Flinders has recently submitted a Stage 1 proposal for the Cooperative Research Centres 20^th Selection Round. The Marine Bioproducts and Biotechnology CRC is a national and international collaboration to position Australia at the cutting-edge of a high-value new industry, led by Professor Wei Zhang.

The aim is to create new knowledge, technology and a skill-base to enable Australia to realise its potential in the blue bioeconomy by developing new marine bioproducts; creating new technologies for advanced manufacturing of marine bioproducts and ensuring our marine bioresources can be produced sustainably and profitably.

A blue economy is a "sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, livelihoods and jobs, while preserving the health of ecosystems," according to the World Bank.

Australia has a compelling opportunity to become a major global force in the marine bioproducts and biotechnology industry its marine exclusive economic zone is the third largest in the world – over one-tenth of the Earth’s surface.

This territory spans the full range of climatic zones and is home to abundant, diverse and unique organisms. Coupled with these natural resources, Australia is ranked within the top three nations for marine biodiscovery research. However, Australia is underdeveloped relative to the size of its potential in the marine bioproducts and biotechnology industry.

This CRC will bring together 37 national and international industry partners and 8 of Australia’s leading research organisations to fully exploit its competitive advantages in developing a new industry and boost Australia’s economy through regional development.

“The fact that over $54M cash was committed by the Stage 1 submission highlights the strong support the MBB-CRC is getting from industry at creating economic impact for Australia via the marine biotechnology sector,” said Wei.

The Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program aims to improve the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of Australian industries, especially where Australia has a competitive strength, and in line with government priorities.

The Program will foster high quality research to solve industry-identified problems through industry-led and outcome-focused collaborative research partnerships between industry entities and research organisations. The Program aims to encourage and facilitate small and medium enterprise (SME) participation in collaborative research.

Compliant CRC applications are considered in two stages on merit and against all other CRC applications at each stage. At Stage 1 the applicant provides a statement of claims against the selection criteria and a description of the proposed research programs. Successful Stage 1 applicants will be invited to submit a Stage 2 application.

The field of artificial intelligence research poses the question: 'can you have a conversation with a computer? Can we get them to interact with people?’ Flinders and Clevertar have tackled the question on how this thinking can assist in virtual healthcare as well as other sectors.

Research conducted by Professor David Powers, College of Science and Engineering, and his team in the Flinders Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has led to a number of exciting developments in the field of human-computer interaction. This led to a spin-out company, Clevertar.

Identifying potential as an assistive technology for health, Clevertar developed a variety of engaging chronic condition management programs for mental health, chronic pain and heart failure.

Already enjoying market success, these programs can easily be applied in other industries where enterprises can take advantage of Clevertar’s platform to deliver service to their consumers they never thought was possible. The virtual agent can interact with consumers on a personal level, so it feels very human-like. It is an excellent way to deliver consistent customer service and collect data very accurately.

The technology’s ongoing appeal lies in its core concept of addressing a real-life issue: many people have a condition for which they need help but might not want to talk about it to a ‘real’ person and would like to do it from the comfort of their own home.

Clevertar’s technology assists with exactly those needs, by humanising the otherwise impersonal technology experience, with the virtual agents providing a person, who is not a ‘real’ person, for the client to interact with and who assists them in their day-to-day lives.

To read more on this, visit the Research Impact webpages.

Tim Hawke and Matt Francis from Clevertar participated in the Australian Telehealth Conference held in Sydney on 11 and 12 April to showcase the new ability beyond Licensed Coaches that Clevertar can provide to the community in virtual care and other sectors.

The conference focused on the evolving world of virtual care with a focus on design thinking in healthcare. Clevertar was represented as both an exhibitor and a presenter in the session on 'The promise of emerging platforms- and New Assistive Technologies – incorporating into service design'. Clevertar also contributed to the session titled: 'Virtual Care and Telehealth Platforms'.

The presentation, titled 'Relational agents – A better way of engaging consumers' focused specifically on the exciting work that Clevertar is undertaking in chronic condition management; with multiple projects taking place around the country.

In an exciting development, the Clevertar platform is now available for use by enterprises wishing to design their own programs. In their presentation, Matt and Tim discussed how enterprises can leverage the platform to create powerful Relational Agent business applications in hours or days instead of months. This is a big opportunity as the trend for consumer engagement is rising.

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 month, listing current opportunities that you can participate in and book into now. Click on the links below to view the course details.

Publishing and Authorship

Springer Nature Author Symposium at Flinders University, Tuesday, 7 August 2018

Research Funding

Cure Cancer Australian Grants Information Session, Thursday, 9 August 2018

Research Governance and Organisation

University Intellectual Property Basics, Wednesday, 8 August 2018

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods:

IBM SPSS - Intermediate: Multiple Regression, Wednesday, 1 August 2018

IBM SPSS - Intermediate: T-tests and non-parametric equivalents, Wednesday, 8 August 2018

IBM SPSS - Intermediate: Logistic Regression and Survival Analysis, Thursday, 9 August 2018

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) and Engagement and Impact (E&I) has been submitted and signed off. The ARC has indicated that results will be available early next year.

Research Development and Support thanks all staff who have engaged and worked tirelessly on the Flinders submission. We are very grateful for all the time and effort that went into these submissions.

The case studies from E&I will be re-purposed by the Office of Communication, Media and Engagement in the web transformation project to highlight Flinders excellence in research impact.

ERA is Australia’s national research evaluation framework. ERA identifies and promotes excellence across the full spectrum of research activity in Australia’s higher education institutions.

E&I is a measure under the National Innovation and Science Agenda, which was launched by the Australian Government in 2015. E&I will assess the engagement of researchers with end-users, and show how universities are translating their research into economic, social, environmental and other impacts.

The 2018 AMSI-SSA Lecture Tour is coming to Flinders and as part of this tour a Specialist Lecture will also be held. The lecture is proudly presented by AMSI, and SSA in conjunction with Flinders University.

On Thursday 16 August at 1:00 PM in Room 5.29, Tonsley Building, Professor Susan Murphy, Professor of Statistics at Harvard University, will be presenting on Assessing time-varying causal interactions and treatment effects.

Susan A. Murphy is Professor of Statistics, Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University.

Her lab focuses on improving sequential, individualised, decision making in health, in particular on clinical trial design and data analysis to inform the development of personalised just-in-time adaptive interventions in mobile health. Her work is funded by the National Institutes of Health, USA.

Register to attend at eventbrite.

Mobile devices along with wearable sensors facilitate our ability to deliver supportive treatments anytime and anywhere. Indeed mobile interventions are being developed and employed across a variety of health fields, including to support HIV medication adherence, encourage physical activity and healthier eating as well as to support recovery in addictions.

A critical question in the optimisation of mobile health interventions is: “When and in which contexts, is it most useful to deliver treatments to the user?” This question concerns time-varying dynamic moderation by the context (location, stress, time of day, mood, ambient noise, etc.) of the effectiveness of the treatments on user behavior. In this talk we discuss the micro-randomised trial design and associated data analyses for use in assessing moderation.

Susan's lab illustrate this approach with the micro-randomised trial of HeartSteps, a physical activity mobile intervention.

The 2018 AMSI-SSA Lecture Tour is coming to Flinders. On Thursday 16 August at 6:30 PM in Alere Function Centre, Professor Susan Murphy, Professor of Statistics at Harvard University, will be presenting on Optimising mobile health interventions.

Susan A. Murphy is Professor of Statistics, Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University.

Her lab focuses on improving sequential, individualised, decision making in health, in particular on clinical trial design and data analysis to inform the development of personalised just-in-time adaptive interventions in mobile health. Her work is funded by the National Institutes of Health, USA.

Register to attend at AMSI.org.au.

Mobile devices along with wearable sensors allow us to deliver supportive treatments, anytime and anywhere. Mobile interventions are transforming treatments and preventative health management, including support for HIV medication adherence, assisting recovery in addictions and encouraging physical activity and healthy eating.

The question remains "When and in which contexts, is it most useful to deliver treatments to the user?" Using data, we can determine if key factors such as location, stress, time of day, mood, ambient noise and so on, impact when and where these treatments are most useful.

This talk concerns a new clinical trial design: the micro-randomised trial and associated data analytics for use in addressing this question. The talk will use multiple mobile health studies including the study, HeartSteps – a physical activity mobile intervention, to illustrate the ideas.

The Next Generation Technologies Fund is seeking submissions from academia and eligible research agencies to contribute to the development of cyber technologies for Defence.

Cyber is a priority under the Next Gen Tech Fund and Defence wants to realise the potentially game-changing cyber capabilities offered by research and development in Australia.

The closing date for submissions is 4:30pm AEDT, 6 August 2018. For advice and assistance in applying, please contact Tony Kyriacou, Defence Partnerships Director, Research Development and Support.

Through partnerships with Data61 and academia, Defence aims to understand the potential of cyber technologies, create prototype systems, and demonstrate the practical application of systems to Defence problems within a three to five year timeframe.

Submissions are invited for projects in the areas of:

• system design for resilience
• cyber influence and data analytics
• autonomous systems
• sensing to effects.

In order to be considered, all proposals must be accompanied by a completed covering sheet, in the template provided on the DST website. Funding is available for 12 months with the potential for successful projects to be funded further.

For more information and to lodge a submission see the Defence, Science and Technology website.

Early career researchers or postgraduate students interested in publishing their conference presentations are invited to submit to a conference themed issue of Flinders University’s academic journal FULGOR (Flinders University Languages Group Online Review).

FULGOR, a freely accessible, fully refereed international e-journal, is publishing a special issue of academic papers under the conference theme "Intercultural Aspects of Translation, Interpreting and Communication" edited by AUSIT and Flinders University guest editors.

Anyone interested in the opportunity is asked to email their name, title of paper and abstract to tets.kimura@flinders.edu.au as soon as they have submitted their abstract to the AUSIT site – by no later than 6 August 2018.

Postgraduate students who have shown their interest in publication will automatically be considered for the Postgraduate Conference Award, and will be asked to submit a full paper (no longer than 5,000 words) in English by 15 October 2018 if selected for the 2018 AUSIT National Conference. Successful students will be presented with the $500 award at the conference dinner. Papers will be assessed on their degree of originality, coherence and sophistication of argument and analysis, and whether they merit publication in FULGOR.

The deadline for submission of finalised articles for everyone who would like to pursue this publication opportunity with FULGOR is 31 January 2019.

Submitted articles will go through a double-blind peer review process and the special edition is scheduled to be published in mid-2019.

The guidelines and sample references for FULGOR can be found here and here.

If you have any queries, please email tets.kimura@flinders.edu.au

More information about submissions can be found here.

Postgraduate award information can be found here.

The Embassy of France in Canberra and the permanent Secretariat for the Pacific, have opened a call for projects susceptible to be funded by the "Fund for economic, social and cultural cooperation for the Pacific", or "Fonds Pacifique".

The selected projects will contribute to the regional insertion of the French communities: New Caledonia, French Polynesia and islands Wallis and Futuna.

Projects submitted for this call by Australian partners shall be submitted to the Embassy of France in Australia, by 2 September, 2018 (12 am Canberra time). The internal Flinders closing date is 17 August 2018. For application advice and assistance, please contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII).

To be eligible, the selected projects will have to fit in one of the following fields:

• Project allowing the French communities to be associated with the fight against climate change and with the risk prevention of disasters. Projects contributing to the respect for the obligations of States as well as to the implementation of the decisions which were taken in the COP 21 as well as of those who will be during the COP 22 will be particularly appreciated.
• Economic and industrial project (studies of feasibility, impact, training initiatives…)
• Sanitary safety or Food safety project (fight against the endemic diseases (non-contagious or transmitted by infectious vectors, management of halieutic resources, actions with great potential of economic development and increase of the regional exchanges).

Beyond these themes, preference will be given to the projects underlining communication efforts, measure of efficiency, follow-up by indicators and outcomes in mid and long terms.

The projects must be co-financed at least at 50% of the total amount of the eligible expenses.

The Pacific Fund is meant to initiate projects and not to support the development of a project through time. If is anticipated that the project might lead to a potential re-application later on, this has to be mentioned from the start.

The projects submitted by Australian partners have to be sent by email to science.canberra-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr, and their description must be drafted in French – for Australian partners

To apply, you must fill in and submit the project form and the provisional budget. For any request, thank you for contacting us at: science.canberra-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr

The Medical Device Research Institute is hosting a Guest Seminar with Professor Robin Daly, Chair in Exercise and Ageing within the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University, Melbourne.

The seminar, Exercise: An essential medicine to prevent frail bones, falls and fractures, will be held on Tuesday 14 August from 10 AM in Lecture Theatre 2, Flinders at Tonsley. Please rsvp for the seminar to Debbie Cocks.

The expression "exercise is medicine" has become a catchphrase used by clinicians, health professionals and others to motivate people to become more active to prevent and manage common chronic diseases. Despite overwhelming evidence to support the general health benefits of regular exercise, not all forms are equally effective when it comes to osteoporosis, falls and fracture prevention.

This presentation will provide an overview of the latest research to support the optimal exercise prescription to improve musculoskeletal health and function, and reduce the risk of falls and fractures. New research highlighting the use of innovative mobile health technology as an approach to remotely deliver and monitor evidence-based exercise programs to older people will also be presented.

Professor Robin Daly conducts clinical and translational research that focuses on the integration of exercise and nutritional approaches to prevent and manage common chronic diseases, particularly musculoskeletal conditions, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and cognitive related disorders. He also has a specific interest in the role of mobile health applications as an approach to remotely deliver evidence-based exercise and behavioural change programs.

Robin has contributed to national and international clinical guidelines in the area of exercise, calcium, vitamin D and protein for osteoporosis and sarcopenia, and is passionate about educating physicians and medical students about exercise as an essential form of medicine.

Robin is a council member of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS), President-elect of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research (ANZSSFR), a member of the medical and scientific committee of Osteoporosis Australia and a Fellow of Sports Medicine Australia.

The South Australian Academic Health Science and Translation Centre (The SA Centre) is inviting applications for Rapid Applied Research Translation for Health Impact Grants through a funding allocation from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). This specific MRFF Funding is distinct from other MRFF funding streams and is available only via the SA Centre.

The closing date is 27 August 2018 – 5pm ACST. The Flinders internal closing date is 13 August 2018. For application advice and information, please contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Funded projects will:

• improve patient experience by enhancing care pathways and service connections;
• reduce unwarranted variation in healthcare and patient outcomes;
• improve the health of certain at-risk groups in Australia, such as Indigenous Australians; and/or
• concentrate on areas of direct patient benefit, quality, safety and health system performance, through collaborative research.

The funding scheme aims to provide financial support through a package of up to $200,000 for a 12-month period to researchers based in South Australia and employed by a South Australian Academic Health Science and Translation partner organisation.

Please refer to the funding guidelines regarding priority research areas and eligibility relating to this funding opportunity.

The South Australian Academic Health Science and Translation Centre (the SA Centre) is one of seven NHMRC accredited Advanced Health Research and Translation Centres and two Centres for Innovation in Regional Health that are working to drive health system reform and to improve the research translation environment across Australia. These nine Centres come together through the Australian Health Research Alliance. All members of the Alliance will be distributing MRFF funds to Rapid Applied Research Translation Projects.

Working with our 10 key partners, (SA Health, University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Flinders University, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide Primary Health Network, Country SA Primary Health Network, Aboriginal Health Council of SA, Cancer Council SA and Health Consumer Alliance of SA), the South Australian Academic Health Science and Translation Centre aims to continuously enhance the rate of translation of research into healthcare to create a self-improving and high-quality health system, which is also sustainable.

This funding opportunity is presented in the context of the Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2016 -2021 and Medical Research and Innovation Priorities 2016-2018, as part of the Medical Research Future Fund.

This funding is to be used in the 2019 calendar year.

The 2018 National Eating Disorders and Obesity Conference Program has officially been launched. The conference will be held on 27-28 November 2018 at the Twin Towns Services Club, NSW.

Registration for the 2018 National Eating Disorders and Obesity Conference is now open. Early bird discounts close on 17 August so register now to save up to $200.

Information on the speakers, program and more are available at the conference website.

The 2018 CSL Florey Next Generation Award will be conferred to a current PhD candidate who has demonstrated outstanding capability, creativity and potential in the biomedical sciences and/or health and medical research.

As well as the award trophy, the award currently carries a prize of $20,000 thanks to the generous support of CSL Limited. For advice and application assistance, contact Dani Milos, Office of Graduate Research.

Two runner-up prizes of $2,500 will also be awarded.

Information on Selection and Eligibility Criteria and how to apply can be found at the Australian Institute of Policy and Science website.

Nominations will open on the 16 July 2018 and close at 11:59 PM (AEST) on 14 September 2018.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Nominations will only be accepted via the online form.
• Nominations are to be completed by the nominating institution, not the nominee
• Nominations should be made in the name of the Institute Director or Dean of Medicine (or equivalent)

The Westpac Social Change Fellowship supports the development of people from any sector with the drive to create better lives for all Australians. 10 Fellowships of up to $50,000 will be awarded to individuals who have the vision and commitment to deliver an initiative that will improve the wellbeing of Australians.

Nominations for the Fellowship close on 20 August 2018. The Flinders internal closing date is 6 August 2018. For advice and support, please contact Marina Delpin, Research Development and Support.

The Fellowship is designed to give recipients time and space to develop the skills, knowledge and networks needed to accelerate their growth as a social innovator. This may involve travel study tours, work experience, research or building stronger connections that will directly enhance their ability to lead positive social change.

The Westpac Social Change Fellowship webinar, recorded on Wednesday 26 July, 2017, is available for viewing. On 13 August 2018 the 2018 Information webinar will be held at 3 PM AEST. Register here for the 2018 webinar. Visit the Westpac Bicentennial Foundation website for more information.

The Strategic Policy Grants Program (SPGP) from the Defence Strategic Policy and Intelligence Group, Department of Defence, has now opened.

The SPGP aims to deliver outcomes that support Defence policy objectives to increase the strategic policy workforce’s capability to deliver high quality policy advice to Defence and the Australian Government.

Specifically, these outcomes are intended to increase the amount and quality of discourse, debate and research on Defence strategic policy issues, as well as to deliver more professional development opportunities to Defence’s strategic policy workforce.

Preference will be given to applications proposing activities that support the topics of priority interest below.

• Plausible futures regarding the shifting dynamics between small, middle and great powers in the Indo-Pacific, and options for Australia to influence and shape them.
• Deterrence and counter-coercion across domains in the Indio-Pacific region. 
• Challenges and opportunities posed by disruptive and converging technologies to the structure and operations of the current and future Australian Defence Force.
  
• The future of major powers: strategic implications of the future of United States’ power; China’s strategic interests and priorities; India’s and Japan’s positions; and Australia’s opportunity for strengthening the Alliance and regional partnerships.
  
• The nature and implications of increased competition in the Pacific, Indian and/or Southern Oceans and Antarctica.
  
• Climate change impacts on national security and their implications for defence planning in Australia and in the Indo-Pacific region.
  
• Whole-of-government coordination, national and military mobilisation and Defence’s role in building whole-of-nation resilience.
  
• Opportunities and activities for professional development of Defence’s strategic policy workforce to support acquisition of knowledge and skills for shaping strategic thinking, development of policy and strategy, and communicating with influence.
  

The closing date for the SPGP is 17 August 2018. The internal Flinders closing date is 3 August 2018. For application advice and assistance, please contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII) or Tony Kyriacou, Defence Partnerships Director.

More information, including the guidelines and application form are available at the Department of Defence website.

The Central Library is holding a workshop on A systematic approach to literature searching - Health, Medicine and Psychology domains on Monday 30 July from 10 AM. The workshop will be held in Rm 163, Computer Lab 3, Central Library.

The systematic search is the foundation of a good review. The methodology of systematic searching can be used by researchers in any discipline to minimise bias in  their literature searching.

At the heart of this methodology is a comprehensive, sensitive search to uncover as much of the existing body of research on a topic as possible. This workshop will present a reliable and reproducible method for planning, conducting, and documenting a systematic search.

Academics, researchers and HDR students conducting systematic reviews, projects or dissertation literature searching are encouraged to attend. To enrol in the workshop, please visit ienrol.

The Global Research Perspectives Program (GRPP) is CPA Australia's annual research grant program. Its aim is to encourage and support research worldwide that is relevant and of interest to their membership, the profession, the global business community, governments, regulators, and international accounting and finance peak bodies.

GRPP Stage One Expression of Interest (EOI) applications close on 31 July each year.

Research grants are available for individual researchers, as well as institutions and consultancies. CPA Australia is particularly interested in projects which involve collaboration between academic researchers and individuals or organisations outside the higher education research sector.

Proposals which seek to address these topics will be given priority consideration. The topics are:

• Accounting and Finance Education
• Reporting
• Audit and Assurance
• Environmental, Social and Governance Criteria
• Ethics and Professional Standards
• Business Issues
• Taxation
• Financial Planning and Wealth Management
  

For more details on how to apply and the topic areas, visit the CPA Australia website.

AINSE Limited is offering top-up Residential Postgraduate Scholarships to high quality students who are enrolled in a PhD at an AINSE Member University.

The annual package is a $7,500 stipend per annum, and up to $5,000 travel and accommodation allowance per annum. Expressions of interest close 5 PM (AEST) Tuesday 31 July 2018.

Who should submit an expression of interest?

First year PhD students holding a RTP or equivalent peer reviewed scholarship AND Students whose PhD project topic closely aligns with any of the strategic focus areas for ANSTO’s research programmes:

• The Environment
• Human Health
• Nuclear Fuel Cycle

In addition, opportunities exist for postgraduate students interested in contracted research and industrial engagement projects in the defence industry area.

Opportunities may also exist for postgraduate students interested in fusion research that aligns with ANSTO and ITER activities following the signing of the cooperation agreement. Students who are available to spend a significant period of time at an ANSTO facility (at Lucas heights, Camperdown and/or Clayton) for six months or more per year (can be a block or time or separate visitation) are also encouraged to apply.

Please read the RSS Conditions and ANSTO Research Capabilities & Facilities Guide (available on the AINSE website) for detailed information before submitting your expression of interest. Please Note: Current AINSE PGRA students awarded this scholarship would relinquish the AINSE PGRA.

Please visit the AINSE website for more information.

To apply, email ainse@ainse.edu.au with the email title: RSS Verification. The contents of the email should contain a one page (A4) only abstract outlining:

• the details of the research, and
• the ANSTO staff member involved

Successful students will be invited to submit a more detailed online application.