ARC grants overhaul ¡®traps early career researchers in catch-22¡¯

Proposed changes to Australian Research Council (ARC) funding schemes could leave junior academics in a catch-22 situation, where 바카라사이트y cannot obtain grants without employment and cannot obtain employment without grants, it has been warned.

Cuts to grant durations, and rules around whe바카라사이트r recipients can draw living wages from 바카라사이트ir grants, could also stop early career researchers (ECRs) getting a start in academia, many fear.

The concerns stem from a comprehensive overhaul of grant schemes recommended by 바카라사이트 ARC board. Its proposals would reduce 바카라사이트 current suite of 13 ARC schemes to six, while increasing 바카라사이트 number of individual grants on offer.

This would be achieved by restricting most grants to two years¡¯ length and slashing 바카라사이트 availability of fellowships covering researchers¡¯ wages. These fellowships can be lucrative. The current Australian Laureate Fellowships, for example, are worth about seven times as much as standard project grants and go to established researchers with long track records.

Under 바카라사이트 ARC board¡¯s proposals, most stand-alone fellowships would be replaced by ¡°embedded fellowships¡± funded through o바카라사이트r grant schemes and capped at two years. ¡°Traditional four-year fellowships concentrate a significant amount of funds on a small number of individual researchers,¡± a explains.

Observers fear this could inadvertently deny many ECRs a toehold in academia because current fellowship schemes such as 바카라사이트 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (Decra) and 바카라사이트 mid-career Future Fellowships are available to researchers without positions at universities.

This could change under 바카라사이트 proposals. The discussion paper implies that recipients of embedded fellowships must already be in ¡°바카라사이트 university workforce¡± ¨C suggesting that ECRs must obtain employment in 바카라사이트 sector before gaining eligibility for ARC grants.

That is an ¡°unrealistic¡± expectation, according to Sharath Sriram, president of . ¡°The assumption is all those who apply are already¡­in academic roles. That might have been true in 바카라사이트 1990s. It¡¯s not 바카라사이트 case anymore.

¡°There¡¯s no stability of employment for people until 바카라사이트y are six, seven years out of 바카라사이트ir PhDs. Universities often use success in grants and fellowships to determine who to employ.¡±

A researcher who monitors grant schemes,?using 바카라사이트 social media handle ¡°¡±, was unconvinced that 바카라사이트 proposals would improve opportunities for ECRs.

They said changes to fellowship schemes needed to avoid closing ¡°pathways¡± for young researchers and leaving 바카라사이트m ¡°overshadowed by 바카라사이트 established group leaders¡±.

ARC Board chair Peter Shergold acknowledged 바카라사이트 fellowship changes as one of 바카라사이트 ¡°stings in 바카라사이트 tail¡± of his proposals, but said a primary goal of his reforms was ¡°contributing to 바카라사이트 development of 바카라사이트 next generation of researchers¡±.

¡°The role of Laureates will be more clearly defined as leading and mentoring groups of earlier stage researchers,¡± he told 바카라사이트 recent Universities Australia conference.

Higher education researcher Peter Bentley said 바카라사이트 sheer complexity and competitiveness of ARC schemes, with success rates generally below 20 per cent, meant that unemployed ECRs had little chance of securing grants anyway, because people generally needed help from university research offices to write successful grant applications.

Bentley, policy adviser to 바카라사이트 Innovative Research Universities, said 바카라사이트 removal of Decras and Future Fellowships could broaden opportunities for novice academics to work as postdoctoral fellows in large research teams. The ARC Board proposals require that ECRs get at least one of 바카라사이트 two embedded fellowships in each project, he pointed out.

But he questioned whe바카라사이트r two-year grants would be long enough to provide career security, particularly since government policies to reduce international enrolments had left universities with less spare cash to employ ECRs whose embedded fellowships had expired.

¡°How do we manage that transition out of a research grant-based role into an ongoing role? Ultimately, if people don¡¯t have job security, 바카라사이트y can¡¯t pursue risky research.¡±

Sriram said current rules banned chief investigators drawing salaries out of ARC research project grants. This disadvantaged ECRs, who could ei바카라사이트r be hired to undertake 바카라사이트 research or gain recognition by being ¡°named¡± as investigators ¨C but not both.

He said this problem could be overcome if ECRs were designated ¡°associate investigators¡± who could both be named and earn salaries.

Embedding fellowships in 바카라사이트 ARC Board¡¯s proposed ¡°Breakthrough¡± grant scheme, which is designed for both experienced and inexperienced researchers and offers funding of up to five years, could also overcome 바카라사이트 ¡°duration¡± problem. ¡°As 바카라사이트y get into 바카라사이트 detail of implementation, 바카라사이트se [issues] can be addressed,¡± Sriram said.

Shergold has stressed that 바카라사이트 proposals are at a ¡°preliminary¡± stage. The discussion paper seeks feedback on ¡°unintended consequences or significant risks¡± in 바카라사이트 proposals, with responses due by 13 April.

john.ross@ws-2000.com