All courses, workshops and information sessions that build research capacity and capabilities are now grouped under their own category in ienrol - Research.

This feature enables direct access and understanding of researcher training and development opportunities - offered by Research Development and Support, Flinders Library, and others - their scheduling and enrolment.

Ienrol is the central course booking system used at Flinders University. Enrolment in courses is logged enabling each individual to track what courses they have attended over time, building a holistic perspective of their overall development.

Training listed in the “Research” category focusses on developing skills core to the research process and doing research at Flinders University and is offered by multiple training providers. Some are listed below:

Research Development and Support - Researcher Professional Development Team

The Researcher Professional Development Team is part of the Research Development and Support Division, within the Portfolio of the DVC(R). The team coordinates training and development that builds key skills core to the research process and doing research at Flinders University. Their aim is to facilitate the ongoing development of all researchers.

Programs aim to impart the knowledge, key traits and attributes of effective, highly successful researchers. Presentations and workshops are detailed in ienrol, where Flinders researchers can enrol to attend.

Flagship programs at Flinders University that build researcher capacity and capabilities include: the Researcher Mentoring Scheme, for early-career researchers; Building Research Leaders Program, for mid-career researchers, and; Research Activate, for all researchers.

Please contact Dr Marina Delpin, Program Manager: Researcher Professional Development if you have any queries or requests for research related training.

Flinders Library - College and Research Services Librarians

The College and Research Services Librarians are a new multidisciplinary team providing library and research skills development for all researchers. They present workshops throughout the year and are available for one-on-one bookable consultations.

June workshops are now open for enrolment and include:

7 June: Preparing to do a review in the Health Sciences: what review should you do?

14 June: Identifying journals: where to publish your research

18 June: A systematic approach to literature searching

20 June: Research data management

They can also tailor a workshop or information session for your research group or HDR students based on your needs, please contact them to discuss your requirements.

Services aim to add value to your research, systematic reviews, literature reviews, and offer guidance on sharpening your searching skills with traditional, advanced and grey literature searching.

Please contact the team at researchlibrarians@flinders.edu.au

Flinders Library – Statistical Consultation

Pawel Skuza, the Flinders University Statistical Consultant, provides training and support to researchers and HDR students in a variety of areas relating to statistics.

Pawel provides statistical one-to-one consultations and assistance in areas of research that requires the use of statistical methods. He also conducts statistically orientated workshops and helps researchers and students to apply for restricted access data from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Department of Social Services (DSS) and Eurostat. Additionally, he provides technical support for the IBM SPSS and NVivo licences, as well as looking after a stand-alone PC with Specialised Statistical Software.

For more information on all the above, researchers and HDR students are invited to email pawel.skuza@flinders.edu.au.

Targeted Call for Research into Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks has opened.

Submissions in RGMS will close on 25 July 2018. For advice and information, please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC).

A Targeted Call for Research (TCR) is a one-time solicitation for grant applications to address a specific health issue. A TCR specifies the scope and objectives of the research to be proposed, application requirements and procedures, and the review criteria to be applied in the evaluation of applications submitted in response to the TCR.

A number of Australians suffer from debilitating symptom complexes attributed to tick bites (DSCATT). These symptom complexes are not clearly defined and not formally reported on. Therefore reliable statistics on the incidence of DSCATT across Australia are limited (including any clusters) and the prevalence cannot be accurately estimated.

While there is a lack of clarity as to the cause(s) of the symptom complexes, the Government recognises that many Australians are suffering from a condition/conditions that the Australian public do not feel have been adequately characterised or accepted. As a result, more work needs to be done to understand the problem and develop appropriate diagnostics and treatments for patients with these symptom complexes.

Aims of implementing the call are to:

• better understand the nature, prevalence and causes of DSCATT and the way they impact on the physical, social and psychological health of patients;
• obtain evidence to guide the development of effective tools and procedures for diagnosis, treatment and symptom management.

Further details are available on GrantConnect  and NHMRC web pages.

Funding opportunities for Australian universities under AUSMURI 2019 will be on the designated topic ‘active perception and knowledge exploitation in navigation and spatial awareness’.

AUSMURI is the Australia-US International Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative and is part of the Next Generation Technologies Fund. The designated topic for AUSMURI funding has been selected by the Australian Department of Defence from topics announced by the US Department of Defense in its multidisciplinary university research initiative (MURI).

The designated topic is aligned to the Next Gen Tech Fund priorities of trusted autonomous systems, cyber, and integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. This project will create new knowledge on how active perception might enhance the manoeuvrability of humans and autonomous platforms in complex and dynamic environments where traditional navigation systems are ineffective.

In line with the AUSMURI Program Guidelines, a university that is part of a successful MURI collaboration on the designated topic may be eligible for funding up to a maximum of AUD$1 million per year over 3 years, with a possible extension for a further two years.

Submissions for the US-based MURI program close on 29 June 2018 (US time). For further information, interested Australian applicants should refer to grants.gov (search for ‘N00014-18-S-F006’ in ‘Grant opportunities’). For advice and assistance in applying, please contact Tony Kyriacou, Defence Partnerships Director, Research Development and Support.

Innovative individuals and companies in the Land domain have until 9 July to enter the 2018 Land Forces Industry Innovation Awards, to be presented at the Land Forces 2018 conference and exhibition at the Adelaide Convention Centre from September 4 to 6.

The awards are open to Australian companies, including the Australian subsidiaries of overseas parent companies, consortia and Defence agencies and organisations that are teamed with Australian companies. The innovation could be a new product or service to a new approach to business. Entries will be judged on originality and their understanding of user needs.

The program has awarded $245,000 in Innovation grants and awards across all events since it began in 2013.

Awards will be presented in three categories:

• 2018 National Innovation Award,
• 2018 SME Innovation Grant, and
• 2018 Young Innovator Award.

Organisers also strongly encourage entries in the following categories, for which the judges, at their discretion, may present additional prizes:

• Combat Equipment and Mobility: from body armour and personal equipment up to guided weapons, high velocity guns for armoured vehicles and advanced truck and vehicle designs;
• Autonomous and Unmanned Systems: from hand-held UAVs, airborne payloads and advanced ground stations to robots, autonomous battlefield surveillance sensors and vehicles;
• Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR): from an infra-red weapon sight or tactical communications systems to a corps-level battle management system, satellite communications link, Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Cyber Security capability.

This will be the third Land Forces to feature the Innovation Awards, developed by not-for-profit Land Forces organiser Industry Defence and Security Australia Limited (IDSAL). The awards will be presented by the Chairman of IDSAL, Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie, AO.

For more information or to submit an entry, visit www.landforces.com.au. For advice, please contact Tony Kyriacou, Defence Partnerships Director. Please forward a copy or notice of your application to Marina Delpin.

The Land Forces 2018 Exposition will be held at the Adelaide Exhibition Centre from 4 to 6 September 2018 and is supported by the Australian Defence Force, in particular the Australian Army, the Defence Science & Technology Group and the Department of Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG).

The Centre for Remote Health (CRH) has recently completed Joanna Briggs Institute Systemic Review Training and has been invited to become an Affiliate Group of the Institute. By doing so, Flinders will increasingly contribute to improving health standards and knowledge on issues in remote health – an area traditionally underrepresented in systematic reviews.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for CRH and Flinders NT to produce high quality systematic reviews on different aspects of remote health and, ultimately, the health outcomes for people who live in remote Australia,” said Professor Tim Carey, CRH.

Systematic reviews are used by clinicians to improve clinical decision making. Clinicians are able to read a totality of evidence in a focussed area. The credibility of systematic reviews is judged by the methodology used in the reviews. These include a sensible clinical question being asked, an exhaustive literature search, and the results presented in a useful manner.

“As an Affiliated Group we will have access to the JBI resources for producing systematic reviews as well as the support of an international network of reviewers,” said Tim. “We quickly received congratulations and welcomes from other JBI Affiliated Groups and Centres of Excellence from the US, Canada, Switzerland, Portugal, Australia, and Brazil.”

The remit, as an Affiliated Group, is to conduct systematic reviews on different aspects of remote health, including cultural training and service delivery. To maintain the Affiliated Group status, a minimum of three systematic reviews will need to be produced in three years. If more are published, then CRH will be eligible to apply to become a JBI Centre of Excellence.

The initial membership list for the Affiliate Group is: Convenor – Professor Tim Carey; Deputy Convenor – Associate Professor Mark Davis; Core Staff – Associate Professor Narelle Campbell, Dr Danny Tsai, Dr Sheela Joseph, Ms Leigh Moore, Ms Tanja Hirvonen, and Mr Toby Speare. The Adjunct Staff are Ms Annie Farthing, Ms Kath Martin, and Mr Ross Carter.

Since 1996 the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) has promoted and supported the synthesis, transfer, and utilisation of evidence through identifying feasible, appropriate, meaningful and effective healthcare practices to assist in the improvement of healthcare outcomes globally. The training through JBI ensures that any systematic review created through their process has a high standing with clinicians.

Tim welcomes queries from Flinders’ research colleagues related to the Centre for Remote Health, and research interests in the area of remote health including the remote health workforce, the education and training of remote health professionals, and the efficient and effective clinical skills required for high quality remote health services.

This longstanding award seeks to assist leading Australian researchers by providing the winner with an $80,000 grant to support their research journey.

The GSK Award for Research Excellence is one of the most prestigious available to the Australian medical research community. It has been awarded since 1980 to recognise outstanding achievements in medical research with potential importance to human health. Successful applicants are generally mid-career researchers with a long-standing commitment to their field.

Last year’s award was received by South Australian Professor Timothy Hughes – considered a world-leader in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) research – for pioneering the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of CML.

Speaking about the award, Professor Hughes said "Awards like GSK’s Award for Research Excellence bring much needed support to the research community in Australia. Not only through the direct impact of the award’s funding, but also through raising awareness of the scientific expertise and innovative activities in our country."

Professor Hughes and his team at SAHMRI are currently focused on treatment response to optimise disease management and patient outcomes. The $80,000 prize that comes with the GSK Award for Research Excellence will help support a Leukaemia Fellow to work alongside Professor Hughes in furthering research into CML.

The award was presented to Professor Hughes at Research Australia’s Health and Medical Research Awards 2017 in Melbourne. Dr Andrew Weekes, Medical Director, GSK Australia, said, "GSK is proud to be able to support Australian researchers with this award, now in its 38th year."

Successful applicants are generally mid-career researchers with a long-standing commitment to their field. The winner will be announced on Thursday 8 November 2018 at the Annual Research Australia Awards, at Sofitel Sydney, Darling Harbour.

Further information is available on the GSK ARE website where nominations may be submitted. For advice and support, please contact Marina Delpin, Research Development and Support. Nominations for GSK’s Award for Research Excellence are now open until 2 July 2018. The Flinders internal closing date is 18 June 2018.

Wendy Keech, CEO of the SA Academic Health Science and Translation Centre, will be visiting Flinders to deliver an information session on What's happening with research translation centres in SA and Australia, 9 AM to 10 AM, Tuesday 5 June 2018.

In a unique whole-of-state collaborative network, the SA Academic Health Science and Translation Centre (the SA Centre) has brought together the three SA universities, SA Health and its five Local Health Networks, SAHMRI, the peak body representing the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector in SA, the Cancer Council and the Health Consumers Alliance (HCA) the State’s peak health consumer agency.

The SA Centre was competitively accredited by the NHMRC in 2015 as one of the first four Advanced Health Research Translation Centres in Australia.

The SA Centre received $2M from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) in 2017 and there is new funding available in 2018 which will be distributed across the SA Centre’s priority areas. Importantly, the current priorities for future investment of the SA Centre are currently being developed and ideally Flinders will have strong future representation. Please direct all queries to Suzanne Atkins, Senior Research Support Officer.

GrantConnect is the Australian Government’s whole-of-government grant information system. It is a centralised web-based facility that provides a free, simple and effective service for all potential grant applicants to find and access Commonwealth grant opportunities and documentation.

The ARC—as a non-corporate Commonwealth entity—must now publish on GrantConnect to meet their requirements under the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Guidelines (CGRGs).

GrantConnect is the authoritative source of information in relation to all new Commonwealth Grant Opportunities and Grant Opportunity Guidelines—this includes Grant Guidelines (formerly known as Funding Rules) for all schemes under the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP)—and entities may no longer publish Grant Opportunities and Grant Opportunity Guidelines documentation on their own websites.

In order to access all available grant information, new users of GrantConnect are required to set up an account with a username and password. Once an account is set up, users can receive notification of all new Commonwealth Australian grant opportunities, relevant to their interests, as they are published or updated.

Links to GrantConnect will be available on relevant pages of the ARC website and a GrantConnect login will be required to access the new guidelines. If you urgently need a specific grant application document only available at GrantConnect, but do not have a log-in, Research Development and Support can download the documentation for you. Please email your request to research.grants@flinders.edu.au.

Commencing with the ARC Centre of Excellence 2020 Grant Guidelines, all new ARC Grant Guidelines will only be published on GrantConnect.

Applications for Expressions of Interest for ARC Centres of Excellence 2020 are now open in the ARC’s Research Management System and will close on 4 July 2018. Submission documentation for this scheme is now available on GrantConnect. For application advice and assistance, please contact Maya Roberts, Research Development and Support.

The ARC’s Research Management System (RMS) will continue to be used to prepare and submit research proposals, assessments and rejoinders for the NCGP. Grant award data will also remain available in RMS in order to retain the end-to-end grant process, as well as provide longitudinal data.

Bridging Grant eligibility testing will open 09:00 4 June 2018, until 17:00 14 June 2018, Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Bridging Grants (BG) are a program of assistance that targets early stage proof of concept and knowledge transfer, product development and market testing, innovation and commercialisation activities.

They are designed to support international small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs)-Researcher partnerships grow beyond an initial level of engagement such as might be developed during a Priming Grant funded process, into a strong collaboration which leads to the translation of research knowledge and intellectual property into market ready products or services.

Bridging Grants applications can be prepared and lodged any time after 4 June, only if you have received notice of approval to proceed and supplied a Bridging Grant Application number (BGA Number). If you have been supplied with a BGA number, please contact Mary Lyons, Research Development and Support of your intent to apply for a Bridging Grant.

Please note that the Global Connections Fund will only support multiple EOI applications from university research groups, departments or schools, provided the proposed projects are employing distinctly different technologies and/or are in different areas of research endeavour. In these cases, the proposed SME partners must also be different for each project proposal.  

The external closing date for Bridging Grant applications is 17:00 14 June 2018 (AEST). The internal Flinders closing date is 31 May 2018, and for queries and application advice, contact Mary Lyons, Research Development and Support.

For full details on the application process, guidelines and FAQ guidance, please visit the Global Connections Fund website.

Are you an early- and mid-career researcher working in material science? Are you interested in events in the field of advanced materials that offer valuable engagement opportunities with peers and industry?

The Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) through the Australian Academy of Science is offering a number of Emerging Researchers Mobility Grants to support a diversity of early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) to attend International Conference for Young Researchers on Advanced Materials (ICYRAM) in Adelaide.

The Mobility Grants are designed to offset the expenses associated with attending ICYRAM 2018 for those EMCRs who may not be able to attend this event without support and/or people from traditionally underrepresented demographics.

ICYRAM will run from 5- 7 November 2018 at the Adelaide Convention Centre and is targeted for EMCRs working in materials science, engineering, and related disciplines. The conference aims to give all the researchers from around the world the opportunity to engage and network with peers and industry in the field of advanced materials.

Visit the Emerging Researchers Mobility Grant page for more information about this opportunity.  

Applications external closing date is Monday 18 June at 5pm (AEST). The Flinders internal closing date is Monday 4 June 2018 and for advice and application assistance, please contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer, Research Development and Support.

If you have any questions about the grants please contact the Australian Academy of Science at emcr@science.org.au

The Fisheries Scientific Committee (FSC) of the NSW Department of Primary Industries is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 Student Research Grants Round.

The FSC has available $3,000 to fund 1-2 student projects, aimed at filling gaps in research information for threatened or potentially threatened species of fish and marine vegetation in NSW. The grants are intended for use by undergraduate 3rd year major project students, or as part of an Honours, Masters or PhD project.

The FSC assesses nominations for the listing (or de-listing) of threatened species, populations and ecological communities of fish and marine vegetation in NSW, and their key threatening processes. This task relies on the availability of up-to-date scientific data on species distribution, abundance, habitat and ecology.

Projects funded through the Student Research Grants provide the FSC with information on threatened aquatic species and communities to help support their listing, conservation and management. This information is also assists in managing species recovery through initiatives undertaken by NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Applicants should read the Student Research Grants Terms and Conditions, and the Information for Applicants available at the FSC website, prior to commencing their Application. The external closing date is 11:59 pm (AEDT) on Tuesday 31 July 2018. For application advice and information, contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer, Research Development and Support

The HCF Research Foundation’s mission is to improve the delivery of health services in Australia for the benefit of all Australians. This year, research topics to deliver $1 million in funding to the research community in health care areas that provide opportunity to significantly improve patient outcomes have been selected.

The HCF Research Foundation is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from research teams interested in funding for health services research to begin in 2019.

EOI’s are invited for research projects that specifically address the following topics:

• Hospital Acquired Complications: Research focused on reducing hospital acquired complications as identified by the Australian Commission of Safety and Quality in Health Care.
• Use of existing clinical registry data to positively impact patient outcomes (please note that funding to develop clinical registries will not be considered).
• Research projects that aim to reduce the incidence of low value health care provided in the hospital setting.

Applications involving collaborations between investigators from a range of backgrounds, including career researchers, practicing clinicians, policy makers, and the private sector, will be given priority.

Recent research grants awarded by the HCF Research Foundation for 2018 ranged in value from $80,000 to $240,000.

Applications will be assessed on scientific merit as well their ability to affect meaningful change to health services provision. Applications that demonstrate a strong opportunity for translation of research outcomes into practice will be looked upon favourably.

EOIs received after 5:00pm AEST on Thursday, 14 June 2018 will not be considered. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer, Research Development and Support.

EOIs will only be accepted on forms available at hcf.com.au/foundation.

In May and June Research Development and Support (RDS) will be visiting each College and Flinders Campus’ in Darwin, Alice Springs and Tonsley. One hour interactive presentations will communicate RDS’ services and functions. Please join us to discover how the RDS Team can support you in achieving your research goals.

Each Roadshow will feature information on our services, our structure and, a "your voice" Q&A session.

They are being held:

Alice Springs - 22 May 2018

Darwin - 23 May 2018

College of Business, Government, and Law - 12 PM - 1 PM, Wednesday 13 June 2018 in Lecture Theatre North 4, Law/Commerce Building

College of Nursing and Health Sciences - 12 PM - 1 PM, Thursday 14 June 2018 in Lecture Theatre S202, Sturt South Wing

Tonsley Campus - 4 PM - 5 PM, Thursday 14 June 2018 in Theatre G.32, Tonsley

College of Medicine and Public Health - 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM, Friday 15 June 2018 in Lecture Theatre 1.01, Health Sciences Lecture Theatre Complex

University Portfolios - 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Monday 18 June 2018 in Lecture Theatre 1.01, Health Sciences Lecture Theatre Complex

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM, Wednesday 20 June 2018 in Lecture Theatre 1.01, Education Building

College of Science and Engineering - 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM, Thursday 21 June 2018 in Room 0008, Physical Sciences

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences - 3 PM - 4 PM, Wednesday 27 June 2018 in North Lecture Theatre 2, Humanities

SA Rural and Remote - July

For more information on the Roadshows, contact Julia Parker, RDS.

Flinders Research Activate is an initiative to bring Flinders’ research community together to inform, inspire and share strategies for research success.

Enrolments are now open for research focused workshops being held throughout June.

In the week of 25 June, Flinders Research Activate Intensive will be hosted by Research Development and Support. Enrol now to join us over three mornings - 25, 27, 29 June – to access focused, inter-linked information and action-learning activities. Sessions will cover a breadth of topics core to: understanding the research environment and funding types; seeking and applying for funding; crafting track record; strategic positioning for funding success based on career stage; reporting research activity and more.

Flinders’ research community based in rural and remote locations will be able to access and participate in the Flinders Research Activate Intensive – please contact Kirsty deRuyter, Research Support Officer: Researcher Professional Development, RDS, for further details.

Join us to activate your research.