Do you want to play a key role in evaluating Australia's research quality, engagement, and impact?

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has called for nominations from Institutions for Chairs and Members of the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) Research Evaluation Committees (RECs) and the Engagement and Impact (EI) Assessment panels.

ERA has been developed by the ARC to assess research quality within Australia’s higher education institutions and evaluations in ERA are undertaken by RECs comprised of experienced, internationally-recognised experts informed by a suite of discipline-specific indicators.

The ERA 2018 assessment will use eight RECs, and each REC consists of a Chair and 15-20 expert reviewers who are the REC Members. REC Chairs and Members will be selected by the ARC from the pool of nominations and from other sources as appropriate. Nominees who are not selected as REC Chairs or REC Members may be approached to participate in ERA as a Peer Reviewer in specified peer review disciplines.

The selection criteria for ERA REC Chairs and ERA REC Membership are:

1. Research excellence — nationally and internationally recognised research expertise, including attracting and assessing research funding from competitive granting bodies; nominees should be at the forefront of research in their area as well as have a sound understanding of the importance of research.
2. Broad discipline expertise — broad knowledge and expertise in relevant research area(s); interdisciplinary experience is desirable.
3. Professional and academic standing — a high level of involvement in institutional/organisational life and engagement with relevant professional association(s).
4. Interpersonal and team skills and experience — committee/team skills such as forward planning skills, advocacy skills and skills in the management of research; personal qualities of fairness, impartiality, integrity and the ability to work effectively under tight time frames; experience working in panel environments (e.g. grant assessment panels, national or international evaluation panels)

If you wish to be considered for nomination by Flinders for the ERA 2018 REC, EI 2018 Assessment Panel (see below), or both, please send an expression of interest via email to research.data@flinders.edu.au by close of business 18 August 2017. Following an expression of interest, the Research Services Office will request and collate responses to the selection criteria and forward to Professor Robert Saint, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), who will select the nominees from Flinders to be forwarded to the ARC.

The EI 2018 assessment will use five Assessment Panels, and each will consist of a Chair and 15 to 20 expert reviewers.

The selection criteria for Panel Chairs and Researcher Membership are:

1. Research excellence —nationally and internationally recognised research expertise, including attracting and assessing research funding from competitive granting bodies; nominees should be at the forefront of research in their area as well as have a sound understanding of the importance of research.
2. Broad discipline expertise—broad knowledge and expertise in relevant research area(s); interdisciplinary experience is desirable.
3. Professional and academic standing—a high level of involvement in institutional/organisational life and engagement with relevant professional association(s).
4. Experience coordinating research activity including an understanding the needs of end-user communities.
5. Interpersonal and team skills and experience—committee/team skills such as forward planning skills, advocacy skills and skills in the management of research; personal qualities of fairness, impartiality, integrity and the ability to work effectively under tight time frames; experience working in panel environments (e.g. grant assessment panels, national or international evaluation panels).

Institutions are also able to nominate end-users of research whose expertise would be relevant to any of the EI 2018 Assessment Panels. If you are aware of any end-users of research that would be suitable and are interested in nominating, encourage them to contact research.data@flinders.edu.au or phoning Ben Jacobs, Manager, Research Data and Reporting, on 8201 3866.

The selection criteria for Panel End-user/Beneficiary Membership are:

1. Demonstrated leadership experience in private, public or third-sector setting.
2. Senior-level experience of commissioning, benefitting from, applying or making use of research.
3. Recognised standing with a relevant end-user community (e.g. board member for a peak body, advisory role to government/industry).
4. Interpersonal and team skills and experience—committee/team skills such as forward planning skills, advocacy skills and skills in the management of research; personal qualities of fairness, impartiality, integrity and the ability to work effectively under tight time frames; experience working in panel environments (e.g. national or international evaluation panels).

Further information on the process is available by contacting research.data@flinders.edu.au or phoning Ben on 8201 3866.

A new feature for Inspiring Research will be profiling Flinders’ Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in our ECR Spotlight. This initiative will appear monthly and aims to connect our research community and strengthen research communications within the University. You will get insight into who our ECRs are and how their research and achievements are making a difference.

The featured ECRs welcome dialogue, debate, and conversation and we hope that it may shape future intra-, inter- and/or trans-disciplinary collaboration with Flinders’ colleagues. Please feel free to comment on their spotlight, and/or contact them directly. Also, you can contact the ECR Spotlight coordinator, Dr Marina Delpin, with your queries and comments.

Giselle Rampersad - Innovation future for Australia

Giselle has an interdisciplinary educational background including a PhD in Innovation and Technology Management from the University of Adelaide Business School and an MSc in e-Business and Internet Systems from Durham University (UK). Her research area is in innovation and technology management, with a particular emphasis on devising strategies for firms in managing innovation and developing policies with governments in building innovation capacity. She is part of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute and also researches on developing innovation skills in students. A link to one of Giselle’s articles on managing innovation within industries can be found at Science Direct.

Dr Giselle Rampersad Role: Senior Lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship College: Science and Engineering Campus: Tonsley E: giselle.rampersad@flinders.edu.au T: 8201 5746

Innovate or stagnate: What will Australia look like in the future without innovation?

With the decline in traditional manufacturing, most notably the closure of car manufacturers, Australian jobs have been being lost. As a result, families are suffering. This is not the Australian dream.

The National Innovation Agenda challenges us to do more. Innovation is critical to create new products, jobs, and industries to replace the old.

My research has examined the development of innovation capabilities in firms and industries. It focuses on various sectors including defence, medical technologies, ICT, clean technology and nanotechnology. At the firm level, my research has investigated a number of factors for driving innovation, including a clear and explicit innovation strategy, partnerships, culture and processes to capture and cultivate ideas. At the industry level, it has uncovered strategies to optimise coordination, build networks and measure innovation performance.

What may be surprising is that innovation is not a whimsical, mystical process. It is too important to be left to chance. While creative thinking is a fundamental component, there is more to innovation. The most successful firms view innovation as a systematic, purposeful process that deliberately leads to the development and commercialisation of new products and services. This is important in realising our desired vision of prosperity for the future.

Expressions of Interest are invited to join the Southern Adelaide Clinical Human Research Ethics Committee (SAC HREC). The SAC HREC is a committee of the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN), which also reviews and approves some human research ethics applications for Flinders University researchers.

As a chosen lead HREC, the SAC HREC reviews multi-site and single-site clinical research being undertaken within SA Health (including SALHN) and Flinders University, which involves patients, staff or visitors, research involving the administration of drugs, and applications from external organisations, which have requested the SAC HREC review studies on their behalf. The SAC HREC also reviews non-clinical applications for research projects that will recruit or involve SALHN staff, patients or data.

Nominations are currently sought for the following National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) member categories:

• Lay members who have no affiliation with the institution, and do not currently engage in medical, scientific, legal or academic work.
• Clinicians or allied health professionals with current experience in the professional care, counselling or treatment of people.
• Person who performs a pastoral care role in the community, i.e., Aboriginal Elder or Minister of Religion.
• Lawyer, who is not engaged to advise the institution.
• Current research experience.

Members are appointed for a term of three years (and may be re-appointed for a further term of three years). Lay members are expected to attend monthly full committee meetings and review participant documentation from a non-clinical perspective.  Sitting fees will be paid up to three hours per meeting. The Pastoral care member/s are expected to attend subcommittee meetings when required, monthly full committee meetings and review participant documentation from a non-clinical perspective. Clinical members are expected to attend fortnightly subcommittee meetings, monthly full committee meetings and review a range of committee and out of session low risk applications and amendments.

Applications close on Friday 18 August 2017 at 5pm.

For more information or to request the Expression of Interest form, please phone (08) 8204 6453 or email Health.SALHNofficeforresearch@sa.gov.au.

Applications for the Vice Chancellor's Awards for Early Career Researchers are now open. The award recognises and values the outstanding contributions to the University of individual Early Career Researchers, embarking on their research career. These awards will recognise, reward and encourage excellence in research across all Colleges.

Up to ten awards can be made each year. Each award is valued at $2,500, and should fund opportunities to broaden the recipient's networks and enhance their standing and recognition as a staff member of Flinders University.

Information on eligibility and criteria for the award, as well as the nomination form are available on the Vice Chancellor's Awards for Early Career Researchers policy page.

Nominations should be forwarded to dvc-research@flinders.edu.au or to marie.reitano@flinders.edu.au by the closing date of Tuesday 29 August 2017.

The Australian Research Alliance on Children and Youth (ARACY) is a national organisation that seeks to advocate for better use of evidence in policy relating to children and young people (up to age 25). It was founded by the paediatrician and health researcher Fiona Stanley in 2001.

ARACY acts as a basis for exchange (between researchers, practitioners, advocacy groups and policymakers) and advocacy on a wide range of issues impacting on children and young people, including early child development, child and adolescent health, engagement in education, and inclusion of children.

Its advocacy is based on The Nest action agenda, which highlights the following priorities for children and young people: love and safety; meeting material needs like food, clothing and housing; health; learning; a chance to participate in decision making; and pride in culture and identity. It promotes action to improve wellbeing of Indigenous children and young people across all these priority areas.

Since ARACY aims to promote evidence based policy for children and young people, it is very keen that academics are engaged with its networks and forums. For researchers, ARACY events, forums and networks (which are organised both online, and occasionally in Adelaide, but more frequently in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra) are useful for making contacts with potential collaborators, especially for interdisciplinary work. For practitioners, (for example, health, education and early childhood professionals) ARACY can be a useful means of engaging with researchers and advocates, and a source of information on policy developments as they impact on children and young people.

Flinders University is a corporate member of ARACY. This means that all staff have access to ARACY materials and networks. Please contact jan.sidford@flinders.edu.au to get on the list.

The next Research Grants and Contracts team drop-in session for interested academic and professional staff will be held on Tuesday 8 August 2017.

These twice monthly sessions are designed to allow staff to receive one-on-one assistance or advice on any aspect of the services provided by the Research Grants and Contracts team, including: assistance with research grant applications, searching for funding, grant budgets, establishing collaborative contracts and other research related contracts, terms and conditions of award, confidentiality and material transfer agreements etc.

Research Grants and Contract staff will be available from 12 PM to 1 PM on Tuesday 8 August 2017 and Tuesday 22 August 2017. Participants are encouraged to register at ienrol if they are interested in attending either of the sessions and are asked to please email research.grants@flinders.edu.au to give RSO staff advance notice of the nature of the assistance they require.

The next Research Data and Reporting Team’s monthly drop-in session for interested academic and professional staff will be held on Tuesday 15 August 2017.

The aim of the session is to provide one-on-one assistance to staff who want either a refresh on the research data systems used at Flinders or to learn some new skills.

Research Data and Reporting staff will be available from 12 PM to 1 PM on Tuesday 15 August 2017. Participants are encouraged to register at ienrol if they are interested in attending.

Many researchers are unaware of what to do once they have been awarded research funding. This session will lay out the administrative requirements, the support available and generally how the process works for researchers and higher-degree research students.

This one hour session on Tuesday 29 August 2017 will address how research funding awards are processed by the Research Services Office. Attendees will be provided with an opportunity to ask questions. Register at ienrol to attend this information session.

Thinkable allows funders and researchers a new way to source and fund the next breakthrough research idea in any field. Earlier this year we highlighted the Sun Foundation Peer Prize for Women in Science which is hosted via thinkable. Who can apply or vote for an award? Any researcher who has been verified by thinkable. Verification entails registering as a researcher, and then authenticating your current organisation email, select your field/s of study, and provide details of at least one recently published peer-reviewed article. Thinkable strongly encourage peers to engage and vote on entries beyond their own specialist field.

Awards currently open for applications include:

• the MedTechs Got Talent 2017 where $161,00 is available in Australia's largest medical device startup competition,
• the NASA World Wind Europa Challenge which is seeking to find the best & brightest teams to pursue innovative urban management solutions for the world's cities using NASA's open source virtual globe technology, WebWorldWind,
• the Bioinformatics Peer Prize 2017 II for papers published in Q2 2017 (April 1- June 30), and
  
• the Peer Prize for Climate, offered by the Thinkable Academy.

With over 60k members and 400 of the worlds top universities represented, thinkable allows researchers the ability to mobilise their scientific research and knowledge to reach a wider global audience, to find collaborators and funding partners from across the world to support their research, and to engage with more peers to learn about novel ideas to seed new projects. To keep updated on thinkable competitions or to find further information, visit thinkable.org.

ComBio 2017 will be bringing one of the most impressive lists of biologists ever assembled to Adelaide in October 2017. To be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 2 - 5 October 2017, and incorporating the annual meetings of Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Australian Society of Plant Sciences, and the Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology, ComBio is being Chaired by Flinders' Dr Michael Michael, Medicine and Public Health.

Speakers will include Anne Brunet from Stanford University (USA), Michael Hall from University of Basel (Switzerland), Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre (Norwich, UK), Manel Esteller from IDIBELL (Barcelona, Spain), and John Mattick from the Garvan Institute for Medical Research (Australia). With eight conference streams, there is something for every biologist.

Late poster submission deadline is Friday, 18 August 2017, and the on site poster abstract submission deadline is Wednesday, 27 September 2017. To register for ComBio 2017 or for further information, see the ComBio 2017 website.

Amanda Aloia, Manager, CeSSA facility

The Cell Screen SA (CeSSA) facility, located in the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer (FCIC), was established to provide high-throughput screening services to South Australian researchers.

CeSSA is equipped to conduct high-throughput assays and screening, using automated robotics, liquid-handling devices, plate readers and high-content imaging to rapidly conduct thousands of biological or chemical tests on cell cultures. Possible applications include functional genomics studies to understand the functions and interactions of genes and proteins, and investigating how cells respond to different chemicals or drugs, experiments which may provide starting points for drug design and discovery.

The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, focused around several Perkin Elmer instruments which can operate as an integrated, automated workflow or as individual instruments. Dedicated facility staff can provide assistance with assay development and screening-library selection. As an OGTR certified laboratory, the facility is able to handle a variety of nucleic-acid applications, such as RNAi libraries. For further information about available instrumentation, please see the Cell Screen SA webpage.

Hosted by the Defence Science and Technology Group, the Defence Human Sciences Symposium (DHSS) is the principal Australian forum for those interested in the application of human sciences research to enhance Defence capability. The theme for this year’s symposium is “Human Sciences Innovation for the Future”. The DHSS program will take place over two days. The symposium will include a number of keynote speakers as well as technical workshops and presentations. The full program will be made available closer to the date.

Abstract submissions are invited on a range of topics relating to enhancing Human Sciences Capability. Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be submitted via the DHSS website. Submissions will now close on 4 September 2017. This was previously the 18 August 2017 but has been extended.

The Human Sciences Capability include but are not limited to:

Defence-focused themes

• Future technologies
• Health and Wellbeing
• Resilience
• Support to operations
• Trusted Autonomous Systems

Human Performance

• Anthropometry
• Cognitive enhancement and augmentation
• Cognitive performance: From Perception to Decision Making
• Food and nutrition
• Physical augmentation (assistive technologies)
• Physiology

Human Systems Analysis

• Ergonomics and Human Systems Engineering
• Human Systems Integration
• Training and Education

Human Sciences in National Security

• Cyber security
• Evaluation of software tools and techniques
• Mathematical and statistical modelling of social processes
• Social and cultural analysis of groups 
• Social media exploitation

Methodologies

• Ethics
• Measurements and Metrics
• Modelling and Simulation
• Multidisciplinary Research
• Tools and Techniques

Organisational Effectiveness

• Health and Safety
• Organisational Culture
• Personnel Selection and Retention

Have you considered that an established international conference, in one of the areas of life sciences, technology, and research and innovation, could have the potential to be held in Adelaide, South Australia? The Conventions Adelaide Grant Awards Program is now open for proposals for attracting major conferences to Adelaide. Up to 13 proposals will be awarded $7,500 to assist in bidding for the conference.

The Application guidelines are available from Nick Blight, Adelaide Convention Bureau. Nick can be contacted via phone: +61 8 8237 0100 or email nick@adelaideconvention.com.au. Submissions close Saturday 30 September 2017. Further information, including the Grants Award Program FAQ, is available at the Conventions Adelaide webpage.

The Conventions Adelaide Grant Awards Program is an initiative of the Adelaide Convention Bureau and industry partners, Adelaide Convention Centre and South Australian Tourism Commission.

This half-day event will present participants with the opportunity to meet representatives and leading academics from the HASS sector, explore current issues, participate in discussions around best practice related to research outcomes, and foster collaborations.

The event is being run by the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) is holding an event for Early Career Researchers on Thursday, 17 August 2017 at the RMIT University City Campus, Melbourne.

Sessions will include: Employment, Applying for Funding, Publishing, Engaging with your audience, and Peer-mentoring. Registration is $45 (+ GST) per person. Lunch and afternoon tea will be provided.

For more details on speakers and a FAQ about the event, see the event's Registration page.

Science is more dependent on interdisciplinary collaborations than ever before. Professor Tanya Monro will share her experience and tips establishing and managing these vital and valuable partnerships at the next ECR Network workshop to be held on Tuesday 15 August 2017.

Presented by RiAus (the Royal Institution of Australia), as part of their ECR Network which offers workshops and networking events for Early Career Researchers, this event is now open for booking.

The event will also be livestreamed at Australia's Science Channel - australiascience.tv

One way to engage with the community is through video stories. Two Flinders researchers have taken advantage of this with the assistance of Channel Ten. Scope is a fast, funny and informative children’s science show produced in association with the CSIRO and airs on Eleven.

A video clip featuring Associate Professor Karin Nordstrom's research into hoverflies is also available.

Research Engagement and Impact:Time to Scope your research - Hoverflies

If you have research that could be featured by Scope or other media outlets, see our recent article on Tips from a first time interviewee, which includes a list of areas / organisations that can provide assistance for researchers and the media.

Research Engagement and Impact:Tips from a first time interviewee

In our ongoing series around Engagement and Impact, we change tact from the focus on one-on-one/direct engagement with communities to the impact of getting one's research out via the media. Dr David Armstrong, Lecturer in Teacher Education: Special Education, was recently interviewed by Radio Adelaide on the final report from the South Australian Parliamentary Select Committee into Access to the Education System for Students with Disabilities.

One way to engage with the community is through video stories. Two Flinders researchers have taken advantage of this with the assistance of Channel Ten. Scope is a fast, funny and informative children’s science show produced in association with the CSIRO and airs on Eleven.

Associate Professor Karin Nordstrom's research into hoverflies, how they see the world and how this could help pilot autonomous drones was featured on Scope. Karin presented the July Flinders Investigator free public lecture on 19 July 2017.

Seminars Conferences and Workshops:Why hoverflies? - Inspiring Research @ Flinders

Hoverflies have a lot to tell us, especially why they could be better pollinators than bees, and Associate Professor Karin Nordström's research group at Flinders with the Motion Vision group from Uppsala University, Sweden, have started to reveal their secrets.

A video clip of Flinder's FAST team's research into creating a family solar car to participate in the upcoming World Solar Car race is also available.

Research Engagement and Impact:Time to Scope your research - FAST

If you have research that could be featured by Scope or other media outlets, see our recent article on Tips from a first time interviewee, which includes a list of areas / organisations that can provide assistance for researchers and the media.

Research Engagement and Impact:Tips from a first time interviewee

In our ongoing series around Engagement and Impact, we change tact from the focus on one-on-one/direct engagement with communities to the impact of getting one's research out via the media. Dr David Armstrong, Lecturer in Teacher Education: Special Education, was recently interviewed by Radio Adelaide on the final report from the South Australian Parliamentary Select Committee into Access to the Education System for Students with Disabilities.