economic, environmental, social, health and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and

strengthen Australia’s research capacity by supporting innovative, internationally competitive research.

Selection Process

ARC Executive Directors, assisted by relevant ARC staff, prepared funding recommendations for submission to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The outcomes were based on advice from the ARC College of Expertswhich:

  • assessed proposals and reviewed assessments made by independent readers;
  • reviewed applicants’ comments on assessors’ reports;
  • ranked each proposal relative to the others in discipline groups on the basis of the proposal and the assessors’ reports and applicants’ responses to those assessments; and
  • assessed and recommended budgets;

and, advice from the ARC Eligibility Committee which:

  • considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff or the members of the ARC College of Experts;
  • sought advice from institutions with respect to issues raised; and
  • made recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible proposals.

This report reflects the recommendations of the ARC CEO to the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria and corresponding weightings for Future Fellowshipsproposals are:

  • Future Fellowship Candidate;(40%)
  • Project Quality;(35%)
  • Strategic Alignment; and(15%)
  • Collaboration / Outreach.(10%)

Summary of Outcomes

Future Fellowshipscommencing in 2013 will offer four-year fellowships ranging over three salary levels (of up to $154,129 a year) to outstanding Australian and international researchers in the middle of their career.

In addition, each researcher’s Administering Organisation will receive up to $50,000 per year to support related infrastructure, equipment, travel and relocation costs.

The ARC received a total of 1236 proposals for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2013, of which two proposals were withdrawn. This is a significant increase from the 603 proposals received for Future Fellowships for funding commencing in 2012.

Table 1. Future Fellowships proposals approvedfor funding commencing in 2013

Salary Level / Proposals considered / Proposals approved / Success rate / Total requested funds (over project life) / Requested funds (over project life) of approvedproposals / Funds allocated (over project life) / Allocation as a percentage of request
Salary Level 1 / 784 / 124 / 15.82% / $547,150,077 / $87,319,337 / $86,872,168 / 99.49%
Salary Level 2 / 335 / 57 / 17.01% / $271,601,349 / $47,177,199 / $47,015,698 / 99.66%
Salary Level 3 / 115 / 20 / 17.39% / $106,008,022 / $18,462,016 / $18,404,816 / 99.69%
Total / 1234 / 201 / 16.29% / $924,759,448 / $152,958,552 / $152,292,682 / 99.56%

Table 2. Indicative funds for Future Fellowships proposalsapproved for funding commencing in 2013

2013-14 / 2014-15 / 2015-16 / 2016-17 / Total
Indicative Funding / $38,643,470 / $38,233,941 / $38,145,213 / $37,270,058 / $152,292,682

National Research Priorities

Table 3.Numbers and success rates for Future Fellowships proposals approvedfor funding commencing in 2013, by National Research Priority

Commencing in 2013
National Research Priority / Proposals considered / Proposals approved / Success rate / Allocated funds (over project life)
An Environmentally Sustainable Australia / 244 / 45 / 18.44% / $34,073,540
Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries / 450 / 74 / 16.44% / $56,539,971
Promoting and Maintaining Good Health / 343 / 54 / 15.74% / $41,224,284
Safeguarding Australia / 153 / 19 / 12.42% / $13,700,923
None selected / 44 / 9 / 20.45% / $6,753,964
Total proposals / 1234 / 201 / 16.29% / $152,292,682
Total priority proposals / 1190 / 192 / 16.13% / $145,538,718
% within priority area / 96.43% / 95.52% / 95.57%

ARC Discipline Groups

Table 4.Numbers and success rates for Future Fellowships proposalsapproved for funding commencing in 2013, by Discipline Group

Commencing in 2013
ARC Discipline Group ^ / Proposals considered / % of proposals considered / Proposals approved / Success rate / Allocated funds (over project life)
BEM / 425 / 34.44% / 69 / 16.24% / $53,334,883
HSE / 309 / 25.04% / 51 / 16.50% / $38,306,387
PME / 500 / 40.52% / 81 / 16.20% / $60,651,412
Total / 1234 / 100.0% / 201 / 16.29% / $152,292,682

^(BEM – Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Environmental, Medical and Health Sciences; HSE – Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; PME – Physical, Mathematical and Information Sciences and Engineering)

Targeted Research Areas

Applicants were asked to identify if the proposal targeted a research area of national significance.

Table 5.Instances of identified targeted research areas in Future Fellowships proposalsapproved for funding commencing in 2013

Commencing in 2013
Targeted Research Area / Instances in proposals considered / Instances in proposals approved / Success rate
Bioinformatics / 157 / 21 / 13.38%
Computer system security / 16 / 0 / 0.00%
Indigenous health and wellbeing / 66 / 19 / 28.79%
Managing innovation, renewable energy and green technology / 224 / 30 / 13.39%
Pattern recognition and data mining / 123 / 20 / 16.26%
Safeguarding Australia (especially electronic security, surveillance and detection) / 125 / 10 / 8.00%
Understanding culture and communities / 259 / 40 / 15.44%
Total / 970 / 140 / 14.43%

*A single proposal may select multiple targeted research areas.

Attracting and retaining outstanding researchers

Proposals were open to Eligible Organisations to nominate candidates who are outstanding researchers of international repute, resident either within Australia or overseas.

Table 6. Citizenship/residency status of Future Fellowships candidates and approvedFellows for funding commencing in 2013

Commencing in 2013
Citizenship/residency status / Proposals considered / % of proposals considered / Proposals approved / Success rate
Foreign Nationals / 155 / 12.56% / 20 / 12.90%
Resident Australians / 1009 / 81.77% / 169 / 16.75%
Returning Australians / 70 / 5.67% / 12 / 17.14%
Total / 1234 / 100.00% / 201 / 16.29%

Age and Gender

The greatest number of Future Fellowships proposals were in the 35-39years age cohort (23.66%).

Table 7. Comparison of Future Fellowships success rates between male and female candidates from 2012to 2013

Fellowship Type / Gender / Commencing in 2012 / Commencing in 2013
Number of proposals / Number of approvedfellows / Success rate / Number of proposals / Number of approvedfellows / Success rate
Salary Level 1 / male / 238 / 72 / 30.3% / 524 / 84 / 16.03%
female / 102 / 36 / 35.3% / 257 / 40 / 15.56%
Salary Level 2 / male / 135 / 50 / 37.0% / 229 / 35 / 15.28%
female / 56 / 22 / 39.3% / 106 / 22 / 20.75%
Salary Level 3 / male / 52 / 21 / 40.4% / 79 / 15 / 18.99%
female / 19 / 8 / 42.1% / 36 / 5 / 13.89%
All levels # / male / 425 / 143 / 33.6% / 832 / 134 / 16.11%
female / 177 / 66 / 37.3% / 399 / 67 / 16.79%

# One proposal did not specify gender in 2012, three proposals did not specify gender in 2013.

Figure 1.Success rate by age and gender for Future Fellowships proposalsapproved for funding commencing 2013

International Collaboration

Applicants foreshadowed 2678 instances of collaboration with researchers in 94 overseas locations on 1058 proposals. Of the proposals approved for funding, 177 proposals foreshadowed 476 instances of collaboration with researchers in 46 overseas locations.

Figure 2.Instances of international collaboration onapprovedFuture Fellowships proposals for funding commencing in 2013

Administering Organisation

Table 8.Number of Future Fellowships proposals and success rates for funding commencing in 2013, by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation / Proposals considered / Proposals approved / Success rate / Allocated funding
Australian Capital Territory
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) / 11 / 2 / 18.18% / $1,614,005
The Australian National University / 106 / 14 / 13.21% / $10,141,941
University of Canberra / 2 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
New South Wales
Australian Astronomical Observatory / 3 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Australian Catholic University / 2 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation / 1 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Charles Sturt University / 1 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Garvan Institute of Medical Research / 3 / 1 / 33.33% / $695,050
Macquarie University / 36 / 8 / 22.22% / $5,996,004
Neuroscience Research Australia / 2 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Southern Cross University / 9 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
The University of New England / 8 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
The University of New South Wales / 90 / 14 / 15.56% / $10,853,589
The University of Newcastle / 32 / 4 / 12.50% / $3,045,818
The University of Sydney / 83 / 11 / 13.25% / $7,714,359
University of Technology, Sydney / 24 / 4 / 16.67% / $3,031,107
University of Western Sydney / 14 / 2 / 14.29% / $1,429,325
University of Wollongong / 47 / 3 / 6.38% / $2,582,672
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute / 4 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Northern Territory
Charles Darwin University / 3 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Queensland
Griffith University / 38 / 6 / 15.79% / $4,550,861
James Cook University / 10 / 2 / 20.00% / $1,669,209
Queensland Institute of Medical Research / 10 / 3 / 30.00% / $2,370,487
Queensland University of Technology / 32 / 2 / 6.25% / $1,487,618
The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) / 1 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
The University of Queensland / 102 / 22 / 21.57% / $17,473,249
University of the Sunshine Coast / 7 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
South Australia
The Flinders University of South Australia / 25 / 6 / 24.00% / $4,961,687
The University of Adelaide / 53 / 10 / 18.87% / $7,397,187
University of South Australia / 33 / 2 / 6.06% / $1,626,560
Tasmania
University of Tasmania / 32 / 5 / 15.63% / $4,030,037
Victoria
Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute / 2 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Deakin University / 14 / 4 / 28.57% / $2,969,752
Howard Florey Institute / 9 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Institute for Breathing and Sleep / 1 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
La Trobe University / 19 / 7 / 36.84% / $4,809,964
Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research / 3 / 1 / 33.33% / $755,320
Monash University / 92 / 18 / 19.57% / $13,610,463
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute / 5 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research / 1 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
RMIT University / 14 / 3 / 21.43% / $2,232,355
St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research / 1 / 1 / 100.00% / $727,370
Swinburne University of Technology / 13 / 3 / 23.08% / $2,083,387
The University of Melbourne / 130 / 27 / 20.77% / $20,409,110
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research / 25 / 3 / 12.00% / $2,204,960
Victoria University / 1 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Western Australia
Curtin University of Technology / 22 / 2 / 9.09% / $1,299,320
Edith Cowan University / 3 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
Murdoch University / 3 / 0 / 0.00% / $0
The University of Western Australia / 52 / 11 / 21.15% / $8,519,916
Total / 1234 / 201 / 16.29% / $152,292,682

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