Professor Robert Saint, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) is inviting feedback on the South Australian Productivity Commission’s Research and Development Inquiry Issues Paper. The Issues Paper provides extensive analysis of South Australian R&D performance and invites comments and proposals for recommendations.

To enable the preparation of the Flinders Institutional Response, it would be appreciated if you could send comments and suggestions for recommendations that you would like included in the Flinders submission to Dr Ann-Louise Hordacre by Wednesday 3 June 2020.

Section 5, presents the key issues laid out as information requests, identifying key areas on which Flinders should provide comments and recommendations. 

Please note that the South Australian Productivity Commission (SAPC) is undertaking two inquiries into research within South Australia – one inquiry into Health and Medical Research and one inquiry into Research and Development activities. For further information please refer to the SAPC website.  

The University has already provided an Institutional response to the former, the Health and Medical Research Inquiry, while the above Issues Paper are in regard to the latter, the general Research and Development Inquiry.

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

Upcoming workshops and information sessions include:
   Search Translation Masterclass - Flinders Library
   Text Analytics for beginners - Parts 1 & 2
   Systematic reviews methodology - Flinders Library
   ARC Rejoinders - preparing a response
   Data management - essential information and principles
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.

Search Translation Masterclass – Flinders Library - Monday 25 May 2020

Connect with ARC Grants - one-on-one virtual meeting - Monday 25 May 2020

Text Analytics for beginners: Part 1 - Introduction, Demonstration & Set up – Flinders Library - Tuesday 26 May 2020

Connect with Defence exports and international security - one-on-one virtual meeting - Tuesday 26 May 2020

Connect with IGII [Industry, government, international and internal research funding & research tenders] - one-on-one virtual meeting - Tuesday 26 May 2020

Systematic reviews methodology – Flinders Library - Wednesday 27 May 2020

Text Analytics for beginners: Part 2 - Participate and Create – Flinders Library - Wednesday 27 May 2020

Connect with researcher training and development - one-on-one virtual meeting - Wednesday 27 May 2020

Connect with a researcher - assistance with commissioned-research opportunities - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 28 May 2020

Connect with NHMRC & Health - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 28 May 2020

Connect with ARC Grants - one-on-one virtual meeting - Monday 1 June 2020

ARC Rejoinders - preparing a response - Tuesday 2 June 2020

Connect with IGII [Industry, government, international and internal research funding & research tenders] - one-on-one virtual meeting - Tuesday 2 June 2020

Research Bite: Data management - essential information and principles for research and researchers - Wednesday 3 June 2020

Connect with researcher training and development - one-on-one virtual meeting - Wednesday 3 June 2020

Connect with a researcher - assistance with commissioned-research opportunities - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 4 June 2020

Connect with NHMRC & Health - one-on-one virtual meeting - Thursday 4 June 2020

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

The research community is facing many challenges around continuing research with labs and campuses closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. To support researchers, the AARNet eResearch team is hosting fortnightly webinars focused on remote research challenges and solutions.

This is a timely series of webinars offering advice to researchers about tools and methods that can make life easier while working remotely. The webinars will be hosted by Dr Carina Kemp, Director of eResearch at AARNet. 

Remote Research Challenges 1: Collecting Data Remotely with a panel (Professor Brent McInnes, Dr Steve McEachern, Dr Jens Klump and Sebastian Robertson)
Thursday 21 May, 12.00 pm - 1.30 pm AEST

Working remotely can mean that researchers are separated from their usual places of work and collecting data. In this webinar invited speakers will talk about remote research data collection methods from how best to build an online survey to working with remote control drones.

Remote Research Challenge 2: Maintaining and Building Communities
Thursday 4 June, 12.00 pm - 1.30 pm

Staying connected to our communities while we are all working remotely is another research challenge we are experiencing during the COVID-19 restrictions. How can we adapt available technologies to continue research collaboration? How can we transform the experiences of traditional conferences and seminars to successful forms of research engagement and communication? This webinar will highlight some recent experiences in running online conferences, creative approaches to research presentations and different ways we can stay connected to our communities while working from home.

Remote Research Challenges 3: Remote Data Storage and Analysis
Thursday 18 June, 12.00 pm - 1.30 pm

Remote Research Challenges 4: Building Remote Data Workflows
Thursday 2 July, 12.00 pm - 1.30 pm

For more information and to register to attend, visit the AARNet website. The first webinar in the series, held on 7 May is also available for viewing at the AARNet website.

MTPConnect is set to launch a new round of its Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) program, specifically designed to target COVID-19 related research.

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) will be open for two weeks from Monday 18 May – Monday 1 June 2020. Funding will support Australian small and medium enterprises, medical research institutes and universities conducting COVID-19 related research projects. 

In this specific COVID-19 call, the BTB Program can provide up to $1 million in matched funding to support eligible organisations develop medical devices, diagnostics, prophylactic or therapeutic approaches that will achieve an impact on the global response to the pandemic in less than 12-months. Applicants must have demonstrated capacity to match the funding (cash) requested. 

If you are interested in this opportunity please contact nhmrc@flinders.edu.au to discuss your application by 25 May. Application information, guidelines and supporting documentation can be found on the BTB webpage.

The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland archives are available for use by Flinders academic staff, researchers and students through Wiley Digital Archives. 

The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (RAI) was founded in 1871, with roots dating back to 1837.  Today, it is the world’s longest-established scholarly association dedicated to the furtherance of anthropology, in its broadest and most inclusive sense.

These archives include more than 150 years of research and over a million primary source items, including personal papers, fieldwork, photographs and uncatalogued material, conserved and digitised by Wiley.  

To help you get acquainted with the archives, Wiley offers a training hub with videos, tutorials, search tips and frequently asked questions. 

To access the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland archives, visit their website via Flinders ezproxy. 

Image: “Sun Enters Capricornus …, Aries.” Miscellaneous Notes on Religion, Magic, Rites, Customs, Prehistory, Etc. with Particular Reference to India, 22 Dec. 1911. Wiley Digital Archives, http://WDAgo.com/s/e82e4b5c. Accessed 18 May, 2020

The CRC Association's magazine is now 'Collaborate Innovate 2020' and includes a new look.

In Collaborate Innovate 2020, discover Australia’s top CRC achievements. Connect with the world’s top minds as they tell the Association their vision of the future of science research and how linking business with science will play out in the economy and society today and tomorrow.

Research commercialisation, science start-ups and genuine, productive collaboration nationally and overseas will be the cornerstones of Australia’s innovation future.

Read Collaborate Innovate 2020 online.

Nine research fellowships are on offer from the State Library of New South Wales and are designed for applicants who are experienced researchers - either independent or professional - and familiar with using library and archival collections.

The Library's Fellowships are prestigious and aim to support and foster writing, research and study. They provide money, a room and behind-the-scenes access to Library staff. Research topics have ranged from early colonisation of Australia through to investigations of contemporary life.

The Library currently offers the following fellowships:

• Coral Thomas Fellowship: $100,000
• Ross Steele AM Fellowship: $12,000
• Dr A. M. Hertzberg AO Fellowship: $20,000
• David Scott Mitchell Memorial Fellowship: $12,000
• Merewether Scholarship: $12,000
• CH Currey Fellowship: $20,000
• Nancy Keesing AM Fellowship: $20,000
• Australian Religious History Fellowship: $20,000
• Jean Arnot Memorial Fellowship: $1000

For further information please refer to the Fellowship FAQ section or contact Education & Scholarship via phone: 02 9273 1910 or email: scholarship@sl.nsw.gov.au.

Applications close on 17 July 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 3 July 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Sarah Jay, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

The NHMRC-NIHR Collaborative Research Grant scheme (NHMRC-NIHR scheme) supports Australian participation and collaboration in leading international collaborative research through the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme. The HTA Programme funds independent research about the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of healthcare treatments and tests.

Projects involving Australian researchers, based in Australia that are chosen by the NIHR for funding, may be eligible for NHMRC support.

NHMRC is considering supporting Australian researchers for the following NIHR HTA 2020 Round 1 research topics:

• 20/18 Minimally invasive operative intervention for bladder outlet obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia
• 20/19 Nasal decolonisation of MRSA
• 20/20 Imaging in paediatric osteomyelitis
• 20/21 Subcutaneous vs oral methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis
• 20/23 Diagnostic tools to establish the presence and severity of peripheral arterial disease in people with diabetes
• 20/24 Psychological intervention for complex post-traumatic stress disorder
• 20/25 Guided self-help for depression in adults with autism spectrum disorder  
• 20/26 Antifungal Stewardship in Haemato-oncology
• 20/27 Management of ankle fractures in children

Round 1 opportunities for funding will be advertised as a Grant Opportunity on Grant Connect in the third quarter of 2020. Please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health) should you have any queries.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has extended provision of two highly confidential data integration initiatives to allow HDR students as well as junior research officers to access ABS’ Multi-Agency Data Integration Project (MADIP) and Business Longitudinal Analysis Data Environment (BLADE). 

The BLADE combines business tax data and information from ABS surveys over time to provide a better understanding of Australian businesses and the economy.

The MADIP is a partnership among Australian Government agencies to develop a secure and enduring approach for combining information on healthcare, education, government payments, personal income tax, and population demographics (including the Census) to create a comprehensive picture of Australia over time.

More details about both products as well as data access arrangements can be found on the ABS website.

Any further questions about both initiatives and the application procedures can be directed to Dr Pawel Skuza, Statistical Consultant, Flinders Library. For other opportunities of obtaining confidentialised and open data access please refer to the Flinders' Library Statistical tools and services webpage.

Applications are now open for the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s Grants for Gambling Research Program (Round 11). The Foundation awards research grants for areas of study that will build on their knowledge of how gambling affects the Victorian community, inform the advice they provide to government and the strategies and activities they support to address harm.

For this funding round, researchers are invited to submit proposals under the theme, "Gambling in Victoria in 2020 – COVID-19 and beyond".

Applications will be accepted for:

• investigative grants (up to $150,000 over three years)
• mid-career researcher grants (up to $100,000 over two years)
• early career researcher grants (up to $50,000 over 18 months).

For more information about the Foundation’s Grants for Gambling Research Program (Round 11), visit www.tenders.vic.gov.au, tender number VRGF 1-20.

Applications close at 2 pm AEST on Wednesday 24 June 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 10 June 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Sarah Jay, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

Landholders, community groups and researchers can now apply for bushfire recovery grants of up to $50,000 to help re-establish native habitat and support threatened and vulnerable native animals in South Australia.

The first round of the $400,000 Wildlife Recovery Fund is open for applicants to support the recovery of South Australia’s bushfire-affected plants and animals.

Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said that nearly 300,000 hectares of land in South Australia burnt this past summer, including around 90,000 hectares of national park land. "These grants are for landholders, community groups, and other organisations to deliver bushfire recovery projects such as native plant regeneration, feral animal and weed control, as well as projects to support species recovery like monitoring projects," said Minister Speirs.

"Projects that improve scientific knowledge of habitat and native plant and animal bushfire resilience and recovery are also encouraged. The State Government will work with Nature Foundation and the Wildlife and Habitat Recovery Taskforce to ensure sound planning, good science and local advice is used to allocate funds wisely, for the greatest benefits."

Nature Foundation Chair Jan Ferguson OAM said the supportive community response to the Wildlife Recovery Fund following the South Australian bushfires has been incredible. "The Fund has attracted wonderfully generous donations from across Australia and overseas with 100 per cent of donations going towards wildlife and habitat recovery work,” said Ms Ferguson. "Applicants can apply for funds up to $50,000 for activities to support the recovery of plants and animals."

For more information and to apply for a grant visit the Nature Foundation website.

Applications close at 5 pm on 12 June 2020. Successful applicants will be announced in July 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 29 May 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII).

The Wildlife Recovery Fund has raised more than $400,000 so far, and it continues to accept donations. You can donate by visiting the Nature Foundation website.

The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is inviting applications for the second round of research hubs or consortia under the National Environmental Science Program (NESP 2)

The National Environmental Science Program (NESP) is a long-term commitment by the Australian Government to environment and climate research. NESP projects deliver collaborative, practical and applied research to inform decision making and on-ground action through research hubs or consortia.

The program represents a $149 million investment by the Australian Government and will consist of multi-disciplinary research hubs or consortia hosted by Australian research institutions with national capability and be delivered where appropriate through regional nodes. 

NESP 2 in applied environmental science will support decision-makers from across the Australian community, including Indigenous communities, build resilience while achieving positive environmental, social and economic outcomes. NESP 2 will deliver applied scientific knowledge, decision tools and practical management options to support environmental commitments made by all levels of Government and other end-users.

Applications close 30 June 2020 and bids are encouraged from multidisciplinary teams. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Sarah Jay, Research Grants Officer (IGII) as soon as possible.

The opportunity is to apply to be one of four multi-disciplinary research hubs or consortia: 

• ‘Resilient Landscapes’ Hub 
• ‘Marine and Coastal’ Hub
• ‘Sustainable Communities and Waste’ Hub
• ‘Climate Systems’ Hub

Each hub or consortia will demonstrate:

• capacity to harness multi-disciplinary expertise;
• excellence in the management and delivery of national scale applied environmental research programs; and
• deep stakeholder networks with local communities, organisations, government and the private sector. 

Further information is available at the Community Grants hub.

Information about the current NESP can be found on the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment website.

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.