Highly competitive, the Australian Research Council’s Future Fellowship scheme supports 100 outstanding mid-career researchers each year to undertake high quality research in areas of national and international benefit. Are you considering applying for a Future Fellowship but are unsure whether this opportunity is right for you? Or perhaps you are uncertain about the competitiveness of your research track record and wondering when the best time to apply might be?
Is an ARC Fellowship right for you?
Four outstanding UTS researchers were recently awarded Future Fellowships. Congratulations to:
- Dr Jianguang Fang, who is developing a new approach to designing lightweight, damage-tolerant and crashworthy cellular structures to develop a new way to generate eco-friendly structures used in transport industries
- Associate Professor Heather Ford, whose research into AI aims to "reclaim the human" in AI answer systems by mapping how knowledges are coproduced by people at multiple levels of the AI model lifecycle
- Dr Jun Li, whose research seeks to understand concrete material and structural behavior to better understand structural dynamic response and failure mechanisms.
- Associate Professor Min Xu, who develops technologies for millimetre-wave radar-based vital sign monitoring, including respiration, heartbeat and blood pressure.
In reflecting on the success of UTS’s newest Future Fellows, Dr Sabina Belli, Research Capability and Development Manager in the UTS Research Office, noted that they are all internationally recognised, high calibre researchers who lead cutting-edge research programs that deliver real world impact.
“With applicants achieving a 20% success rate, it’s important that you consider your current capabilities and strategies for success before pursuing this opportunity,” she warned.
Sabina recommends that anyone intending to apply for a Future Fellowship first discuss whether it’s the right time to apply with their supervisor and Faculty research team.
“Future Fellows typically have advanced national research standing. For example, they have proven capability to build collaborations across research organisations, industry and other disciplines both within Australia and internationally,” she explained.
With applicants achieving a 20% success rate, it’s important that you consider your current capabilities and strategies for success before pursuing this opportunity.
It’s important to know that assessors consider an applicant’s research outputs and capability for research training, supervision and mentoring. They also look for evidence of leadership capability.
“While aiming to secure a Future fellowship is a worthwhile endeavour, it could be that you need to plan strategically to develop the level of capability required to succeed in this funding category,” Sabina said.
Associate Professor Heather Ford said that it takes a village to raise a successful FF application.
"Getting the right support and collaborators is a lengthy process but a strong network is vital for proving that the project is worthy. One of the greatest ways of building networks is through the mentorship, training and research networks offered at UTS," she said.
Is now the time to apply?
A great place to start assessing your readiness level is by using the Future Fellowship Benchmarking Tool. Developed to enable research academics to compare certain performance metrics against those of successful ARC Future Fellows within the same field of research and academic level, this tool will help you decide which capabilities may require further development before you make an application.
Another way to progress your journey towards Future Fellowship readiness is by participating in the research training opportunities developed by UTS Aspire to enhance the calibre of research at UTS.
One of the greatest ways of building networks is through the mentorship, training and research networks offered at UTS
Aspire programs help you develop a strong foundation for academic leadership and mentoring as well as methods for evidencing impact, advancing commercialisation and more.
Attend a training session
The next training opportunity for UTS researchers considering applying for the ARC Future Fellowship scheme is on Friday 20 September from 10am - 11am AEST.
Join us in the RES Hub events space and virtually via Zoom for an informative session with Dr Sabina Belli from the Research Capability and Development Team in the UTS Research Office. She'll review the 2025 Future Fellowship guidelines, discuss updates and explore strategies for crafting a competitive and compelling proposal narrative. Register to attend
- Find information about the Future Fellowship scheme and key dates at the ARC website.
- For advice on how to plan strategically for a Future Fellowship contact RCD@uts.edu.au
- Register to attend other training programs to support your research journey.
Feature image shows A/Prof Heather Ford, a recent recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship.