Office of Research - The “ORB”

The following items may be of interest. They are from the Higher Education section of The Australian, published today.

• Research elite given dream run
  Crack research teams across the country are gearing up for a serious assault on challenges as diverse as superbugs, smart metals and sustainability, thanks to a new, richer scheme of fellowships.
• Minister Kim Carr confronts dodgy science
  The Rudd government is considering a specialist independent body to deal with the hardest cases of scientific fraud, according to Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Minister Kim Carr.
• Research upgrade ignores skills shortage
  Researchers have welcomed the federal government’s $1.1 billion upgrade of the country’s landmark research infrastructure, but warned that a shortage of super technicians remains a serious weakness of the roll-out.
• Australian Research Council restricts its name
  University centres have been trading on the prestigious Australian Research Council name for years after ARC money has dried up, and ARC chief executive Margaret Sheil has flagged stricter rules for a new breed of ARC centres of excellence.
• Feelers out in ant vision studies
  Ajay Narendra’s favourite ant is Harpegnathos, a harp-jawed jumper about 2.2cm long that can leap up to18cm to catch its insect prey in mid-flight. One of its habitats is southern India, where Narendra was born, in Bangalore.
• Master of light Greg LeBlanc can name his own price
  The $200 million machine that Greg LeBlanc runs creates “the brightest, most perfect light in the world”, but he doesn’t have formal tertiary qualifications. The super technician was lured away from Sweden’s synchrotron laboratory to help design the Australian Synchrotron, but was too busy designing the beasts to ever submit the research he did for his masters and PhD.
• Nature’s awe opens door to new life
  Adventurers plunging into the depths of the Tasmanian wilderness were so moved by the experience they decided to change the way they lived when they got home, interviews for a PhD project have found.
• UK focus on benefits of research
  British universities have been urged to start reviewing their research portfolios to assess the social and economic impact of their work in preparation for the forthcoming research excellence framework.

This has been posted on behalf of Adéle de Wit, Honours Student, the University of South Australia.

Are you currently experiencing workplace bullying?

We are inviting all university employees, such as casual staff members, professional/support staff, and academic staff at all levels, to take part in a study about the impact of bullying in the workplace. In particular, we would like to talk to staff that are currently being bullied and have been targeted on a regular basis over the last six months. We would like to find out how your experiences influence your thinking and mental performance.

If you are not experiencing bullying you are also invited to participate in the study, but as part of the control group.

To be involved, or get more information, please contact Michelle Tuckey or Adéle de Wit at the University of South Australia via email.

All information will be kept confidential.

This project has been granted ethics approval by the University of South Australia’s Human Research Ethics Committee.

Participants will be offered a small reimbursement for taking part.

You will all be aware (from the ongoing requests for information over the last few months) that the ERA initiative of the Australian Research Council (ARC) is running two trial data submissions this year on the research performance of Australian Universities in preparation for a complete round of submissions across all eight discipline clusters in 2010.

There have been indications that the ERA process may well inform funding decisions in the future and it is therefore important for the University to provide accurate and timely information to the process. Experience in the UK has been that their ERA-equivalent has had substantial impact on the research focus and funding of UK Universities.

Given the importance of this process to all research staff we have arranged for representative members of the ERA team from the ARC to visit Flinders University on Wednesday 24 February 2010 to provide a briefing on the results of the trial rounds in 2009 and their plans for the full assessment in 2010. This is an opportunity for you to hear about ERA and its future directions directly from the ARC and to ask questions on both policy and practical matters.

Please make a note in your diary for:

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Time:        10.00 am - 11.30 am
Venue:    North Theatre 1
Audience:    All research staff of the University and any interested general staff.

Applications for the 2009 Young Investigator Award (YIA) are now open, with a closing date of Monday, 6 July 2009 at 4 pm (Office of Research closing date Thursday 2 July 2009).

The Young Investigator Award recognises excellence in South Australia’s young researchers in women’s and children’s health.

The winner will receive $10,000 and the two runners-up $3,000.

For more information, including eligibility criteria, please visit the YIA website.

Universities Australia has joined with English Australia, TAFE Directors Australia, the Australian Council for Private Education and Training and the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA) to commission background research into alternative models used in Australia and internationally for delivery of the industry development function of the Australian Education International.

The project is jointly funded and capped at a total of $10,000. Universities Australia will take the lead agency role in the project and coordinate the acquisition of the researcher.

Further information available from the Universities Australia website.

All applications to undertake this work are to be submitted via email by COB 3 July 2009 (external closing date).

Office of Research closing date: 2 July 2009.

ATI provides financial support to selected projects which aim to promote and enhance bilateral links between Australia and Thailand.  Applications are now invited for funding in the 2009-10 financial year for projects commencing between September 2009 and 30 June 2010.

Application forms and guidelines are available from the ATI website.

Application closing date: 10 am AEST Friday 7 August 2009

Office of Research closing date: 29 July 2009

The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, today released a consultation paper on the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence scheme, and called for responses.

The ARC Centres of Excellence Consultation Paper seeks feedback on the proposed changes to the operation of a new Centres of Excellence funding round.

Responses to the Consultation Paper must be submitted to the ARC by 21 July 2009.

The Consultation Paper and response proforma are available on the ARC website at http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/ce/consultation_paper.htm.

The Minister’s media release is available at http://www.arc.gov.au/media/releases/media_23June09.htm.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) makes a range of data available to our university researchers. Some of the data is classified as Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs). There are two changes worth reporting, related to applying and using of CURFs:
(1) Within two months, the Australian Bureau of Statistics is intending to release five additional CURFs that will be available to our researchers:

Labour Force Survey and Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership Survey (2008)
Income and Housing (2007/08)
National Health Survey (2007/08)
Childhood Education and Care Survey (2008)
Business Longitudinal Database (previously known as A Profile of Australian Businesses) (2004-05/2005-06/2006-07)

More information about these new CURFS as well as those already available, can be found here (http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/CURF:+Microdata+Entry+Page)
Enquiries about the use of CURFs at Flinders University should be directed to  (stats.consultant@flinders.edu.au), extension 13346.

(2) In the past, the ABS/Universities Australia Agreement only allowed CURFs to be used for the purposes of teaching and research. However, in 2009, changes to the Agreement brought about the possibilities of accessing CURFs for a range of permitted commercial uses that includes:
- consultancy services for a third party, based on CURFs
- statistical and other reports and publications produced from CURFs
- the development of teaching materials from CURFs

However, staff and students when acting in a private capacity are not included in the Agreement.
More information about it, can be found here: (http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/4a256353001af3ed4b2562bb00121564/14d1ad81399b683aca2572c70022e988?OpenDocument)

AMI provides funding support to selected projects which aim to promote and enhance bilateral links between Australia and Malaysia.  Applications are now invited for funding in the 2009-10 financial year for projects commencing between September 2009 and 30 June 2010.

Funding priority:  projects which have an identified Malaysian partner and seek to strengthen Australia’s bilateral relationship with Malaysia in the following areas: Public policy, Education and Science, Health, Media and Sport.

Application forms and guidelines are available from the AMI website.

Application closing date: 11 am AEST Monday 20 July 2009

Office of Research closing date: 9 July 2009