News Alerts

Australia’s peak supercomputer facility launched

Australia’s most powerful supercomputer facility has been launched by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr at The Australian National University.

The new facility is part of a joint procurement by ANU and the Bureau of Meteorology to provide two systems capable of modelling the dynamics of climate change and extreme weather events. The computer is a Sun Constellation and has the equivalent processing speed of 6,000 PCs.

The facility is operated by National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), an initiative jointly funded by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, and Research through its NCRIS Program, and through the co-investment of a number of partner organisations, including ANU and CSIRO.

NCI Director, Professor Lindsay Botten said that the new facility will lift Australia’s computational capability into the international league, providing 12 times the performance of its predecessor and placing it within the world’s top 30-40 supercomputers.

“Australia’s researchers will now have access to a world class supercomputer system that will enable them to rise to the solution of global challenges across fields such as nanotechnology, astrophysics, computational biology and chemistry, medicine, engineering, physics and photonics, and climate and environmental science.”

With the installation of this facility nearly complete, NCI has already begun planning for its next generation computer system for which funding was announced in the 2009 Commonwealth Budget.

NCI is hosted by the ANU and is the successor to the Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing Program (APAC) National Facility Program.

More information about the National Computational Infrastructure is at http://nci.org.au/

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Australian companies amongst global R&D big spenders

An international study of the R&D performance of  1,000 large companies in 2008 includes six Australian firms that increased their total investment in R&D by 37.9% during the year, despite the economic downturn.

The study by Booz & Company is the fifth annual study of the world’s biggest corporate R&D spenders. It concludes that “most companies have stuck with their innovation programs despite the recession – and many are boosting spending to compete more effectively in the upturn.”

Overall, the top 1000 companies increased their innovation spend by 5.7%, compared with 10% in the previous year. The group’s overall sales increased by 6.5%, while operating income fell by 8.6% and net income fell by 34%.

Australia’s largest R&D spender, BHP Billiton, was ranked 341 on the list, increasing its investment during 2008 from $US169 million to $US244 million. Other Australian companies that appeared in the list and their R&D spends were:

• CSL - $US201 million, up from US$171 million; 
• OneSteel, $US130 million;
• Aristocrat Leisure, $US98 million, up from $US87 million;
• Cochlear - $US72 million, up from $US59 million;
• Computershare - $US65 million, up from $US43 million.

The report summary, Profits Down, Spending Steady: The Global Innovation 1000, by Barry Jaruzelski and Kevin Dehoff, is available at http://www.booz.com/media/uploads/Innovation_1000-2009.pdf

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Innovation Network for TCF industry

A new innovation network has been established for the Textile, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) industry as part of the Federal government’s Enterprise Connect initiative. 

The new TCF Innovation Network will be overseen by a TCF Industries Innovation Council chaired by Phillip Butler. Its objective will be to create and strengthen links between TCF firms, researchers and educational institutions.

A specialist TCF adviser will be appointed to develop collaboration opportunities. The network will also look at ways of mapping existing TCF business clusters and developing case studies around best practice to share with TCF firms.

Services provided through the network will include include free business reviews and dollar-for-dollar tailored advisory service grants up to $20,000 to implement business review recommendations.

More information is at www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au

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Space Industry Innovation Council to be appointed

A Space Industry Innovation Council is to be established to advise the Australian Government on the development of a national space policy and on boosting support for space science and technology.

The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Kim Carr, said the creation of the Council was part of the Government’s response to the Senate inquiry report, Lost in Space?, tabled recently in the Senate. He said the council will evaluate Australia's current civil space activities, identify strengths and weaknesses, assess risks, and propose strategic priorities. The focus will be on earth observation, satellite communications and navigation. It will also consider the implications for space science and industry of the Government’s Defence White Paper and National Security Science and Innovation Strategy.

Membership of the Council will be announced shortly.

Senator Carr said that a Space Policy Unit has already been established to run the $40 million Australian Space Research Program announced as part of the $160 million space and astronomy Super Science Initiative in the May Budget.

The unit will support the work of the Space Industry Innovation Council, coordinate Australia’s national and international civil space activities and foster closer collaboration between space researchers, businesses and government agencies, both within Australia and internationally. 

More information on the Australian Space Science Program can be found at www.innovation.gov.au.

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Research focus on algal biofuels

A $5 million Photobioreactor Facility has been launched at the aquatic sciences laboratories of the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).The facility will be used for R&D into microalgal biofuels and will be available to researchers on a national and international basis.

The production of biofuels from microalgae has attracted attention because of the relatively high yield of oil from algae, and its efficiency in fixing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

It is estimated that replacing just 10 per cent of Australia’s mineral diesel with biodiesel from microalgae would bring about a reduction of nearly four million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.

The new facility is funded through the National Collaborative Research and Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). One of its first major clients is South-Australian based Algal Fuels Consortium (AFC) comprising SARDI Aquatic Sciences, Flinders University, Flinders Partners, CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship and Sancon Resources Recovery.

Meanwhile, in Queensland, a new algal bio-fuel research and development facility has been opened James Cook University in Townsville to develop algal carbon capture and storage (BIO-CCS) technology. The Algal Synthesiser team is led by Professor Rocky de Nys and Associate Professor Kirsten Heimann

In trials, the 5000-square-metre research plant has proven capable of producing 14,000 litres of oil and 25,000 kilograms of algal feed for livestock from every 100 tonnes of carbon consumed. In the next phase, JCU will partner with MBD Energy to construct test facilities at the Tarong Energy Power Station, and two coal-fired power stations in NSW and Victoria. MBD will invest $2.5 million in the pilot plant at Tarong. The trial aims to capture 700 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and if successful could expand over the next five to ten years to consume more than half of Tarong’s flue-gas emissions.

MBD Energy Limited Chairman, Jerry Ellis, has predicted that BIO-CCS and Algal Synthesiser technology would emerge as a vital and viable CO2 abatement technology option for all existing coal and gas fired power stations, smelters and refineries around the world. 

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2009 Florey Medal awarded

This year’s Florey Medal has been awarded to South Australian research scientist Professor John Hopwood in recognition of his achievements in biomedical science and human health advancement.

Professor Hopwood is Head of the Biochemical Genetics Services and of the Lysosomal Diseases Research Unit, SA Pathology, at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Over 25 years, Professor Hopwood has pioneered research in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of lysosomal storage disorders, metabolic conditions that can lead to serious illness, disability and death in young children.

The Florey Medal is awarded every two years to an Australian biomedical researcher for significant achievements in biomedical science and human health advancement. In addition to the silver medal, the award carries a prize of $25,000. It was established in 1998 by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, in honour of the Australian Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Sir Howard Florey, who developed penicillin.

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WA venture capital fund launched

A new $40 million Western Australian venture capital fund, Yuuwa Capital, has been launched with $20 million in private capital matched by the Australian Government’s Innovation Investment Fund.

The Yuuwa Capital fund will specialise in investing in seed/start-up ventures with significant growth potential, and will work with research organisations, industry networks and West Australian universities to generate investment opportunities.

Yuuwa Capital is managed by Matthew Macfarlane (Phone: 0400 605 960), Liddy McCall and James Williams.

More information about the Innovation Investment Fund is at www.ausindustry.gov.au

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Dairy research facility opens in Victoria

The Victorian Government’s new $6.9 million dairy industry research facility at Ellinbank has been launched, employing an additional nine scientific and technical staff and six new PhD students.

The facility, a part of the Department of Primary Industry, has been allocated a total of $8.57 million over four years under the government’s $205 million Future Farming strategy. It is jointly funded with Dairy Australia. Its research will focus on improving feeding practices and feed efficiency for the dairy sector and mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

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Victoria funds breast cancer research

The Victorian Government has announced $9.7 million in funding for six research projects undertaken under the umbrella of the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium (VBCRC).

The VBCRC was established in 1997 by the Victorian government and involves eight Melbourne medical research institutes and the Cancer Council. The funded research projects will investigate: 

•  identification of genes involved in the predisposition and progression of breast cancer; 
• better use of genetic testing to reduce breast cancer deaths; 
•  development and testing of new therapeutics for the treatment of breast cancer;
• tanslating breast cancer stem cell research to a biomarker and drug discovery program;
• oestrogens and breast cancer; and 
• key genes that determine mammographic density.

More information is at http://www.vbcrc.org.au/

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NHMRC public health leader appointed

Professor John McCallum, currently Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor at Victoria University, has been appointed Senior Scientist Public Health, heading up the Health Evidence and Advice Branch of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). He will take up the position from 1 February 2010.

The appointment follows from recommendations in the “Review of Public Health Research Funding in Australia”, chaired by Professor Don Nutbeam.

Professor McCallum was previously Executive Dean of Health at University of Western Sydney and had spent 12 years in the Research Schools at the Australian National University, including in the development of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health. He has been one of the directors of the ‘Dubbo Longitudinal Study of the Health of the Elderly’ for over 20 years. Professor McCallum received the Federation Medal in 2001 for 'services to ageing' and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia.

Professor McCallum has served two terms as a member of the Australian Health Ethics Committee and one on the Health Advisory Committee and has contributed to research grant assessment processes over many years.

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Announcements

The 2009 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science

On 28 October 2009, the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon Kevin Rudd and Senator Kim Carr, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, presented the 2009 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.

The 2009 recipients are:

Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
John O’Sullivan: How astronomy freed the computer from its chains

Nearly a billion people use John O’Sullivan’s invention every day. When you use a WiFi network—at home, in the office or at the airport—you are using patented technology born of the work of John and his CSIRO colleagues.

They created a technology that made the wireless LAN fast and robust. And their solution came from John’s efforts to hear the faint radio whispers of exploding black holes.

Today John is working on technology that will allow us to look back almost to the beginning of time itself.

Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
Amanda Barnard: Testing new technologies in the computer not the real world
Every new technology brings opportunities and threats. Nanotechnology is no exception. It has the potential to create new materials that will dramatically improve drug delivery, medical diagnostics, clean and efficient energy, computing and more. But nanoparticles—materials made small, just a few millionths of a millimetre in size—could also have significant health and environmental impacts.

Amanda Barnard hopes to predict which nanoparticles will work most efficiently and which could be dangerous. Using supercomputers, she’s making the particles in the virtual world and testing how they interact in various environments before they get made in the real world. Her peers told her it couldn’t be done. But this young scientist proved them wrong and now leads the world in her field of nanomorphology—predicting the shape, structure and stability of nanoparticles.

Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
Michael Cowley: Breaking the link between fat and diabetes
Why do we get fat? What’s the link between obesity, diabetes and hypertension? Can we break the link? These are critical questions for Australia’s long-term health, and Michael Cowley may have the answers. He’s shown how our brains manage our consumption and storage of fat and sugar and how that can go wrong. He’s created a biotech company that’s trialling four obesity treatments.

Michael has shown unequivocally that losing weight isn’t just a matter of will power.

Now with his colleagues at Monash University he is discovering why obesity increases risks of heart disease and diabetes. And he’s developing therapies to break the connection between these conditions.

Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching in Secondary Schools
Len Altman: Creating new careers in the rocks
Geoscience is at the heart of some of humanity’s biggest challenges in the 21st Century: access to water; alternative energy sources like geothermal and hydro; and adapting to climate change. "So why," asks Len Altman, "Are students in our schools more likely to learn about the moons of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn than about the planet Earth and its history?"

Len is changing that at Marden Senior School and at the schools in his region and state. Along the way he is helping more young people discover science, and helping mature students discover new careers in the minerals industries.

Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching in Primary Schools
Allan Whittome: Living science
Badgingarra Primary School is perched on a hill three hours north of Perth, looking out across fields of canola and wheat. The approach to the school is lined with sculptures of native animals and a model of the Solar System made in limestone, set amongst native plants. In the classroom the students are fine- tuning model racing cars they’ve designed and manufactured online. All this is due to the work of Allan Whittome.

Students participate in competitions, awards programs and community projects including the NATA Young Scientist of the Year awards, the Earthwatch Teachlive Whale Sharks of Ningaloo project, Community Hydrogen Fuel Vehicle Challenge and the F1in Schools program.

Nominations for 2010
Nomination round for 2010 will commence sometime in early February. It provides research organisations, universities, Education Departments and schools with a unique opportunity to seek public acknowledgement of the outstanding efforts of their colleagues.

More information available on http://www.innovation.gov.au/scienceprizes

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Postdoctoral and Invitational Fellowships in Japan 2010

The Australian Academy of Science, in association with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), invites applications from Australian researchers to undertake Postdoctoral and Invitational Fellowships in Japan. Postdoctoral Fellowships are for a period of twelve to twenty-four months; Invitational Fellowships are either short term, for fourteen to sixty days, or long term, for two to ten months.

Researchers in any field of natural sciences, including technology, engineering and medicine may apply.

Applications in the humanities and social sciences are also accepted but ONLY for the Postdoctoral Fellowships. Medical doctors without a doctorate are not eligible to apply for the Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Applications close on Friday 5 February 2010.

Please see website for information and guidelines.

Postdoctoral Fellowships: http://www.science.org.au/internat/jspspd.htm
Invitational Fellowships (short term): http://www.science.org.au/internat/jspsfst.htm
Invitational Fellowships (long term): http://www.science.org.au/internat/jspsflt.htm

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Call for Round Four Applications: Australia-India Strategic Research Fund

Overview
The Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) facilitates and supports science and technology research cooperation between Australia and India. The AISRF assists Australian researchers to participate in leading edge scientific research with Indian counterparts and supports the development of strategic alliances between Australian and Indian researchers.

Support Available
Grants are available to eligible Australian organisations for collaborative research projects and workshops in mutually agreed priority areas. Under the Indo-Australian Biotechnology Fund, these are: vaccines and medical diagnostics; biomedical devices and implants; nutraceuticals and functional foods; transgenic crops; stem cells; bioremediation; and bioenergy and biofuels. Priority areas for the Indo-Australian Science and Technology Fund are: agricultural research; environment sciences; astronomy and astrophysics; microelectronic devices and materials; nanotechnology; renewable energy; marine science; earth systems science; and information and communication technology.

How to Apply
Applications for funding for Indo-Australian Science and Technology Fund and Indo-Australian Biotechnology Fund grants will be assessed on a competitive basis against specific criteria. The Australian and Indian Governments will bilaterally determine which applications for funding are successful.

Round Four opened on Monday 16 November 2009 and will close on Thursday 24 December 2009 at 17:00 (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time).

Applicants should refer to the AISRF guidelines, available on the AISRF website (www.innovation.gov.au/aisrf) before commencing their application. This site provides information on the online application process including a step-by-step guide.

For further information please contact: aisrf@innovation.gov.au or phone: (02) 6276 1468.

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Research Funding

Researchers in Business (RiB) Grant Program

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Seeking a grant to: 

• assist you with your industry engagement?
• assist established post docs with the development of medium to long term industry applied research, providing a pathway to stronger ARC and CRC grant submissions (i.e. a seed grant)
• provide opportunities for Early Career Researchers (ECR) and/or postgraduate students nearing completion to spend significant time with industry.

The Researchers in Business (RiB) grants program is your answer. Grants are available all year round and they are easily and quickly accessible.

What is Researchers in Business?

The Australian Government has committed $10 million within Enterprise Connect to support the placement of researchers from universities or public research agencies into businesses where it is identified that such a placement would help to develop and implement a new idea with commercial potential.

The aim of Researchers in Business is to:

• help break down the cultural divide between business and the research sector (the researcher may be from a university or research agency)
• speed the dissemination of expertise
• accelerate the adoption of new ideas and technologies and
• increase competitiveness of firms.

Funding Arrangements

Funding for up to 50 per cent of salary costs, to a maximum of $50,000, will be provided. Placements can be for a period of 2 to 12 months.

More information?

Visit www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au for a copy of the Researchers in Business guidelines or phone Enterprise Connect on 131 791

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Conferences & Events

2010 International Climate Change Adaptation Conference

2010 International Climate Change Adaptation Conference - Climate Adaptation Futures: Preparing for the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

One of the first international forums to focus solely on climate impacts and adaptation, this Conference will bring together scientists and decision makers from developed and developing countries to share research approaches, methods and results. It will explore the way forward in a world where impacts are increasingly observable and adaptation actions are increasingly required. Confirmed keynote speakers for this event include Dr R. K. Pachauri, Professor Chris Field, Dr Mark Howden, and Professor Stephen Schneider.

The Conference will be held on the 29 June - 1 July 2010, at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Abstracts are also invited for Conference sessions, and registrations are now open.

Visit www.nccarf.edu.au/conference2010 for further information.

Please email nccarf-conf2010@yrd.com.au if you would like to received conference updates.

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The Fifth International Conference on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing

The Fifth International Conference on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing ISSNIP 2009, Melbourne, Australia, 7th-10th December 2009. (www.issnip.org/2009)

Held under the umbrella of the ARC Research Network on ISSNIP (www.issnip.unimelb.edu.au), the ISSNIP international conference is an annual forum for sensor network research. Recent advances in both theory and applications of intelligent sensors and smart systems in diverse areas of manufacturing, defence, medical science and environmental monitoring will be presented by the leading researchers in the field. The conference will be held at the Langham Hotel in Melbourne, December 7-10.

This year’s program features a number of high level international keynote speakers, including keynote talks from: 

• Prof. David Karoly (University of Melbourne) - ARC Federation Fellow, Professor of Meteorology, Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) contributor - Climate change science and solutions: The role of sensor networks for monitoring and mitigation 
•  Prof. John Langford (University of Melbourne) - Director of Uniwater, Chair of the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre - Water Supply Management & Efficient Irrigation Practices with Sensor Networks

The program also includes the Workshop: Towards the development of an Integrated Coral Reef Ecosystem Observing System (I-CREOS), looking at reef monitoring sensor network deployments and future developments. These case-studies serve as valuable test cases for broad based environmental monitoring systems.

More details on additional keynote & invited talks, technical paper presentations and program, as well as registration information can be found at www.issnip.org/2009 (partial registrations will also be made available shortly).

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Tertiary & Higher Education Conference 2010

16-17 March, 2010

Dockside, Cockle Bay,Sydney

The Government is committed to making Australia one of the most educated and highly skilled workforces in the world in order to secure national long term economic prosperity.

In March 2008, the Government initiated a Review of Higher Education to examine the future direction of the higher education sector, its fitness for purpose in meeting the needs of the Australian community and economy, and the options for ongoing reform. The Review was conducted by an independent expert panel, led by Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley AC

As part of the 2009 Budget, on 12 May the Government announced it would provide an additional $5.4 billion to support higher education and research over the next 4 years in a comprehensive response to the Bradley Review, Transforming Australia’s Higher Education System. The quantum leap in resourcing is designed to support high quality teaching and learning, improve access and outcomes for students from low socio economic backgrounds, build new links between universities and disadvantaged schools, reward institutions for meeting agreed quality and equity outcomes, improve resourcing for research and invest in world class tertiary education infrastructure.

This two day conference will cover the key areas outlined in the Government’s funding system with an additional day (bookable separately) devoted to University marketing strategies.

Major themes include:

• Ministerial address on transformation in the Australian Higher Education system
• Challenges of applying the Bradley Review recommendations
• Revising academic standards in line with the new funding (“compacts”)
• How research intensive universities should be organised in the 21st Century
• Defusing the Indian student’s fear on security 
• Recruiting overseas students from China & India vs USA
• Regulating off-short educational agents
• Effect of proposed Government funding on TAFE institutes

Who will be attending:

• Federal Government
• State Government
• Universities
• Higher Education Institutions
• Finance Companies
• Education Companies
• Education Suppliers
• Banking Institutions
• Management Schools
• IT Companies
• Business Schools
• Trainers
• Corporate Business Schools

For further information go to www.highered.com.au or contact Helen on 02 8923 8003 or events@hallmarkevents.com.au

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Marketing & Funding Universities Today 2010

March 17, 2010

Dockside, Cockle Bay Sydney

The Rudd government has committed to full university research funding, adopting Bradley’s recommendation that Research Infrastructure Block Grant (RIBG) amounts should be raised from 20 to 50 cents for every dollar won through competitive grants.

The new Reform, billed as ‘Sustainable research excellence in universities’, will be phased in over five years with the initial outlay being – $30.5 million next financial year, rising to $120.5 million in 2010-11 and progressively increased until it reaches $301 million in 2013-14.

Universities’ relative success in attracting research income – the current means of allocating RIBG funds – will be given only 20 per cent weighting in allocating the extra money. The remaining 80 per cent of the additional funding will be conditional on universities undertaking activity-based costing of the indirect costs of research, and meeting performance targets to be negotiated over the next financial year.

The Institutional Grants Scheme (IGS), will be replaced by the Joint Research Engagement Scheme in a cost-neutral reform designed “to get university researchers working more effectively with industry – and with each other” and the government will establish another new program, the Collaborative Research Networks Scheme, to help “smaller, regional and less research-intensive universities” increase their research capacity.

This one day Summit will deliver answers to many of those questions concerning marketing and funding of universities today and how to obtain the maximum funding dollar for research projects and diversify their funding sources. 

Who attends?

• Vice Chancellors
• Deans
• Heads of Departments
• University Marketing Staff (Marketing Officer/ Manager/ Administrator/ Coordinator/ Assistant)
• Associate Deans (Marketing and Admissions)
• Faculty Marketing Officers
• Managers of International Marketing
• Directors of International Strategy, Marketing and Communications
• CIOs and Senior IT Managers
• Managers of Development and External Relations
• Senior Administrators
• Financial Managers

Further information about registering for the Conference is available at www.unifund.com.au/

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Products & Services

ResearchJobs

ResearchJobs is an email and website based service that lists advertisements for vacant research-related positions, scholarships, and fellowships, within the research and development, scientific and academic industries.

It is distributed straight to the desk top of over 11,000 researchers and management professionals within universities, CSIRO, research agencies and institutes, government departments and the private sector.

It is free to receive, with only a small cost to advertise.

For further information about advertising a position, contact Blake Duggin on 03 8534 5012 or blake.duggin@halledit.com.au

To subscribe or to view current positions go to www.researchjobs.net.au

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