Canberra

A federal fellowship scheme has lured 25 top international scientists to Australia.

The academics, mainly employed at US and the UK institutions, include three from Oxford University, one from Bristol University and one from Edinburgh University.

Each will receive an indexed annual salary of A$235,000 (£91,000) for five years plus the costs to support their research activities.

Almost A$38 million is to be channelled through the Australian Research Council for the fellowships.