Future Fellowships Scheme
Scheme Summary
ARC Future Fellowships applications are invited from outstanding mid-career researchers wishing to pursue high quality and innovative research across all disciplines, including medical and dental research.
The ARC Future Fellowships aim 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 or cultural benefits for Australia; and
- strengthen Australia’s research capacity by supporting innovative, internationally competitive research.
Applicants for Future Fellowships are expected to be nationally and/or internationally recognised as being influential in expanding the knowledge in their discipline area, with a record of independent and original contributions to research which have had a significant impact on their field of expertise.
Future Fellows are expected to pursue collaborative research, which may be conducted at an institution other than the Administering Institution for a period or periods of up to 24 months over the life of the Fellowship. This includes other research organisations (in Australia or overseas), or in industry, providing this is in the best interests of the research and its outcomes, and is of national benefit to Australia.
The Federal Government has designated the following areas of research as continuing national research priorities for the 2010 funding round:
- An Environmentally Sustainable Australia
- Promoting and Maintaining Good Health
- Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries
- Safeguarding Australia
The current round of Future Fellowships will also target the following priority areas of research:
National research capacity
The Proposal should demonstrate how the project and the Future Fellowship candidate will increase Australia’s capacity to undertake research in the selected discipline/s at the most appropriate Administering Organisation. Increased national research capacity arises when overseas researchers are attracted to Australia, researchers are attracted to work at the best organisational locations, and potential researchers are attracted to participate in full-time research.
Targeted discipline areas
There are a range of disciplinary areas where national capacity needs enhancing, especially by mid-career researchers. The targeted discipline areas are enabling disciplines: mathematics; earth sciences; history; English; sociology; education; and economics.
Targeted research areas
These are areas of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and areas of national significance. The targeted research areas are: Indigenous health and well-being; community and preventative health; environment and climate change; land-based transport systems; immigration; Asian studies; social inclusion and systemic disadvantage; and manufacturing innovation.
Eligibility
Applicants must have been awarded a PhD on or between 21 April 1995 and 21 April 2005. Potential applicants who do not meet these requirements, such as those who have had a career interruption or do not hold a PhD, must submit an Eligibility Exemption Request through Swinburne Research by the due date below.
Future Fellowship candidates must be outstanding mid-career researchers who conduct high quality, innovative research. They must have a record of high quality research outputs and the capacity to build collaborations across industry and/or research institutions and/or disciplines. They should propose research programs in areas of national priority that will deliver significant economic, environmental, social, health or cultural benefits to Australia.
In addition, the area of the research project must align with and/or complement one of the Swinburne Areas of Research Strength. The application includes a Strategic Statement outlining how the Future Fellowship candidate and the project are aligned with existing and/or emerging research strengths, and how the Fellow aligns with and/or complements the staffing profile.
Applicants must have a record of leadership in research, including research training supervision. They are expected to have a record of significant contribution to the preparation of research proposals to external funding bodies and a record of contribution to strategic research planning. They should have a strong record of high quality research output; experience in the management of research grants; collaboration with researchers and external stakeholders; and involvement in professional associations.
Future Fellows must reside predominantly in Australia for the duration of the fellowship, and must relinquish any existing appointments or fellowships prior to the commencement of the Future Fellowship.
Future Fellowships are normally held full-time; however the ARC may approve a part-time period for family and/or carer responsibilities only, provided the duration of the fellowship does not exceed six years. Part-time fellowship must be at a minimum of 0.5 FTE.
The primary assessment criteria for the Fellowships are: Investigator (40%), Project Quality (25%), and Strategic Alignment/ Collaboration/ National Research Priority (35%).
Funding
There are three levels of Future Fellowship funding:
- Level 1 – salary $98,935 plus on costs; in general candidates will have between 5 and 9 years research experience since completion of their PhD
- Level 2 – salary $119,764 plus on costs; in general candidates will have between 7 and 11 years research experience since completion of their PhD
- Level 3 – salary $140,592 plus on costs; in general candidates will have between 10 and 15 years research experience since completion of their PhD
In addition to the Fellowship salary, the ARC will pay the administering institution up to $50,000 per annum which may be used for infrastructure, equipment, travel, field trips and relocation costs related to the Future Fellow’s research.
Application Material
Applicants for the Future Fellowships should:
Read the RMS information (note that applications must be submitted using the RMS system)
And, download the following documents:
For information on research classification codes and specifically, Field of Research (FOR) codes, please view our codes webpage.
The ARC Certification Page must be signed by ALL applicants, the appropriate Dean of Faculty and the DVCR, CEO or Delegate of any Host Organisations.
The Swinburne cover sheet must also be completed, appropriately signed and submitted to Swinburne Research before the application can be submitted to the ARC.
Advice and Assistance
Advice and assistance is available from Swinburne Research - please contact Asha Rawlings (ext. 8251, email arawlings@swin.edu.au) or Paul Forsyth (ext. 8069, email pforsyth@swin.edu.au).
Critical Dates and Lodgment Instructions
| Closing Date | Action Required |
|---|---|
Consultation with Alan Johnson will be available on 7 April for those who have made an appointment only. To book a time, contact Reema Rattan on ext. 8356 or email rrattan@swin.edu.au. Previous applicants who received a mark within the top 40 percent of the salary level will be given preference. |
|
| 12 February 2010 | Eligibility Exemption Requests, if required, submitted to Swinburne Research via RMS. |
| 31 March 2010 | Complete drafts for applicants who have booked one-on-one consultations with Alan Johnson. Completed drafts must be submitted to Swinburne Research from within RMS. |
| 9am, 7 April 2010 | Complete drafts for applicants who have not booked consultations with Alan Johnson. Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received. Completed drafts must be submitted to Swinburne Research from within RMS. Only changes to the application as a result of the reviews will be accepted after this point. |
| 14 April 2010 | Final applications must be submitted electronically on RMS. The fully signed ARC certification page and the Swinburne cover sheet must be submitted to Swinburne Research. Please note that applications cannot be submitted to the ARC without these. |
