At the Vice-Chancellor’s Town Hall meeting, on 7 March 2019, Professor Colin Stirling announced a $100 million investment into research over the next five years.

This investment will provide support to existing areas of research expertise through enhanced infrastructure, seed funding and a significant increase in PhD scholarships.

The Director, Research Development and Support, Jodieann Dawe, said that this announcement provides, “a wonderful opportunity to push the knowledge boundaries in key areas and demonstrated commitment by Flinders to the research agenda for Australia and globally. It is exciting times for research at Flinders.”

More information on the announcement can be read at Flinders News.

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

Fulbright Scholarship - Information Session and Q&A, Tuesday, 19 March 2019

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

Drop-In Sessions: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday, 27 March 2019

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

There is no better time to apply as the Fulbright Commission has more than doubled their offering of scholarships in 2019!

The Australian-American Fulbright Commission offers Scholarships to Australian citizens across all career stages to take part in a bi-lateral academic and cultural exchange, pursuing research or study and experiencing life in the United States of America.

The categories available are:

• Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarships allow postgraduate students undertaking their Australian PhD to conduct research for 3-10 months OR complete a full U.S. PhD program OR supports enrolment in a graduate degree program (e.g. a Master’s).
• Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarships allow individuals to undertake postdoctoral research for 3-10 months.
• Fulbright Scholar Awards are for academics (at Associate Professor or Professorial level) and mid-career professionals (with an undergraduate qualification and minimum 10 years work experience) to undertake research and/or training for 3-4 months in any discipline.
• The Fulbright Distinguished Chair award is for an exceptional individual at professorial level to carry out research for up to 6 months.

The information session, to be held on Tuesday 19 March from 10.00 am - 11.am in the Noel Stockdale Room, Flinders Central Library, will include an overview of scholarship categories, how to apply and provide an opportunity to ask questions.

Enrol at ienrol - research. 

The Chinese Embassy in Australia has provided funding for two Flinders University research scholarships to support research collaborations with Universities in China.

To select the two researchers, Expression of Interest are invited by 21 March 2019 to research.grants@flinders.edu.au.

Engagement is restricted to the 274 Chinese universities and particular disciplines within these universities.

Applicants should demonstrate a clear mutual benefit for Australia and China and how if successful it would strengthen a research collaboration between Flinders University and a partnering Chinese University.

More information is available in the Flinders' Guidelines Expressions of Interest in the China Government Scholarships.

The Chinese Embassy in Australia is dedicated to the strengthening of cultural, education and more broadly, people-to- people relations between Australia and China.

Applications are now open for the Australian Government-funded Aus4Innovation Innovation Partnership Grants. 

Grants of between AUD 100,000 to AUD 1,000,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis to existing partnerships between Australian and Vietnamese institutions for activities that address emerging challenges or opportunities in Vietnam’s innovation system and can demonstrate a clear pathway for scale or sustainability in Vietnam. 

The Innovation Partnership Grants are a key component of the flagship #Aus4Innovation program, funded by the Australian Government, managed by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), in strategic collaboration with Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology.

Further information including Grant Guideline and FAQs can be found at the following links.

• Grant guideline: https://research.csiro.au/aus4innovation/
• Frequently Asked Questions: https://research.csiro.au/aus4innovation/
• Application platform: https://csiro.smartygrants.com.au/

Applications can be submitted until midnight Friday 19 April 2019 AEST.  The Flinders internal closing date is 5 April 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

With thousands of Australians at risk of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, it is crucial for many sectors in Australia to come together as one and provide a unified voice for change.

The 2019 STOP Domestic Violence Conference, is now open for registration and is also calling for presenters.

The Conference will be held from 9-11 December 2019, on the Gold Coast. More information, including registration details and the types of presentations being sought, is available at the Conference website.

From lived experience speakers through to academics, the program is diverse and inclusive. The aim is to discover successful practical strategies, hear different perspectives, examine the latest research and reports, and connect with people dedicated to the same common goal.

With greater knowledge, insight and network connections, the work that will be presented can help to change the lives of thousands of Australians.

The Department of Education and Training (the department) has opened a Request for Quote to develop and disseminate communication materials, best practice advice, and training to inform and support international students, providers and agents in addressing the workplace exploitation of international students.

The Request for Quote closes at 4.00 pm ACT local time, on 25 March 2019. For advice, documentation, and tender application assistance, please contact Daniela Tyson, Senior Contracts Officer (Research).

The department’s Enabling Growth and Innovation (EGI) Program supports the implementation of the Australian Government’s National Strategy for International Education 2025 (the National Strategy).

Ensuring international students have a positive experience in Australia and achieve their academic aspirations is critical to the future success of the international education sector and Australia’s global reputation. This is goal 7 of the National Strategy, and a key priority identified by the Council for International Education.

The provider will be required to develop and disseminate:

1. New digital and print communication materials to provide clear advice to international students on workplace rights and conditions.
2. Best-practice advice for international education providers operating in Australia, on ways to support international students on employment and workplace exploitation matters.
3. New training materials for education agents to ensure they have accurate information on employment conditions for international students in Australia.

Services and products will address the objectives of the Council for International Education’s Package of Actions, and recommendations of the Migrant Workers’ Taskforce.

Registrations are now open to attend 2019 on 28–30 May.

Don’t miss your chance to meet and exchange ideas with renowned scientists, be inspired by the newly elected Fellows sharing their latest research across a range of science disciplines, and network with Early-Mid Career Researchers (EMCR).

The Australian Academy of Science has partnership opportunities available for Flinders to support EMCR's attendance to the event. Contact Dr Marina Delpin for information on this assistance.

Assistance support opportunities are available to facilitate the attendance of primary carers and parents and to enable people with disability to participate fully in the event. We encourage you to check them out.

Flinders' biannual Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Student Industry Engagement Survey captures information about the wide variety of industry engagement activities undertaken by HDR students.

The survey is sent to all HDR students via email and is open from 15 March 2019 to 12 April 2019.

All HDR students are encouraged to participate in the survey, whether they are engaging with an industry organisation or not. Information captured by the survey is utilised to report key indicators to the Department of Education and Training.

Survey results also inform the development of relevant programs and support for HDR student industry engagement, which in turn can enhance knowledge translation can enhance the positive impact of HDR students’ research.

Engaging with industry partners also provides opportunities for HDR students to expand their networks, identify future collaborations, career opportunities and develop new skills. Thank you for your support in completing the survey.

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

The Program will be held in Brisbane, at the University of Queensland over 2 weeks; 24-28 June and 1-5 July.

ACSPRI's courses are:

• small group, capped at 20 people;
• applied, with 'hands on' exercises;
• taught by experienced instructors;
• run across 5 days
• 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 Winter Program is available at the ACSPRI website. For further information, call or email ACSPRI on 03 8376 6496 or info@acspri.org.au.

The 2020 Australian Academy of Science (AAS) Awards are now open.

The Awards recognise excellence for career, mid-career, and early-career researchers. Nominations/applications are also sought for research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships.

The closing date for nominations for honorific awards is 1 May 2019 and nominations/applications for research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships are due by 1 June 2019.

The Flinders internal closing date for honorific awards is 17 April 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Marina Delpin, Manager: Research Training, Development and Communications.

The Flinders internal closing date for research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships is 17 May 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

For further information you can download the awards fact sheet. Information on eligibility criteria and nomination or application process is available on the website www.science.org.au/opportunities.

Information and Digital Services (IDS) will be showcasing the transformative work that it started in 2018 and which is continuing right though this year, and beyond at the IDS Expo.

The Expo runs from 11am - 1pm on Wednesday 27 March 2019 in Alere function centre.

Digital Research Services (DRS) will be onsite to provide live demonstrations of digital technology solutions that will make a big difference to how Flinders manages its research. Attendees will also have ample opportunity to chat to team members and ask questions.

Sessions include:

• 11:00 to 11:20 – CIO talk about new ways IDS is listening to its customers
• 11:25 to 11:55 – How DRS is using ‘design thinking’ (interactive session)
• 12:00 to 12:30 – About the ResearchNow Portal, researcher promotion and collaboration, publication harvesting, and the new Animal Ethics process (live demonstration)
• 12:30 to 13:00 – Australia’s first digital doctorate – Inspire – an overview that includes a live demonstration of the Final Thesis Review process, and automated testing
• (11:00 – 13:00) – In parallel with the sessions, you can visit the DRS booth to find out about the new High-Performance Computing service, check out our program of work, or just chat with their friendly team members.

Visit Eventbrite to register (please RSVP for catering purposes)

IDS looks forward to seeing you there!

The Solution Room is a dynamic and interactive half-day designed to provide pragmatic solutions to your challenges in getting evidence into practice.

The free Joanna Briggs Symposium - The Solution Room, will be held at the National Wine Centre on Thursday 4 April, from 9.30 am.

The esteemed panel of speakers will give 'real-world' insights during their presentations. As a 'think tank' they will then respond directly to questions around challenges during the panel discussion. Their aim is to provide practical solutions for clinical settings.

For further details and to register, please visit the eventbrite page.

Image source - Flinders University STEM Women.

Flinders University celebrated International Women's Day 2019 with a number of celebrations and acknowledgement of the women who have made an impact at Flinders and beyond.

To celebrate women in STEMM, Chief Scientist for South Australia, Professor Caroline McMillen, joined the Lab Coat Challenge on the Plaza which featured over 300 staff and students wearing their lab coats.

The challenge was hosted by the Flinders STEM: Women Branching Out. The group provided the Lab Coat cake from Carly Schramm, PhD student in College of Science and Engineering (left), which was enjoyed by participants.

Further information on events and how STEM: Women Branching Out can provide support, visit their webpage. Each year they hold the Cochlear Aurora Photo Contest for year 8 - 12 students from South Australian secondary schools. So far two of the winners of the contest are now undertaking STEMM degrees at Flinders.

To mark International Women's Day Professor Caroline McMillen highlighted, in a twenty second clip, the women winners and finalists of the South Australian Science Awards who have and continue to make exceptional contributions to science and research, including Flinders' Professor Karen Reynolds, and Associate Professor Maria Parappilly.

Professor Caroline McMillen on Twitter

In celebration of #IWD2019 we acknowledge and celebrate #womeninSTEM and women around the globe who are helping us #BalanceforBetter. Here are just some women winners and finalists of #SAScienceAwards who have and continue to make exceptional contributions to science and research

Associate Professor Maria Parappilly, STEM: Women Branching Out, and Callista Thillou, Executive Director, Communications, Marketing and Engagement with the Lab Coat Cake and LEGO Research Institute and Women of Nasa figures.

ANSTO is accepting proposals for the 2019-2 Round for access to the following specialised facilities and capabilities at ANSTO for July - December 2019.

The Proposal deadline is 11:59 pm on 29 March 2018.

The facilities and capabilities for the 2019-2 round are:

• Centre for Accelerator Science
• Isotope Tracing in Natural Systems
• Nuclear Stewardship
• Biosciences

View the capabilities on the ANSTO website.

Proposals must be submitted using the online system - https://portal.ansto.gov.au/. The ANSTO User Office will be able to provide assistance up to 5 pm on the day of proposal deadline. Please be aware that the proposal system may experience heavy use in hours leading up to the deadline, so ensure that your proposals are submitted earlier, if possible.

The User Office can be contacted via user.office.nsw@ansto.gov.au or phone: (02) 9717 9111.

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia is committed to funding vital research into prostate cancer.

The goal of PCFA’s research program is to create and promote the uptake of knowledge that will improve the lives of Australian men with prostate cancer, their partners and their families. 

PCFA will fund practical research with direct implications for men with prostate cancer, their partners and their families on issues related to treatment, care and support in the near term.

Such research will include:

1. Clinical research projects that deliver near-term outcomes (including studies using biological samples collected during the conduct of clinical trials)
2. Prostate cancer survivorship research
3. Research in priority directions 

Applications for Priority Impact Research Awards (PIRA) in Category C, priorities 1 and 5 are now invited. 

Information about the call and links to the Guide to Applicants, Application form and various other required forms and documents are available at the PCFA website.

The closing date for PIRA is 29 April 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 15 April 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Please note that there are significant changes in the way PCFA will fund research 2019-2022, including numbers of calls for applications per year, shorter cycles from opening to end of funding round, eligibility criteria and format of the submitted proposals.

Information session

An information session where you can ask any questions related to this call will be held by the research office of PCFA at on 14 March 2019 at 4:00. Interested researchers are welcome to join the teleconference using the toll free number in Australia: 1300 289 804, and the access code: 84556623#. 

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.

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 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.