The University of Adelaide Library has extended an invitation to Flinders University Library, academics, researchers, HDRs and professional staff to attend a series of three training sessions on the Cambridge Core platform on 18 February 2020.

The first session is focused on conducting research with the Cambridge Core Platform, while the second session concentrate on how to get published with Cambridge University Press and the third session provides an opportunity for questions and answers with the presenters.

Morning Tea will be served and sessions are estimated to run for 45 minutes. Further information, location and registration details are available via Eventbrite.

Please contact Mary Filsell, College and Research Services Librarian, Flinders university Library, if you have any further queries.

The Drug Discovery and Development SA Symposium will provide an opportunity to showcase and share drug discovery and development expertise, strengths and resources in South Australia, in addition to excellent networking and poster display

Hosted by the UniSA Cancer Research Institute in conjunction with the Adelaide BioMed City, the symposium will be held on Monday 17 February 2020, from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm, at the UniSA Cancer Research Institute, North Tce, Adelaide.

Guest speakers include:

• Professor Caroline McMillen, Chief Scientist for South Australia;
• Dr Robert Williams, Chief Drug Development Scientist, Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development
• Professor Ross McKinnon, College of Medicine and Public Health
• and other speakers from SAHMRI, CALHN, and Universities in SA

Lunch will be provided for attendees (G/F and vegetarian options wil be provided). Drinks and networking to be held at conclusion of event.

Register via eventbrite.

The Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) Program provides grants of up to $1 million to support the translation of new therapies, technologies and medical devices through to the proof of concept stage. Entities eligible for funding include universities, medical research institutes and SMEs. 

Register now to join representatives from the BTB partners on 5 February at the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) in Adelaide to learn more about the program, and the upcoming second round of funding which opens in February 2020.

The BTB Program is an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund. The BTB program is operated by MTPConnect in partnership with BioCurate, UniQuest, the Medical Device Partnering Program and the Bridge and BridgeTech programs.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is introducing improvements to the implementation of the Linkage Projects scheme. This includes moving to three assessment rounds per year. 

The changes are in response to an evaluation of the implementation of the continuous Linkage Projects process.

For the Linkage Projects round for funding commencing in 2020 (LP20), applications can be submitted at any-time up until 1 December 2020 and will be assessed within one of the three assessment rounds (detailed below). 

As Research Development and Support needs time to review applications, please ensure that any LP applications to be submitted to ARC in the LP20 assessment rounds are submitted to RDS for review in RMS by no later than the following dates: 

• for assessment round 1 - 25 March 2020,
• for assessment round 2 - 22 July 2020, or
• for assessment round 3 - 17 November 2020.

Please also send any ARC written evidence forms to arc@flinders.edu.au and complete the Flinders University certification form and co-investment form (if applicable) by those dates. For further information on support available on applications to the ARC, visit the Flinders' ARC schemes webpage.

Amendments to the Australian Federal Government Gene Technology Regulations 2001 came into force on 8 October 2019. These amendments are broad ranging, with the focus to clarify the regulatory status of organisms generated using genome editing technologies.

Importantly for researchers, the amendments have changed the lists of organisms that are and are not genetically modified organisms. These lists now better clarify the regulatory status of genome editing techniques, RNA interference (RNAi) techniques, and of null segregants. The amendments also now make it clear that dealings with gene drive GMOs will require a licence from the OGTR. Further minor amendments to existing dealings with gene technologies also apply.

It is important to note, the amendments relating to the deregulation of some genome editing technologies, including CRISPR, are highly specific. The majority of uses of these technologies continue to be regulated, including the use of guided genome editing techniques such as base editing and prime editing techniques. 

Amendments ensure that the new technologies are regulated in a manner commensurate with the risks they pose.

To provide a full overview of the amendments to the Gene Technology Regulations 2001, information sessions for researchers with IBC approvals will be held in early 2020. Keep an eye out for an invite coming soon to your inbox. In the interim, if you are planning a grant application that may be affected, please don’t hesitate to contact the Flinders University Institutional Biosafety Committee for advice on regulatory status.

Feedback is sought on the ANZSRC Review Consultation Draft which is now available on the Australian Research Council (ARC) website. The proposed changes to both the Fields of Research (FoR) and Socio-Economic Objectives (SEO) classifications are now available for comment.

Flinders University will be submitting a University wide response to this review. Please email feedback to research.data@flinders.edu.au by CoB Friday, 31 January 2020.

Feedback is sought on:

1. Whether the revised classifications accurately capture the current Australian and New Zealand research landscape. 
2. Whether any errors or ambiguities have been introduced in the drafting process. 
3. Concordance between the old and revised ANZSRC classifications, including
1. where codes have been deleted, where would that research be classified in the revised ANZSRC? 
2. where new codes have been created, where would that research have been classified in ANZSRC 2008?

Feedback should directly address corrections that are required to the draft classification to ensure the classification reflects research practices in Australia and New Zealand. If you identify issues with the draft, please provide specific suggestions as to how they could be resolved. Please consider your response in the context of disciplinary research practice, the multiple uses of ANZSRC and the information provided in the ANZSRC Consultation Draft Paper or ANZSRC Review Consultation Draft: Indigenous Research. To assist in a balanced evaluation of the draft, submissions in support of changes are also welcomed.

Flinders’ Research FastStart ™, our researcher induction program, provides an overview of the structure, function and support provided by Flinders' partners in research support.

While aimed at researchers new to Flinders, this program is also an excellent refresher for existing, established researchers who would like to be informed on the latest research related services, platforms, enablers and support across the university. You can enrol now if you wish to join us on 6 February 2020.

This one-day program introduces the research processes at Flinders and connects members of Flinders’ research community.

Research FastStart ™ covers:

• research integrity
• identifying research funding opportunities
• research funding support - application, contracts and financial management
• research ethics - approval processes and systems
• research administration support
• researcher training and development
• records management
• HDR student supervision
• Flinders Library
• media and research communications

In addition, you will be introduced to Flinders’ online systems and access areas of the Flinders website that will support your research endeavours.

The first Research FastStart ™ will be held on 6 February 2020. To register your interest in attending, visit ienrol - research. For further information, contact researcherpd.rds@flinders.edu.au.

Highly regarded by those who've participated, researchers have described the following benefits and strengths of Research FastStart ™:

‘Broad range of speakers and information made the course applicable to a wide audience of researchers at any career stage’

‘Short, clear, relevant presentations’

‘Good opportunity to meet key researcher support staff and other Finders researchers’

‘Hands-on sessions’

‘All the presentations were good, informative and the presenters were engaging’

The Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT) seeks expressions of interest for the ANZSBT Research Fund for the calendar year 2020. The Society is offering a total of AUD $75,000 comprising either a single grant of $75,000 or smaller grants totalling $75,000.

The ANZSBT Research Fund supports basic, clinical and translational transfusion research in Australasia to investigators at all levels of their careers. The aim of the Research fund is to support the advancement of research in transfusion medicine and science and to promote and develop research in related medical knowledge and science.

The Society maintains broad interests in clinical practice improvement, patient blood management and haemovigilance.

In addition, the ANZSBT Council has nominated the following research priorities for 2020:

• Transfusion in rural and remote settings;
• Transfusion in the fetal, neonatal and paediatric settings;
• Transfusion in indigenous populations or minority groups of Australia or New Zealand; or
• Transfusion in the elderly.

Grants will be available for research projects and are intended for researchers who have not received significant funding from other sources for the nominated project. Applications that seek funding to provide service delivery are unlikely to be funded.

Consideration will be given to applications that support a candidate to obtain an academic degree and/or to conduct research work or gain professional expertise at a centre of excellence relevant to the field of blood transfusion.

Applications are due 28 February 2020. The Flinders Internal closing date is 14 February 2020 for a completed final draft application. For grant writing and administrative support, please contact Denise Caretti, Trust & Foundations Coordinator - Alumni & Advancement, Office of Communication, Marketing & Engagement. 

The Medical Research Future Fund has recently announced grant schemes covering a number of research areas under the strategies and priorities of the fund. 

Details of the current opportunities, application agency and corresponding closing dates are found below. 

If you are interested in applying for any of the above opportunities, please contact the NHMRC and Health Research Grants team in the very first instance to discuss your application and internal deadlines.

Currently Open Schemes with applications to be lodged through NHMRC’s RGMS system are:

Emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Research Initiative – closing 31 January 2020 (No minimum data)

• Bushfire Impact Research Grant Opportunity

Cardiovascular Mission – Minimum data due 29 January 2020, closing 12 February 2020

• Cardiovascular Health Grant Opportunity

Indigenous Health Research Fund – Minimum data due 29 January 2020, closing 12 February 2020

• Indigenous Health Research Grant Opportunity

Currently Open Schemes with applications to be lodged through the Business.gov.au grant application portal are:

National Critical Infrastructure Initiative – Closing 3 March 2020

• Rural, Regional and Remote Clinical Trial Enabling Infrastructure grant opportunity 

Forecast Opportunities with applications to be lodged through the Business.gov.au grant application portal are:

Frontier Health and Medical Research – Opening 30 January 2020, closing 26 March 2020

• Frontier Health and Medical Research Program Stage One - Research Plan

National Critical Infrastructure Initiative – Opening 11 February 2020, closing 3 March 2020

• Applied Artificial Intelligence Research in Health Grant Opportunity

Brain Cancer Mission - Opening 11 February 2020, closing 3 March 2020

• Brain Cancer Survivorship Grant Opportunity

Grant Documents for each of the above schemes can be found through GrantConnect. If you are interested in applying for any of the above opportunities, please contact the NHMRC and Health Research Grants team in the very first instance to discuss your application and internal deadlines.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is conducting an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Discovery Projects scheme.

The ARC have requested that Administering Institutions inform current and former investigators under the Discovery Projects scheme of the survey in advance to assist with the review of its largest funding scheme.

The aims of the survey will be to evaluate:

• the effectiveness of the Discovery Projects scheme in supporting excellent basic and applied research and research training, enhancing research collaboration, expanding Australia’s research capability and supporting research that benefits Australia, and
• of the appropriateness of the Discovery Projects scheme and its role within the Australian Government’s overall investment in research and innovation.

The ARC has commissioned Kantar Public Division (Kantar), an independent research company, to conduct the stakeholder surveys and interviews with Research Offices and peak bodies as inputs into the evaluation.

Please note that all survey participant contact details are being provided confidentially to Kantar and will be destroyed once the service is complete, and participants will not be personally identified as part of the evaluation process.

Kantar Public Division will directly contact Chief Investigators and Partner Investigators with a web link to a short online survey in early March 2020. The original timeline for the release of the survey was early February. This has been changed to ensure it does not conflict with submission deadlines for Discovery Projects. The surveys will be distributed to Chief Investigators and Partner Investigators who have participated in at least one research project funded under the Discovery Projects scheme since 2002. 

Registrations are now open for the 2020 SA Allied Health Research Forum 'Communicating value, creating impact' to be held on 26 March 2020.

This forum is an opportunity for allied health clinicians with an interest in research and quality improvement activities to learn about the breadth of research projects being undertaken across allied health in South Australia and for clinical researchers to showcase their work.

Keynote presentations and workshops will be offered, addressing various facets of allied health research such as how evidence-informed care improves patient outcomes, how to effectively communicate the outcomes of research and demonstrating the importance of clinician-led research. 

Register via Eventbrite. Standard registration for non-allied health staff or attendees external to SA Health is $120.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has announced the release of the Supervision Guide, which supports the implementation of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (the Code). Promoting research integrity is a strategic priority for NHMRC.

The responsible conduct of research benefits all Australians and is a joint responsibility of researchers and institutions and organisations that conduct or oversee that research.

To assist researchers and institutions, NHMRC, the Australian Research Council (ARC) and Universities Australia (UA) developed the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018 (the 2018 Code), which is a major revision of the Code published in 2007. The 2018 Code was published in June 2018 and took effect on 1 July 2019.

To support the implementation of the 2018 Code, NHMRC, ARC and UA are developing a suite of guides, one of which is the new Supervision Guide. These guides provide further detail on principles and responsibilities outlined in the 2018 Code and inform the ongoing development of institutional policy at Flinders.

The guides and further information are available on NHMRC's website.

Questions or feedback about the guides can be sent to integrity@nhmrc.gov.au.

Two new draft NHMRC Guidelines for Guidelines modules have been released for public consultation: Engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in guideline development, and Training.

In 2016 the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released a discussion paper titled - Better informed health care through better clinical guidelines, which highlighted the key challenges facing guideline development in Australia. Part of this discussion paper included draft Standards for Guidelines, bringing Australia’s Standards into line with similar standards internationally.

These Standards were published in 2016 and are applicable to all guidelines containing recommendations for clinical practice, public health and environmental health.

The discussion paper also highlighted that a series of modules would be developed to provide practical advice and guidance on how to meet each of the Standards. Once complete, the modules will replace A guide to the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical practice guidelines, all associated handbooks, and the NHMRC additional levels of evidence and grades for recommendations for developers of guidelines.

These draft modules are based on international standards, peer reviewed literature and current NHMRC policies and have been contextualised for an Australian audience. The modules are being published on NHMRC’s Guidelines for Guidelines website in a staged process between 2018 and 2020.

You are invited to provide comments on the two new modules through: https://online.nhmrc.gov.au/public-consultation/nhmrc-guidelines-for-guidelines

Instructions for providing comments are also included at the website.

Comments will close 5pm AEDT, Thursday 20 February 2020.

The Capstone Editing Grant for Mid-Career Researchers is currently open. Applications close on 24 February 2020.

The Grant provides up to A$5,000 of seed funding for one researcher per year to undertake an innovative research project. The expectation is that the research project will gather preliminary data and lead to the development of a research council funding application.

The grant can be used to cover any costs related to the research project, such as software or small lab equipment; domestic or overseas travel to learn new techniques or collaborate with colleagues; academic editing of the grant proposal; and data analysis.

Capstone Editing defines a mid-career researcher as someone who 1) holds a PhD and 2) graduated from their PhD within the past five to ten years (excluding career interruptions in relation to caring responsibilities).

Application support and advice for the grant is available from Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII), Research Development and Support.

For further information, including eligibility and the online application process, please see the Capstone Editing website.

The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) is calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) that address research, development & extension (RD&E) priorities nominated by the FRDC’s Advisory Groups.

EOIs close on 16 February 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft EOI is 31 January 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII).

The nominated RD&E priorities for investment are outlined in the document on the FRDC website and it includes RD&E priorities such as:

• post-graduate student funding; 
• coping with change; 
• assessing the relevance of key coastal habitats and habitat-related ecological processes; 
• aquatic animal welfare;
• developing and adopting biodegradable seafood and bait packages, 

as well as people development opportunities including: 

• enhancing research capacity in marine economics and social sciences.

EOIs that address multiple priorities are encouraged.

Applicants may also submit an EOI that does not address a nominated priority.

If you do wish to submit an application that does not address one of these priorities, it is recommended that you first discuss your research concept with the relevant FRDC Advisory Group contact. In addition, FRDC strongly recommends that all applicants consult with the relevant stakeholder groups and expected end users to ensure that research concepts has the support of beneficiaries. Support can be demonstrated through formal letters of support, in-kind contributions and project cash contributions.

Further information is available on the FRDC website.

The CRC Association will be convening a 'Communicating Your Science in 30 Seconds' Webinar with the Centre of the Public Awareness of Science at the ANU and the Australian Science Media Centre, Thursday 30 January, 11:00-12:00 AEDT.

This webinar will underpin and support ECRs in developing submissions for the CRC’s Early Career Researcher Showcase.

Instructions on joining the webinar on the day are available online.

The Early Career Researcher Showcase celebrates good research communicated well, and the CRC Association want to hear from you. Showcase your research for the chance to win $6,000.

Tell them in 30 seconds about your research and you could win a trip to Canberra to present your work at Collaborate Innovate 2020, 25-27 May, the annual conference of the Cooperative Research Centres Association.

The five finalists will receive: 

• A trip to Canberra with airfares, transfers, conference registration and all social events, including the CRC Association’s Innovation Showcase.
• $1,000.
• The opportunity to give a 5-minute presentation on your work at Collaborate | Innovate | 2020 for the chance to win $5,000.

Applications close Thursday 9 April 2020.

The CRC Association is pleased to launch its next annual conference, Collaborate | Innovate | 2020, to be held at Hotel QT, Canberra, 25 to 27 May.

Business, researchers, postgraduates and investors are all encouraged to attend the most stimulating meeting on collaboration and research impact that will be held in Australia in 2020. The program is packed with expertise on how to access funding; the best ways of collaborating, how to avoid the pitfalls in intellectual property and protect design and social licence.

It is the ideal opportunity for researchers, educators and industry representatives to network with other innovation professionals, while gaining valuable insights regarding the nature of cooperative research ventures. 

For more information, including to register and view the program, visit the Collaborate | Innovate | 2020 website.

Flinders is bringing together international experts in digital health and medical devices to share knowledge and discuss issues and trends at the How Medical Device Interoperability, Safety and Security Will Change Healthcare symposium to be held on 10-11 February 2020 at the Tonsley campus.

Learn how digital health can support medical device quality and safety. Participants will come away with greater knowledge of digital health interoperability and medical device safety, using standards and research conducted through the Flinders Digital Health Research Centre and the Medical Device Research Institute.

Come and learn, have fun (geeky fun!) and meet the people who are making a difference in the world of healthcare devices and interoperability.

Register at the Flinders' event registration page.

For more information and to download the program, visit the Flinders' event page.

• If you want to understand the medical device safety and security landscape, the international standards, and learn about interoperability then this event is for you!
• If you have a burning desire to learn more about FHIR then you need to come to this event!
• If you need to know about healthcare interoperability and safety come to this event!
• If you are a healthcare device manufacturer, a software developer or just interested, then you need to come to this event!
• If you are a die‐hard HL7 FHIR coder then you need to come to this event!
• Or if you just want to hang out with international experts in healthcare devices, then this is the event for you!

Presenters will include:

Professor Trish Williams, Cisco Chair and Professor in Digital Health Systems

Professor Karen Reynolds, Director of the Medical Device Research Institute

Dr Brendan Lovelock, Health Practice Lead for Cisco Australia.  

Mr Grahame Grieve, HL7's Product Director for FHIR, Australia 

Dr Vince McCauley, Chief Medical Officer, Telstra Health, Australia

Robert Snelick, Chief Architect, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA

John J. Garguilo, Computer Scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA

Todd Cooper, Expert Medical Devices Architect, USA

Enquiries: ginger.mudd@flinders.edu.au

The fifth annual NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research (NNIDR) Australian Dementia Forum will be held in Adelaide from 31 May to 2 June 2020, around the theme of Dementia Research: Innovation, Discovery and Translation.

The theme aims to encourage the research community to celebrate the discoveries and innovation achieved through recent targeted efforts like the Boosting Dementia Research Initiative. The Forum will also look forward to the task of translating research outcomes into practice and improving the life of those living with dementia, their families and carers.

To present your research at ADF2020, the Forum organisers are inviting abstracts, to be submitted by Friday 14 February 2020.

Abstracts may be submitted for an oral, rapid or poster presentation. Oral and rapid presentations will also be considered for poster presentations.

For more information and to submit an abstract, visit the Forum website.