The Flinders University submission report for the ARC Engagement and Impact (EI) is now available.  

The ARC Engagement and Impact assessment framework is a key measure under the National Innovation Science Agenda (NISA). EI 2018 was undertaken as a companion to ERA2018 and focused on assessing the engagement of researchers with end-users and showcases how universities are translating their research into economic, social , environmental and other impacts (ref: www.arc.gov.au/engagement-and-impact-assessment).

The EI2018 national report and impact case studies will be publicly available on the ARC website in early 2019. The Flinders EI2018 showcases the significant impact that Flinders’ research is delivering to industry and government as well as how our research is Making a Difference in the wider community.

The Flinders submission was a result of significant commitment and effort by a wide range of Flinders researchers and professional staff. The DVCR, Professor Rob Saint , PVC (research Impact), Professor John Spoehr and Director, Research Development and Support, Jodieann Dawe would like to extend their thanks and gratitude to all involved in the EI2018 submission.

A fan and password is required for access the Flinders University submission here.

With governments and funding bodies now looking to measure and weigh impact and engagement, now is the time to get ahead on E&I. The changing face of research reporting will be explored, discussed and experiences shared at Flinders Focus on Research Engagement and Impact in the week of 24 September 2018.

Why Flinders is involved in Engagement and Impact and most importantly, why now, are questions that will be answered in the presentations, workshops and peer-learning sessions. Come along to hear from your peers, Flinders staff, and industry members on what is good practice, communication skills specific for E&I and many more other skills and knowledge sharing.

Open to the entire research community, we welcome ECRs, MCRs, established researchers, research leaders and research support staff to participate. Rural and remote colleagues will be able to access and participate in sessions – please email the Researcher Professional Development team for further details.

Enrolments are now open - please book through ienrol Research and direct any queries to researcherpd.rds@flinders.edu.au.

Flinders Focus on Research Engagement and Impact full session details

Researchers intending to submit an application through Flinders University to the upcoming ARC or NHMRC grant rounds are requested to complete a brief Expression of Interest (EOI) online by 24 September 2018 (9 AM).

The EOI portal can be accessed here.

The timely completion of this EOI enables the College Deans (Research) and Research Development and Support (RDS) to be aware of the application intentions of researchers, and so initiate the appropriate advice and support that researchers may need before substantial work ensues with the grant application.

With the new landscape for NHMRC grants this year, this is particularly important. It also then helps to scope the subsequent grant application and review requirements over the coming months.

Information on the timing of all NHMRC and ARC rounds will be released together with RDS internal deadlines once the funding bodies provide dates for all schemes. Note however a number of NHMRC deadline dates are available here.

Please note that there will be a separate EOI process for the ARC Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities scheme – Round LE20.

RDS Senior Research Grants Officers would welcome the opportunity to meet with ARC and NHMRC applicants. Please feel free to contact the relevant officer below to discuss your application:

• NHMRC applications: Gareth Rees at nhmrc@flinders.edu.au or 8201 2199
• ARC applications: Maya Roberts at arc@flinders.edu.au or 8201 7698

Wind-driven sand transport at Ji Beach in Southern Brazil. Copyright: Graziela Miot da Silva

A new paper from an international group of authors, including Flinders Mid-Career Researcher from the College of Science and Engineering, Dr Graziela Miot da Silva, has been published in Nature Publishing Group’s social sciences journal, Palgrave Communications.

The paper details what is holding women back in these professions and suggests seven steps to success. The group found that although women make up almost a third of the coastal geoscience and engineering community, they represent only about one in five of its prestige roles. The lack of women in prestige roles and senior positions contributes to 81% of survey respondents perceiving the lack of female role models in Coastal Geoscience and Engineering as a key hurdle for gender equality.

'Steps to improve gender diversity in coastal geoscience and engineering' by lead author Associate Professor Vila-Concejo, University of Sydney, and team can be accessed at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-018-0154-0.

The authors of the paper are from universities in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Spain, Ireland, Mexico and France and, together, are the committee for the international network working for Women in Coastal Geoscience and Engineering (WICGE). The group was founded originally by the first 3 authors and the other members were then invited to join.

"We decided that as the WICGE committee we should make a real contribution to gender equity in our professions and wrote this paper as a first step to help achieving this goal," said Graziela.

"It was amazing to see how easily we worked together although we come from different cultures, languages and time zones. I think everything worked out so well because we had such a strong common goal and supported each other every time we faced a challenge."

WICGE can be followed on twitter, at Facebook, or through their website.

The Cure Brain Cancer Foundation (CBCF) and the National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia (NBCF) are pleased to announce their collaboration on a joint new biomedical research funding opportunity. For the first time, the NBCF and the CBCF have come together to jointly fund high impact translational research that spans both primary brain and breast cancer.

Proposals are now being accepted via the SmartyGrants platform. Applications will close strictly at 5pm (AEDT) Monday 12 November 2018. The Flinders internal closing date is 29 October 2018. Please note that institutional overheads will not be funded. For application advice and information, please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The aim of this initiative is to leverage the connection between primary brain and breast cancer research to facilitate new approaches to tackling these cancers that may benefit many more people compared to tumour-specific approaches.

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is AUD $1 million over 3 to 5 years to fund one or two research projects.

Application information is available from the NBCF website here.

The Application form is available via SmartyGrants here.

The Financial Markets Foundation for Children is now accepting Expressions of Interest (EOI) relating to the Foundation’s aim to assist in the health and welfare of children in Australia

The EOI close on 30 September 2018. The Flinders internal closing date is 15 September 2018. For application advice and assistance, please contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII).

Funding available is $50,000 - $80,000 per year, and for either one or two year projects.

Further Information is available at the Financial Markets Foundation for Children website. 

Two upcoming webinars on Ageing Research and identifying cognitive impairment have been highlighted by Dementia Australia.

Presented by the Australian Association of Gerontology and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, they will take place on 6 September and 11 September. For more information on each webinar, please see below:

Australian Association of Gerontology - Successfully Engaging Consumers in Ageing Research

Increasingly, grant and funding schemes require demonstrated engagement with consumers at all stages of the research process, and there is an increasing interest among consumers themselves in becoming more involved with research. This webinar will highlight a range of different perspectives on engaging consumers in research within the especially challenging field of dementia research. Three panel members representing the funding, researcher and advocacy perspectives, will discuss their experiences of being involved in this type of research. Participants will hear about both the challenges and opportunities in undertaking this type of work, and hear about key strategies for success.

Date: Thursday 6 September 2018

Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm AEST

Presenters:

• Ms Janice Besch, Director, NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research (NNIDR)
• Dr Jane Thompson, Advocate and Former Carer
• Dr Craig Sinclair, Research Fellow, Rural Clinical School of WA, University of Western Australia

For further information or to register, visit: https://www.aag.asn.au/events/event/successfully-engaging-consumers-in-ageing-research

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care - Cognitive Impairment in the Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

The tenth webinar from the Caring for Cognitive Impairment campaign will be of interest to those who would like to understand how safe and high quality care is provided in ED and ICU settings for patients with cognitive impairment or at risk of delirium. The webinar will outline why and how to identify cognitive impairment (including delirium) in these settings and strategies that can be introduced to minimise risks of harm and prevent delirium.

Date: Tuesday 11 September 2018

Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm AEST

Presenters:

• Glenn Arendts, Associate Professor Emergency Medicine, University of Western Australia
• Marghie Murgo, Senior Nursing Advisor, ACSQHC
• Michael Reade, Professor of Military Surgery & Medicine, Royal Brisbane Clinical Unit, Faculty of Medicine

To register, visit: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7415709342543545858

Wine Australia is inviting travel bursary applications for travel commencing between 1 January and 30 June 2019.

Wine Australia invests in and directs research, development and extension to support a competitive Australian wine sector. Their investments are guided by the strategic research priorities of the Australian Government and the Australian wine sector.

Travel bursaries

Travel bursaries can fund travel, study tours or conferences to develop your knowledge and skills in your area of research, and to network with the international research community. See the application guidelines for further details.

Visiting scholar bursaries

Wine Australia invites and assesses applications for visiting scholars bursaries throughout the year. Visiting scholar bursaries can bring international experts to Australia to participate in workshops, meetings, conferences, symposia or research projects. See the application guidelines for further details.

How to apply

To apply for a Wine Australia travel bursary, you must complete an application online through the Clarity Investment Management System (CIMS). If you have not used CIMS before, a log in and password can be obtained by emailing your full name, address, contact phone number and name of affiliated organisation to applications@wineaustralia.com.

Wine Australia will consider applications that support international travel for conference attendance and/or study tours that align with their RD&E priority areas, with the two-fold purpose of:

• demonstrating benefit to the Australian grape and wine sector and/or existing research, and
• supporting careers for grape and wine researchers in the sector and academia by providing opportunities to broaden their professional development, particularly early in their career. 

Please consult the Wine Australia Strategic Plan 2015–2020 and the application guidelines for both the travel and visiting scholar bursaries when developing applications.

Applications close 5 October 2018 at 5pm (Australian Central Time). The Flinders internal closing date is 21 September 2018. For application advice and assistance, please contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII).

Do you have an idea/project for working with an experienced US academic or professional? Does the project include an education or training component? Does it fit within the University's priority areas? The Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP) from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission is an initiative in which Australian awarded institutions create and design projects of priority interest for their institution.

Applications for the Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP) are now open and will close on 30 September 2018. Each participating host institution can only be awarded one FSP per year.

All applicants are encouraged to contact their country’s Fulbright Commission or U.S embassy to learn more about country-specific eligibility requirements as these can vary. For Australia this is Alumni Manager, Dr Pablo Jimenez, or Scholarships Officer, Ms Lauren Bullman. Research Development and Support can provide advice and application support. Please contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII). The Flinders Campus Advisors are Professor Claire Smith and Mr David Hobbs.

The FSP, part of the larger Fulbright Program, was established in 2001 by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program is a field-driven initiative in which foreign host institutions conceptualise and design projects of interest within an eligible discipline that represent a priority for their respective organisations.

These projects are then paired with a highly qualified U.S. academic or professional, who shares their expertise and assists with strengthening linkages between U.S. and foreign host institutions. Participating foreign host institutions benefit by:

• Gaining global perspectives from experienced U.S. academics and professionals;
• Executing projects that require a rapid response or flexible timeline through short-term, year-round exchanges; and
• Building sustained relationships with individuals and institutions in the U.S.

Australian institutions can apply for this grant to bring a U.S. expert in a particular field. A limited number of FSP grants for Australia are on offer each year depending on funding.

This is an exchange program, where the Fulbright Commission covers the cost of the travel to Australia for the visiting Specialist; Flinders is responsible for covering the costs of accommodation, meals and in-country transportation for the duration of the visit, whether through cash or in-kind contribution. Flinders applicants will be required to seek approval for the visit and support for covering these costs within the relevant College.

It is possible for the applicant to pre-identify an individual to serve as the Fulbright Specialist for the project, however the Specialist must be approved by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission and also approved to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster. More information on the Roster available at The Fulbright website.

To learn more about this program, eligibility, timeline and past recipients please visit The Fulbright website.

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) provides funding of up to $200,000 over 2 years to qualified scientists who are working to explore clinically relevant questions aimed at improving the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies.

Letters of Intent are due 1 November 2018. The Flinders Internal closing date is 18 October 2018. For application advice and information, please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The development of new and effective cancer treatment requires the translation of basic laboratory discoveries into novel therapies that can be tested in patients. This area of translational research—where laboratory findings move into clinical testing and where questions from clinical studies are brought back into the lab—is critical to bringing new and better immunotherapies to patients.

The grant will support basic, pre-clinical, and translational research that will provide information that can be directly applied to optimizing cancer immunotherapy in the clinic.

Applicants must hold a faculty appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor (or higher rank) at the time of award activation.

For more information, please visit the CRI website.

The Beat Cancer Project Funding Translational Research Packages has opened and will close on 22 October 2018. The Flinders internal closing date is 8 October 2018.

The scheme aims to support practice- based research and evaluation projects, and identify targeted, multidisciplinary translational research that address specific State priorities.

A package of up to $150,000 per year for three years is available. As matching funding is required, a co-investment form signed by relevant College (Dean) is also required.

Researchers will be required to complete an on-line application form. Please refer to the Beat Cancer Project website to access the link to the application form. If you require further information about any of the above Schemes, please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer.

Funding guidelines are available here.

The objectives of the Beat Cancer Project are to increase funding for cancer research, increase the capacity for researchers to attract more national and international research grants, and build a stronger cancer research workforce and broader research infrastructure in South Australia.

The Beat Cancer Project is a South Australian state-wide initiative intended to support and advance cancer research within the state. It is funded by Cancer Council SA and the SA Government through SA Health) and administered by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

The Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration (DCRC) and the NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research have announced the 2018 DCRC Postgraduate Research Scholarships for Dementia Research.

Three PhD scholarships are on offer at $30,000 per annum for up to 3 years, starting in 2019. Applications close 5pm, 28 September 2018. No late applications will be accepted.

Research proposals that fall into one of the specific research areas set out in the NNIDR Strategic Roadmap for Dementia Research (pp 5-6) are strongly encouraged.

To apply, please complete the application form found here and send to DCRCgrants@unsw.edu.au under the subject heading DCRC PhD Scholarship Application: [Investigator surname]. 

For more information on application and eligibility requirements, please visit the Current Funding Opportunities page on the NNIDR website.

Registrations now open for the 7th Annual NHMRC Symposium on Research Translation. Early Bird registrations close on 28 October 2018.

NHMRC are partnering with The Reward Alliance, an international network of funders, editors and researchers with a shared interest in ensuring value in health and medical research, to bring the 2018 NHMRC Symposium, ‘Ensuring Value in Research’.

Being held at The University of Sydney on 27-28 November 2018, the Symposium is for anyone with an interest in ensuring value in health and medical research, whether they are researchers themselves or end users, to share their ideas, expertise and experience.

More information can be found here.

Australian Antarctic Science Program (AASP) applications are now open. The AASP operates within the Australian Antarctic Program to deliver world-class scientific research consistent with Australia’s Antarctic science strategic priorities.

The program provides access to funding and logistical support for eligible scientists undertaking high quality research in areas defined by Australia's Antarctic science strategic plan.

The 2018–19 application round calls for projects commencing in 2018–19 and 2019–20. The focus of this round is for projects seeking to make use of existing data, samples and information already collected, and Australia-based activities.

Applications close at 5 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) Tuesday, 9 October 2018. The Flinders internal closing date is 25 September 2018. For application advice and assistance, please contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII).

The Australian Antarctic Science Grant Program offers funding for:

• Research projects
• Co-funded postdoctoral fellowships, and
• One RJL Hawke postdoctoral fellowship.

The application guidelines and further information are available at information for scientists.

The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) and the National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia (NBCF) are collaborating on a joint new biomedical research funding opportunity - the Ovarian and Breast Cancer Research Collaboration Initiative. For the first time, this jointly funded high impact translational research will span both ovarian and breast cancers to improve outcomes for women. 

Proposals are now being accepted via the SmartyGrants platform. Applications will close strictly at 5pm (AEST) Friday 28 September 2018.

For application advice and information, please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The goal of this funding opportunity is to tackle and answer the most critical clinical questions affecting women diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, with the potential to transform the clinical management of these conditions by delivering high impact patient outcomes significantly faster than existing funding mechanisms.

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is AUD $1 million over 3 to 5 years to fund one or two research projects.

For more information, please visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation website. The OCRF have now uploaded the Funding Agreement onto the NBCF website- click here to view the agreement.