Flinders’ Researcher Training and Development aims to support our research community through building good-practice skills related to the research process and doing research.

The 2019 program has been launched, and the core themes include: partner; fund; apply; commence; measure; communicate.

Grants Evolution

Streamed Research Income Programs aim to get you "grant ready". Grants Evolution - Category 1 and Grants Evolution -Category 2 & 3 will run from April through to October, and commence with "Benchmarking your career – tools and insights". Skills development workshops are presented in an order that will enable consideration, planning and action - of your funding options, through to the development of your application and commencing your project.

You can access stand-alone workshops or participate in the entire series.

Details of these series can be accessed via the Researcher Training and Development page.

To participate, please enrol through ienrol-Research.

The Research Tenders series will be run later in 2019.

Research Intensive

Research Activate and Communicate will run in the week of 24 June and build on the success of the 2018 research intensives – a collaboration between Research Development and Support, Flinders Library and the Office of Communication, Marketing and Engagement. The program will be released in April and its launch announced in Inspiring Research.

We recommend that your research career and training and development planning be discussed with your College leadership.

We look forward to seeing you in 2019 and supporting you on your learning journey.

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.

NHMRC Ideas Grants - Information Session & Panel Q&A, Friday, 8 March 2019

Drop-In Sessions: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday, 13 March 2019

South Australian Science Excellence Awards: Information Session, Wednesday, 13 March 2019

NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Information Session, Friday, 15 March 2019

Drop-In Sessions: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday, 20 March 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Defence Export Controls, Thursday 21 March 

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

The Sax Institute is a national leader in promoting the use of research evidence in health policy and they aim to be the bridge between researchers and health decision makers, giving each the tools to work more closely together to benefit all Australians.

There are three upcoming training opportunities for researchers to attend.

Building successful partnerships for policy-relevant research

Research conducted with policy partners can have a greater chance of impacting on policies, programs and services. But how do early career researchers build these partnerships? How do they manage and sustain them? And how do they get their research findings known and used?

The new skills-based training course, launched in 2017, has been developed to address these questions. It draws on the expertise of senior policy makers and researchers to help early career researchers build the skills required to initiate and sustain research partnerships with policy makers.

This course will be offered on 3 occasions in 2019: 21-23 May, 20-22 August, and 5-7 November. These two day courses will be held in Sydney and places are limited to 12 attendees.

For more information, including presenters and who are eligible to attend, is available at the Sax Institute website.

Working with MBS and PBS data

The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) generate large amounts of valuable data with untapped potential to identify and monitor patterns of health service use and inform health service planning.

The Sax Institute invites interested researchers to attend this one-day seminar on working with MBS and PBS data, which will provide insights into the multiple ways these datasets can be used.

Participants will receive an introduction to datasets, advice on dealing with some of their specific characteristics, and view examples of how researchers have used this data.

This one day course will be held on Friday 21 June 2019 in Sydney, and places are limited to 25 people.

Further information is available at the Sax Institute website.

Introduction to Economic Evaluation in Health

This one day short course will be conducted by experienced health economists from the Sydney Health Economics Collaboration (comprising the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, UNSW, The George Institute).

The course will cover:

• An introduction to economic concepts and the health technology assessment framework
• An understanding of economic outcomes including utility-based quality of life
• Estimation of total costs with a focus on routinely collected data
• Calculation of cost effectiveness
• An understanding of the policy process with regards to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee and the Medical Services Advisory Committee.

The course will be held on Tuesday 13 August 2019 in Sydney, and places are limited to 35 people.

Further information is available at the Sax Institute website.

The search is on for South Australia’s top scientists, researchers and teachers.

Applications are now open for the 2019 South Australian Science Excellence Awards. 

STEM researchers, leaders and educators whose work is recognised by their peers for excellence and impact are invited to apply.

The awards, now in their 15th year, acknowledge publicly the outstanding work of our state’s leading STEM professionals and educators, who have made a significant contribution in their field of research and continue to inspire future generations to become involved in science.

Nominations are now open for six awards: 

• South Australian Scientist of the Year
• PhD Research Excellence
• STEM Professional
• STEM Educator of the Year 
• Tertiary Teaching
• School Teaching
• Excellence in Research Collaboration

The South Australian Scientist of the Year will receive a prize to the value of $25,000. Other category winners will receive a prize to the value of $10,000 to use towards their career development.

Nominations close at 5pm on Friday, 26 April 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 12 April 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Marina Delpin, Manager: Research Training, Development and Communications.

Sarah Thomas, from the SA Department of Innovation and Skills, will be presenting at Flinders on Wednesday, 13 March 2019.

Winners will be announced at a gala dinner on Friday, 9 August 2019 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Further information is available at the SA Science Excellence Awards website.

Nominations are now open for the 2019 SA Tall Poppies awards, which promote science and intellectual achievement and give a voice to younger scientific researchers in public debate.

Awardees receive media opportunities, public exposure, and personal development including training and networking

Nominations close on 10 April 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 27 March 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Marina Delpin, Manager: Research Training, Development and Communications.

Selection criteria, eligibility criteria and nomination forms are now available.

The 2019 awards are open to residents of South Australia working in all fields of science, including biomedical, engineering, mathematics, technology and other applied or cross disciplinary sciences. Applicants from the social/behavioural sciences will be considered if their research demonstrates significant scientific, analytical rigour.

Nominees should hold a PhD and have completed their PhD within ten years of the nomination closing date. The selection committee will consider exceptions based on evidence of equivalent experience in industry, and will take into account personal or extenuating circumstances that might provide grounds for consideration outside the above criteria.

The Australian Government Department of Education and Training is funding an Equity Fellows Program that will deliver world class research outcomes (including applied research), and develop the research, research translation, better practice implementation, and knowledge transfer skills of both higher education equity researchers and equity practitioners.

The 2019 and 2020 Equity Fellowships will be targeted to address priority equity issues, with a specific focus on emerging regional and remote issues such as the economic impact of the drought on disadvantaged higher education students.

Six Equity Fellowships will be awarded during 2019 and 2020. The value of each Fellowship will be up to $215,000 covering engagement of a Fellow for a period of 12 months (full-time equivalent). Three fellowships will be specifically targeted to regional disadvantage.

The aim of the Program is to support Fellows to undertake strategic, high-impact, high‐profile leadership projects targeted, sector-wide, at improving the access, participation and success in higher education of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 
As part of the Fellowship, Fellows will spend some time seconded to the Australian Government Department of Education and Training, which will facilitate two way knowledge transfer, and include time to engage with APS leaders in strategic policy, as well as the opportunity to share key project findings with the department though seminars and workshops.

Equity Fellows, through their projects, are expected to have direct influence and impact on equity in the higher education sector. Applicants must demonstrate how their Fellowship and proposed project aligns with and supports the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) purpose which is to "improve higher education outcomes (including access, participation, retention, success, and completion rates) for marginalised and disadvantaged people through:

1. strengthening Australia's student equity in higher education research quality, capability and capacity
2. supporting the building of a robust evidence base
3. informing institutional best practice and enhancing on the ground delivery of equity measures, and informing evidence based public policy design and implementation.

The first three Equity Fellows will be expected to commence in July 2019 and the next three Equity Fellows will be expected to commence in January 2020 or as negotiated in the contract. All applications are assessed on merit by a dedicated Selection and Reference Committee.

More information is available on the website ncsehe.edu.au.

Please email your nominations to ncsehe@curtin.edu.au by Friday 29 March 2019,with the subject line 'Equity Fellows Program Application'. The Flinders internal closing date is 15 March 2019. It is a requirement of the Program that nominees must have the strong support of their home institution. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

The Department of Health is calling for an Approach to Market (ATM) for the provision of services to develop and deliver training and assistance to NATSIFAC (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program) providers to transition to the new Aged Care Quality Standards.

The ATM closes at 2.00 pm ACT local time, on 1 April 2019. For advice, documentation, and tender application assistance, please contact Daniela Tyson, Senior Contracts Officer (Research). 

The Department is seeking quotations from Potential Suppliers to amend and deliver culturally safe training and resources to NATSIFACP Service Providers on the new Aged Care Quality Standards outlined in the Single Quality Framework. The Supplier will also undertake 2 site visits to each NATSIFACP Service Provider and provide ongoing telephone and email support during the transition period. Further detail on each element is outlined below under the heading ‘Services Required’ in the Approach to Market call.

This project ultimately aims to support NATSIFACP Service Providers to meet quality standards. The intent of the training is to support NATSIFACP Service Providers to:

• Understand the new Aged Care Standards;
• Implement and embed the new Standards into their systems, policies and practices;
• Support their staff to understand the requirements of the new Standards; and
• Support care recipients and their families, carers and representatives to understand what changes mean for them.

Further information is available on the Approach to Market call. 

The US Department of Defense - Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) has a number of upcoming and soon to be released grant opportunities.

Currently open opportunities include programs on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Opening soon will be the Multiple Sclerosis Research Program.

Detailed descriptions of each funding opportunity, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the Program Announcements. The Program Announcements are available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov), the CDMRP website (https://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/) and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP) (https://eBRAP.org).

Under each Program are a number of funding opportunities.

Submission deadlines are not available until the Program Announcements are released. For email notification when Program Announcements are released, subscribe to program-specific news and updates under “Email Subscriptions” on the eBRAP home page at https://eBRAP.org.

Note that Flinders has an internal closing date of 10 working days prior to the CDMRP closing date. This also includes the pre-application closing date. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The Australian Academy of Science invites applications from Australian early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) for the France and Europe Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Mobility Grants Program.

The EMCR mobility grants are intended to strengthen international research networks and linkages by providing support (up to A$5000) for Australian researchers to travel to France or Europe and work with leading researchers at major science and technology organisations for a period of between 14 and 28 days.

The deadline for applications is 9 am (AEST) Monday 8 April 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 25 March 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

The grants are supported by the Bede Morris and Rod Rickards memorial funds respectively.

The Bede Morris Memorial Fund was established in honour of Professor Bede Morris FAA (1927–1988), one of Australia’s most distinguished medical scientists. The fund has been supporting Australian researchers to travel and conduct research in France since 1990. The mobility grants are available for Australian EMCRs to conduct research in collaboration with a French research organisation in any field of the natural sciences. It is expected that 4–5 Australian researchers will be supported through this fund. 

The Rod Rickards Fellowships were established in honour of Professor Rod Rickards FAA (1934–2007), one of the most important contributors to Australian science through his outstanding achievements in the chemistry of compounds of medical, biological, agricultural and veterinary importance. The mobility grants are available to support research projects conducted in collaboration with a European research organisation in the areas of chemistry or biology. It is expected that 10–12 Australian researchers will be supported through this fund.

Candidates must have a PhD degree at time of application, with the degree having been conferred no more than 15 years prior to submitting the grant application.

See the grant webpage for the application form and further details.

The National Dementia Support Program (NDSP) is a program delivered under Outcome 6.3 Aged Care Quality, through the Dementia and Aged Care Services (DACS) Fund.

The DACS fund provides flexible funding to deliver new and innovative, generally time-limited projects that address aged care priority areas and help strengthen the aged care system. The DACS fund is a competitive application process, designed to support emerging priorities and challenges in aged care.

The closing date for applications is 3 April 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 20 March 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Amanda Wright, Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are to:

• Increase the dementia literacy of people living with dementia and their carers and families;
• Connect people living with dementia, their families and carers with services that may assist and set them on the right path to self-manage and live well with dementia for as long as possible; and
• Enable the health and aged care sectors to better respond to increased rates of dementia in the community.

For more information, visit GrantConnect. The DACS guidelines are available on the Department of Health Aged and Ageing Health website.

Industry 4.0 R&D project funding: The Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) co-funds industry-led manufacturing research projects undertaken with Australian universities by matching industry cash contributions dollar for dollar. 

There is a call out for new project plan applications. All relevant documentation is to be submitted to IMCRC Management by 20 May 2019.

Match funding is provided for up to $3 M per company for projects. All projects involve matching companies with research organisations, including Flinders.

Typically the projects involve the following technologies:

• additive manufacturing,
• automation and robotics,
• advanced materials,
• sensors and data analytics, and
• augmented and virtual reality.

Expressions of interest and application forms are available at the IMCRC website. Further information and email subscription is also available at the IMCRC website.

For application and expression of interest assistance and advice, contact Dr Ann-Louise Hordacre, Partnerships Director for the Colleges of Business, Government and Law, Education, Psychology and Social Work, and Humanities, Arts and Social Science.

IMCRC is a Cooperative Research Centre that helps Australian companies increase their global relevance through research-led innovation in manufacturing products, processes and services.

Applications for the South Australian Space Industry Centre’s Scholarship Program are now open.

The Space Scholarship Program, supported by the South Australian Space Industry Centre, provides up to $100,000 worth of scholarships to South Australian entrepreneurs and innovators every year.

The program awards successful applicants with funding of up to $20,000 to assist in developing their leadership skills, experience and knowledge in the space sector through education, and/or training at best practice workplaces or educational institutions. 

The scholarship program aims to support potential entrepreneurs and innovators with relevant tertiary qualifications to attend either a formal academic program, or a period of supervised industrial experience. 

Applications must be received via email no later than midnight ACST Friday 26 April 2019

For more information and to apply, visit the Space Innovation Fund website.

The 2019 International Conference on Information Visualisation (IV2019) will be hosted at Flinders University by the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders, 16-19 July 2019.

IV2019 aims to focus on the interdisciplinary methods and affiliated research amongst various science and art disciplines, medicine, engineering, media, humanities and commerce. It links academia and industry with the goal of stimulating views and providing a forum where researchers and practitioners can discuss the latest developments linked to Information Visualisation.

It is the first time this three day event has been held in Australia and will focus on meeting the burgeoning demand of today’s ‘Information Access’ through the medium of computing and other media.

Further information is available at the conference site. 

Full papers are due 1 April 2019. Early registration closes 21 May 2019.

All papers are fully peer-reviewed and published in the IEEE conference proceedings. Selected extended papers will be invited for publishing in special editions of Journals attached to specific tracks or themes.

IV2019 has been running for 23 years. It attracts hundreds of participants each year from across the globe. As a cross-disciplinary field, researchers and academics from many fields meet, discuss, demonstrate and present a diverse array of different types of information visualisation. As such, many collaborations have formed from the conference.

In 2019, the Australian Academy of the Humanities is celebrating their 50th anniversary. 

As part of the celebration they will be offering five award opportunities.

These opportunities are:

• Humanities Travelling Fellowships including the David Philips Travelling Fellowship
• Publication Subsidy Scheme
• McCredie Musicological Award 
• Crawford Medal for excellence by an Early Career Researcher

All details, including the link for submitting online applications, are available on their website.

All applications close on 15 April 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 1 April 2019. For application assistance and advice for the Crawford Medal and the McCredie Musicological Award, contact Dr Marina Delpin, Manager: Researcher Training, Development and Communications. For the other two awards, application assistance and advice is available from Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

Humanities Travelling Fellowships including the David Philips Travelling Fellowship

The Humanities Travelling Fellowships offer grants of up to $4000 to support Australian early career researchers in the humanities to undertake research overseas.

Publication Subsidy Scheme

The Publication Subsidy Scheme supports quality scholarly publication in the humanities. Subsidies of up to $3000 are awarded to support costs associated with publication, such as illustrations, maps and copyright fees.

McCredie Musicological Award

The McCredie Musicological Award recognises outstanding contribution in musicology by an Australian scholar. It is Australia’s most prestigious award for the study of music—from performance practice, music in the cultural context, through to the theory, analysis and composition of music.

Crawford Medal for excellence by an Early Career Researcher

The Max Crawford Medal is Australia’s most prestigious award for achievement and promise in the humanities. It is presented to an Australian-based, early career scholar for outstanding achievement in the humanities, whose research and publications make an exceptional contribution to the understanding of their discipline by the general public.

Awardees of the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) Postgraduate Research Awards receive support throughout their postgraduate degree.

The support includes a stipend of $7,500 AUD per annum, and generous travel and accommodation support to work at Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation facilities.

AINSE are currently seeking PhD students undertaking research projects in the areas of:

• Archaeology, Geosciences and Environmental Sciences,
• Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, and/or
• Materials Science and Engineering, to apply for an Award.

For further information (including terms & conditions), and to apply, please visit the AINSE website.

Applications close on 15 April 2019.

The second round of the Medical Research Future Fund – Targeted Health System & Community Organisation Research grant opportunity will open soon for applications in RGMS and is forecast on GrantConnect.

Grant guidelines will be available on GrantConnect at the time of opening. As soon as the dates are released, Research Development and Support will advise researchers.

The grant opportunity will support research to address: 

• questions that focus on comparative effectiveness of health services and areas of health system practice with low or insubstantial evidence
• gaps in knowledge and evidence relating to health system problems important to the public, providing opportunities to explore consumer-driven research. 

Health system research question topics for this grant opportunity are:

1. Mobile X-ray services provided within residential aged care facilities. 
2. Health economics study of the impacts and costs associated with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

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

The Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation of South Australia (CRF) is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) to fund projects and ECRs for Community-based Studies, Clinical Studies, or Basic Science research projects into conditions that may affect the health, education and welfare of children.

The CRF will make available approximately $1.5M to be applied across multiple grants in the fields of Allied Health, Dentistry, Education, Environment, Nursing, Medicine, Mental Health, Midwifery and Social Sciences.

In addition, the following research priority areas will be given extra weighting in the grant assessment process:

• improving child protection
• improving children’s mental health
• reducing childhood obesity, and
• understanding the social determinants of childhood health and development.

Projects may be conducted over one or two years; the maximum funding per grant will be $100,000 (or $40,000 for Early Career researchers), irrespective of the project duration.

National collaboration is encouraged and international collaboration may be allowed where special skills are not available in South Australia, in order to ensure the application attains the ‘world standard’.

It is preferable that all members of the research team are located in South Australia. 

Online applications open 27 February 2019 and close 27 March 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 13 March 2019. Application advice and assistance is available from Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grant Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Applicants are requested to forward an EOI using the new online application program. To apply, visit the Grants page, where the link to the EOI form will be available from 27 February 2019.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full Grant Application in late May 2019.

The Hospital Research Foundation (HRF) has opened applications for its 2019 Statewide Travel Grants for Researchers and Higher Degree Students within South Australia.

Awards of up to $1,000 will be considered for national travel and up to $4,000 for international travel.

This Travel Grant round will be open throughout 2019 without interruption and applications can be submitted at any time. All submissions are to be through Smarty Grants prior to the travel and applicants will be advised within four weeks of submission.

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

Please visit THRF Travel Grants webpage for more information, including the Travel Awards Guidelines and how to apply.