The 2019 grant round for the Worldwide Cancer Foundation is now open for registration and application preparation.

Applications can be submitted between Thursday 4 April 00.01hrs (UK Local Time) and Friday 3 May 2019 17:00hrs (UK Local Time). Please note, the Foundation will only accept the first 500 applications submitted in the grant round.

The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is as soon as possible. For application advice and assistance, please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The Foundation's goal is to support research that seeks to answer the difficult questions in cancer biology.  They are looking for innovative and truly novel ideas that have the potential to revolutionise our understanding of cancer and how to beat it. They award grants to support fundamental or translational research into the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer.

The Foundation does not support clinical research, including clinical trials, patient care, nursing or healthcare delivery research. We also do not support other types of applied cancer research such as policy, public health or psychosocial research.

For more information, on how to register, what to consider before applying, and their research strategy, visit the Worldwide Cancer Foundation website.

ienrol research lists all training and development opportunities related to developing skills core to the research process and doing research at Flinders University. You can book to attend workshops, information sessions, and/or seminars that aim to facilitate the ongoing development of all researchers.

This regular posting in Inspiring Research will update you as to what’s on offer in the coming weeks, listing current opportunities that you can participate in and book into now.

Click on the links below to view the course details.

Drop-In Sessions: ARC grants, Tuesday, 9 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Social and Behavioural Research Ethics, Wednesday, 10 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday, 10 April 2019

IBM SPSS - Intermediate: Logistic Regression and Survival Analysis, Thursday, 11 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Industry, Government, International and Internal, Tuesday, 16 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: ARC grants, Wednesday, 17 April 2019

A systematic approach to literature searching (non-health), Wednesday, 17 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Social and Behavioural Research Ethics, Thursday, 18 April 2019

Keeping up to date - current methodology for setting up and managing alerts and digital notifications, Thursday, 18 April 2019

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

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)/Universities Australia agreement allows researchers from our university to apply for access to various confidentialised datasets.

Over the last few months, new datasets have been released by the ABS. A sample of these are listed below.

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

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 ACLD from the 2006 Census (Wave 1), 2011 Census (Wave 2) and 2016 Census (Wave 3).

The dataset is available at the ABS website.

Multi-Agency Data Integration Project 

The Multi-Agency Data Integration Project (MADIP) 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.

The dataset is available at the ABS website.

Furthermore, a number of other microdata products are now also available:

• Education and Work, May 2018
• Personal Safety, Australia, 2016 
• Census of Motor Vehicles, Australia, 2018
• Census of Population and Housing: Estimating Homelessness, 2016 
• Characteristics of Employment, Australia, August 2018
• Business Characteristics, Australia, 2011-12 to 2015-16
• Jobs in Australia, 2011-12 to 2015-16

The full list of all datasets available can be found at the ABS website.

Wiley has organised a special event, the Wiley UniDay, to address the challenges ECRs face in getting research published and increase the chances of getting published. 

This 2-hour event, to be held on 16 April 2019, will bring together editors of prominent journals, publishing experts and research publishing professionals.

Together, the speakers will provide valuable insight from their different perspectives in the world of research publishing and give you the information they wish they had known as an Early Career Researcher. 

Where: The University of Adelaide, Napier Building, Lecture Theatre 102, 259 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000

From: 10.00 am - 12.00 pm on 16 April 2019.

Visit https://secure.wiley.com/Adelaide_Uniday for updates on program, speakers and venue and to reserve your place.

The session will be recorded and made available for viewing after the event. Researchers who sign up for the event through the event website will receive the post event email including slide decks and the event recording.

The Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer (FCIC) are hosting a seminar on Writing Cancer Australia Priority Driven Collaborative Research Grants: Experiences and Insights.

The seminar will be held in the Ground Floor Function Room, FCIC on Monday 8 April 2019 from 10.30 am to 11.30 am. 

Presenting at the seminar will be Professor Lisa Butler, Cancer Council SA Beat Cancer Principal Research Fellow, and Prostate Cancer Research Group Leader for the University of Adelaide and SAHMRI.

Morning tea will be provided from 10.15 am.

All are welcome. For further information, contact Rebecca Keough, FCIC, or Suzanne Atkins, Senior Research Support Officer, College of Medicine and Public Health.

The Genomics Health Futures Mission (GHFM) is the centrepiece of the Australian Government’s $1.3 billion National Health and Medical Industry Growth Plan that was announced in May 2018.

Funded through the Medical Research Future Fund, the Genomics Health Futures Mission (GHFM) will engage with communities to help save or transform the lives of more than 200,000 Australians through research into better testing, diagnosis and treatment. 

The external closing date for applications is 31 May 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 17 May 2019 for final completed draft applications. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

This Project Grants Opportunity combines the first rounds of the Projects Grant and Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Grant streams and will provide up to $33.7 million over three years to fund innovative and creative genomics research projects in the following research areas:

• Cancers (including lung cancer and mesothelioma) and diseases with high mortality and low survivability
• Paediatric acute care genomic research for critically ill children
• Ethical, legal and social issues related to genomics in health care.

The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are to:

• expand genomics research effort and reach, allowing researchers and commercial partners to sustain efforts in discovery, build evidence for scaling applications, and build new markets, and
• encourage research that prioritises health system and commercial needs, projects that can demonstrate validation of research questions by end-users will be favoured.

The Australian Government has announced a total of $156 million over nine years for the Projects Grant stream. There is $30 million available over three years for this round.

The project grants stream include:

• Up to $15 million over three years for cancers (including lung cancer and mesothelioma) and diseases with high mortality and low survivability rate research projects (min $0.5 million; max $5 million)
• Up to $15 million over three years for paediatric acute care genomic research for critically ill children projects (min $0.5 million; max $5 million)

A total of $17.6 million over nine years is available for the Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Research Grant stream. There is $3.7 million available over three years for this round, including up to $3.7 million over three years (min $0.1 million; max $0.5 million).

The maximum project period is three years for both streams.

For further information, including the guidelines and application form, visit business.gov.au.

The Beat Cancer Project is a South Australian state-wide initiative intended to support and advance cancer research within the state.

Support is available to offset the costs of travel and accommodation for early-career South Australian Cancer Researchers (PhD and Masters research students, and other early-career researchers, no more than 5 years post-doctoral) who have been invited to present their work at a national or international scientific meeting, or who can show that attendance at such meetings would have a direct positive impact on their career.

The scheme is also available to early-career researchers to fund travel costs to undertake short-term study/exchange at a national or international location.

Funding is available for up to $5,000 per applicant to support short-term exchange arrangements; up to $2,500 per applicant to support conference attendance and travel.

The closing date is 6 May 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 23 April 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grant Officer (NHMRC and Health).

For more information, visit the Beat Cancer Project website.

Beat Cancer Project is funded by Cancer Council SA and the SA Government (through SA Health) and administered by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

The Defence Health Foundation invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) from researchers for medical research grants available from the beginning of 2020. 

The objective of the research must be to benefit the health and wellbeing of serving or ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force or their immediate families.

The closing date for EOI's is Friday 3 May 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 19 April 2019 for a completed final draft of the EOI. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Priority research areas are in the clinical and translational area. No funding will be made available for laboratory based (basic science) research.

Broadly the research priorities are for medical research that focuses on:

• Women’s Health for contemporary serving and ex-serving ADF members
• Impacts of ADF service on Partners and Family Members
• Issues effecting Ageing Veterans 
• Management of Chronic Pain
• Mental health issues for ADF Members and Veterans

For more information, visit the Defence Health Foundation website.

The Judith Jane Mason & Harold Stannet Williams Memorial Foundation (‘the Mason Foundation’) is a charitable trust that supports medical and scientific research on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

The 2019 Mason Foundation ME/CFS targeted project grant round (including establishment of a biobank and/or patient registry) is now open and will close on Tuesday, 30 April 2019.

The Flinders internal closing date is 16 April 2019. For advice and information, please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The goal of The Mason Foundation is to achieve enduring, positive impact in the areas of ME/CFS through funding medical research principally into the causes, prevention and/or management of this disease. To deliver on its goal into the future, The Mason Foundation has identified the need to enhance its current ME/CFS grants program.

To deliver on this goal into the future, the Mason Foundation believes it is necessary to build the capacity and scale of the ME/CFS research sector in Australia.  Supporting the establishment and operation of an ME/CFS biobank and/or patient registry has been identified, through a process of significant stakeholder engagement, as a key means of achieving this aim.

As such, the Foundation is requesting expressions of interests (EOI) for a project with the following two characteristics:

• a hypothesis-driven research project that requires patient data and/or biospecimens for its conduct; and
• establishment of a biobank and patient registry that would support the research project with biospecimens and data that are openly accessible to other researchers.

Please refer to the Equity Trustees website for more information on the grant program.

Australian Rotary Health is calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for its Mental Health Research Grants.

Projects must focus on the mental health of young Australians (aged 0 – 25 years) and be conducted within Australia at a recognised university, hospital or research institute.

Research grants are valued at up to $70,000 per annum + GST for 1, 2, or 3 years, and are available to Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, and New Zealand citizens.

The closing date for EOIs is Friday 31 May 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 17 May 2019 for a final draft application. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Further information is available at the Australian Rotary Health website.

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are now open and accepting nominations to reward excellence in Australian science.

The spectrum of prizes cover a broad range of scientific disciplines and aim to recognise the work of scientists and researchers at all career stages.

Over the years a number of Flinders' researchers have received these awards in recognition of their brilliant achievements that make a difference - including members of the Colvera Team (2017), members of the TEPO Team (2016) and Dr Philip Dinning (2011). 

The 2019 program comprises of 18 prizes across the areas of research & innovation, leadership science engagement, and also school science. Entries close on Friday 3 May 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 19 April 2019 for a completed final draft application. For assistance in preparing the nominations/applications, please contact Dr Marina Delpin.

The Prizes are the country’s most comprehensive national science awards, celebrating excellence in research & innovation, leadership, science engagement and school science. Entrants can enter themselves or be nominated, with prizes available for both individuals and teams. It’s free to enter, and in 2019 there is a prize pool of $170,000 on offer.

The 2019 Al & Val Rosenstrauss Fellowship from the Rebecca L Cooper Medical Research Foundation is targeted at early-career researchers (3-10 years post-doctoral) who show potential to be stars of the future and who are building credentials for a long career in research.

The fellowship provides funding of $100,000 per year (excluding GST) for a period of four years, towards salary costs of the recipient.

The closing date for the fellowship is 5pm AEST 30 April 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 16 April 2019 for a completed final draft application. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

For more information, visit the Rebecca L Cooper Medical Research Foundation website.

Professor Joanne Tompkins, Executive Director Humanities and Creative Arts (HCA), Australian Research Council, hosted a forum for HCA researchers and assessors in South Australia on 1 March 2019.

Following is a report detailing key points made by Professor Tompkins.

HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences)

There is an opportunity for HASS to submit more applications including Linkage Project applications. While the HCA have a different economic model to STEM research areas, the success rate of proposals received from HASS and STEM are very consistent. Whilst more applications were encouraged, it was with the caveat that applications need to be of good quality or it may cause reputational damage – to the researcher, the university and the discipline.

With regard to the Linkage Project scheme, success is not all based on Partner Organisation cash contributions. A good project that solves a problem for your partner organisation is required. Applicants need to explain in the narrative the reason for the lack of cash and the importance of the addressing problem of the organisation(s).

HCA researchers also need to think strategically about how they describe their discipline(s) and present a more united collaborative front.

What Assessors seek

ARC Assessors could be experts or non-experts in your discipline, and therefore seek and need a compelling project description. The project needs to:

• be significant,
• be ground breaking,
• be needed now,
• have sound methodology,
• provide strong performance evidence, closely aligned with the project (e.g. why is each member critical for the project and exactly how will they contribute to the project),
• have a robust budget properly justified (e.g. why is each item required), and
• demonstrate value for money.

Importantly, address the questions outlined in the Instructions to Applicants – make it easy for the assessors to score your project well.

Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE)

This is an important part of the application as it provides a context for the application and can assist to explain what has impacted on a researcher’s research performance. It is also the place that HASS researchers can describe the creative spheres that showcase the importance of their research. Keep descriptions of any career interruptions brief.

Interdisciplinary research projects (typically across two ARC panels) are supported but ensure that members of the project team represent each discipline so that the project can be articulated for, and understood by, both disciplines. The research and/or outcomes must be highly innovative to both panels.

National Interest Test

The National Interest Test Statement in an application needs to be clear, logical and realistic. The Minister receives the application title, application summary, National Interest Test Statement, the names of lead Chief Investigator and Administering Organisation, and recommended budget.

Call out to people to become Assessors

Assessors can be selected from people who are yet to have won ARC funding. This is a great way to understand the ARC assessment processes and to see what makes a great application. For further information, please visit the ARC website.

ARC College of Experts

If you are interested in being nominated for appointment to the ARC College of Experts, please contact Maya Roberts on 8201 7698 in the first instance. For further information, please visit the ARC website.

Further information

The ARC website contains useful information about funded research projects. Visit:

• ARC Grants Search – searchable database of ARC funded grants
• Grant Outcomes – selection reports by scheme

The RDS ARC team can provide support, guidance and advice. Email arc@flinders.edu.au to contact the team:

• Maya Roberts, Senior Research Grants Officer (ARC)
• Dr Melissa Gregory, Research Grants Officer (ARC)
• Dr Michele Lang, Research Grants Officer (ARC)

The RDS ARC team also hold regular drop-in sessions. Register at ienrol to attend a session.

Flinders Researcher Training and Development

‘Grants Evolution – category 1’ a program consisting of a series of one and half hour action-learning workshops will be run from April to October 2019 with the aim to get you ‘grant ready.’ These skills development workshops are presented in an order that will enable consideration, planning and action of your funding options, through to the development of your application and commencing your project.

You can access stand-alone workshops or participate in the entire series.

Details of this series can be accessed via the Research Training and Development Page.

To participate, please enrol through ienrol-Research.

Specific ARC workshops include:

Planning your ARC Grant - timelines and strategies, Tuesday, 7th May 2019

ARC DECRA & Future Fellowship application process & considerations, Wednesday, 8th May 2019

ARC Discovery Project application process and considerations, Thursday, 9th May 2019

ARC Linkage Project application process and considerations, Friday, 10th May 2019

Grants budgets - ARC, Thursday, 15th August 2019

How to write your ROPE - ARC & NHMRC, Tuesday, 20th August 2019

Writing the front page of your ARC grant application, Wednesday, 11th September 2019

ienrol research lists all training and development opportunities related to developing skills core to the research process and doing research at Flinders University. You can book to attend workshops, information sessions, and/or seminars that aim to facilitate the ongoing development of all researchers.

This regular posting in Inspiring Research will update you as to what’s on offer in the coming weeks, listing current opportunities that you can participate in and book into now.

Click on the links below to view the course details.

Drop-In Sessions: ARC grants, Monday, 1 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Industry, Government, International & Internal grants, Tuesday, 2 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday, 3 April 2019

Biosafety Training, Thursday, 4 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Social and Behavioural Research Ethics, Friday, 5 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: ARC grants, Tuesday, 9 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: Social and Behavioural Research Ethics, Wednesday, 10 April 2019

Drop-In Sessions: NHMRC and Health grants, Wednesday, 10 April 2019

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

Registrations are underway for the first South Australian networking event of 2019 for AusBiotech, SA BioCheers to be held at SAHMRI on Thursday 11 April 2019.

Hosted by Adelaide BioMed City and sponsored by Flinders University, BioCheers is an opportunity to share ideas and build relationships in South Australia's vibrant biotechnology community.

Come along to meet new people and potential partners, and to catch up with old friends and colleagues. The evening also gives you the chance to meet your South Australia-based AusBiotech Committee. 

Drinks and appetisers will be provided at the event.

Registration from 5 pm with a networking event from 5.30 pm - 7.30 pm.

Register at the AusBiotech website.

The 2020 Diabetes Australia Research Program Grant Round is now open for applications and will close Friday, 3 May 2019.

The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft is 19 April 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Diabetes Australia Research Program grants are available to researchers concerned with the promotion of health care, education and / or medical research in the area of diabetes.

Application guidelines, the application form and questions and answers document are available at the Diabetes Australia website.

Share your research, projects or experience with an audience passionate about making a difference to rural and remote mental health.

The Australian Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium currently has availabilities for oral, poster, workshop, and 90-minute panel presenters.

The Symposium will be held in Adelaide from 28 - 30 October 2019. Abstracts close 28 June 2019.

Topics for 2019 include:

• Suicide and Self Harm Prevention
• Child and Youth Mental Health
• Mental Health Policy
• Supporting Rural and (Very) Remote Mental Health Workers
• Digital Health
• Community Effectiveness and Involvement 
• Low Intensity Mental Health Programs 
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse, Aging Population, Farmers 
• Mental Health, AOD and Health Considerations
• Service Design and Access 
• Cultural Considerations 
• Open Topic 

More information, including on how to apply, details on presenter requirements and important dates, is available at the Australian Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium website.

The Ian Potter Foundation is accepting Expressions of Interest (EOI) in the areas of Community Wellbeing, Education, Environment and Conservation, and Science. Grant Applications in the area of Medical Research are also currently open.

The Medical Research grants support the provision of equipment and capital infrastructure to support outstanding medical research groups.

The Community Wellbeing program supports organisations delivering early intervention programs in the community such as:

• transitioning from detention under the justice system;
• reducing long-term unemployment with a focus on youth; and
• assisting families at risk of, or experiencing, family violence to improve financial skills and maintain suitable, safe accommodation.

The Education program supports:

• innovative programs delivered to young children (ages 0–8) that aim to improve school readiness (as measured by the AEDC) and/or foster parental engagement in their children's learning
• the development of evidence and shared measurement tools for the early childhood sector.

The Environment and Conservation program considers large grants (over $100,000) within two themes:

• fostering biodiversity
• water and/or land management.

The Science program support high quality scientific research programs led by post-doc researchers with preference for research relating to the fields of environmental science and renewable energy.

The closing date for EOIs is 17 April 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 3 April 2019 for a completed final draft application. For application advice and support on EOIs, contact Rupali Saikia, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

The closing date for Medical Research grants is 4 June 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 21 May 2019 for a complete final draft application. For application advice and support on Medical Research grants, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The Ian Potter Foundation rarely awards the full amount of any project. Applicants are encouraged to ensure that they have alternative providers of funding available, and that the application clearly considers any possible grant from the Foundation in this context. 

The Arts program EOIs will open 4 November 2019.

For more information, visit the Ian Potter Foundation website for hints and tips, FAQs, and how to apply.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) Investigator Initiated Research Scheme (IIRS) is now open. 

The scheme is an amalgamation of the numerous grant schemes previously offered by the NBCF (i.e. pilot studies, innovator, infrastructure, accelerator and career fellowships).

The IIRS will support the salary (if requested) and research costs (or portions thereof) of outstanding investigators with a vision to expand the scale and scope of breast cancer research in Australia.

The application deadline for IIRS is 5pm AEST Monday 3 June 2019. The Flinders internal closing date is 20 May 2019. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The application guidelines and appendix are available on the NBCF website.

Tony Roche and Gino Erispe, from Emerald Publishing, will be delivering a presentation to Higher Degree Research Students and Flinders Staff on the future of scholarly publishing.

The session will be held in North Lecture Theatre 2, Humanities Building from 11.30 am - 2 pm on Tuesday 26 March 2019.

After the presentation there will be a session where students and staff can pitch their book ideas to Tony and Gino.

Register to attend at the Flinders event page.