ResearchNow – the University’s new research management system - will be available to all researchers and research support staff in August 2019.

During August one-hour hands-on training sessions will focus on how to access and use ResearchNow, make the most of the system’s capabilities, and access support. Enrolments are now open.

ResearchNow includes powerful tools for automatic publication harvesting, researcher profile promotion and research metrics collection and reporting. The system was profiled in the June edition of Inspiring Research. 

Training has been designed for researchers who are publishing research, including ECRs, MCRs and established researchers, and for research support staff.

Enrolment for training is available through iEnrol - Research. Click on a link below to register for your preferred session. 

ResearchNow - Researcher Training - Friday, 9 August 2019, Rm 163, Computer Lab 3, Central Library

ResearchNow - Researcher Training - Tuesday, 13 August 2019, Rm 4E303, Level 4, Flinders Medical Centre - please bring your own device

ResearchNow - Researcher Training - Thursday, 15 August 2019, Rm 107, Tonsley

ResearchNow - Researcher Training - Wednesday, 21 August 2019, Rm S122, Sturt Building - South Wing

ResearchNow - Researcher Training - Thursday, 22 August 2019, Rm 4E303, Level 4, Flinders Medical Centre - please bring your own device

ResearchNow - Researcher Training - Friday, 23 August 2019, Rm 317, Education Building

ResearchNow - Researcher Training - Tuesday, 27 August 2019, Rm S122, Sturt Building - South Wing

ResearchNow - Researcher Training - Friday, 30 August 2019, Rm 163, Computer Lab 3, Central Library

If you have any queries regarding the sessions, please don't hesitate to contact researcherpd.rds@flinders.edu.au.

We endeavor to fully support your ResearchNow experience and journey with ongoing communications, comprehensive training opportunities and assistance. Please keep an eye out for further information about ResearchNow.

The Office of Communication, Marketing and Engagement (OCME) has thanked Flinders researchers for their outstanding work, which has resulted in the University posting the highest volume of media coverage and highest ‘share of voice’ of South Australia’s universities for the first half of 2019.

The article provides a number of ways that researchers can build their media presence.

These include:

• Make sure Flinders’ media team has your mobile
• Register as an expert on the Expert Guide
• Join the Scimex expert list
• Sign on to MCERA’s expert database
• Ensure your Flinders University staff profile webpage is up-to-date

If you have any queries or would like assistance to build your and your research's media profile, contact the OCME Media team.

The Australian Academy of Science convenes 22 discipline-based National Committees for Science. These committees work with Australian and international scientists to foster their discipline, provide input into policy, and advise the Academy’s Council on Australia’s representation on the International Science Council and other international bodies.

The National Committees and the Academy’s Early- and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Forum have partnered to create an EMCR Representative position on each National Committee. These positions will provide a voice for EMCRs in each discipline, enable additional avenues for EMCRs to inform the Academy’s policy advice, and help the committees to develop effective EMCR activities. Nominations are now open for interested EMCRs.

What’s involved?

National Committees meet in person once or twice each year and by videoconference up to four times per year. EMCR Representatives will also be involved in ongoing committee business outside meetings. Terms are for 24 months in duration, and travel and accommodation costs to attend meetings is provided.

The role of EMCR Representatives is to:

1. provide input to the National Committee that is discipline-specific with an EMCR perspective
2. provide input to the National Committees that is from a broad science-sector perspective, by linking with the EMCR Forum Executive.

Eligibility

EMCR Representatives must be up to 15 years post-PhD (excluding career breaks), irrespective of their professional appointment, and currently active in their field.

Selection process

Applications are considered by the chair of the relevant National Committee, based on:

• how well the applicant demonstrates their research is appropriate to ‘the best interests of Australian science’, through benefiting society, government or industry
• whether the applicant has engaged in the promotion of science
• the applicant’s understanding of the Academy’s role in championing Australian science through the EMCR Forum and/or the National Committees for Science.

The chairs will endeavour to select EMCRs who represent the diversity of Australian science, considering geographical distribution, gender balance, non-traditional career paths and researchers originating from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

How to apply

Apply online, and include a CV no longer than two pages in your application. For more information please contact nc@science.org.au.

Applications close 5 pm AEST on 16 August 2019. If you are applying, please contact Dr Marina Delpin, Manager: Researcher Training, Development and Communications. Marina, can also be contacted for application advice and assistance.

ienrol research lists all training and development opportunities related to developing skills core to the research process and doing research at Flinders University. You can book to attend workshops, information sessions, and/or seminars that aim to facilitate the ongoing development of all researchers.

This regular posting in Inspiring Research will update you as to what’s on offer in the coming weeks, listing current opportunities that you can participate in and book into now.

Click on the links below to view the course details.

Drop-In Sessions: ARC grants, Monday 29 July 2019

Traceability of research engagement, Tuesday 30 July 2019

Information Session: Using the IEEE Xplore ecosystem for Research, Systematic Reviews, Data & Code Management, Wednesday 31 July 2019

Information Session: Using the IEEE Xplore ecosystem for Publication, Open Access and Metrics, Wednesday 31 July 2019

Drop-In Sessions: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday 31 July 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Social and Behavioural Research Ethics, Friday 2 August 2019

Drop-In Sessions: ARC grants, Monday 5 August 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Industry, Government, International & Internal grants, Tuesday 6 August 2019

Grants Budgets - Category 2 & 3, Wednesday 7 August 2019

Drop-In Sessions: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday 7 August 2019

Further courses scheduled for later in the month and beyond are available at ienrol research.

The Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated (ACSPRI)'s 2019 Spring Program is now open for enrolments.

The Program will be held at Macquarie University, Sydney, 23-27 September.

ACSPRI's courses are:

• small group, capped at 20 people;
• applied, with 'hands on' exercises;
• taught by experienced instructors;
• cover qualitative and quantitative methodologies;
• range from fundamentals courses (level 1) right through to very advanced (level 5);
• include lunch, morning and afternoon tea

Information on the Spring Program is available at the ACSPRI website. For further information, call or email ACSPRI on 03 8376 6496 or info@acspri.org.au.

The early bird deadline for discounted enrolments is 14 August 2019.

The Australian Army Research Centre is seeking service providers to undertake paid research on topics to inform future land force development and modernisation through the Army Research Scheme.

Proposals may be submitted through AusTender. The closing date for proposals is 4.00pm Tuesday 27 August 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is Tuesday 13 August 2019 for a completed final draft application. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

The Army’s research areas of interest are wide ranging and include operational, technological, social, cultural and organisational topics. For this round of the Army Research Scheme, the key topics are:

Question 1: How will Australia’s land forces conduct future joint land combat to win wars?

Question 2: What is the best use of land forces to promote Australian regional and global interests?

Question 3: How will social, cultural, demographic and/or economic change affect the Australian Army and its ability to defend the nation?

Question 4: How can Army build its intellectual capital and develop its culture to be best positioned for an ambiguous future?

Question 5: What are the limitations and opportunities of human machine teaming for land combat in 2030?

Question 6: If political warfare arises from the nature of the State and its conception of war, what are the future implications for Australia?

Service providers can answer one or multiple questions that align with their experience and research interest. The other questions do not have to be addressed.

The maximum contract value is $80,000 (including GST) for each accepted response. If two proposals are submitted, addressing two questions, and both are accepted, two contracts would be created to a maximum of $80,000 per contract.

For more information, visit the Australian Army website. Detailed conditions, draft contract and the application form can be found at the AusTender site, which will also receive applications: AUSTENDER-ARS (https://www.tenders.gov.au/Atm/Show/481ddc59-07b0-4a5c-9ed6-cc3ec1c70480)

Smart Australian companies and research centres participating in Pacific 2019 will get the opportunity to sell their new ideas, technologies and products to the Australian and international community at the Innovation Pitchfest.

The Innovation Pitchfest will provide an opportunity for DST Group, academia and Industry researchers and innovators to present new innovations and research projects to a mix of potential customers, research partners and venture capitalists.

Expressions of Interest from Industry, Start-Ups and Publicly Funded Research Organisations (PFRO) to participate in the Innovation Pitchfest at Pacific 2019 are now open and will remain so until 31 August 2019. This event will be comprised of a series of three minute “pitches” aimed at demonstrating Australian innovation, research collaboration and development strengths.

For application advice and assistance, contact Mr Tony Kyriacou, Defence Partnerships Director.

Register your Expressions of Interest to participate in this event at http://bit.ly/PacPitches

Participants in the three minute pitches must communicate:

• Uniqueness and novelty (i.e. the innovation).
• Application or end goal of the innovation.
• What they are looking for from the audience – finance, know-how, a partnering agreement?
• Where future collaboration may be of benefit (and from whom).
• Can be openly presented without fear of IP theft.
• Can be explained in an engaging manner to a general audience in 3 minutes.
• Avoid being seen simply as a sales pitch.

Full activity description and requirements can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/PacPitch1

The pitch sessions are to be seen as an opportunity to showcase an innovative idea/technology application/product in in early stage of its development (pre-commercialisation) to an audience including Primes, OEMs, Defence customers/users, research professionals, venture financiers and critical/interested peers.

In providing this forum during the PACIFIC 2019 Trade Days participants can take advantage of an advertised event in a prominent area of the exhibition, utilising a fast-paced and engaging presentation approach to ensure audience attention for the entire duration of their presentation. The final day of pitches will conclude with judging and the award of prizes. Participants will be offered training, free of charge (excepting travel), in the art of the “Three Minute Pitch” (locations yet to determined).

The Innovation Showcase is a collaborative event supported by Industry Defence and Security Australia Limited (the organisers of PACIFIC 2019), the Defence Science Institute (DSI), Defence Science Centre (DSC), Defence Innovation Partnership (DIP), and Defence Innovation Network (DIN). The prize-giving ceremony will be integrated with the presentation of the PACIFIC 2019 Innovation Awards on Wednesday 9 October.

DIP will run a full-day pitch training session if there is enough interest. Contact DIP as soon as possible to express your interest in an Innovation Pitch training session.

The Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group is holding a Defence Human Science Symposium in November.

Call for abstracts for the symposium are now open and will close on 2 September 2019.

The theme for this year's symposium is "Human Sciences Impact for the Warfighter". Defence is dependent on government departments like DST, private sector organisations and universities to conduct research and development activities that ultimately affect the way that that Defence fulfils its roles and missions. Having an impact in tomorrow's complex Defence environment will be a key challenge for human sciences because of the complex nature of modern operations.

The DHSS Organising Committee is aiming for a diverse program. Abstract submissions are invited for presentations in a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, the following:

Defence focused themes

• Future technologies (including Biotechnology)
• Health and Wellbeing
• Resilience
• Support to operations
• Trusted Autonomous Systems

Human Performance themes

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

Human Systems Analysis themes

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

Human Sciences in National Security themes

• 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 themes

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

Organisational Effectiveness themes

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

 The above topics are indicative rather than all-inclusive. All submissions that directly relate to delivering human sciences impact for the warfighter will be considered.

Further details and lodgement details can be found at the DST Group website.

MS Research Australia offers a range of grants, including Project, Fellowships, Scholarships and Travel Awards to support and accelerate research into finding better treatments and a cure for MS.

Currently open for applications is the MS Research Australia Ian Ballard Travel Award. The Award is intended to enable recipients to undertake an international travel tour to undertake learning or to extend or establish collaborations on their MS research speciality.

Deadline: 27 September 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 13 September 2019 for a completed final draft application. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Further information can be found on the MS Australia website.

The Genomics Health Futures Mission (GHFM) is the centrepiece of the Australian Government's National Health and Medical Industry Growth Plan.

The $106 million Flagships stream forms part of the GHFM and will be delivered over nine years from 2019-20 to 2027-28 through a number of rounds.

This grant opportunity is the first round of the Flagships stream.

The objectives of this grant opportunity are to:

• fund large scale pilot research studies into pathogen genomics late in the research and development pipeline aiming to:
  • demonstrate clinical and/or public health utility, cost-effectiveness, and capacity for translation of genomics in the clinic, in recognition that such evidence is critical to the adoption of genomics in mainstream healthcare. 
• The minimum grant amount is $1 million.
• The maximum grant amount is $10 million.
• The grant amount will be up to 100 per cent of eligible project costs.

You must complete your project by 30 June 2023.

Guidelines, eligibility and application information can be found from www.business.gov.au/pathogengenomics.

If you are interested in applying, contact Lucy Sheehan-Hennessy, Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health) as soon as possible. The external closing date for applications is 12 September 2019.

Are you an early- and mid-career researcher working in on the field of synthetic biology? Are you interested to present your research at the Synthetic Biology Australasia (SBA) 2019 conference? 

The Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) through the Australian Academy of Science is offering a number of mobility grants to support a diverse range of early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) to attend the SBA 2019 conference. 

The mobility grants are designed to offset the expenses associated with attending SBA 2019 for those EMCRs who may not be able to attend without support and/or those from demographics traditionally underrepresented in research. 

The grants can be used to cover costs associated with attendance to the event, such as registration fees, caring responsibilities, travel, accommodation and other support required to facilitate attendance. 

SBA 2019 will run from 14 - 16 October 2019 at Customs House in Brisbane and will offer academic and industry researchers working in synthetic biology the opportunity to come together and present their current research and share ideas and findings on the future of one of the fastest growing areas of modern science.

Visit the mobility grant page for more information about this opportunity and how to apply.  

Applications close on 9 am AEST on Monday 29 July. 

The Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) grant opportunity forms part of the Accelerated Research initiative, funded through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). 

The CHD grant opportunity supports research provides researchers with funding of up to $10 million to provide new diagnoses and treatment options for those suffering from congenital heart disease.

For this grant opportunity $20 million is available over 5 years from 2019-20 to 2023-24.

• There is no minimum grant amount.
• The maximum grant amount is $10 million.
• The grant amount will be up to 100% of eligible project costs.
• You must complete your project by 30 June 2024.

Ideally projects will align with the National Strategic Action Plan for Childhood Heart Disease, and could target the Research Priorities in the Action Plan in particular:

• preventing neurodevelopmental and mental health complications
• understanding the impact of prenatal and postnatal factors affecting the health of children born with CHD and their families, or
• exploring the role of exercise and increased activity in reducing the impact of CHD.

You must ensure new research is complementary to, and does not duplicate work in the following MRFF Accelerated Research Investments:

• The Stem Cells Australia research study into development of human heart tissue for understanding heart disease, improving repair and reconstructing tissues for kids with heart defects.
• The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute project to enable the Australian Genomics Health Alliance to extend the Cardiovascular Genetic Disorders Flagship study, which aims to interrogate the genomic basis of disease in individuals and families with cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias and congenital heart disease.

Guidelines, eligibility and application information can be found from https://www.business.gov.au/assistance/congenital-heart-disease. Applications close: 12 September 2019 5:00 pm AEST.

If you are interested in applying, contact Lucy Sheehan-Hennessy, Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health) as soon as possible. The external closing date for applications is 12 September 2019.

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Irvington Fellowship is currently open. The aim of the Fellowship is to further career development and support laboratory research for promising young scientists working under the mentorship of leading immunologists.

The CRI provides funding to ensure that the most promising postdoctoral scientists receive the critical financial support and continued career training needed to pursue their lifesaving work.

The CRI recognises that getting to the next great breakthrough in cancer treatment will require continued investment in fundamental research and training. CRI therefore invites postdoctoral fellows working in both fundamental immunology and tumor immunology to apply for funding.

In recent years, significant advances in immunotherapy have yielded major breakthroughs in cancer treatment. The Institute is seeking hypothesis-driven, mechanistic studies in both immunology and tumor immunology that aim to directly impact our understanding of the immune system’s role in cancer.

Funding is available for USD $175,500 over three years, and the Flinders internal deadline for a completed final draft application is 17 September 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

For more information, including how to apply, visit the CRI website.

The Defence Innovation Partnership, Collaborative Research Fund round 3 is now open for applications. 

The fund provides for funding of up to $150,000 to support defence related research projects from all disciplines with an emphasis on projects involving academia, DST Group/Defence and an end user related to defence (either Defence itself or industry/Government). It is also advisable to have collaboration with a colleague from another SA university as part of the grant team. Projects can either be led by South Australian Universities or industry.

Full details on the application process, including selection criteria, FAQs etc can be found at the Defence Innovation Partnership website.

As all participants need to complete a participant declaration and ideally secure letters of support from senior Defence executives, it will be important to engage with project partners as soon as possible.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 28 August 2019 at 1500 ACST. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is Monday, 19 August 2019. Please send your completed draft application along with Participant Declaration forms to research.grants@flinders.edu.au (cc to Tony Kyriacou) by 19 August.

If a Co-investment is required, both the Co-Investment form and the Research Certification Form will need to be approved by your College Dean (Research) before seeking the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) endorsement on the Participant Declaration forms. 

If you plan on submitting an application or will be part of any other application, inform Tony Kyriacou, Defence Partnerships Director, as soon as possible, for application advice and assistance.

Flinders University Library is hosting IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), to deliver two workshops on IEEE Xplore.

The IEEE Xplore digital library is a powerful resource for discovery and access to scientific and technical content published by the IEEE and its publishing partners. The two workshops will be of great value to Flinders researchers, staff, students and academics looking to hone their research and publishing skills.

The workshops will be held in the Science Innovation Learning Centre (SILC) on Wednesday 31 July 2019. A morning tea available between the two workshops.

Workshop One: Using the IEEE Xplore ecosystem for Research, Systematic Reviews, Data & Code Management - register at ienrol - research.

Workshop Two: Using the IEEE Xplore ecosystem for Publication, Open Access and Metrics  - register at ienrol - research.

The Myer Innovation Fellowships aim to support breakthrough solutions to Australia’s most pressing social and environmental challenges and bring new talent to the social sector.

The Fellowships provide recipients with time and support needed to develop their ground-breaking idea into a sustainable plan for action. Applications for the Fellowship will be accepted up to 18 August 2019.

Fellows are offered the unique opportunity to take twelve months away from their current role to pursue a big idea that has the potential to achieve positive outcomes in the areas of:

• Education
• Poverty and Disadvantage
• Sustainability and Environment
• Human, Civil and Legal Right.

Fellows will each receive $120,000 for their 12-month commitment to the program and an additional $30,000 will be available to each Fellow for approved expenses such as work space, rent, travel and contracting of external expertise.

For more information, visit the Myer Foundation website. For grant writing and administrative support, please contact Denise Caretti, Trust & Foundations Coordinator - Alumni & Advancement, Office of Communication, Marketing & Engagement. 

The ARC and NHMRC Expressions of Interest (EoIs) process is now open, closing on 29 July 2019.

EoIs are an indication of your intention to apply for ARC and NMHRC funding programs, and enable you to access to additional benefits and opportunities that can assist and support you and your application(s), such as grant development, external review, mentorship and the incentive scheme.

A vital component of achieving the University’s strategic goal to increase its research intensity is to enhance our success with category 1 competitive funding schemes, primarily those of the ARC, the NHMRC and the MRFF. Key to this is providing effective support and incentives for grant applications.  To this end, grant application support and a range of co-investments supporting successful applications as incentives to apply, will again be offered this year.  

The Expression of Interest (EoI) process will give you the opportunity to benefit from the support and incentives scheme, in particular to secure an external professional review of your draft grant application.  Feedback from earlier this year shows that the external reviews are greatly valued.

If you wish to be considered for an external review you will need to return the EoI by the deadline of 29 July 2019. 

The time required for completion of the EoI form is not onerous.  

The EoI deadline will ensure optimal support for the development of applications and allow better targeting of researcher training and development workshops ('Grants Evolution') to be held in August and September. EoIs are also important sources of information for College Deans of Research in regard to potential College peer mentorship, review and support. 

The EoI can be accessed now.

For your information, a ‘near miss funding’ scheme will be available to support development of re-submissions of ARC Discovery Projects and NHMRC Ideas Grants that, while unsuccessful, were ranked highly.  Information on the co-investments schemes associated with successful grant applications and on support for other grant and fellowship applications will follow by separate email.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Robert Saint said, "I strongly encourage all researchers considering ARC or NHMRC grant applications to complete the Expression of Interest." 

For any questions or advice needed on the EoI process :

• NHMRC – Gareth Rees, ext. 12199
• ARC – Maya Roberts, ext. 17698
  

The 2019 Flinders Foundation Health Seed Grant Round is now open to all researchers across the Flinders medical precinct, including Flinders University researchers involved in health and medical research.

Up to $25,000 in seed funding is available for each research project. The seed funding will enable researchers to produce preliminary data to apply for larger grants from national and international funding bodies and will result in many research discoveries and advances in health.

Flinders Foundation is proud to offer the grant round to support health and medical researchers from Flinders University and the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, made possible thanks to generous donors and supporters in the community.

Applications must be lodged by 5pm ACST, Thursday 8 August 2019 via the application form. Enquires can be directed to the Flinders University Research Development and Support team at nhmrc@flinders.edu.au or Flinders Foundation at info@flindersfoundation.org.au.

Flinders University Impact Seed Funding for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) enables emerging researchers to develop their careers by undertaking key research projects or promotion of research outcomes. 

Applications for the 2019 round are now open, closing 29 July 2019. Funding of up to $10,000 will be awarded to each successful applicant.

This initiative is powered by Flinders partnering with our community of donors to provide ECRs (0-8 years post-PhD conferral) with the financial support to grow and fortify their skills. Our supporters want to make a difference by building our researchers’ capacity and capabilities to make a positive impact. 

This investment may represent your first independent research funding, enhancing your research track record and providing a springboard to larger projects and grant opportunities. Or it may provide the funds to showcase your research on the international stage or to form collaborative partnerships with industry and government stakeholders. It represents an opportunity for you to secure funding, manage your projects, and gain new experiences. Having access to funds at this early stage of your career will help to carve your own research pathway.

Project funds may be used for activities including:

• achieving a key result or pilot study to underpin future funding applications; 
• developing collaborations with industry or other partners;
• travel support to present current research findings at an international conference in your research field;
• accelerating progress in your existing research program(s) by facilitating additional resources (eg. short term research support staff or consumables).

Applicants are encouraged to formulate their own grant submission, outlining how the addition of Impact Seed Funding will leverage and stimulate their research activities, before consultation with their College Dean of Research.

The selection panel will consider the intrinsic research merits of, and potential for impact from, the project. In addition, the panel will be looking to understand how the applicant will use this opportunity to develop their capacity to be an independent, competitive researcher and how this investment will support their career pathway.

The application form and guidelines are available on the Flinders' Internal Schemes webpage. 

All queries and applications can be directed to Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (Industry, Government, International and Internal), RDS. 

Applications must be lodged by 5 pm, Monday 29 July 2019.

Flinders University Impact Seed Funding for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) was established in 2018, and you can read more about the inaugural recipients on the Flinders News Blog.