A Policy Redesign Project is currently underway to simplify and streamline Flinders’ policy set to be more principles-based and less prescriptive and procedural in nature. As part of this process and following consultation, the Research Institutes and Centres Policy has been revised to adopt the principles-based format of the new policy framework, and to make key changes to the establishment and continuation of Research Institutes and Centres.

Professor Robert Saint, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) thanks staff for their input to the development of the Research Institutes and Centres Policy and Procedures. These documents are now available on the policy website at: Policy and Procedures.

Please forward this information to relevant staff in your area.

Key changes from the existing policy to the revised policy and procedures are as follows:

In addition, each policy outlines the relationship to research themes and research sections.

Murray River, Calperum Station - photo by Amy Roberts

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has recently announced some of the successful 2017 Linkage grants. Dr Michael Morrison and Associate Professor Amy Roberts, both from the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, have each been awarded a Linkage project. Two projects were submitted by the Flinders’ discipline of Archaeology and both were successful.

“These applications emerge from the long term collaborative relationships that the researchers have with the Aboriginal communities with whom they are working. The quality of the grants was ensured by disciplinary workshops, which meant that each application had rigorous peer review before being submitted,” said Professor Claire Smith, Dean (Research), College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. This model has been robust, consistently delivering success.

Michael’s and Dr Darlene McNaughton’s, College of Medicine and Public Health, project Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula will be covered in an upcoming article.

Associate Professor Amy Roberts, Dr Michael Morrison, Associate Professor Heather Burke, and Dr Ian Moffat were awarded $157,290 for their project Interrogating the Riverland's colonial frontier.

This project aims to deliver the first comprehensive study of the colonial frontier in South Australia’s Riverland, a region that was the scene of nationally significant colonial endeavours coupled with violence towards Aboriginal people.

Previous studies have focused on discrete events from the historical record. Instead, Amy and her team will use a multi-layered strategy to explore this past and present. By coalescing archaeological, anthropological and oral history evidence, meaningful narratives for and with Aboriginal descendants will be generated. These insights should substantially contribute to understandings about the colonial frontier in Australia and globally.

The partner organisations involved in the project are the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, and the Australian Landscape Trust.

“This project represents the first cohesive opportunity for community members to be involved in research that is being done with them in a post native title setting. Now that the community’s rights and interests have been recognised by the Federal Court our community members are looking forward to the range of capacity building projects that can set the path for our future,” said the chairperson of the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, Ms Christine Abdulla.

“We want the experiences of our ancestors who lived on the colonial frontier to no longer be hidden. This project will allow us to not only learn more about our past but will also afford us the opportunity to educate the general public about the effects of colonisation.”

Changes have been made to the Linkages round, with the ARC moving to a continuous submission and assessment of proposals. As there are no set closing dates, researchers and their partner organisations can work on proposals at any time throughout the year.

Post-graduate Research Awards (PGRA) are offered by AINSE Limited (the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering) for suitably qualified persons wishing to undertake studies in AINSE's fields of interest for a higher degree at an AINSE member university. Applications will be received up to 15 April 2018. Please contact the Scholarships Office for further information on how to apply as a Flinders student.

AINSE PGRAs are in the form of "supplements" and are offered to scholars who are, or will be, in receipt of an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) / Research Training Program (RTP) or equivalent award, and for as long as that Award is current subject to satisfactory progress.

The award provides a stipend of $7,500* pa. and a generous travel and accommodation allowance to enable students to work at ANSTO facilities.

Further information on the guidelines and the link to the online application portal are available at the AINSE website.

Membrane research is a highly cross-disciplinary field, and for some questions, the answers can only be sought by using expertise from a wide range of disciplines; making this workshop an excellent opportunity to get a better understanding from a range of these perspectives.

Sponsored by the Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology and the Australian Society for Biophysics the workshop will be held in the Alere Function Centre on Wednesday 14 March 2018 from 10:15 AM. Registration and further information is available at Flinders Events.

Running as part of Biophysics week, this workshop brings together membrane research from a variety of fields, ranging from physics to biology, chemistry to medicine. Experts from the different disciplines will discuss what is happening at the lipid bilayer, using a broad mixture of approaches and techniques.

Indicative Program:

10.15 Registration

10.55 Welcome

11.00 Melissa Brown - Flinders University

11.30 Adam Blanch - University of Melbourne

12.00 Mibel Aguilar - Monash University

12.30 Lunch & Networking

13.15 Michael Michael - Flinders Medical Centre

13.45 Charles Cranfeild - UTS

14.15 Gunther Andersson - Flinders University

14.45 Afternoon tea

15.00 Stephen Holt - ANSTO

15.30 Duncan McGillivray – Auckland University

16:00 Finish

The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF)'s Grants Scheme is now open. The NBCF has amalgamated and simplified the numerous grant schemes offered in the past (i.e. pilot study, innovator, infrastructure, accelerator) and fellowships (career development etc) into the Investigator Initiated Research Scheme.

The Closing Date for applications is 5:00 PM AEST 4 May 2018. Applications must be submitted online via the SmartyGrants application system. Queries and request for assistance should be directed to research.grants@flinders.edu.au or Mary Lyons.

This scheme 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. Guidelines and further information is available at the NBCF website.

Defence Materials Technology Centre’s Medical Countermeasure (MCM) Incubator Program round three Expressions of Interest are due Wednesday March 14, 2018 at 4:00 PM AEDT. The aim of the Program is to foster collaboration between industry, academia and publicly funded research agencies for the advanced development of MCM products.

The DMTC MCM program will focus on three key themes for product development - Point of Care Diagnostics; Antimicrobial Resistance; and Security Sensitive Biological Agents.However, additional areas of interest include influenza; anthrax; alpha viruses; orthopox; broad spectrum anti-virals and anti-bacterials; malaria; dengue; and MCMs against chemical threats.

On 17 March, South Australians head to the polls. The election looks delicately poised with a long-standing Labor government seeking a record fifth term in office. Steven Marshall’s Liberal party are seeking to make their impact, and Nick Xenophon’s SA Best team look poised to make a dramatic impact on the election outcomes.

What are the main issues facing South Australia? How will the minor and other parties fare? What are the key seats? What the parties’ main policies? And crucially, who will win? This seminar, hosted by the College of Business, Government on Law and to be held in Rm 1.01, Education Building on 13 March 2018 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, is open to all Flinders staff and students.

Anthony Green is the ABC’s election expert, and is the leading election expert in Australian politics, and has been commentating on elections since the early 1990s. Anthony’s ‘election blog’ is one of the most important political resources in Australia, and his SA election preview is available here.

Contact Dr Rob Manwaring, College of Business, Government and Law if you have any queries on this seminar.

As part of International Women's Day, the STEM Women: Branching Out at Flinders are hosting the opportunity for Flinders staff and students to connect with 14 BHP scientists and engineers. Find out about their careers, hear their advice and get to know their stories of success.

No matter what your area of study or work, there is so much to be learnt that can help inspire your own career. The seminar will be held on Thursday 8 March, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the Alere Function Centre.

The opening presentation will be delivered by Dr Kathy Ehrig, Principal Geometallurgist, to be followed by a panel discussion and the ability to be involved in structure and informal networking opportunities.

The participants in the panel discussion will be:

• Amanda Weir - Head of Geoscience and Resource Engineering
• Karen Beck - Specialist Cost and Project Integration
• Diane Djotaroeno - Principal Change Management
• Michelle Smith - Senior Database Geologist
• Julia Warder - Principal Metallurgist – Project Integration, Heap Leach Development
• Hanieh Nolan - Engineer Planning
• Karina Martin - Principal Health Analysis and Improvement
• Krystelle Berry - Principal Technology Partner
• Katarina Veljaca - Superintendent Operational Design
• Becky Gallagher - Principal Planning
• Jacqui Rose - Engineer Planning
• Tara McNichol - Senior Exploration Geologist
• Alice Taysom - Specialist Environment Analysis & Improvement

For more information and to book a place, visit the Flinders CareerHub page here.

STEM Career Panelists profiles

The NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research is pleased to announce that submissions for the Australian Dementia Forum 2018 (ADF2018) are now open. The ADF2018, held 3-5 June in Sydney, will explore Cooperation, Collaboration and International Connections in the Dementia Research Landscape.

The ADF2018 organising committee is calling for abstract submissions, offering bursary applications for international early career fellows to attend ADF2018 and network with one or more research groups in Australia, and applications for travel awards from people with dementia, or carers, to present work on their involvement in dementia research.

Abstract submissions should be submitted through the ADF2018's online portal. Applications for travel awards can be downloaded from the portal and should be emailed to to NNIDR@dementia.org.au. The Call closes 5:00 PM (AEDT) on Friday 23 March 2018.

The Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation (CRF) have opened expressions of interests for the 2019 grant round. The round will remain open until 22 March 2018. EOIs are sought for research into issues affecting the health, education and wellbeing of children, in any relevant field. Those applications ranked highly will be asked to participate in a second round of full grant applications.

CRF provides Research Grants in the areas of Basic Science, Clinical Studies and Community Based Studies, and Early Career Grants. Applicants are requested to forward an EOI using the new online application program.

The Foundation aims to build capability in South Australia by attracting and retaining local research talent; specifically, by

• fostering early career researchers
• advancing ‘proof of concept’ research
• supporting specific research programs and
• providing seed funding for early stage research and researchers where other grant funding is unavailable.

Grants may be awarded up to a maximum of $75,000 per project, or Early Career Grants to a maximum of $35,000 per project.

Further information and guidelines are available at the CRF website. RDS can provide assistance and advice in preparing the application. Researchers can contact the office via research.grants@flinders.edu.au or contact Mary Lyons.

Previous Flinders' success in the 2018 CRF grant round can be viewed here.

The Heart Foundation's Future Leader Fellowships and Postdoctoral Fellowships are now open. By offering generous support to researchers through these Fellowships, the Heart Foundation is fostering future leaders of research, leading to the development of sustainable cardiovascular research in Australia.

The closing date for the Future Leader Fellowships is 11 April 2018, with the Flinders internal closing date of 28 March 2018. The closing date for the Postdoctoral Fellowships is 20 April 2018, with the Flinders internal closing date of 6 April 2018.

Future Leader Fellowships

The Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship supports the best and brightest cardiovascular researchers as they build their research capacity and become leaders of research groups. They offer two levels of Future Leader Fellowships for PhD graduates 3-10 years post-PhD.

For details on each level, visit the Heart Foundation website.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship encourages and supports early-career cardiovascular health researchers to develop research skills and independence. The Fellowship helps further postdoctoral researcher careers as funding becomes more competitive.

Fellowships are available to PhD graduates in the first three years after obtaining a PhD. For further details on the Fellowship, visit the Heart Foundation website.

For advice and application assistance, contact Mary Lyonsin Research Development and Support.

The Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated (ACSPRI) are offering several 2 day master-classes and workshops in their Melbourne office in the first half of the year. These courses are specialised, small group (max of 12-14) and very hands on.

If you'd like more information about any of the courses they are offering this year, follow the links for a detailed syllabus, and please contact info@acspri.org.au or 03 8376 6496. Flinders University is a member of ACSPRI.

A two day workshop focusing on building hard copy or internet surveys to meet a variety of needs. Topics include uses of surveys, constructing survey questions that are clear and unbiased, the need to match attitudinal or behavioural data collection with the purpose of the survey, and combining objective and open-ended questioning in order to enhance the usability of results.

An Introduction to Mixed Methods Research Design with Dr Nicola McNeil - 9-10 April
This Master Class will examine the key features of mixed methods research designs. Participants will explore the different types, analysing the benefits and challenges associated with the design and implementation of each design including analysis and write of of mixed methods studies.

Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Stata with Dr Joanna Dipnall - 19-20 April
A foundation for those wanting to use SEM to explore and test complex relationships. This Master-class is designed for participants with an introductory-level understanding of the statistical methods of regression analysis and exploratory factor analysis. Participants will experience hands-on SEM examples and build their own Stata SEM models.

This 2 day workshop is designed to teach the novice the essentials skills in using Nvivo for research, through hands on experience. The course assumes no prior knowledge of Nvivo.

This 'hands on' course is designed for those familiar with qualitative research, who want to further your understanding around the mechanics of setting up, and moderating focus group based research projects. The course is also useful for those who may be responsible for, or need to commission qualitative research.

The annual AeRO National Forum is a one day event, which attracts senior staff from its members as well as eResearch leads from institutions, NCRIS capabilities, discipline communities, research centres, funding bodies, government and other agencies. Representatives from the Department of Education and Training also attend. At the 2017 Forum, there were over 100 attendees from over 50 organisations.

The theme for this year’s forum is The NRDC Grand Challenge. It will be held on 14 March 2018 at University House, Canberra.

The key attributes/outcomes of the original National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) investments in 2006 were that they were national and collaborative. Perhaps more significantly, they were also disruptive and there is no doubt they have enabled Australian researchers to differentiate themselves on a global scale, particularly in relation to the use of digital techniques and the role data plays in modern research.

The NRDC Grand Challenge is therefore to reduce the complexity, improve the ease of use, lower the barrier to entry, and increase the adoption of digital data tools and techniques for all Australian researchers by establishing a cohesive and sustainable approach to fostering the development of digital data skills and the integration of digital data technology platforms and practices.

All information about this event, and a link to the registration page, are at http://www.aero.edu.au/FORUM2018 where you will also find information about previous Forums, including presentations and other notes.

General Attendee tickets for the event are $250, and $200 for CAUDIT members. Book tickets via the EventBrite page.

Download the Official AeRO Forum 2018 Flyer here.

Flinders is offering two opportunities for mid-career researchers (MCRs; 5 – 10 years post-PhD) – attendance at the Australian Academy of Sciences Science Pathways 2018 conference, and Science at the Shine Dome.

Science Pathways 2018 is Australia’s premier conference focused purely on career development, and brings together EMCRs and scientific leaders from academia, industry and government in Brisbane, 23 – 24 April. Science at the Shine Dome brings together the foremost and highest achieving scientists of Australia, for a three-day celebration of Australian science in Canberra, 22 – 24 May. This year’s event will feature a symposium titled Predict, Respond, Recover: science and natural disasters. Applications for both opportunities close on Friday 16 March 2018.

National EMCR Forum

The Science Pathways 2018 grant will include attendance at two full days of the conference, including a networking event with Fellows of the Academy and senior science leaders, plus accommodation, travel costs and more.

Flinders is offering the opportunity for one MCR to attend this year’s forum.

The highly interactive program focuses on how to achieve equity in STEM, how to access funding from non-traditional sources, and the key considerations for interdisciplinary research.

This conference will provide researchers with the skills necessary for thriving in an academic environment, as EMCRs will build on existing knowledge and learn new skills essential for future success in their fields. In addition, this event will provide an opportunity to meet like-minded EMCRs and network amongst peers.

Science at the Shine Dome

The Science at the Shine Dome grant will includes registration, accommodation, travel costs, attendance at the Gala Dinner and a professional development workshop of your choosing.

Flinders is offering the opportunity for one MCR to attend this year’s event.

Attendees will be inspired by hearing from newly elected Fellows and awardees about their latest research across a range of science disciplines. They will also have the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with renowned scientists, as well as build networks with other early- and mid-career researchers.

Science at the Shine Dome is an event for researchers from all disciplines and career levels to come together and share knowledge. This includes the admission of new Fellows to the Australian Academy of Science, national awards to honour excellence at all career levels, a networking Gala Dinner with industry and political representatives, and a high-powered symposium on an issue of national importance. A major focus at Science at the Shine Dome is researcher professional development and the opportunity to engage with senior scientists.

Science at the Shine Dome attracts a national and international audience of over 400 people and boundless networking opportunities with Australian Academy Fellows, Chief Scientists, Nobel Prize winners, early and mid-career researchers, government representatives, politicians, media, science associated organisations, and the science interested general public. Online, Science at the Shine Dome reaches audiences of over 500,000 people on a range of social media and digital technology platforms to make the event truly global in every sense.

Applications for both opportunities close on Friday 23 March 2018.

If you are interested, please contact Dr Marina Delpin, Program Manager: Researcher Professional Development for further information and application forms.