Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on meta

This scholarship is administered externally

About this scholarship

 

The Westpac Scholars Trust is partnering with Australia's leading research universities to offer two Westpac Research Fellowships, each valued at a minimum of $400,000 of fully flexible funding over five years. These Fellowships offer early career researchers a unique opportunity to support their groundbreaking research, provide access to networks, open career pathways and global experiences. Unlike other grant programs, the Fellowship provides access to a diverse network beyond academia and profiling opportunities to help advance their career.

Successful Fellows will be undertaking research that has the ability to make a difference to Australia's future in one of the Trust's priority areas:

  • Technology and innovation
  • Strengthening Australia-Asia ties
  • Enabling positive social change

So far, there are 14 Westpac Research Fellows from four partner universities, selected for their intellectual ability, leadership potential and commitment to the community.

There are two Research Fellowships available nationwide. Researchers who hold other awards are eligible to apply.

SUMMARY

VALUE

Valued at $400,000 over 5 years

2 on offer

Payments made for 5 years

APPLICATION PERIOD

05-Jul-2023 to 04-Sep-2023

  • Student types

    Domestic, Alumni
  • Student levels

    Postgraduate research
  • Number of scholarships awarded

    2 on offer
  • Selection bases

    Academic merit

Field of study

 
Any Discipline

Eligibility

 

To be a successful candidate, you will need to meet the following requirements

  • You are an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
  • You have been awarded a PhD between 1 September 2017 and 1 September 2020; or have obtained an Eligibility Exemption from the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) or equivalent if your PhD was awarded prior to 1 September 2017.
  • Your proposed area of research is in a field of research at a participating university with an Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) four digit Field of Research (FOR) rating "well above world standing" in the ERA 2018 exercise. (Australian Research Council's website)
  • You are able to commence the Fellowship by 30 June 2024.
  • Your proposed research will contribute to the future of Australia in one of the Foundation's three focus areas (please note: funding requests for the purpose of medical research as defined in the ARC Medical Research Policy available on the Australian Research Council website will not be considered).
  • Your proposed research includes international opportunities to develop your leadership skills and global networks, such as; study tours for the purpose of research, attending a short course or conference, an internship or volunteering.
  • You are able to supply two letters of reference, one academic reference and one personal reference; and a letter of support from the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research).
  • You are able to attend the National Assessment Centre held in Sydney on 5-6 December 2023.

 

Additional Requirements:

You need to build into your Westpac Research Fellowship (WRF) proposal schedule time to consult with your Department/Research School/College to discuss the proposal and its budget, and to seek approval for these. When budgeting the WRF proposal, include salary gap (if there is one), all research proposal costs, and $5,000 for the Leadership 360 Program.  These costs are to be met by your Research School/College. You should consult with your College Research Office for advice and assistance.

Should your WRF proposal be awarded, you can apply for Strategic Research Funds (SRF) ($30,000 in total) via your College Dean to the Office of DVC (R & I). 

Additional information

 

The Fellowship aims to free you from the need to apply for multiple sources of funding, allowing you to focus on your research. It includes:

1)   Salary support for your position

The Fellowship will fund your fulltime salary and on-costs for a period of up to five years from the date of award. 

The Westpac Research Fellowship may not fund salaries of Fellows who are the recipients of another salary-funding Award (e.g. DECRA) at the same time. If you are currently on another salary-funding Award / Fellowship, or are the recipient of a salary-funding Award at the time the Westpac Research Fellowship (WRF) is awarded, you may request: 

  • a reallocation of the Westpac-funded amount ($330,000 or part thereof) to another needed resource related to your research e.g. research costs; and/or
  • an extension of up to an additional two years to utilise the Westpac Research Fellowship salary funding.

These requests must be approved by the Westpac Scholars Trust and your host university and will be assessed on a case by case basis.

2)   Opportunity for professional development and global experiences

The Fellowship will include access to a $30,000 Westpac Professional Development Fund provided and administered by the host university. The Westpac Professional Development Fund is to be used by the Fellow to tailor professional development and global experiences that maximise the Fellow's potential to contribute in their area of research and enhance their career opportunities. This could include conferences, travel for research or experiences and courses that support leadership development.

The Leadership 360 Program is now a compulsory part of the WPDF and includes:

  • comprehensive assessment of current leadership capability via a 360- feedback assessment, including a one-to-one debrief and
  • yearly facilitated one day group workshop with all Westpac Research Fellows.

Applications for the 2024 Program will open on 5 July 2023 and close 4 September 2023. Apply online by selecting the 'Apply Now' button at the top of this page, once applications have been opened.

Key dates:

Date

Action

5 July 2023

Application open

4 September 2023

 

10 August 2023

Application close (5:00pm AEST)

 

Online Information Session (2:30pm AEST)

5-6 December 2023

 

13 December 2023

 

National Assessment Centre, Sydney

 

Notification of outcome 

 

For more information about this scholarship, please contact preaward.ris@anu.edu.au or your College Research Office; or visit the website link below.

Website link

Contact us:

icon_human Ms Kus Pandey, Research Funding and Development Manager