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A Flinders archaeologist has received an international fellowship to spend a year at one of the world’s most prestigious universities. Dr Ian Moffat, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, has been awarded a Commonwealth Rutherford Fellowship to work at Cambridge University (UK) at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

This opportunity, funded by a new scheme from the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission, brings an exciting new dimension to Ian’s research into the climate history of archaeological rock shelters in South Africa and Indonesia which is supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA).

Ian will be working within the McDonald Institute of Archaeology Research with Professor Charly French in the Charles McBurney Laboratory for Geoarchaeogy. Charly specialises in the use of soil micromorphology as an indicator of past climate conditions and anthropogenic activity, which aligns with Ian’s focus on applying earth science techniques with archaeology.

“I am looking forward to building and sustaining links between Cambridge and Flinders, specifically developing new partnerships and networks,” said Ian. “My focus while there will be on engagement, research outputs and taking advantage of expertise and facilities not available in Adelaide. I will also be able to share my skills with the team in Charly’s lab.”

In addition to his affiliation with the McDonald Institute Ian has also been appointed a Research Associate at Homerton College, which is celebrating the 250^th anniversary of its foundation in 2018. From initially being for the education of dissenters, who were banned from Cambridge and Oxford University, it eventually joined Cambridge in 1894. The College has a flourishing multi-disciplinary research community which will provide the opportunity to develop Ian’s networks outside of his disciplinary area.

“I am really relishing the idea of immersing myself in this vibrant community to share, develop and discuss ideas,” said Ian.

Cambridge is ranked as the number 2 University by the Times Higher Education 2018 World University Rankings and has the number 1 ranked Archaeology program worldwide based on the QS World University Rankings by subject in 2016.

The Commonwealth Rutherford Fellowship is a new funding scheme administered by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission. This new initiative has funded 50 postdoctoral fellows from across the Commonwealth to work for a year or two in any UK University. Highly skilled and highly motivated PhD graduates, whose proposed research topic is innovative, timely, and likely to lead to wider impact beyond the academic community and build research collaboration between the UK and other Commonwealth countries, are sought as applicants.

Nature have launched two new Nature Research Awards for 2018, the Inspiring Science Award and the Innovating Science Award. Nominations are now open, and will close on 11 June 2018. The Internal Flinders closing date is 28 June 2018, and all queries, application support and nominations to be directed to Dr Marina Delpin.

The Inspiring Science Award welcomes nominations of exceptional scientists who self-identify as female and who are within 10 years of completing their PhD. Nature encourages nominations from around the globe and from all subject areas. Candidates should be nominated by laboratory heads, department heads or someone else from their institute. This award is based on academic achievement, but Nature's independent judging process and panel will ensure that those working in adverse circumstances or in regions where there is limited access to the scientific literature will not be unfairly disadvantaged.

The Innovating Science Award is open to everyone (individuals and groups) who works on projects or initiatives that encourage girls or young women to become more aware of, or engaged in, any STEM subject in any region around the world.  

After nominations are received, the panel of judges will create a longlist (10 for each award) to be published on 24 July 2018, who will be profiled on the Nature Research Awards website and will have access to a closed mentoring network. From this longlist, a shortlist (5 for each award) will be announced on 4 September 2018 and will have a short media-friendly video prepared for them.

The two winners (1 for each award) will each receive a grant of $10,000 to spend towards their research or initiative, up to $5,200 APC or event funding, an invitation to the award ceremony and to give a talk at The Estée Lauder Companies, and a profile on the careers feature of Nature and Nature.com.

For more information and the nomination form and guidelines, see the Nature website.

Research integrity involves the responsible conduct of research, and the handling of research misconduct. This seminar, presented by Ms Jodieann Dawe, Director, Research Development and Support, will ensure that all researchers (staff and students) and research support staff at Flinders understand their responsibilities.

In this country, the prevailing guideline for research integrity is the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (‘the Code’), published in 2007 by the ARC, NHMRC and Universities Australia (the national Vice-Chancellor’s organisation).

All researchers are required to conduct and report their research responsibly. In addition, it is a condition of funding from the ARC and NHMRC that institutions comply with the Code.

To be held on Tuesday, 12 June 2018 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM in Rm 0008, Physical Science Building, interested researchers and research support staff are encouraged to enrol for the session via ienrol.

The Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP), established in fiscal year 1999 (FY99), has supported research across the full range of science and medicine, with an underlying goal of enhancing the health and well-being of military Service members, Veterans, retirees, and their family members.

The Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) funding opportunities for the Department of Defense (DoD) Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) will be managed by the office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program include:

• Discovery Award - pre-application letter of intent due by 14 June, 2018.
  
• Focused Program Award - pre-application letter of intent due by 19 June, 2018.
  
• Investigator-Initiated Research Award - pre-application letter of intent due by 12 June, 2018.
  
• Technology/ Therapeutic Development Award - pre-application letter of intent due by 12 June, 2018.
  

Please note that the FY18 Clinical Trial Award Funding Opportunity will be released in early May 2018. All dates listed above are the external closing dates. For internal closing dates and application advice, contact Mary Lyons, Research Development and Support.

Detailed descriptions of the funding opportunity, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the Program Announcements. The Program Announcements are available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website, the CDMRP website and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP).

All CDMRP funding opportunities, both recently and previously released, are available on the CDMRP website.

Subsequent notifications will be sent when additional funding opportunities are released. A listing of all open CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

Submission is a two-step process requiring both pre-application submission and full application submission. All pre-applications must be submitted through eBRAP. Full applications from extramural organizations (non-DoD organizations) must be submitted through Grants.gov. Refer to the General Application Instructions, Section II.A. for registration and submission requirements for eBRAP and Grants.gov. For detailed information on the submission process, refer to Section II.D. of the Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity.

>The Youth Health Conference is an opportunity for the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association to continue voicing the challenges of adolescent mental health care and connect with professionals dedicated to ongoing research, education, awareness and best practice for future generations and young Australians.

To be held on the Gold Coast from 7 - 9 November 2018,  the Conference theme is 'Owning Future Change'. This is set to be the premiere Australian interdisciplinary Conference for young people, researchers, clinicians, health workers and educators who work to improve, promote and advocate for the health and wellbeing of young people in Australia and beyond.

Call for abstracts and registration is now open. Visit the Conference website to find out more - https://www.youthhealth.com.au/. Abstracts close 20 July 2018.

The Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association is a proud supporter of the 2018 Youth Health Conference, hosted by the Australian Association for Adolescent Health.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced the opening of a new Grand Challenges grant opportunity: Ending the Pandemic Threat: A Grand Challenge for Universal Influenza Vaccine Development.

This Grand Challenge is being launched during the centenary year of the 1918 flu pandemic, with the goal of identifying novel, transformative concepts that would lead to development of a truly universal flu vaccine. Such a vaccine would alleviate the need for annual seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns and would prepare the world for the next influenza pandemic.

The external application deadline is 22 June, 2018 at 11:00 am PDT. The internal Research Development and Support closing date is 8 June 2018, and application advice and queries should be directed to Mary Lyons.

While other funders are supporting development of universal Influenza vaccines, three things set the Grand Challenge apart. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seek to fund ideas that are bold and innovative, bridging the funding 'valley of death' to translate these novel approaches into products ready for human clinical trials. They also aim to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-fertilization of ideas from outside the traditional influenza research community. Third, they seek completely transformative approaches rather than incremental research.

The Road Home 2018 Grant Round is now open for Expression of Interest Applications. These grants are available to research projects into the health and wellbeing of veterans, emergency service personnel and their families incorporating issues such as Post Traumatic Stress.

For the first time, this grant round includes multi-year grants that are open to researchers across Australia to come to Adelaide and conduct their research at the Australian Centre of Excellence for Post-Traumatic Stress, co-located with the Jamie Larcombe Centre. The external closing date for EOIs is Friday 25 May 2018. The Flinders internal contact closing date is 13 May 2018, and the Research Development and Support contact is Gareth Rees.

The following grants are available to researchers across Australia:

• The Colonel (Rtd) Susan Neuhaus CSC Fellowship - $50,000 per annum over two years
• The Air-Vice Marshal Brent Espeland Memorial Fellowship - $50,000 per annum over three years
• The Road Home Project Grant - $50,000 for one year

Click here to download the applicant guidelines and EOI form from The Road Home website.

Recent Flinders recipients include Professor Sharon Lawn in 2018 and 2017, and Dr Elaine Waddell in 2017. The list of previously Awarded Research Grants is available here.

The Georgina Sweet Awards for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science were created by Professor Leann Tilley as part of her Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship program to promote and support female scientists who demonstrate excellence in the area of Quantitative Biomedical Science.

Quantitative Biomedical Science is Biological/Biomedical Research that employs a quantitative approach, particularly in areas such as Computational Biology, Biophysics, Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, Genomics, Structural Biology, Cell Biology etc.

Two new awards were established in 2016:

Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science: Up to three awards of $25,000 each will be made each year to Australian female researchers who demonstrate excellence in the area of quantitative biomedical science. Applications for this year’s award open on 1 May and will close on 31 May, 2018. The Flinders internal closing date for this Award is 17 May 2018 and applications and queries are to be directed to Dr Marina Delpin, Researcher Professional Development, Research Development and Support.

Georgina Sweet Travel Support for a Female Keynote Speaker in Quantitative Biomedical Science: Up to three awards of $3,000 each are available each year to support the attendance of a female keynote speaker at an Australian conference. Applications are open at any time until awards have been allocated for the year. Applications are to be submitted via Research Development and Support, and queries should be directed to Mary Lyons.

For more information, guidelines and to apply please visit the website or contact: gslf-tilleyadmin@unimelb.edu.au

The Flinders University Impact Seed Funding Grant provides an opportunity for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to develop their careers and enable key research projects or promotion of research outcomes. Flinders University has partnered with our community of donors to provide the opportunity for ECRs to receive financial support to develop and fortify their skill sets. Our supporters want to make a difference by building our researchers’ capacity and capabilities to make a positive impact.

Seed funding enables research to get underway and fuels momentum. Research findings powered by seeding money can provide leverage in accessing further funding from traditional funding agencies, such as the Australian Research Council, or from industry, business and end-users who will directly benefit from the research findings.

This investment from donors to Flinders’ University Early Career Research Fund may represent your first independent research funding, enhancing your research track record and providing a springboard to larger projects and grant opportunities. Or it may provide the funds to showcase your research on the international stage or to form collaborative partnerships with industry and government stakeholders. It represents an opportunity for you to secure funding, manage your projects, and gain new experiences. Having access to funds at this early stage of your career will help to carve your own research pathway.

Funding of up to $10,000 (GST exclusive) will be awarded to each successful applicant.

Application form and guidelines are available here.

Grants are intended to provide an opportunity for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to develop their research careers and enable key research projects or promotion of research outcomes.

Applicants are encouraged to formulate their own grant submission, outlining how the addition of Impact Seed Funding will leverage and stimulate their research activities, before consultation with their Dean of Research.

Project funds may be used for activities including:

• achieving a keynote result or pilot study to underpin future funding applications;developing collaborations with industry or other partners;
• travel support to present current research findings at an international conference in your research field;
• accelerating progress in existing research by facilitating additional resources (eg short term research support staff or consumables).

Applicants are encouraged to formulate their own grant submission, outlining how the addition of Impact Seed Funding will leverage and stimulate their research activities, before consultation with their College Dean of Research.

The selection panel will consider the intrinsic research merits of, and potential for impact from, the project. In addition, the panel will be looking to understand how the applicant will use this opportunity to develop their capacity to be an independent, competitive researcher and how this investment will support their career pathway.

All queries and applications can be directed to Dr Marina Delpin, Program Manager: Researcher Professional Development, Flinders University Research Development and Support Division.

Applications must be lodged by Friday 25 May 2018.

The Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated (ACSPRI) are offering 2 weeks of courses at the University of Queensland in their 2018 Winter Program. ACSPRI courses are intensive, small group and 'Hands on' (between 10-20 people), ensuring quality attention from instructors.

Week 1 runs from 25 - 29 June, and Week 2 from 2 - 6 July. Enrol early (by 9 May) to take advantage of the early-bird discount on course fees, particularly if you are a full time student. Flinders is a member of ACSPRI, so all staff and students are eligible for the member discounts.

All courses run across 5 days, from 9am to 5pm through the week (with breaks throughout and an early finish on Friday). Throughout the year, ACSPRI will offer courses that cover topic ranging from General Statistics, Multiple Regression, Structural Equation Modelling, Experimental Design, Survey Research, Social Networks, Qualitative Research, Mixed Methods, Program Evaluation and many more.

ACSPRI courses:

• are for researchers and higher degree students
• are all small group (max 10-20 people)
• are intensive - a semester worth of information packed in 1 week
• are 'hands on', practical and applied and come with course notes that you can keep as a handy reference.
• cover a wide range of social science research and methodology from statistics to data management, survey design and analysis

ICSILP is the new name of what was formerly known as Future Land Force Conference. It is Australia’s premier event for defence researchers, industry professionals, and academics interested in transforming the military land force through science and technology.

In 2018, ICSILP will again be in Adelaide, Australia. It will address the question of how technology convergence, innovation and science can modernise armies to become more agile and potent in the challenging environments of land operations and can survive and counter emerging physical, electronic and cyber threats. The conference will include invited and technical presentations, interactive sessions, and a panel discussion with well-regarded national and international defence science, industry and military representatives.

Researchers are invited to submit papers to either the innovation stream describing leading-edge technological advancements that will enhance future land power, or to the research stream covering novel concepts, validated models and potential solutions to the Australian Army’s modernisation challenges. ICSILP 2018 accepts submissions that are up to four pages long (as of the ICSILP template) and are submitted via EasyChair by 11 May 2018.

For more information on the conference, including key dates, registration details and more information on the paper submission process, visit the conference website.