1.Background

The Australian Research Councils (ARC) Federation Fellowships are a major initiative arising from the Governments 29 January 2001 statement Backing Australias Ability: an innovation action plan for the future.

Federation Fellowships are prestigious awards designed to provide internationally competitive salaries that will support and encourage outstanding Australian and international researchers to work in Australia. Federation Fellows will play key roles in establishing the Australian research agenda in their area of research expertise and may be in a position to support and promote the work of Centres, mentor staff and students, and help build international links.

The ARC selection criteria for Federation Fellows may vary from year to year.

The Fellowships are available for tenure at Australian higher education institutions and Australian research organisations that are funded primarily for research from State or Commonwealth Government sources.

Individual researchers with both continuing and non-continuing appointments are eligible to apply for Federation Fellowships. Successful Fellowship applicants must relinquish their existing positions before taking up the award.

Federation Fellows are expected to work full-time on research and research-related activities. While a Fellows principal duty is to undertake research, it is also important to specify the role he/she would be expected to play within the host department or institution. Research-related activities could include supervision of postgraduate students, but do not include a major role in administration.

Directors of Research Centres, including ARC Special Research Centres and Key Research Centres, are eligible to apply for the Federation Fellowships, but if successful must relinquish their positions prior to taking up a Federation Fellowship. Depending upon the particular circumstances, sometimes it will be necessary to clarify the relationship that a former Director may wish to have with the relevant Research Centre. The ARC specifies that a Federation Fellow's principal duty is to undertake research but also to have some role within the host department or institution of a research-related nature but not including a major role in administration.

Where successful Federation Fellowship applicants are associated with successful ARC Centres of Excellence applications, the ARC will negotiate arrangements with the administering institution to ensure that there is an appropriate relationship between Fellowship and Centre functions.

Management of Federation Fellowships at ANU

The ANU actively encourages outstanding Australian and international researchers, including existing staff, to apply for the award of a Federation Fellowship.

Under the terms of the Federation Fellowship Award, outlined above, a person offered a Fellowship must resign from their present position before taking up their appointment and may not accept additional appointment or remuneration during the term of their Fellowship without the prior agreement of the Minister.

The University understands that the intention of the ARC is that a Fellow not be employed in any other paid position, nor undertakenon-ARC approvedduties, during the course of the Fellowship. However, the ANU and the Fellow may negotiate separately the nature of any employment that follows the termination of the Fellowship

The decisions about whether to make an offer to employ the person beyond the Fellowship and to subsequently offer a contract will be at the discretion of the relevant Dean or Director.