Flinders University’s Social and Behavioural Research Ethics Committee (SBREC) is establishing a Human Research Ethics Low Risk Panel, to review low risk applications out of session for ratification by the SBREC.

The Committee is calling for expressions of interest from staff members who would like to join the Panel as low risk reviewers. Members of the Low Risk Panel do not have to attend meetings and it is anticipated that they would review between one and three low risk applications a month (depending on the number of applications). Prior experience in the assessment of Ethics applications is not required as training will be provided. 

All inquiries and expressions of interest should be directed to Hendryk Flaegel, Manager, Research Ethics & Compliance, via hendryk.flaegel@flinders.edu.au or phone 8201 2543. 

Applications for the Australian Research Council Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2021 are now open in the Research Management System (RMS).

Applications will close at 5:00pm (AEDT) on Wednesday, 26 February 2020 with the deadline for submission of the final application in RMS to Research Development and Support (RDS) being 24 February 2020.

If you do not already have an account on GrantConnect, you should register with GrantConnect to access all updates. For further information on GrantConnect, please refer to the ARC GrantConnect information page or the GrantConnect website.

If you have any questions or would like to receive key documents for the scheme and/or RMS user guides, please do not hesitate to contact the ARC Team, RDS, at arc@flinders.edu.au.

Further information on the application process at Flinders is available on the Flinders' ARC Schemes page.

Book now at ienrol research to access Flinders’ researcher training and development opportunities. Workshops, information sessions, seminars and drop-in sessions aim to provide ongoing development and support to all researchers.

Key workshops in the next three weeks include:
   Covidence - Systematic review webinar, Flinders Library;
plus scheduled drop-in sessions that enable you to meet and work directly with our RDS teams.

Click on the links below to view the course details.

Drop-In Sessions: Social and Behavioural Research Ethics, Friday 15 November 2019

Drop-In Sessions: ARC grants, Tuesday 19 November 2019

Drop-In Session: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday 20 November 2019

Covidence - Systematic review webinar, Monday 25 November 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Industry, Government, International & Internal grants, Tuesday 26 November 2019

Drop-In Sessions: ARC grants, Tuesday 26 November 2019

Drop-In Session: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday 27 November 2019

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

The final Royal Society of South Australia meeting for 2019 will feature several recipients of their 2018 Small Research Grants Scheme, including three from Flinders University. This meeting, 14 November 2019 from 6.00 pm for a 6.30 pm start, will be held in the Royal Society of SA rooms.

The Flinders researchers presenting at the meeting are Robert O'Reilly, Jacob Blokland and Jacob van Zoelen, College of Science and Engineering.

Robert will be presenting on Exploration of the shingleback nidovirus in an Australian skink (Sleepy lizard). Jacob Blokland will be presenting on A phylogenetic investigation of Oligocene-Miocene fossil ralloids (Aves, Ralloidea), and the origins of crown group Rallidae, and Jacob van Zoelen will be presenting on Systematics of the Late Miocene Diprotodontids of Alcoota.

Also presenting will be Jake W. Andrae, from the University of Adelaide, on Insights into leaf wax isotope systematics and associated palaeo-ecological implications.

The Royal Society of South Australia hold monthly meetings with invited speakers covering a range of topics and disciplines. These events are open to the public and free to attend. The Royal Society of South Australia rooms are located behind the SA Museum (Morgan Thomas Lane, off Kintore Avenue, Adelaide).

The Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association has announced the launch of the second Workplace Mental Health Symposium, which aims to build a mentally healthy workplace for all.

The 2020 Symposium will now be held on 4 – 5 November at the Hilton Brisbane Hotel, will build upon the success of the inaugural 2019 Workplace Mental Health Symposium. 

Abstract submission is now open and will now close Friday 26 June 2020, for participants interested in presenting.

There are 5 options for presentations:

• Oral presentation
• Workshop presentation
• Panel presentation
• Table top presentation
• Poster presentation

The 2020 Abstract Topics are:

• The Workplace Wellness Process 
• Leadership
• Importance of Data, Research & Application
• Future Trends & Innovation
• The Culture Challenge
• Legal Obligations & Insurance
• Human Resource Management Models
• Benefits of a Mentally Healthy Workplace

Early bird registration are now open. For more information, visit the Symposium website. 

The Bupa Health Foundation (Foundation) is seeking to invest $1 million in an alliance of organisations who collectively have the capacity and capability to deliver research that leads to improvements in the Mental Health and Wellbeing for children and adolescents (4-17 years).

Expressions of Interests (EOIs) for research that meet their criteria and is likely to deliver clear benefits to the mental health of the Australian community are being invited.

The Foundation believes there is great value in bringing together diverse teams to solve complex problems and as such is looking to fund applications from an alliance of organisations that will call upon their breadth of understanding, experiences and skills to deliver an innovative and bold research project.

Proposals should represent an alliance that brings together diverse research partners. This should include different organisation types (i.e. private, public, academic, community or government), disciplines (i.e. within health, education, economics and social sciences) and perspectives (i.e. prevention, treatment, consumers, providers).

$1 million (exclusive of GST) is available for allocation. As the Foundation is looking to fund a research alliance delivering outcome-driven research we anticipate that this grant will support 1 to 2 projects depending on scope and budget for applications received. Funding will commence in 2020 and will be allocated over a funding period of up to two years depending on the agreed project timeline and milestones.

The 2019 Foundation Grants Program has a two-stage evaluation process. In Stage One the Foundation is seeking EOIs to participate in the Program. This will include information on the organisations who will make up the research alliance as well as a high-level overview of the proposed research and its expected impact on improving mental health for children and adolescents.

If you require any assistance bringing together diverse research partners for the stage one EOIs, please let the Research Grants and Tenders team know your intention to apply by the 27 November 2019. To expidate this process, please provide the following information to the team:

• Names and types of partner organisation (i.e. private, public, academic, community or government)
• Disciplines (i.e. within health, education, economics and social sciences)
• Perspectives (i.e. prevention, treatment, consumers, providers).

Stage one EOIs are to be submitted via the online webform by 5pm (AEDT) Friday 20 December 2019. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft EOI is 6 December 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

A downloadable working template of the online form and the guidelines are available at the Foundation's website.

If an initial EOI is successful, stage two applicants will be notified the week commencing Monday 27 January 2020. Successful applicants will be invited to complete the full Request for Proposal (RFP). This will include a presentation to the Grant Evaluation Committee in Sydney in the week commencing 16 March 2020.

On Monday 4 November 2019, the Hon David Coleman MP officially launched the Global Talent - Independent program which offers a streamlined, priority visa pathway for highly skilled and talented individuals to work and live permanently in Australia.

Under the new program, highly skilled migrants in selected industries will receive a fast-tracked process to permanent residency in Australia.

The new program has been welcomed by Australia's research and academic community.

Applicants will have a dedicated Home Affairs contact to guide them through the process, and applications will receive the highest priority processing.

Applicants will be eligible for permanent residency if they are likely to earn more than $149,000 per year in Australia, and they are highly skilled in one of seven key industry sectors. The usual character, security and integrity checks will apply to all applicants.

The seven industry sectors are AgTech, FinTech, MedTech, Cyber Security, Energy and Mining Technology, Space and Advanced Manufacturing, and Quantum Information/Advanced Digital/ Data Science and ICT.

Global Talent Officers from the Department of Home Affairs have already been deployed in Berlin, Washington DC, Singapore, Shanghai, Santiago, and Dubai, and will have regional coverage. An officer has also started in New Delhi today, to further the reach of the program.

Up to 5,000 places will be offered in the Global Talent - Independent program in 2019/20.

While the public focus on short term visas in Australia has largely been on backpackers and skilled trades, changes made to visas by the Government in 2017 highlighted how important both temporary and permanent migration are to Australia’s knowledge economy. While our world is increasingly reliant on electronic forms of communication, the capacity of people to travel from one country to another for the exchange of knowledge and expertise remains essential.

For more information, visit the Home Affairs website.

Flinders University is the inaugural Institute Member for the Raine study. If you are an academic or researcher in EPSW or NHS you may be able to access this data, free of charge, to answer your unique research questions.

On Thursday 28 November, 9.30 am to 11.00 am in Room 3.09, Health Sciences Lecture Theatre Complex, a Flinders-Raine introductory seminar will be held to present all the information you may require, including on cohort description, studies currently underway, and how to gain access to the data. The seminar will provide the opportunity to network with researchers currently using the data, and with the Scientific Director of the Raine Study, Professor Leon Straker.

Professor Leon Straker will be presenting at the seminar to introduce you to the cohort, as well as Dr Amy Reynolds and Associate Professor Sarah Cohen-Woods, presenting on how the cohort is currently being investigated by Flinders researchers.

Historically each data access cost $6-12,000. This presents a fantastic opportunity for early- and mid- career researchers in particular, providing access to a world-class data-set without the typical barriers of cost.

The Raine Study was established in 1989, and is one of the largest prospective cohorts of pregnancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. A group of young adults have been followed from before they were born, and throughout their life. Their families are also part of the study, including children, parents, and grandparents, collecting in-depth developmental, health, biological, and molecular data.

To attend please register for this event at Eventbrite.

Small research grants (up to £15,000) are available from the Lloyd's Register Foundation Heritage & Education Centre (HEC). This enables researchers from universities, museums and libraries to work with the foundation’s archive and library.

The scheme aims to encourage others to carry out research projects that make use of their physical archive and library material or online resources in the fields of maritime history, engineering, naval architecture, offshore engineering and ocean technology.

Their website already holds digitised collections of the World Fleet Statistics and Casualty Returns, as well as Lists of Surveyors and the Register of Ships from 1764 and our online library catalogue. They will soon be adding sample data sets and are in the process of digitising 1.25 million ship plans and survey reports, making them freely available online.

Proposals may focus on the following themes:

• development of ship and yacht building since the 1800s; 
• impact of maritime sector on world trade and trade routes;
• business history;
• safety at sea;
• depiction of maritime technology in art;
• maritime statistics;
• interactive media to present the information in new ways.

Grants are worth between £5,000 and £15,000 each covering costs directly associated with the research project such as travel and salaries.

Applications close on 31 December 2019. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 17 December 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

For more information, visit the HEC website.

In light of the rapidly evolving health and medical research landscape, the Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) is conducting a workforce survey in order to better understand the career pathways of Australian health and medical researchers (including those who have left the sector).

Your participation is valuable, and your responses will be used in ASMR's campaign to inform future government policy on building a sustainable health and medical research sector.

The entire survey should only take you about 10 minutes to complete. No names or identifying characteristics will be asked, and individual responses are completely anonymous and will be kept strictly confidential 

To complete the survey, click this link. The survey will be open until Monday 25 November 2019.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact ASMR Director Dr Roger Yazbek at (08) 8204 4191 or the ASMR executive office at asmr@asmr.org.au.

The Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, located within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), has opened its internship applications for the programs in February and June 2020. 

There are five internship projects available, focussing on the health security aspects of gender, climate change, disability inclusion, infection prevention and control, and workforce. 

These internships are for Australian university students to undertake voluntary six-week internships on a self-funded basis. The Centre seeks people with the skills, education, knowledge and abilities to undertake complex research projects to advance change and innovation in health security policy and practice.

Applicants should possess relevant qualifications and background, and be applying under an existing university program for course credit. Prior exposure to, or knowledge of, the International Health Regulations, Joint External Evaluations, health workforce development, disease surveillance and related areas is highly desirable.

DFAT are inviting applications from students across a wide range of disciplines, from social to biomedical sciences, international relations and development policy for their programs in February and June 2020. 

For full details, information is available at the DFAT website.

Quota International invites applications for their South Pacific Area scholarships. These support the observation and discussion of methods, short-term study, or work experience in the fields of speech and hearing anywhere in the world.

Applicants must be nationals of, and work in Australia, New Zealand, or Fiji, and may have academic or non-academic qualifications. Applicants must be aged 25 years or older.

The scholarship is worth AUD $7,000. The Sheila Drummond bursary of up to AUD $4,000 is also available. Funds may cover return economy air travel, ground transportation, course registration fees and accommodation.

Applications close on 30 December 2019. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 16 December 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

For more information, visit the Quota International website.

Two Calls for Proposals (Call 2 and Call 3) are open for the Next Generation Technologies Fund. The Calls are for Human and Artificial Intelligence Interaction and Distributed Multi-Domain Networks.

The Next Generation Technologies Fund, managed by Defence Science and Technology, is a forward looking program which focuses on research and development in emerging and future technologies and develop early ideas into innovation concepts that could further be explored and matured through the Defence Innovation Hub.

The first call is seeking research proposals in the area of human-artificial intelligence interaction, with a focus on 

• Design of AI systems to collaborate with human decision makers in high risk, time critical environments 
• Design of exploratory AI systems for interactive sensemaking 
• Design of distributed human and AI teams 

These research proposals are strongly encouraged to form a multi-disciplinary team with experience across a number of areas including human factors, psychology, sociology, industrial design and computer science (artificial intelligence, human computer interaction), although single-discipline proposals will be considered.

Further information is available from the Next Generation Technologies Fund website.

The second call is seeking research proposals in the area of distributed multi-domain information networks, with a focus on the following sub-themes: 

• Self-aware software systems, 
• Self-integrating software systems, 
• Distributed edge-hosting and processing, 
• Distributed applications over programmable networks. 

The proposal is strongly encouraged to comprise members from different Universities. Further information is available from the Next Generation Technologies Fund website.

Both opportunities have the closing date of 3 December 2019. The Flinders internal closing for a completed final draft application is 26 November 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII). The Flinders' Research Tenders webpage provides information on the process to apply for Tender for Flinders researchers.

The Flinders Library is pleased to present an online session with Anneliese Arno, Community Manager, Covidence on Monday 25 November 2019 from 2.00 pm. All Flinders students and researchers planning or conducting systematic or scoping reviews are encouraged to register for the session.

Covidence is a cloud-based software tool designed to facilitate the systematic review process. Covidence is a core component of the Cochrane review process, an industry-standard approach to systematic literature reviews. 

The session will give an overview of the Covidence functionality and features and includes a platform walkthrough, time to answer any questions, and resources for further help.

Before the training session, it is recommended that participants look at the Covidence Knowledge Base/Support page - https://support.covidence.org/help. This has great information to help with learning about Covidence and its functionality and it can help looking at this before the session so it’s not all new.

Register to attend the session at ienrol - research.

The Australian Government has just released the guidelines for the International Space Investment – Expand Capability – Program, a commitment as part of the National Space Agency Agenda.

The program will support Australian businesses and research organisations to become involved with international space agencies or established international space programs.

The objectives of the program are to:

• unlock international space opportunities for the Australian space sector
• expand the capability and capacity of the Australian space sector, and support job creation
• demonstrate the Australian space sector’s ability to successfully deliver space-related products and services internationally
• support projects which contribute to building a vision and an Australian space sector that inspires businesses, the Australian community and the next generation of space workforce, researchers and entrepreneurs.

The minimum grant amount is $100,000. 

The maximum grant amount is $4 million.

Applications are now open and will close on 17 December 2019. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 3 December 2019. As a letter of support and a grant agreement are to be included with the application, the internal closing date is to be adhered to in order for these to be provided by Research Development and Support. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Sarah Jay, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

For more information, including the guidelines, sample application form and FAQ, please visit the International Space Investment Expand Capability Grants on the Businessgov.au website.

The Australian Government is inviting applications via a targeted competitive process to apply to contribute towards outcomes under the Department of the Environment and Energy’s Program 1.2: Science, Information and Research commencing in the 2020-21 financial year.

The Australian Biological Resources Study National Taxonomy Research Grant Program provides grants for research into taxonomy and systematics and to support the training and/or recruitment of taxonomists.

The program is the only grant program in Australia that is targeted towards the support of research into taxonomy, to:

• improve our knowledge of the Australia biota through targeted taxonomic research
• increase funding for taxonomy through enhanced co-funding opportunities
• build Australia’s taxonomic capacity by supporting tertiary research training and early career researchers.

Benefits of the program include:

• increased support for students and early career researchers (including provision for retired taxonomists to mentor younger researchers through support for non-salaried researcher positions)
• provision for major, national-scale investigations incorporating multiple researchers and institutions.

Grant applications must address at least one of the Australian Biological Resources Study: Priority Areas for Research Grants.

The closing date for the Research Grant Program is 11 December 2019. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 27 November 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Sarah Jay, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

For more information, visit the grant opportunity on the Community Grants Hub website.

The Australian Academy of Science, in collaboration with SAGE, invites you to register for Catalysing Gender Equity 2020, a two-day outcome-driven conference guided by the Women in STEM Decadal Plan to be held in Adelaide on 20-21 February 2020.

Representatives from across higher education and research, industry, education and government will be encouraged to celebrate success, showcase impact and growth potential, highlight key action areas and foster collaboration to achieve change, all guided by the six opportunities of the decadal plan.

“No sector can solve this alone. Leadership is required and it must be accompanied by accountability.”
Women in STEM Decadal Plan

Delegates will participate in a variety of workshops, seminars, gallery submissions and panels, each focused on progressing and implementing strategic recommendations and opportunities in the decadal plan.

Catalysing Gender Equity 2020 is an excellent event to connect leaders and actors from across the STEM ecosystem, including SAGE members. It will enable them to strengthen collaborations, build new networks and share evidence-based best practice.

In addition, all attendees can join SAGE in celebrating recipients of the Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Awards at the SAGE Awards Dinner on 20 February 2020. Event and dinner registrations will open 25 November 2019 and will be advertised through Inspiring Research.

The registration fee for the full two days is $450 (incl GST), and includes access to:

• inspiring plenary sessions focused on leadership, action and next steps
• sector-led workshops aimed at accelerating decadal plan strategic recommendations
• an Equity Action Gallery showcasing the wealth and impact of equity activities occurring across the nation.

A reduced rate of $350 (incl GST) is available for students (undergraduate, PhD and masters), not-for-profit organisations, and small businesses of less than 15 employees.

In addition, all delegates can join SAGE in celebrating recipients of the Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Awards at the SAGE Awards Dinner on 20 February being held at the Adelaide Town Hall. Dinner tickets are $165 (incl GST) per person.

The Field Naturalists Society of South Australia Inc. (FNSSA) established the Lirabenda Endowment Fund with the intention of making available research grants to encourage and promote research into the biota and natural environment of South Australia.

Applications are invited from any person engaged in research that fits the criteria for selection, including for supervised project funding at the Honours Degree, Masters Degree and PhD levels and for projects conducted by University researchers.

The following are general guidelines to provide applicants with information on projects that the Lirabenda Endowment Fund is likely to support:

1. Projects that increase knowledge and understanding of native species and their habitats within South Australia.
2. Projects relating to management and conservation of South Australian species and their environment.
3. Projects that investigate factors relating to declining or threatened species of animals, plants and fungi. Preference is given to species that are endemic to South Australia.
4. Projects leading to improved management of species that cause environmental damage in South Australia.

 at South Australian Research Institutes and by individual researchers.

The guidelines and application forms are available on the Society’s website. The closing date for applications is 5.00pm Friday 13 December 2019.

The Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association are calling for interested attendees and presenters for the 21st International Mental Health Conference, 29-31 July 2020, Gold Coast, Australia. 

Over three days, the 2020 agenda will provide opportunities to collaborate with international and national mental health leaders. You will learn best practice, grow meaningful connections and implement real solutions to mental health care.

This conference aims to further develop your knowledge of mental health to assist you in making a real difference to your clients.

The Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association are calling for interested attendees, presenters or partners.

Super Early Bird Registrations close on 29 November 2019. Presentation submissions close Friday 14 February 2020.

For more information, visit the Conference website.

The Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Inc (ACSPRI) 2020 Summer Program courses are up on the ACSPRI website ready for researchers to get a head start for 2020.

They have an array of qualitative and quantitative  of courses ranging from the fundamentals to the very advanced. Early bird registration will be open until 4 December 2019. Book by this day to get a significant discount. (Flinders is a member organisation of ACSPRI.)

Week 1 will be held at the Australian National University from 20-24 January.

Week 2 will be held at the University of Melbourne from 3-7 February.

Week 3 will be held at the University of Melbourne from 10-14 February.

Their courses are small group intensives, with no more than 20 in each class. They are hands on, held in a classroom or computer lab, and in the more advanced courses researchers are encouraged to bring their own project or research data with them.

For more details about any of the courses visit the ACSPRI website or contact them on 03 8376 6496 or email: info@acspri.org.au for more information.