The RACGP Foundation and HCF Research Foundation are coming together to fund research projects relating to COVID-19 and general practice. Expressions of interest are now open for high quality research projects relating to COVID-19 and general practice.

This may include (but is not limited to) research into the use of telehealth and telehealth item numbers and evaluation of COVID-19 clinics.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to general practitioners in Australia and internationally. GPs are playing a central role on the frontline of care whilst also managing the everyday needs of their patients and adapting to new ways of consulting. The evidence base around COVID-19 is evolving, and it is important to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on general practice.

Projects that are time sensitive, for example that require data collection during the pandemic phase, are preferred. Current research projects that can be adapted or expanded to include COVID-19 are also eligible. To be eligible for this grant, the principal investigator must be a general practitioner.

Applicants are asked to provide a short expression of interest of no more than one page addressing the following:

1. Name and contact details of Principal Investigator
2. Project title 
3. Funding amount requested
4. Duration of study
5. Expected time required to gain ethics approval
6. Description of research plan, using the following headings:

• Research question being addressed  
• Proposed methodology  
• Importance of the research
• Translation and impact
• Details of the research team
• Conditions of grant and selection process

The RACGP Foundation Terms of Grants and Awards 2020 will apply to this grant. These terms are set out on pages 9-11 of the following document: https://foundation.racgp.org.au/Foundation/media/Documents/InfoApplicants.pdf 

Please contact Denise Caretti, Flinders’ Trust and Foundations Coordinator, as soon as possible if you intend to apply. 

Expressions of interest close on Friday 24 April 2020 at 9.00pm AEST. Please submit your one page EOI in pdf format by email to foundation@racgp.org.au.

For more information, visit the RACGP website.

Book now at ienrol research to access Flinders’ researcher training and development opportunities.

Upcoming workshops and information sessions include:
   Identifying Journals - how to find and where to publish
   Human Research Ethics - information session
   Introduction to bibliometrics
   Intellectual Property for Researchers
plus RDS Connect, one-on-one virtual meetings that you can book to meet and work directly with our RDS teams.

Click on the links below to view the course details.

Tracking Current Research (Library) - Thursday 16 April 2020

Library Systematic reviews series Part 3: Managing citations and PRISMA report - Thursday 16 April 2020

'Advanced Searching’ (Library) - Thursday 16 April 2020 

Identifying Journals: how to find; where to publish (Library) - Friday 17 April 2020

Connect with ARC Grants – one-on-one virtual meeting - Monday 20 April 2020

Connect with IGII [Industry, government, international and internal research funding & research tenders] - one-on-one virtual meeting - Wednesday 22 April 2020

Research Bite: Human research ethics - information session - Wednesday 22 April 2020

Connect with NHMRC & Health - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 23 April 2020

Introduction to Bibliometrics to inform your research (Library) - Thursday 23 April 2020

Connect with ARC Grants - one-on-one virtual meeting - Monday 27 April 2020

Connect with IGII [Industry, government, international and internal research funding & research tenders] - one-on-one virtual meeting - Tuesday 28 April 2020

Connect with NHMRC & Health - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 30 April 2020

Connect with Human ethics - one-on-one virtual meeting - Friday 1 May 2020

Research Bite: Intellectual property for researchers - Tuesday 5 May 2020

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

Flinders continues to be committed to maintaining, as far as possible, normal research activities.

In order to ensure that we continue to meet our compliance obligations, all researchers must ensure that you are informed of these matters by reading the research information provided on our website and inform the students you supervise of changes relevant to their research.

The University continues to provide and update general information at the following websites: https://staff.flinders.edu.au/coronavirus-information; https://students.flinders.edu.au/coronavirus-information.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics/Universities Australia agreement allows Flinders' researchers to apply for free of charge access to various confidentialised datasets.

The full list of all 250 datasets available can be found at the ABS website. Below is a sample of the datasets available, including the Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset and the Multi-Agency Data Integration Project.

Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset

This dataset uses the Census of Population and Housing to build a longitudinal picture giving an overview of social and economic change over time. Three waves of data have so far contributed to the Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset from the 2006 Census (Wave 1), 2011 Census (Wave 2) and 2016 Census (Wave 3).

Multi-Agency Data Integration Project 

The Multi-Agency Data Integration Project is a partnership among six Australian Government agencies to combine longitudinal information on healthcare, education, government payments and personal income tax with population demographics to create a comprehensive social picture of Australia.

Other new microdata products also now available are:

• National Health Survey, 2017-18
• Cultural Activities, Australia, 2017-18
• Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2018
• Participation, Job Search and Mobility, Australia, 2019
• Jobs in Australia, 2011-12 to 2016-17
• Work-Related Injuries, 2017-18
• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Australia, 2018-19
• Australian Census and Migrants Integrated Dataset, 2016
• Australian Census and Temporary Entrants Integrated Dataset, 2016
• Patient Experiences in Australia, 2018-19
• Disability, Ageing and Carers, 2018 
• Education and Work, May 2019

For other opportunities of obtaining confidentialised and open data access please refer to the Flinders' Library Statistical tools and services webpage.

Inquiries about the datasets and the application procedures can be directed to Pawel Skuza, Flinders Library.

Nominations are invited for the 2021 Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Nakasone Award and are to be submitted by 24 April 2020.

The HFSP Nakasone Award is designed to honour scientists who have undertaken frontier-moving research in biology, encompassing conceptual, experimental or technological breakthroughs. Both senior and junior scientists are eligible and peer-recognised excellence is the major criterion for selection. However, the jury will pay particular attention to recent breakthroughs by younger scientists. The prize is open to all scientists, not only those who have received funding within the HFSP.

The awardee(s) will receive an unrestricted research grant of USD 10,000, a medal and a personalised certificate. The award ceremony will be held at the annual HFSP Awardees Meeting, where the awardee will deliver the HFSP Nakasone Lecture.

The award is for scientific excellence of a clearly defined discovery or series of discoveries in basic life science research, in accord with HFSP’s mission to support basic research into the “complex mechanisms of living organisms”. Areas have traditionally ranged from molecular and cellular approaches to biological functions to systems neuroscience including cognitive functions. However, all levels of complexity involving mechanisms of biological phenomena or the interactions between organisms will be considered.

Nominations must be submitted using the simple nomination form. Instructions are included in the form. For more information, visit the HFSP website.

Proposers must provide:

1. The completed nomination form
2. The candidates CV

The discovery or discoveries shall:

• be frontier contributions to knowledge in the life sciences;
• have resulted in a notable conceptual breakthrough that has had significant consequences for scientists throughout the world;
• be identifiable via (a) specific publication(s).

Experimental, conceptual and technological contributions are all eligible. However, HFSP has a focus on early career scientists through its Fellowship and Research Grant funding programs and so nominations of scientists who have achieved a recent significant breakthrough at an early stage of their careers are especially encouraged.

Self-nominations are not accepted.

Previous Awardees

2020 Angelika Amon of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, USA for discovering aneuploidy-induced cellular changes and their contribution to tumorigenesis.

2019 Michael Hall of the Biozentrum at the University of Basel, Switzerland for the discovery of the master regulator of cell growth, the target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase. 

2018 Svante Pääbo from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany for his discovery of the extent to which hybridization with Neanderthals and Denisovans has shaped the evolution of modern humans, and his development of techniques for sequencing DNA from fossils.

The Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation aims to support promising health and medical researchers early in their careers to build next generation capability in the Sanfilippo field of research.

Applications are invited for a supplementary scholarship, which is available to students at Flinders University who are undertaking a relevant higher degree by research that will lead to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The scholarship is available to PhD students whose project aims to advance research into Sanfilippo Syndrome.

The scholarship involves a stipend of $5000 per annum (on top of the stipend awarded by the university), for a duration of up to 3 years.

For more information on supplementary scholarships available at Flinders University, please email dani@sanfilippo.org.au for further information. Top-up scholarships have no closing date. Applications can be submitted at anytime.

Sanfilippo is a rare form of childhood dementia that affects 1 in 70,000 children. Currently, there is no treatment or cure for the disease, and the average life expectancy is just 12-20 years. 

The first Flinders Scholarship recipient, Leanne Winner, is undertaking her PhD project on Sanfilippo under the guidance of Associate Professor Kim Hemsley and Dr Mary-Louise Rogers (Flinders University) and Dr Marten Snel (SAHMRI). 

Leanne’s PhD project involves the investigation of Sanfilippo biomarkers in accessible biological fluids. Biomarkers are key molecules that can be used to track the presence and severity of a disease. Results from Leanne’s project can be directly translated into the clinic, with biomarkers used as ongoing tools in predicting patient prognosis, and to determine whether potential Sanfilippo treatments are working in clinical trials.

Applications for the South Australian Space Industry Centre’s (SASIC) 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 close on 30 September 2020.

Successful applicants will have up to 12 months from the date of notification to commence their period of study or training. Should the COVID-19 travel restrictions continue for an extended period of time and you are unable to meet this criteria, SASIC will work with successful applicants to agree on an amended program or a revised timeline for completion where practical.

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

To inform the Australian Academy of the Humanities’ policy advice in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Academy is compiling a database of humanities expertise in this space.

To develop as comprehensive picture as possible, the Academy would appreciate feedback on humanities expertise, across a broad range of disciplines, taking in cultural, social, historical, communications and linguistic expertise.

Areas of focus include but are not limited to past experiences of epidemics, pandemics and quarantine (including including SARS, HIV/AIDS); community responses to the COVID-19 crisis; social distancing challenges for Indigenous communities and other cultural impacts; bioethics and public health policy; access and equity to essential services, including digital communications and technologies; ethical decision-making; translation and analysis of information for multilingual populations; and the role of arts and culture in community building recovery and resilience.

The expert database will be used to inform policy and research development in Australia and internationally. Further information, including consent and privacy details, and to register for the database, visit the Australian Academy of Humanities website.

Health Translation SA (HTSA) is undertaking a range of coordinating activities across South Australia to ensure that the SA COVID-19 response is well informed, effective and efficient. They are currently surveying the research landscape to promote collaboration and reduce duplication. HTSA are creating registers to capture COVID-19 Research and COVID-19 Capability in SA.

HTSA are interested in research capabilities and any on-going or proposed projects related to COVID-19, ranging from basic science, clinical trials and health service research to data projects, predictive modelling, medical technology and drug/vaccine discovery, mental health or other initiatives. Activities can be based in industry, health service or academia.

If you would like to be included in the register please contact Carmela Sergi, Flinders' Health Partnerships Director for further information.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting many in Australia’s health and medical research community including NHMRC grant applicants and recipients and members of NHMRC Peer Review Panels and they have created a FAQ webpage. These FAQs are intended to address frequently asked questions from NHMRC stakeholders about the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on applications for NHMRC funding, peer review, grant management and other NHMRC processes. 

Topics covered in the FAQs are:
• Grant applications
• Peer Review Panel and Principal Committee meetings
• General project delays and disruptions
• Planned project-related travel 
• Travel-related costs
• Re-focusing existing research on COVID-19
• Clinical trials and cohort studies
• Personal and career disruptions

Note: As the COVID-19 outbreak and associated impacts continue to evolve, grant applicants and recipients are strongly encouraged to monitor the NHMRC website for updates. The NHMRC will review frequently and advice may change if there is a significant change in circumstances or additional clarifications are required.

The Department of Defense office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) has recently released Fiscal Year 2020 funding opportunities for a number of Department of Defense (DoD) Programs.

The Flinders internal closing date for each of these opportunities is 10 working days prior to the external closing date. Please contact the Research Grants and Tenders team if you are intending to apply as soon as possible so that they can assist in registering to apply etc.

Please consult the modified Program Announcements available on Grants.gov and contact the Research Grants and Tenders team if you have any questions.

Bone Marrow Failure Research Program

• Idea Development Award

Breast Cancer Research Program

• Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2
• Breakthrough Award Level 3
• Breakthrough Award Level 4
• Era of Hope Scholar Award
• Innovator Award
• Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award
  

Gulf War Illness Research Program

• Idea Award
• Research Advancement Award
• Clinical Evaluation Award
• Therapeutic/Biomarker Trial Award
• Patient-Provider and Health Communications Award
• New Investigator Award

Lung Cancer Research Program

• Concept Award
• Idea Development Award
• Investigator-Initiated Translational Research Award
• Career Development Award
• Clinical Translational Research Partnership Award

Lupus Research Program

• Idea Award
• Impact Award
• Transformative Vision Award
  

Military Burn Research Program

• Clinical Translational Research Award 

Neurofibromatosis Research Program

• Clinical Trial Award
• Early Investigator Research Award
• Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award
• New Investigator Award
  (Additional NFRP Award Mechanisms to be released at a later date)

Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s

• Early Investigator Research Award
• Investigator-Initiated Research Award
• Synergistic Idea Award
  

Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program

• Clinical Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award
  

Ovarian Cancer Research Program

• Proteogenomics Research Award

Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program

• Idea Award
• Impact Award
• Behavioral Health Science Award
• Translational Team Science Award
• Virtual Cancer Center Director Award 
• Career Development Award – Fellow Option
• Career Development Award – Virtual Cancer Center Scholar Option

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program

• Clinical Trial Award open to all 44 topics

Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program

• Applied Research Award
• Clinical Translational Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program open to Emerging Viral Diseases and Respiratory Health with a focus on COVID-19

• Clinical Trial Award
• Investigator Initiated Research Award
• Technology/Therapeutic Development Award
  

Prostate Cancer Research Program

• Early Investigator Research Award
• Physician Research Award
• Idea Development Award
• Translational Science Award
• Clinical Trial Award
• Health Disparity Research Award
• Population Science and Research Outcomes Award

Spinal Cord Injury Research Program

• Investigator-Initiated Research Award
• Translational Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award

Tick-Borne Disease Research Program

• Career Development Award
• Idea Development Award

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program

• Clinical Translational Research Award
• Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award
• Idea Development Award

Vision Research Program

Focused Translational Team Science Award

Investigator-Initiated Research Award Levels 1 and 2

Translational Research Award

Detailed descriptions of the 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, the CDMRP website and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP). A listing of all open CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

Submission is a two-step process requiring both pre-application submission and full application submission. All pre-applications must be submitted through eBRAP. Full applications from extramural organisations (non-DoD organisations i.e. Flinders University) must be submitted through Grants.gov.

Refer to the General Application Instructions, Section II.A. for registration and submission requirements for eBRAP and Grants.gov. For detailed information on the submission process, refer to Section II.D. of the Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity.

For more information on types of funding opportunities offered and application strategies review the CDMRP Webinar Series.