A dedicated funding stream will be introduced for people with freshly minted PhDs, under final proposals from a drawn-out review of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC’s) competitive grant schemes.
Canberra has signalled its acceptance of the recommendations from the review, which was launched in early 2025 and handed to the government months ago. While the changes are expected to boost opportunities for early career researchers, their experienced colleagues could pay the price.
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) warned that the reforms risked postponing rather than removing a continuity gap in research careers. “Job insecurity remains a significant barrier well into the mid-career stage, not just at entry level,” said ATSE president Cathy Foley.
“Mid-career researchers will no longer have access to dedicated fellowships under these reforms. [We must] ensure [they] aren’t left without a secure pathway.”
The proposals more than halve the number of schemes in a grants regime which has “become diffuse and fragmented”, according to the report. The review originally proposed to prune the current 15 schemes to six, focusing on the core business of discovery research and withdrawing from other responsibilities assumed over the decades – including funding of research infrastructure.
