Applications are now open for the Mid-Career Researcher Capability Development Initiative, a UTS scheme targeting Level B or C academics. The Initiative offers a series of research development workshops, the opportunity to work with a mentor and funding support of up to $20,000 to help you develop a 5-year research plan.
Apply for the Mid-Career Researcher Capability Development Initiative
UTS Research Capability and Development Administrator Alexandra Nicolas said the scheme was developed by her team to support researchers to develop their research career on their own terms.
“This includes navigating the challenges of both forging an independent research path, and working within the structures of academia,” she explained.
“The nature of a research career is vastly different to what it was 20 to 30 years ago, increasingly requiring researchers to be more adaptable and entrepreneurial than ever before. That’s why this Initiative allows awardees the space, support and framework to focus on their next steps and develop a career that works for them.”
Taking time to explore the next steps
Two previous awardees, Dr Meera Radhakrishnan and Dr Wyatt Million, recently joined Alexandra to launch the scheme at RES Hub.
“The Mid-Career Researcher Capability Development Initiative is about engaging in meaningful discussions with workshop leaders and your mentors about how to develop your career,” explained Meera, a Research Fellow specialising in innovative sensing technologies including wearable and IoT.
She said that her experience involved a lot more than career mentoring and planning.
They provided invaluable feedback, not only on how to progress my future plans, but also on other career aspects like when to go for promotion and whether I was ready to apply for a new kind of funding.
“It’s a unique opportunity to take some time for yourself to explore the next steps that you want to take in your research career,” said Meera, whose mentors provided career guidance and helped her establish new connections within UTS and beyond.
“They provided invaluable feedback, not only on how to progress my future plans, but also on other career aspects like when to go for promotion and whether I was ready to apply for a new kind of funding,” she said.
Wyatt agreed and said the program helped him think more critically when deciding what were his priorities and where he should invest his time.
“I actually focused on thinking about research funding as well as creativity and innovation,” he said.
“Being fairly new to UTS, and also to Australia, it was really important for me to understand the whole Australian research funding landscape, as well as how to secure more funding on my own.”
Wyatt found the planning process particularly helpful.
“Developing a plan helped me be accountable. I kept going back to it and looking at it to see whether I was keeping up with it,” he said.
“It’s about helping you get what you want out of your own career. You can apply any goals within this kind of planning framework and be clear about how you like to achieve them, whether that is by time blocking, or at a higher level by mapping out a general plan and sort of letting things fall into place.”
Wyatt said that while there’s a lot of flexibility and freedom in how you approach your research plan, it also requires you to really figure out how everything links together.
It’s about helping you get what you want out of your own career. You can apply any goals within this kind of planning framework and be clear about how you like to achieve them.
“Make sure you have enough time to get your plan down,” he advised.
“I was someone who always had a five-year plan in my mind. I kind of knew I was going a certain direction, but if it's not written down, it's easy to say, well, I can push it back a year, or maybe I don't have to apply for this thing.”
“Planning makes it real. It's something you have to achieve. Planning allowed me to see whether my goals and expectations were realistic. And once a plan is written down, it's easier to change and kind of move things around, and it's also easier to communicate.”
Once Wyatt knew exactly what he wanted to do with the Mid-Career Researcher Capability Development Initiative opportunity, he was better able to talk with his mentors and get advice on how to achieve his goals.
Meera agreed that there is immense value for mid-career researchers to intake time out to plan. She urged anyone applying for the Initiative to make the most of this opportunity.
“My key takeaway is to just be open to the feedback that they are giving. And if you do get the chance to be part of this program, try to make the most out of your mentors.”
Interested in applying?
Applications for the Mid-Career Researcher Capability Development Initiative close at 12pm Monday 17 March. For information about the scheme and program guidelines, visit the Sharepoint page.