ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/16/2004 6 August 2004
Australian Government invites applications for Research Fellowships
The Australian Government, through the Australian Research Council, is inviting applications for the fourth consecutive year for the highly prestigious Federation Fellowships.
Funded under the Australian Government's AUD 3-billion Backing Australia's Ability innovation policy, the Federation Fellowships are designed to attract and retain outstanding researchers and to build and strengthen Australia's world-class research capacity. "The Backing Australia's Ability program is helping to maintain Australia's excellent research base and improve its ability to commercialise technology," according to the Australian High Commissioner to India, Ms Penny Wensley AO.
The High Commissioner noted that the Australian Research Council, which fosters research excellence through a world-class competitive grants program, encourages both Australian and international researchers.
"The Federation Fellowships support researchers to undertake ground-breaking research of significant national, economic, environmental and social importance. They signal Australia's strong commitment to research, development and innovation. They also help to strengthen links between Australian and international research institutions as well as between researchers and industry," Ms Wensley added.
The Federation Fellowships support excellence in scientific research, including:
- pure basic research - experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire new knowledge without looking for long-term benefits other than the advancement of knowledge;
- strategic basic research - experimental and theoretical work undertaken to acquire knowledge directed into specified broad areas that are expected to lead to useful discoveries; and
- applied research - original work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge with a specific application in view.
There are currently 72 Federation Fellows undertaking research in Australia, drawn from the UK, USA, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Sweden, as well as some expatriate Australians.
The Australian Government is offering five Federation Fellowships for foreign nationals in 2005, with a standard tenure of five years and a salary of around AUD 240,000 per year. A clear preference will be given to early and mid-career researchers who can play a leadership role in building Australia's internationally-competitive research capacity.
The five Fellowships are available for a tenure at Australian higher education institutions and Australian research organisations that are funded primarily for research by the Federal or State Governments. All Federation Fellows will receive research support from their host institutions. In addition, for the first time, some applicants will be eligible to apply for an Australian Research Council start-up research project grant of up to AUD 400,000. Applications for the 2005 Federation Fellowships are due by 15 October 2004.
For further information and documentation visit the Australian Research Council's website at http://www.arc.gov.au or email [email protected].