Nine months of hard work from the Expert Working Group, the project team and the STEM community, was recognised early this month with the launch of the Women in STEM Decadal Plan.

The Australian Academy of Science extends a thank you to all who played a role in the consultation and development process.

Whether they took part in an interview, provided a written submission, attended a consultation event, responded to an exposure draft, or submitted a photo, the contributions helped create a strong and sustainable framework to guide the STEM ecosystem towards gender equity over the next 10 years.

The Women in STEM Decadal Plan outlines one vision and six opportunities for all organisations across the STEM ecosystem to harness and guide their own implementation strategies.

The plan can be downloaded from the Australian Academy of Science website.

The six opportunities are

• leadership and cohesion,
• evaluation,
• workplace culture,
• visibility,
• education and
• industry action.

Hard copies of the Plan can be requested from the Australian Academy of Science.

If you are interested in being involved in the implementation of Women in STEM Decadal Plan or wish to get in contact, contact the Women in STEM implementation taskforce via email or add yourself to the implementation mailing list.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is conducting a public consultation as part of its review of the National Science and Research Priorities as they apply to the ARC National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP).

The ARC has published a brief Discussion Paper setting out the scope of the review and providing a number of questions to guide discussion.

The Discussion Paper can be downloaded in PDF format and Word format, as can the supporting document, Research Priorities in Australia – PDF format and Word format.

Submissions are now open and will close at 11.59pm on Thursday, 16 May 2019, should you wish to provide an individual response.

For further information, please visit the ARC website.

Research training and development in the week of 6 May will focus on key programs funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). Join us at workshops that will kickstart your ARC grant-planning and -development for the 2020 round and beyond.

Read more for bookings and details of these workshops led by Research Development and Support. Workshop places are limited so please book now.

Planning your ARC Grant - timelines and strategies

Tuesday 7 May 2019, 9:30 am to 11:00 am.

This session will prepare you for an ARC grant application by providing information about how to:

• Choose the right grant, including understanding project limits,
• Boost your chances by choosing the best time,
• Understand the support offered by Flinders through the EOI process, DVCR strategies, internal deadlines and review processes, and
• Understand the Flinders certification form and infrastructure levy.

Panel members will provide advice about:

• How to choose the best team
• Developing your project
• Addressing the assessment criteria

For more information and to register, visit ienrol - research.

ARC DECRA & Future Fellowship - How to write a successful application

Wednesday 8 May 2019, 9:30 am to 11:00 am.

This session will prepare you for an ARC fellowship application by teaching you how to:

• Benchmark yourself against other successful fellowship applicants,
• Build your track record,
• Understand career interruptions and how they impact your eligibility, and
• Design a competitive project

It will address how to choose Field of Research codes and write applications sections including:

• The National Interest Test Statement
• ROPE, and
• Budget and Justifications

For more information and to register, visit ienrol - research.

ARC Discovery Project - strategies for winning a grant

Thursday 9 May 2019, 9:30 am to 11:00 am.

This session will provide you with information about:

• Choosing your team - benchmarking and project limits,
• Understanding different section requirements,
• How to present your project as innovative, with benefit and impact to researchers and the broader community,
• ROPE, including Research Outputs,
• Budgets and justifications

In addition, a panel of DP recipients will provide insight into how they prepare successful applications.

For more information and to register, visit ienrol - research.

ARC Linkage Project - key considerations

Friday 10 May 2019, 9:30 am to 11:00 am.

This session will provide you with information about Linkage Project:

• Objectives and opportunities,
• Requirements and recommendations in regards to partners, financial contributions, project design and innovation,
• Budgets and justifications

In addition, a panel of LP recipients will provide insight into how they prepared successful applications.

For more information and to register, visit ienrol - research.

Please contact the Researcher Training, Development and Communication team at researcherpd.rds@flinders.edu.au if you have any queries.

The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 (the Code) articulates the broad principles that characterise an honest, ethical and conscientious research culture.

It establishes a framework for responsible research conduct that provides a foundation for high-quality research, credibility and community trust in the research endeavour and outlines the expectations for the conduct of research in Australia or research conducted under the auspices of Australian institutions.

The Code is co-authored by NHMRC, ARC and Universities Australia.

In support of the Code, the co-authors are developing a set of guides that provide detail on how to comply with the principles and responsibilities of the Code. The guides are designed for use by the full range of Australian research institutions and researchers from all research disciplines. The guides will also provide a reference for the development of institutional policies and processes that promote the principles and responsibilities of the Code.

The first guide supporting the Code, the Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Code (the Investigation Guide), was developed along with the 2018 version of the Code and was published concurrently. Consultation on four additional guides, the Authorship Guide, the Management of Data and Information in Research Guide, the Peer Review Guide and theConflict of Interest Guide, was completed in November and December 2018. Draft versions of the next two guides on supervision and collaborative research are now provided for your consideration and comment as part of a targeted consultation process.

The authors seek your input on the structure and content of these two guides and, in particular, whether the guides capture all the aspects of supervision and collaborative research for which guidance is required and whether the guidance is sufficient, up-to-date and clear.

To participate in this targeted consultation process, please provide your feedback by responding to this survey. Flinders University encourages staff to participate in this call for feedback. Individual responses are welcome.

The closing date for this targeted consultation is 5:00pm (AEST) 24 May 2019.

For further information, contact integrity@nhmrc.gov.au.

Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are invited to participate in an anonymous online questionnaire that will contribute to a PhD study exploring challenges faced by ECRs in the sciences in Australia. 

It is expected that the results will inform recommendations for changes to the work environment for these researchers in order to increase their job satisfaction and the likelihood of them continuing to work in research in Australia.

The online questionnaire is completely anonymous, participation is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time without explanation by closing your web browser.

The questionnaire can be completed at a time that is convenient to you, and it is expected that it should take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete.

To participate in the study please go to: https://limesurveys.federation.edu.au/index.php/546388?lang=en

Please consider passing this invitation on to other ECRs working in the sciences in Australia.

This project is being conducted by Katherine Christian, PhD candidate at Federation University Australia, under the supervision of Dr Carolyn Johnstone, Federation University Australia, School of Arts. For more information regarding the study, please contact Dr Johnstone on 03 5327 9585.

Thank you for considering taking part in this research.

Two initiatives have been undertaken by IDS and the Flinders Library which extend access to statistical software for Flinders students and staff.

Read on for details and key contact information.

The two initiatives are:

1. All undergraduate and postgraduate students in addition to 24/7 access to IBM SPSS on campus can now also access this software from private devices. This is offered via Citrix VirtualApps, i.e. virtualisation platform that allows using IBM SPSS remotely from the University servers.
   Details regarding using VirtualApps are provided at https://staff.flinders.edu.au/workplace-support/guides/virtualapps.
   
   
2. The specialised statistical software initiative aims to give staff and HDR students access to statistical packages beyond that of the centrally available IBM SPSS, AMOS or R. It is aimed for situations when the software may be needed for a short time making its purchasing not cost-effective. Our researchers can book a stand-alone computer in HDR central (https://www.flinders.edu.au/graduate-research/progressing-through-your-hdr/hdr-central.cfm#StatisticalPC) to work with any of listed below statistical programs.

• Comprehensive Meta-Analysis v3 (CMA) - CMA is a very robust and user-friendly software for performing a meta-analysis. 
• ConQuest 4 - ConQuest is a computer program for fitting various item response models.
• EViews 10 - Eviews is software primarily dedicated to time-series oriented analysis.
• Mplus 8 (Base Program and Combination Add-On) - Mplus is specialised software for structural equation modelling and multilevel modelling.
• NCSS 12 - NCSS is a general statistical package but outperforming IBM SPSS in Diagnostic Tests, Agreement Evaluation, Quality Control, Zero-Inflated Regressions.
• PRIMER-7 and PERMANOVA+ - PRIMER-7 is leading software for multivariate statistics with a strong following in the biological sciences.
• Stata 15 SE - Stata is a very good general statistical package with a strong following in the health sciences.

Training for SPSS is available throughout 2019. All dates and bookings are available through ienrol-Research.

Inquiries about either of the initiatives can be directed to pawel.skuza@flinders.edu.au. 

Research Australia's Pre-Election Statement was recently launched at Parliament House in Canberra.Six recommendations include action items on NHMRC funding, clinical trials coordination, supporting Australian health innovation, promoting health data and supporting rare disease research.

One of their key recommendations: A fully-funded, transparent Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) is detailed here-in.

MPs and Senators from across the political spectrum were eager to hear what the health and medical research sector needs from the next Australian Government in order to deliver better health outcomes for Australians and a stronger economy.

Research Australia's full Pre-Election Statement outlines the six key reforms the health and medical research sector recommends to ensure a healthy Australia and a healthy economy.

One of their key recommendations: A fully-funded, transparent Medical Research Future Fund is detailed below.

In the lead up to the next federal election on 18 May, Research Australia has recommended that the next Australian Government should commit to:

• The full $20 billion capitalisation of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF);
• Giving clarity to the separate, but complementary, roles of the NHMRC, ARC and MRFF;
• Promoting transparency and contestability of MRFF funding by:
1. ensuring the quantum of funding disbursed and the disbursement process are determined on the advice of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB); 
2. one health and medical researcher, one health consumer, one health services researcher, one clinician-researcher and/or one philanthropist should be appointed to two rotating seats at meetings of the AMRAB Board with ‘observer’ status; 
3. issuing a Communique from each AMRAB meeting;
• The Health Minister seeking the advice of the AMRAB on specific matters, including: 
1. the amount of money that should be committed to each specific priority over the two-year period (best specified as a range rather than a single amount); and
2. how the money should be disbursed, e.g. targeted call for applications, open call for applications, tender to provide a particular service, grant to a specific organisation or group. 
• Implementation of a framework for the MRFF with specific goals, measurable impact and a clear rationale for complementing other research funding.

To view the Pre-Election Statement please visit the Research Australia website.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)/Universities Australia agreement allows researchers from our university to apply for access to various confidentialised datasets.

Over the last few months, new datasets have been released by the ABS. A sample of these are listed below.

Inquiries about the datasets and the application procedures can be directed to Pawel Skuza, Flinders University Statistical Consultant.

Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset

This dataset uses the Census of Population and Housing to build a longitudinal picture giving an overview of social and economic change over time. Three waves of data have so far contributed to the ACLD from the 2006 Census (Wave 1), 2011 Census (Wave 2) and 2016 Census (Wave 3).

The dataset is available at the ABS website.

Multi-Agency Data Integration Project 

The Multi-Agency Data Integration Project (MADIP) is a partnership among six Australian Government agencies to combine longitudinal information on healthcare, education, government payments and personal income tax with population demographics to create a comprehensive social picture of Australia.

The dataset is available at the ABS website.

Furthermore, a number of other microdata products are now also available:

• Education and Work, May 2018
• Personal Safety, Australia, 2016 
• Census of Motor Vehicles, Australia, 2018
• Census of Population and Housing: Estimating Homelessness, 2016 
• Characteristics of Employment, Australia, August 2018
• Business Characteristics, Australia, 2011-12 to 2015-16
• Jobs in Australia, 2011-12 to 2015-16

The full list of all datasets available can be found at the ABS website.

Wiley has organised a special event, the Wiley UniDay, to address the challenges ECRs face in getting research published and increase the chances of getting published. 

This 2-hour event, to be held on 16 April 2019, will bring together editors of prominent journals, publishing experts and research publishing professionals.

Together, the speakers will provide valuable insight from their different perspectives in the world of research publishing and give you the information they wish they had known as an Early Career Researcher. 

Where: The University of Adelaide, Napier Building, Lecture Theatre 102, 259 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000

From: 10.00 am - 12.00 pm on 16 April 2019.

Visit https://secure.wiley.com/Adelaide_Uniday for updates on program, speakers and venue and to reserve your place.

The session will be recorded and made available for viewing after the event. Researchers who sign up for the event through the event website will receive the post event email including slide decks and the event recording.

Professor Joanne Tompkins, Executive Director Humanities and Creative Arts (HCA), Australian Research Council, hosted a forum for HCA researchers and assessors in South Australia on 1 March 2019.

Following is a report detailing key points made by Professor Tompkins.

HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences)

There is an opportunity for HASS to submit more applications including Linkage Project applications. While the HCA have a different economic model to STEM research areas, the success rate of proposals received from HASS and STEM are very consistent. Whilst more applications were encouraged, it was with the caveat that applications need to be of good quality or it may cause reputational damage – to the researcher, the university and the discipline.

With regard to the Linkage Project scheme, success is not all based on Partner Organisation cash contributions. A good project that solves a problem for your partner organisation is required. Applicants need to explain in the narrative the reason for the lack of cash and the importance of the addressing problem of the organisation(s).

HCA researchers also need to think strategically about how they describe their discipline(s) and present a more united collaborative front.

What Assessors seek

ARC Assessors could be experts or non-experts in your discipline, and therefore seek and need a compelling project description. The project needs to:

• be significant,
• be ground breaking,
• be needed now,
• have sound methodology,
• provide strong performance evidence, closely aligned with the project (e.g. why is each member critical for the project and exactly how will they contribute to the project),
• have a robust budget properly justified (e.g. why is each item required), and
• demonstrate value for money.

Importantly, address the questions outlined in the Instructions to Applicants – make it easy for the assessors to score your project well.

Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE)

This is an important part of the application as it provides a context for the application and can assist to explain what has impacted on a researcher’s research performance. It is also the place that HASS researchers can describe the creative spheres that showcase the importance of their research. Keep descriptions of any career interruptions brief.

Interdisciplinary research projects (typically across two ARC panels) are supported but ensure that members of the project team represent each discipline so that the project can be articulated for, and understood by, both disciplines. The research and/or outcomes must be highly innovative to both panels.

National Interest Test

The National Interest Test Statement in an application needs to be clear, logical and realistic. The Minister receives the application title, application summary, National Interest Test Statement, the names of lead Chief Investigator and Administering Organisation, and recommended budget.

Call out to people to become Assessors

Assessors can be selected from people who are yet to have won ARC funding. This is a great way to understand the ARC assessment processes and to see what makes a great application. For further information, please visit the ARC website.

ARC College of Experts

If you are interested in being nominated for appointment to the ARC College of Experts, please contact Maya Roberts on 8201 7698 in the first instance. For further information, please visit the ARC website.

Further information

The ARC website contains useful information about funded research projects. Visit:

• ARC Grants Search – searchable database of ARC funded grants
• Grant Outcomes – selection reports by scheme

The RDS ARC team can provide support, guidance and advice. Email arc@flinders.edu.au to contact the team:

• Maya Roberts, Senior Research Grants Officer (ARC)
• Dr Melissa Gregory, Research Grants Officer (ARC)
• Dr Michele Lang, Research Grants Officer (ARC)

The RDS ARC team also hold regular drop-in sessions. Register at ienrol to attend a session.

Flinders Researcher Training and Development

‘Grants Evolution – category 1’ a program consisting of a series of one and half hour action-learning workshops will be run from April to October 2019 with the aim to get you ‘grant ready.’ These skills development workshops are presented in an order that will enable consideration, planning and action of your funding options, through to the development of your application and commencing your project.

You can access stand-alone workshops or participate in the entire series.

Details of this series can be accessed via the Research Training and Development Page.

To participate, please enrol through ienrol-Research.

Specific ARC workshops include:

Planning your ARC Grant - timelines and strategies, Tuesday, 7th May 2019

ARC DECRA & Future Fellowship application process & considerations, Wednesday, 8th May 2019

ARC Discovery Project application process and considerations, Thursday, 9th May 2019

ARC Linkage Project application process and considerations, Friday, 10th May 2019

Grants budgets - ARC, Thursday, 15th August 2019

How to write your ROPE - ARC & NHMRC, Tuesday, 20th August 2019

Writing the front page of your ARC grant application, Wednesday, 11th September 2019

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has commenced. As part of its Inquiry, the Commission has developed a research agenda, identifying areas where the Commissioners need more information and context.

The Commission is currently working through its research priorities progressively and would like to identify leading researchers who can provide relevant information and research findings and/or undertake targeted research for the Commission.

If you would like further information or have expertise in research in relation to aged care and/or ageing, contact carmela.sergi@flinders.edu.au.

The Productivity Commission has been asked to examine the effect of mental health on people’s ability to participate in and prosper in the community and workplace, and the effects it has more generally on our economy and productivity.

An issues paper has been released and feedback is being sought as part of the first stage of the Commission’s Inquiry. Responses to the paper are due by 5 April 2019.

For more information, visit the Productivity Commission website.

Research Australia is currently planning their annual Research Australia Opinion poll. As the voice for Australia's health and medical research participant sector, Research Australia's poll captures public attitudes to, and knowledge of, research, philanthropy, and the roles health and medical research and innovation play in healthcare.

They are calling for question ideas to be included in the 2019 poll, which will be conducted in the middle of the year across a representative sample of the Australian population.

"Australians are major stakeholders in health and medical research and Research Australia believes that what Australians think of health and medical research is important. The opinions of Australians continue to shape our strategies and priorities and assist us to ensure that a healthy population and healthy economy go hand in hand," said Nadia Levin, CEO of Research Australia.

"Ensuring that we know the views of Australians on health and medical research (HMR) and its role in our society is the reason we have conducted annual opinion polling since 2003."

Contact Greg Mullins, Head of Policy, Research Australia at greg.mullins@researchaustralia.org if you have an idea for a question.

Previous polling results are available at the Research Australia website.

At the Vice-Chancellor’s Town Hall meeting, on 7 March 2019, Professor Colin Stirling announced a $100 million investment into research over the next five years.

This investment will provide support to existing areas of research expertise through enhanced infrastructure, seed funding and a significant increase in PhD scholarships.

The Director, Research Development and Support, Jodieann Dawe, said that this announcement provides, “a wonderful opportunity to push the knowledge boundaries in key areas and demonstrated commitment by Flinders to the research agenda for Australia and globally. It is exciting times for research at Flinders.”

More information on the announcement can be read at Flinders News.

Flinders' biannual Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Student Industry Engagement Survey captures information about the wide variety of industry engagement activities undertaken by HDR students.

The survey is sent to all HDR students via email and is open from 15 March 2019 to 12 April 2019.

All HDR students are encouraged to participate in the survey, whether they are engaging with an industry organisation or not. Information captured by the survey is utilised to report key indicators to the Department of Education and Training.

Survey results also inform the development of relevant programs and support for HDR student industry engagement, which in turn can enhance knowledge translation can enhance the positive impact of HDR students’ research.

Engaging with industry partners also provides opportunities for HDR students to expand their networks, identify future collaborations, career opportunities and develop new skills. Thank you for your support in completing the survey.

Image source - Flinders University STEM Women.

Flinders University celebrated International Women's Day 2019 with a number of celebrations and acknowledgement of the women who have made an impact at Flinders and beyond.

To celebrate women in STEMM, Chief Scientist for South Australia, Professor Caroline McMillen, joined the Lab Coat Challenge on the Plaza which featured over 300 staff and students wearing their lab coats.

The challenge was hosted by the Flinders STEM: Women Branching Out. The group provided the Lab Coat cake from Carly Schramm, PhD student in College of Science and Engineering (left), which was enjoyed by participants.

Further information on events and how STEM: Women Branching Out can provide support, visit their webpage. Each year they hold the Cochlear Aurora Photo Contest for year 8 - 12 students from South Australian secondary schools. So far two of the winners of the contest are now undertaking STEMM degrees at Flinders.

To mark International Women's Day Professor Caroline McMillen highlighted, in a twenty second clip, the women winners and finalists of the South Australian Science Awards who have and continue to make exceptional contributions to science and research, including Flinders' Professor Karen Reynolds, and Associate Professor Maria Parappilly.

Professor Caroline McMillen on Twitter

In celebration of #IWD2019 we acknowledge and celebrate #womeninSTEM and women around the globe who are helping us #BalanceforBetter. Here are just some women winners and finalists of #SAScienceAwards who have and continue to make exceptional contributions to science and research

Associate Professor Maria Parappilly, STEM: Women Branching Out, and Callista Thillou, Executive Director, Communications, Marketing and Engagement with the Lab Coat Cake and LEGO Research Institute and Women of Nasa figures.

Flinders’ Researcher Training and Development aims to support our research community through building good-practice skills related to the research process and doing research.

The 2019 program has been launched, and the core themes include: partner; fund; apply; commence; measure; communicate.

Grants Evolution

Streamed Research Income Programs aim to get you "grant ready". Grants Evolution - Category 1 and Grants Evolution -Category 2 & 3 will run from April through to October, and commence with "Benchmarking your career – tools and insights". Skills development workshops are presented in an order that will enable consideration, planning and action - of your funding options, through to the development of your application and commencing your project.

You can access stand-alone workshops or participate in the entire series.

Details of these series can be accessed via the Researcher Training and Development page.

To participate, please enrol through ienrol-Research.

The Research Tenders series will be run later in 2019.

Research Intensive

Research Activate and Communicate will run in the week of 24 June and build on the success of the 2018 research intensives – a collaboration between Research Development and Support, Flinders Library and the Office of Communication, Marketing and Engagement. The program will be released in April and its launch announced in Inspiring Research.

We recommend that your research career and training and development planning be discussed with your College leadership.

We look forward to seeing you in 2019 and supporting you on your learning journey.

Research Development and Support (RDS) are launching new budget tools to assist Flinders’ researchers prepare research budgets.  The first of these tools, for commissioned/contract research, or consultancies, is now available.

Hosted on the Flinders’ RDS website, this downloadable interactive tool systematically steps users through research budget considerations and construction.

Commissioned or contract research includes category 2 & 3 research such as request for tenders, quotes and other commissioned research. The budget is usually costed on commercial terms and research is often eligible (in full or part) for Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) purposes.

Consultancies include where individual staff are contracted to provide their expertise to a third party on commercial terms. Note that consultancies can also be counted as HERDC research income if it satisfies the definition of research.

A separate budget tool will be made available for tied /competitive grant research shortly. Development of these tools is one example of projects that are underway to provide simple, user-friendly resources and guides for the Flinders research community.

If you require assistance in preparing a budget using this Budget Tool, please contact your local College Research Support staff.

If you experience difficulties using the tool, or require technical assistance please contact the Research Grants Team.

Are you an ECR in the sciences including engineering, mathematics, medical research and technology? Then, please join us at a presentation about the 2019 Tall Poppy Awards.

The Tall Poppy Campaign recognises the achievements of Australian scientists through the prestigious annual Young Tall Poppy Science Awards. This initiative has made significant achievements towards building a more publicly engaged scientific leadership in Australia.

Dr Louisa Esdaile, SA & Vic Projects Officer for the Tall Poppy Campaign will be presenting and explaining this opportunity, its benefits and how to apply.

When: Wednesday, 6 March 2019, 2.30 PM - 3.30 pm

Where: Flinders Council Room (Room 225), Registry Building, Bedford Park Campus

Bookings: Please book at ienrol – Research for catering purposes.

The Federal Government has released the Independent Review of the Defence Trade Controls Act 2012 (the Review) along with its initial response outlining support for all nine recommendations.

The university-sector raised serious concerns with several of the proposed changes outlined in the Department of Defence’s submission to the Review. In particular, the proposal to control the supply or transfer of any technology, at any time, at the Department of Defence’s sole discretion.

The Review, established in April 2018 and conducted by Dr Vivienne Thom AM, aimed to “evaluate the operation of the DTC Act and deliver recommendations that ensure the Act is an effective component of Australia’s export control regime that appropriately addresses current and future national security requirements” (The Review, p19).

Flinders made a submission to the Review.

In a positive outcome for research, the Review acknowledged the “serious and legitimate concerns” held by the university sector.

The Review has recommended that gaps in the DTC Act be addressed through: a risk-based consideration of the technology; contain measures to ensure transparency and scrutiny of decisions; limit additional uncertainty and complexity, and; minimise any increased compliance costs.

The Federal Government has accepted this recommendation and will establish a working group, led by Dr Thom and to include representatives from the university sector, to develop practical, risk-based legislative changes to the DTC Act.

Both the Review and the initial Government response are available and can be accessed.

Please contact Julian Raeside, Defence Exports Officer, for further information on this and all matters related to Defence Export Controls.