Flinders researchers have been awarded a total of $7.85 million in the latest round of ARC grants, announced late afternoon on 27 November 2018.

Flinders’ DP success rate is 29%, above the 22% national average. Congratulations to our researchers whose application success has been underpinned by strong collaborations between researchers, Colleges and professional staff, particularly members of Research Development and Support (RDS) who have provided quality research management support, including advice on funding rules, grant development and reviews, and researcher training and development programs.

Our researchers have had significant success with a total of 19 grants funded across four ARC schemes: 15 Discovery Projects (DP);  1 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA); 2 Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) grant; 1 Linkage Project (LP) grant.

Let’s build on this success – please contact RDS now to collaboratively plan and schedule support for your 2019 ARC applications.

Read more, including details of the researchers and their projects, at the Flinders News Desk.

Are you applying for a NHMRC Investigator Grant in the next round? Do you want insights from successful NHMRC awardees and specialist one-on-one help with your application? Come along to the NHMRC Investigator Grant panel Q&A and workshop on Monday 10 December 2018.

A panel discussion will begin the day with Professor Keryn Williams, Professor Simon Brookes and Associate Professor Stuart Brierley who will present their insights into applying for Fellowships and what NHMRC Review Panels look for when assessing a Fellowship application. A panel Q&A session will follow.

Gareth Rees and Rebecca Cook will then work through each section required by the NHMRC including the RGMS section.

Please book via ienrol (for catering purposes) for the panel and workshop on Monday 10 December 2018, 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM. It will be held in FMC Level 4 -Seminar Room (4E303), Flinders Medical Centre.

Enquiries to researcherpd.rds@flinders.edu.au.

Inspiring Research is profiling recipients of the inaugural Flinders University Impact Seed Funding Grants – awarded July 2018.

Today we’re meeting Dr David Smith, College of Medicine and Public Health, and highlighting aspects of his research project "Conceptualising and quantifying psychological treatment pathways for borderline personality disorder: a Bayesian network approach".

David’s project aims to innovatively use a Bayesian Network approach on effective Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) psychological treatment pathways.

BPD is a serious mental illness that can cause a lot of suffering. There is a desperate need for development of best care pathways for up to 68,000 South Australians with the debilitating psychiatric disorder.

The network would describe how states of BPD such as symptoms, environmental, and social factors are related by probabilities to potential treatment outcomes. This tool would support decision analysis for mental health clinicians working in the community and hospital emergency departments.

Flinders University Impact Seed Funding Grants provide an opportunity for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to develop their careers and enable key research projects or promotion of research outcomes. Flinders University has partnered with our community of donors to provide the opportunity for ECRs to receive financial support to develop and fortify their skill sets. Our supporters want to make a difference by building our researchers’ capacity and capabilities to make a positive impact. Please contact Dr Marina Delpin if you wish to know more about this initiative.

Did you miss these news items on research from the Flinders' Newsdesk?

French opportunities gain momentum - Flinders’ French connections were strengthened with the signing of a new agreement on 23 November 2018, which expanded the University’s growing list of French academic partnerships providing students and researchers with fantastic opportunities for cross-country placements and projects.

Corneal graft expert honoured for visionary work - Flinders University’s Professor Keryn Williams has been honoured as an Honorary Fellow of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO), which works to improve eye healthcare in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific. She received this honour at the organisation’s annual conference, which was held in Adelaide from November 17-21 on the occasion of the college’s 50th anniversary.

Manufacturing milestone for ‘clean’ super-strength carbon - Commercial manufacturing of one of the world’s strongest materials has taken a decisive step forward with SA-based nano-science company 2D Fluidics filing another PCT Patent application on thin-film processing of high quality graphene oxide and other novel nanomaterials.

Defence Innovation Partnership to boost SA research - From developing artificial intelligence for Australia’s Future Submarines to determining whole-of-health diagnosis for defence vehicles, Flinders University researchers are at the forefront of innovative new defence projects being supported by the injection of fresh funding.

Research focus on late termination pregnancy - Framing recommendations about policy and practices concerning the late termination of pregnancy in South Australia will be the focus of Dr Prudence Flowers, who has been selected as the 2018 Catherine Helen Spence Scholarship recipient.

Optimistic SA environmental report card issued - South Australia’s greatest environmental challenges are managing people, their choices and behaviours rather than scientific measures to ensure greater biodiversity conservation. This is the assessment of Professor Corey Bradshaw, the Matthew Flinders Fellow in Global Ecology, and a key contributor to the 2018 EPA State of the Environment report (SA), which was launched on Monday 19 November.

Heat under your feet identifies water flow - Groundwater flow from aquifers to rivers, lakes and the ocean affects the productivity and diversity of aquatic ecosystems – but accurately measuring water movement below the soil is difficult for aquatic scientists and water resources engineers.

Funding for pancreatic cancer trial - Flinders University researchers have been awarded funding to run a clinical trial of a new pancreatic cancer treatment.

Dolphin research informs marine planning - The Coffin Bay dolphins off South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula mainly live in the shallow waters close to the coast and oyster farms – and outside the declared conservation sanctuary zones.

If you have some exciting research news to share, please contact the Newsdesk at newsdesk@flinders.edu.au or us at inspiring.research@flinders.edu.au.

Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) – Keeping Australians Out of Hospital grant opportunity is now open in RGMS and will close 5:00pm (AEDT) on 30 January 2019 with minimum data due on 16 January 2019.

The grant opportunity will support research into evidence-based, implementable and scalable preventive health measures that aim to prevent the development of or promote better management of complex and chronic health conditions, improve quality of life for people with these conditions and keep them out of hospital.

More information is available, including relevant documentation is available via GrantConnect. If you are not able to access the guidelines, contact Gareth Rees, Research Development and Support.

Researchers are invited to express their interest in assisting with the assessment of applications as a member of the peer review panel.

Over the last five years, Flinders University and Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) have conducted leading-edge international health and medical research supported by European and/or Australian funding programs.

We have promoted staff and student mobility exchanges, and engaged and enabled industry and health workforce partnerships to support proof of concept projects, local business opportunities and health professional educational opportunities.

To strengthen the collaborative relationships between Australia and Germany, TU Dresden is offering financial and organisational support to promote ongoing collaborations and shared knowledge between Flinders University and TU Dresden for staff and students.

Support is for long-term stays in Dresden for scientific, professional and cultural exchange from 15 days up to 6 months.

Research themes for students and staff include: 

• Chronic disease management, and diabetes and depression related research

Professional services themes include: 

• Research marketing, exchange, knowledge transfer, networking and fund raising

When: 12:30 - 1:30pm Friday 30 November

Where: Studio 2, Professional Services Building, Bedford Park campus

RSVP: by 29 November to julie.zanker@flinders.edu.au

HDR students and supervisors are invited to join a panel of our fantastic HDR students in discussing different kinds of collaboration including international and industry on Wednesday 12 December 2018, from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM.

By talking about some of the similarities and differences between these diverse kinds of collaborations, we can identify how to get connected and build successful relationships.

The conversation will also cover how to get started, how to maintain and build relationships, working through challenges and making the most of opportunities that arise.

The workshop will also be a great opportunity to share ideas and experiences and to reflect on your next step in creating connections and collaborating.

To register, visit Inspire.

The Allan Martin Award is a research fellowship intended to assist early-career historians further their research in Australian history.

The award is available to all early career historians (within five years of the award of their PhD degree), whether academic, professional, or public historians working in museums, war memorials and other institutions.

Funding of up to $4000 is awarded every year to assist towards the expenses of a research trip undertaken in support of a project in Australian history. The research may be undertaken in Australia or overseas. Applicants are required to show how the research is essential to the completion of the project and how the findings will be subsequently published or otherwise made available to the public.

The Award commemorates the contribution to Australian History of A. W. Martin (1926-2002), in particular his interest in and encouragement of students and younger colleagues over a lifetime of teaching and research. Allan Martin was a graduate of the University of Sydney and the Australian National University (ANU). He was a member of history departments at the Universities of Melbourne, Adelaide and the ANU, and at La Trobe University he was Foundation Professor of History (1966–73) and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities (1970 and 1971). In addition to many articles, chapters, and conference papers he wrote biographies of Henry Parkes and Robert Menzies.

Applications close on the new due date of 31 December 2018. Note that Research Development and Support will be closed for the rest of the year from 1 PM 21 December 2018. Application support and advice is available from Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer, Research Development and Support.

For more information, visit the Australian Historical Society website.

The US Department of Defense - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is hosting an Artificial Intelligence Colloquium (AIC), on 6-7 March 2019 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia, United States of America. This two-day event will present cutting-edge results from DARPA AI research programs.

Attendees will have an opportunity to submit an abstract for consideration to attend a sidebar meeting with a DARPA program manager. Details on abstract submission as well as the agenda, speakers, venue and lodging are provided on the event website.

DARPA will review submitted abstracts and, based on the interest they generate, will choose respondents for participation in sidebar meetings with relevant DARPA PM(s) to discuss the presented concept in more detail.

Abstracts must be no longer than one page, with a 500 word maximum, in Microsoft Word or PDF format. The body of the abstract must include contact information (name, organization and email address).

All requests for sidebars must be completed in compliance with the instructions provided during registration and submitted no later than 5:00 PM EST, 11 January, 2019. Individual attendees may submit up to two abstracts for sidebar consideration.

Notification for each sidebar will be sent out by 1 February, 2019 to include the date, time, meeting room, and program manager.

Information about the AIC and how to register can be found online at the DARPA Colloquium website.

Registration will close at 5:00 PM EST on 20 February, 2019 or when capacity is reached.

If you have any questions, please contact AIColloquium@sainc.com

The 17th International Conference on Communication, Medicine and Ethics will be held from 26-28 June 2019 in Adelaide, at the University of South Australia.

This international and interdisciplinary conference brings together scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds, involving diverse healthcare specialisations and the human and social sciences.

A special emphasis will be on the dissemination of ongoing research in language/discourse/communication studies in relation to healthcare education,
patient participation and professional ethics.

Plenary Speakers include:

• Professor Phyllis Butow, School of Psychology, University of Sydney
• Professor Charlotte Rees, Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education, Monash University
• Professor Srikant Sarangi, Danish Institute of Humanities and Medicine, Aalborg University
• Professor Howard Waitzkin, Dept of Sociology, University of New Mexico; Dept of Medicine,
  University of Illinois

Deadline for submissions of proposals: Thursday 20 December 2018. For further information on the call for proposals, submission guidelines and conference themes, please visit the Conference website.

The 8th International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2019) will be held in Adelaide, Australia on 24-26 September 2019 under the auspices of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety (HySafe).

The first seven conferences in 2005 to 2017, succeeded in attracting the most relevant experts from all over the world, by providing an open platform for the presentation and discussion of new findings, information and data on hydrogen safety – from basic research to applied development and from good practice to standardisation and regulatory issues.

Conference attendees who wish to present a paper are required to submit a short abstract (up to 250 words) by 31 December 2018.

Papers are sought on a wide range of hydrogen safety topics like (but not limited to) safety of large production and supply chain infrastructure, hydrogen and hydrogen carrier behaviours, physical effects, consequence and risk analysis, incidents, accidents and near misses, hydrogen effects on materials and components, safety of energy storage, power to gas/gas to power related safety issues, safety solutions for the implementation of hydrogen technologies, risk management, best practices, regulations, codes and standards as well as communication strategies.

South Australia has a natural endowment of sunshine and prevailing winds that have attracted substantial investment in renewable energy with over 50% of energy now provided by this segment. Hydrogen is beginning to play a greater role in the transition to clean, safe and sustainable energy systems for energy storage and transport regionally and globally. The South Australian Government, transport and energy industry leaders and research institutions recognise the emerging opportunity in the coming decade to accelerate the transition to a hydrogen economy and the importance of developing safe methods and appropriate regulatory frameworks to facilitate the transition.

An even more detailed list of ICHS 2019 Themes and Topics is available here. All contributions to ICHS 2019 will be evaluated exclusively in the light of their scientific content and relevance to hydrogen safety.

AINSE, in partnership with ANSTO and the Embassy of France in Australia, are delighted to announce that applications for the 2019 SAAFE Program are now open.

The Scholarship AINSE ANSTO French Embassy (SAAFE) Program is an exciting international exchange opportunity open to early career researchers at the PhD and postdoctoral level. Up to $15,000 AUD is provided to each successful applicant towards supporting travel and/or accommodation expenses in Australia or France.

The SAAFE Program supports early career researchers to expand research and innovation activities with Human Health, Environment and the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, and to initiate sustainable research networks and linkages to support Australia and France in research and innovation.

Applications close 1 May 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 17 April 2019. Application support and advice for the grant is available from Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer, Research Development and Support.

For more information, including an application form and terms & conditions, please visit the AINSE website.

In the 2018-19 Budget, the Federal Government announced a reform of current governance arrangements for Antarctic science funding. This is supported by two measures: $8 million per year from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2027 for a new Special Research Initiative in Excellence in Antarctic Science, run by the Australian Research Council, and $5 million per year from 2019-20 for a new 10 year Antarctic Science Collaboration Initiative (ASCI) grants program.

The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) is responsible for the implementation and administration of the ASCI grant program. The process that is being conducted and where to get more information as they progress follows.

The ASCI will be a long-term, strategic investment in Antarctic science that will build on the work of the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC) as its funding ends on 30 June 2019. The ASCI will support ongoing Antarctic science, research and innovation, and support the operation and activities of a collaborative Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (Partnership).  

In the response to the Australian Antarctic Science Program Governance Review (Clarke Review), the Government announced that the Australian Antarctic research community would need to come together to form a collaborative Partnership to develop a proposal for the funding under the ASCI program.

DIIS has begun working with key members of the Antarctic science community – particularly those involved in the ACE CRC – to design and plan for the establishment of the ASCI, including looking at appropriate models for the Partnership. It is anticipated that the Partnership will be brought together in 2018, and will develop a proposal for funding to provide to DIIS in early 2019. The Minister for Industry, Science and Technology will be the final decision maker on the proposal for ASCI funding. The funding will be available from 1 July 2019.

The research community is responsible for bringing together the collaborative Partnership, and determining the priorities for Antarctic science and research investment over the next decade. The University of Tasmania is supporting the establishment of the Partnership. If you would like more information about the formation of the Partnership or the development of the proposal, please contact Tim Moltmann at tim.moltmann@utas.edu.au.

If you would like any further information about the implementation of the ASCI, please contact ASCITaskforce@industry.gov.au or Sally Railton on 02 6102 9166 or Sally.Railton@industry.gov.au.

Australia’s soils, water, vegetation and biodiversity underpin the productivity and sustainability of agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries. But these natural resources are under threat. Pressures on Australia’s natural resources can limit the viability and productivity of food and fibre businesses.

The Australian Government’s National Landcare Program aims to protect, conserve and provide for the productive use of Australia’s water, soil, plants and animals and the ecosystems in which they live and interact, in partnership with industry, communities and other governments.

As the managers of around 61 per cent of the Australian landmass, farmers have an essential role in protecting and rehabilitating natural resources. Natural resources management practices that improve and protect the condition of soil, water, vegetation and biodiversity also assist farming, forestry and fishing industries to adapt to significant changes in climate, weather and markets.

The principal component of the National Landcare Program administered by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources is Smart Farms. Smart Farms will run to 2022–23. It is made up of three elements:

• Smart Farming Partnerships—will invest $55 million through two rounds of competitive grants into medium to large scale projects to encourage the development, trial and roll-out of innovative tools and farm practices.
• Smart Farms Small Grants—is a $55 million competitive small grants program over several rounds to support the adoption of best practices that improves the management and quality of our natural resources and increases on-farm productivity.
• Building Landcare Community and Capacity—will invest $24 million to support the sharing of knowledge and achievements, and promote community leadership.

The Smart Farms Small Grants is currently open and will close on 11 January 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 21 December 2018. Application support and advice for the grant is available from Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer, Research Development and Support.

Note: Smart Farms Small Grants is focused on on-ground delivering of tools and practices to improve the sustainable management of natural resources, not to fund basic research. Some demonstration and trial work would likely be eligible, and there are some examples under section 5 of the guidelines.

More information about the National Landcare Program - Smart Farms Small Grants, as well as requirements for applicants can be found in the following documents that form the Grant Opportunity on the Community Grants website:

• Grant Opportunity Guidelines
• Questions and Answers (Please note that these will be updated with stakeholder questions until 11:30pm AEDT 4 January 2018. After this time there will be no further inquiry on the round.)
• Application form
• Budget Template
• Commonwealth Simple Grant Agreement Terms and Conditions

Science cooperation is a key pillar of the Enhanced Bilateral Strategic Partnership adopted in 2017 between France and Australia. It dramatically underpins the capacity to jointly design innovative solutions that can benefit the countries respective communities and ensure the economic competitiveness on a global scale.

The French Embassy in Australia in 2018 has released a brand new set of research collaborative instruments under the umbrella of the France-Australia Science and Innovation Collaboration (FASIC PHC) program.

The program has three different schemes: FASIC Workshops, FASIC PhD, and FASIC Researchers. All schemes have the closing date of 3 January 2019. The internal Flinders closing date is 10 working days prior and queries and assistance in preparing an application should be directed to Mary Lyons.

The FASIC PHC program will contribute to initiatives or reinforce bilateral research collaborations, and will enable scientists from France and Australian research institutions to meet and discuss future collaborative projects. This program is meant to support the establishment of joint research labs or scientific networks between France and Australia.

Funding under FASIC PHC program is not intended to support the research work itself but will be used for the implementation of international cooperation such as exchanges and travels.

FASIC Workshops supports the organisation of bilateral scientific workshops, jointly designed by French and Australian research groups on thematic of strategic interest for the future of the cooperation. Workshops are meant to strategically expand existing bilateral collaborations or to initiate new ones.

Ultimately, this scheme is meant to foster the structuring of Australian-French excellent multidisciplinary research communities and, when relevant, to facilitate industry’s access to outstanding bilateral science expertise. For 2018, workshops will be preferably held in Australia.

For further information, visit the Call for Applications. The application process is explained here (in French).

The FASIC PhD scheme aims to support PhD candidates’ mobility between the two countries with the view to establish or consolidate individual connections between French and Australian research labs, and to create the conditions for new collaborative joint research projects to emerge or existing collaborations to strategically scale-up. PhD students from all fields of science, including humanities and social sciences are eligible.

The mobility of both French-based PhD students to Australia and Australian-based PhD students to France is supported under this scheme. The proposal must be a joint submission by the French and Australian supervisors and the PhD candidate. Applications by PhD candidates alone will not be assessed.

For further information, visit the Call for Applications. The application process is explained here (in French).

FASIC Researchers program aims to develop scientific and technological exchanges of excellence between laboratories in both countries, by encouraging new cooperation and the participation of young researchers. Applications are open to post-docs or researchers affiliated to French higher education institutions or research organisations. Each project must explicitly associate an Australian research partner.

For further information, visit the Call for Applications. The application process is explained here (in French).

The complete description of the FASIC 2019 schemes can be found in English on https://www.campusfrance.org/fr/system/files/medias/documents/2018-11/fasic_en.pdf. Candidates must create an account on the Campus France website.

Congratulations to current mentee, Dr Tully Barnett, on the award of her ARC DECRA, which will commence in 2019. The Flinders University Researcher Mentoring Scheme is about to enter its 8^th year, and this is one of the many successes that our ECRs have achieved from being in this program.

Research Development and Support is welcoming expressions of interest (EOI) from potential mentees and mentors for the 2019 Scheme up until Thursday 6 December 2018.

Please contact Dr Marina Delpin, Program Manager: Researcher Professional Development, directly for the eligibility criteria and application documents to participate as a mentee or mentor.

This whole of University initiative is a strategy to support our early-career researchers (ECRs), defined as one to eight years post-PhD conferral. It provides training and support to ECRs (mentees) to develop and maintain an effective, outcomes focused one-on-one mentoring partnership with a senior Flinders academic (mentor) underpinned with ECR-focussed researcher development opportunities.

The annual Scheme has positively impacted on ECRs’ well-being and research profile, including grant income, publications and engagement. Mentees have reported that the scheme has enhanced their ability to plan their research career, set goals, lead, manage and collaborate within and across their discipline.

Please contact Marina to discuss any questions that you may have about the mentoring scheme, on 8201 3873 or marina.delpin@flinders.edu.au. Further information about this scheme is available on the Flinders Researcher Mentoring Scheme webpage.