Federation Fellows announced

Twenty researchers have been awarded Federation Fellowships for 2007. Federation Fellows commencing in 2007 will receive an annual salary of $256,052 and a further 28 per cent in on-costs, bringing annual ARC funding for each Fellowship to $327,746. Host organisations must provide support for Federation Fellows that at least matches the salary.

Seventeen of the Fellows are currently resident in Australia, one is a returning Australian and two are foreign nationals.

This year’s Federation Fellows are:

Dr Joss Bland-Hawthorn: Astrophotonics: Exploiting a new technological frontier to probe back to the Dark Ages. Current institution: Anglo-Australian Observatory. Host institution: The University of Sydney. Primary research field: Physical sciences.

Professor Frank Caruso: Building molecularly engineered polymer nanomaterials. Current institution: The University of Melbourne.
Host institution: The University of Melbourne. Primary research field: Interdisciplinary engineering.

Professor Robert Clark: Coherent transport of spin qubits in an engineered-atom silicon quantum computer: Demonstrating the critical spintronics. Current institution: The University of New South Wales.
Host institution: The University of New South Wales. Primary research field: Theoretical and condensed matter physics.

Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte: Data fusion and perception in autonomous networks. Current institution: The University of Sydney.
Host institution: The University of Sydney. Primary research field: Manufacturing engineering.

Professor Benjamin Eggleton: Ultrafast photonic integrated circuits: Unlocking the bandwidth. Current institution: The University of Sydney. Host institution: The University of Sydney. Primary research field: Optical physics.

Associate Professor Tony Gherghetta: The new dimensions of the quantum universe. Current institution: The University of Minnesota.
Host institution: The University of Melbourne. Primary research field: Atomic and molecular physics, nuclear and particle physics, plasma physics.

Dr William Heath: In vivo imaging of the immune system in self tolerance and infectious disease. Current institution: The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. Host institution: The University of Melbourne. Primary research field: Microbiology.

Professor John Hodges: Long-term memory systems and the human brain. Current institution: Medical Research Council (UK) and University of Cambridge. Host institution: The University of New South Wales. Primary research field: Psychology.

Professor Yuri Kivshar: All-optical technologies, nanophotonics and metamaterials. Current institution: The Australian National University. Host institution: The Australian National University.
Primary research field: Communications technologies.

Professor Peter Koopman: Deciphering genome function in animal development. Current institution: The University of Queensland.
Host institution: The University of Queensland. Primary research field: Genetics.

Professor Douglas MacFarlane: Biocompatible ionic liquids – Preserving bioactive structure and function. Current institution: Monash University. Host institution: Monash University. Primary research field: Physical chemistry.

Professor Bernadette McSherry: Rethinking mental health laws: An integrated approach. Current institution: Monash University. Host institution: Monash University. Primary research field: Law.

Professor Gerard Milburn: Quantum nanoscience. Current institution: The University of Queensland. Host institution: The University of Queensland. Primary research field: Theoretical and condensed matter physics.

Professor Heiner Niemann: Embryo genomics for engineering change. Current institution: Institut für Tierzucht Mariensee. Host institution: The University of Adelaide. Primary research field: Animal production.

Integrating economics and science for land, water and biodiversity policy. Current institution: The University of Western Australia. Host institution: The University of Western Australia. Primary research field: Applied economics.

Professor Ian Petersen: Robust and distributed control of quantum systems. Current institution: The University of New South Wales (Australian Defence Force Academy). Host institution: The University of New South Wales (Australian Defence Force Academy). Primary research field: Mathematics.

Professor Cheryl Praeger AM: Group actions: Combinatorics, geometry and computation. Current institution: The University of Western Australia. Host institution: The University of Western Australia. Primary research field: Mathematics.

Professor Huw Price: A practical theory of factual information: Fundamentals and applications in philosophy and physics. Current institution: The University of Sydney. Host institution: The University of Sydney. Primary research field: Philosophy.

Professor John Quiggin: Climate change: Adaptation and resilience in the face of uncertainty. Current institution: The University of Queensland. Host institution: The University of Queensland. Primary research field: Applied economics.

Dr Peter Waterhouse: Small RNAs: What makes a plant, a plant. Current institution: CSIRO Plant Industry. Host institution: The University of Sydney. Primary research field: Genetics.

An independent committee is in the final stages of reviewing the first five years of the Federation Fellowships scheme. The committee received submissions from individuals and organisations, and is due to report its findings to the ARC by the end of June 2007.

The independent review committee comprises:
• Mr John Grace, former ARC Board member and former CEO of AMRAD
• Professor Deryck Schreuder, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Western Sydney and The University of Western Australia
• Dr Megan Clarke, Vice-President, BHP Billiton.

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Funding for Environmental Economics Research Hub

The Australian Government has announced funding of $7 million through its $100 million Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) Program to establish an Environmental Economics Research Hub,.

The Environmental Economics Research Hub will develop economic models and tools for environmental policy makers in areas such as designing marine reserves; developing incentives and tools for improving water efficiency and developing policies for promoting environmental stewardship, multi-species and ecosystem management for biodiversity, and adapting to climate change.

The hub will be led by Professor Jeff Bennett, Director of Graduate Studies in Environmental Management and Development at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Other hub institutions include the University of New South Wales, the University of Western Australia, Central Queensland University and Griffith University.

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Funding for biodiversity network

Federal funding of $5.5 million provided through the $100 million Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) Program will support the development of a national network on Australian biodiversity.

The network of scientists, universities, museums and government agencies will be coordinated by the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research in Canberra and led by Dr Judy West and will aim to accelerate research and discovery of Australia’s biodiversity. Research will focus on small terrestrial mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and weeds, and will deliver web-based tools to provide information and assist with identification.

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull, said he saw the research hub as becoming a “global leader in delivering web-based information on taxonomy, and moving towards the creation of a ‘one stop shop’ for assessing key information on Australia’s biodiversity.”

He said it would also address the decline in Australia’s taxonomic research capacity by providing opportunities for student training and engaging early career scientists.

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BP and Rio Tinto to explore carbon capture power generation project

BP and Rio Tinto have announced that they are beginning feasibility studies and work on plans for the potential development of a $2 billion coal-fired power generation project at Kwinana in Western Australia that would be integrated with carbon capture and storage to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases.

The project will be undertaken by Hydrogen Energy, a new company launched by BP and Rio Tinto this month, subject to regulatory approval, and headed by chief executive, Lewis Gillies.

The project would gasify locally-produced coal from the Collie region to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The hydrogen would be used to fuel the power station and around 90 per cent of the carbon dioxide would be captured and stored permanently in an underground geological formation.

Responding to the announcement, the Prime Minister, John Howard, said the government is developing carbon capture and storage legislation to provide investment certainty for the developers of these technologies. It has also invested in geological mapping to identify sites where carbon dioxide can be stored.

A final investment decision to develop the project could be made in 2011, with the project coming into operation after a three year construction period. The project's gasification facility and power station would be located in Kwinana, 45km south of Perth, alongside BP's refinery and Rio Tinto's HIsmelt facility.

The power station would be capable of producing 500 megawatts of low-carbon electricity and about four million tonnes of CO2 each year would be captured, transported and stored in a geological formation beneath the seabed of the Perth basin. This would be the first hydrogen-fuelled power project to store CO2 in a saline formation, a type of geological structure which is more common globally than suitable oil and gas reservoirs.

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Appointments to Victorian biotechnology facilities

Professor Nadia Rosenthal, head of the mouse biology program at European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy, has been appointed head of Victoria’s new Regenerative Medicine Institute.

The $138 million Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute was announced last year as part of the Victorian Government’s $230 million life sciences statement, Healthy Futures with the State Government providing $35 million towards the centre.

Announcing the appointment, the Minister for Innovation, John Brumby, said the intellectual property and know-how of the existing EMBL facility would be transferred to the new Institute at Monash University and its contracts with large global commercial entities will be continued and enhanced from there.

Professor Rosenthal’s husband, Alan Sawyer, has also been appointed to head Victoria’s new Monoclonal Antibody Technologies Facility.

Both facilities are to be based at Monash University, and the couple will take up their appointments in 2008, with Professor Rosenthal initially serving on a part-time basis to establish the Institute and to help build European ties with Monash.

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Study to assess opportunities for Geelong manufacturing

The Victorian government is providing $50,000 grant through its Regional Innovation Clusters Program to the Geelong Manufacturing Council for a study to identify collaborative opportunities for Geelong manufacturers, particularly in research and development, export and cost reduction.

The Geelong Research and Development Manufacturing Cluster Feasibility Study will assess the capability and collaborative interests of up to 100 Geelong manufacturers and identify specific projects that can help improve their competitive advantage and profitability.

A project steering committee has been established with representation from Deakin University, the Geelong Manufacturing Council, Hendersons, Backwell IXL, the City of Greater Geelong, Industry Capability Network and Regional Development Victoria.

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Funding support for cancer clinical trials in Queensland

The Queensland government has pledged $1.86 million over three years in matching funding to the Cancer Council to run a clinical trials data manager program.

Under the program, which will commence in the next few weeks, data managers will be employed within hospital oncology departments to support independent clinical trials.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said the data managers would relieve clinicians of data collection work and would also manage patient eligibility and consent to the trials and compliance with clinical trial study protocols.

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Funding for tropical rivers research

The Queensland Government has awarded Griffith University a $2 million Innovation Projects Fund grant to support research into the economic, environmental and social management of the Flinders and Mitchell river ecosystems that flow into the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The funding will establish a Queensland research hub for the Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) program, a study spanning states and territories across Australia's top-end.

The TRaCK program aims to build understanding of the important benefits tropical rivers and estuaries provide and to develop tools for assessing the implications of potential developments.

It also aims to identify opportunities to develop sustainable enterprises and build capacity and knowledge in the local community to manage Australia’s tropical rivers and coasts.

Griffith University's Australian Rivers Institute is a lead partner in the TRaCk program, together with Charles Darwin University, The University of Western Australia, CSIRO, the North Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, and Land & Water Australia.

The Queensland Smart State grant brings the total investment in the program to over $30 million over four years, with significant Federal Government funding from the Department of Environment and Water, the National Water Commission and Land and Water Australia, and additional support from the research partners.

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NSW to invest in Clinical Trials Business Development Centre

The NSW Government has announced the establishment of a Clinical Trials Business Development Centre to provide a single marketing body and point-of-contact for overseas researchers and pharmaceutical companies.

The new centre, to be established with a $1 million allocation, will connect the world's pharmaceutical companies and research centres to the local clinical trials expertise, from the design and recruitment of clinical trials to their operation, management and statistical analysis.

Details of the tender process for the Clinical Trials Business Development Centre are available on the website of the Office for Science and Medical Research, www.osmr.nsw.gov.au.

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Legal Framework for e-Research Conference 2007

Wednesday 11 July – Thursday 12 July @ Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa, Gold Coast, Queensland.

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE – BOOK NOW!

Early bird registration (until 31 May 2007) is $295.00, regular registration is $385.00 and an official conference dinner ticket costs $145.00.

REGISTER NOW @ www.e-Research.law.qut.edu.au.

For more information email e-Research.law@qut.edu.au or visit www.e-Research.law.qut.edu.au  

What is e-Research?
National and international multidisciplinary collaboration using a spectrum of advanced information and Communications Technology (ICT) capabilities that facilitate fast-paced, real-time and large-scale access to knowledge.

This conference will examine legal issues facing e-Research both in Australia and internationally such as contractual frameworks, data ownership/access/reuse, privacy, Science Commons and IP licensing. It will provide insights into new ways of thinking about research management in the expanding e-Research environment.

International Keynote Speakers will include:

• John Wilbanks, Executive Director of Science Commons
• Dr Michael Spence, Head of the Social Sciences Division of the University of Oxford
• Paul Uhlir, Director of International Scientific and Technical (S&T) Information Programs at The National Academies in Washington, D.C.
• Claire Driscoll, Director of Technology Transfer for the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI, NIH), Washington, D.C.
• Fred Friend, Scholarly Communication Consultant Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) UK.
• Dr Chris Greer, Program Director Office of Cyberinfrastructure, National Science Foundation (NSF), Arlington, VA.
• Professor John M. Unsworth, Dean and Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; and

Special guest speaker Professor Fiona Stanley AC, Director Australian Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Executive Director Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth and Australian of the Year (2003).

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NEW dates for Writing Clear Science Workshops (SA, NT, NSW, QLD, VIC)

www.writingclearscience.com.au

Writing Clear Science teaches writing and research skills to science students and science professionals. 

Writing Clear Science workshops are designed for most science disciplines and include short lectures, followed by interactive discussions and group exercises.

Writing Clear Science workshops will help you overcome your writing obstacles, improve your writing productivity and enhance your research skills. We teach the skills necessary to produce high quality science projects, reports, articles and theses.

Three-day workshops are now open for bookings in SA, NT, NSW, QLD, VIC. Enrolments are available for Day 1 only; Day 1-2 only, or for Day 1-3.

Day 1: The Nuts & Bolts of Writing
Day 2: Writing Reports, Articles & Manuscripts
Day 3: Writing Your Thesis

In addition to the standard topics, we also offer in-house, 1-3 day tailored workshops. Recent in-house workshops have covered Writing in plain English, Writing an Oral Presentation, Publishing Your Science & Preparing a Poster Presentation.

Workshop Dates & Locations

Adelaide: Wednesday 6th - Friday 8th June Venue: The Seminar Room 1.27, Plant Genomics Centre, Hartley Grove, Urrbrae, Building 22, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus
Darwin: Wednesday 4th – Friday 6th July Venue: Room 42, Building 23, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina Campus, Ellengowen Drive.
Sydney: Wednesday 25th – Friday 27th July Venue: UNILINC Meeting Room, Level 9, 210 Clarence St, Sydney
Brisbane: Wednesday 22nd – Friday 24th August Venue: Auditorium 2, DPI&F Conference Centre, Ground Floor
Primary Industries Building, 80 Ann Street, Brisbane
Melbourne: Monday 10th – Wednesday 12th September; Venue: Richmond Library Meeting Room (upstairs), 415 Church Street (cnr. Church St. & Swan St.), Richmond.

Course Outlines
Day 1: The Nuts & Bolts of Writing
• Lectures: Your Audience & Your Purpose; Accurate Science Writing; Sentence and Paragraph Structure.
• Writing Exercises: Summarising Skills; Writing in Plain English; Title, Sentence and Paragraph Construction.
Day 2: Writing Reports & Manuscripts
• Lectures: Writing Techniques; Clear Structure for Excellent Writing; Writing Style & Word Choice; Different Report Styles.
• Writing Exercises: Assessment of Writing Examples, Report Construction and Continuity; Improvement of Writing Style.
Day 3: Writing Your Thesis
• Lectures: Designing & Writing Your Thesis; Researching Your Topic; Thesis Structure.
• Writing Review & Group Discussions: Research Design Overview; Thesis Construction and Continuity of Chapters; Assessment of Writing Examples.

For further information or to download course outlines, venue details & registration forms, go to www.writingclearscience.com.au.  Email info@writingclearscience.com.au. Phone 0416-097979

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Effective Collaborative Research Skills

ARE YOU INVOLVED IN RESEARCH?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne are pleased to announce the upcoming 1 day course Effective Collaborative Research Skills.

Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who undertakes research. This includes researchers, research project managers, research project administrators, new business and commercialisation managers, working for publicly or privately funded CRC’s, CCRE’s, research institutes, universities, hospitals, new technology start-ups and spin-out companies, biotech companies and technology incubators.

What will I get out of this course?
In a climate where excellence in research is promoted, effective collaboration has become essential in order to achieve world class research outcomes. Individuals, teams and organisations need well developed collaboration skills to successfully leverage their resources and expertise to achieve excellence in a highly competitive global research environment. This one day workshop will give you the skills to:
• Assess the benefits, costs and risks of collaboration
• Know why and when collaboration is needed
• Understand which collaboration approaches work best with different types of stakeholders
• Use the 3 principles of successful research collaboration to improve the efficiency of collaborative decision making
• Diagnose whether your potential collaborative partner meets the requirements of the 5 commitments of strong collaborative research partnerships
• Move from transactional single issue negotiations to collaborative relationship building approaches that have mutual benefits
• Neutralise the hard-ball tactics that have the potential to destroy collaborative research partnerships
• Identify strategies that will enhance the collaborative maturity of your organisation

Numbers are limited, so be quick!

Cost: $595 + GST
When: Wednesday, 20th June, 2007
Where: Graduate House, 220 Leicester Street, Carlton VIC 3053

NEED TO KNOW MORE?
Click here for more information.

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Elise Strande on (03) 9810 3136 or email commercialisation@soe.unimelb.edu.au  

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Working Effectively with Research Project Teams

ARE YOU INVOLVED IN RESEARCH?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne are pleased to announce the upcoming 1 day course Working Effectively with Research Project Teams.

Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who undertakes research. This includes researchers, research project managers, research project administrators, new business and commercialisation managers, working for publicly or privately funded CRC’s, CCRE’s, research institutes, universities, hospitals, new technology start-ups and spin-out companies, biotech companies and technology incubators.

What will I get out of this course?
The best research often emerges out of the creative interaction of talented team members. This interaction at times can be stressful and sometimes unproductive. This one-day workshop has been designed to introduce participants to a range of tools and techniques to help them understand:
• The strengths and weaknesses of different work preferences and styles
• How to work to their own work-style strengths and those of others
• How to develop effective communication strategies for research projects
• How to deal with creative tension and manage conflict
• How to develop high performance teams of knowledge workers
• How to manage dysfunctional work climates and team members

Numbers are limited, so be quick!

Cost: $595 + GST
When: Tuesday, 19th June, 2007
Where: Graduate House, 220 Leicester Street, Carlton VIC 3053

NEED TO KNOW MORE?
Click here for more information.

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Elise Strande on (03) 9810 3136 or email commercialisation@soe.unimelb.edu.au  

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Defining Research Projects and Deliverables

ARE YOU INVOLVED IN RESEARCH?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne are pleased to announce the upcoming 1 day course Defining Research Projects and Deliverables.

Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who undertakes research. This includes researchers, research project managers, research project administrators, new business and commercialisation managers, working for publicly or privately funded CRC’s, CCRE’s, research institutes, universities, hospitals, new technology start-ups and spin-out companies, biotech companies and technology incubators.

What will I get out of this course?
Traditional project management approaches often don’t work for many research projects. By their nature, research projects involve novel tasks with uncertain resource requirements. This one-day workshop has been designed to introduce participants to a range of tools and techniques to help them understand:
• The differences between research project management and traditional project management
• How project management relates to other disciplines
• The unique body of project management knowledge, project maturity and project gate models
• Project scope and how to determine what is in and out of scope
• Common approaches to developing work breakdown structures
• Key issues in defining research project scheduling
• How to manage resources and develop a responsibility matrix
• How to manage research project scheduling and project tradeoffs

Numbers are limited, so be quick!

Cost: $595 + GST
When: Monday, 18th June, 2007
Where: Graduate House, 220 Leicester Street, Carlton VIC 3053


NEED TO KNOW MORE?
Click here for more information.

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Elise Strande on (03) 9810 3136 or email commercialisation@soe.unimelb.edu.au  

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Are your INVENTIONS protected?

 A successful and enduring organisation is more than just the services or products provided. The success of an organisation depends heavily on ideas and innovations, largely of the research and development team.

Your company’s valuable research could be for nothing if you fail to protect it.

The innovation patent can help to protect your inventions, and reduce the risks involved in research and development.

What is the INNOVATION PATENT?

The innovation patent is a protection option specifically designed to protect inventions that do not meet the inventive threshold required for standard patents.

The innovation patent reduces some of the financial and commercial risks involved in the research and development of a new invention and it allows the innovator to protect each stage of development.

Introduced in 2001 to stimulate innovation among local industry, the innovation patent is a relatively fast way to protect inventions that are incremental, or small advances to devices, substances, methods, or processes.

Why apply for an INNOVATION PATENT?

There are many benefits to organisations in applying for an innovation patent. These include:
• Protection of intellectual property – the first step in commercialising an idea. A secure innovation is also more attractive to potential investors.
• The innovation patent provides access to the patent system for inventions that normally wouldn’t qualify for a standard patent.
• Unlike a standard patent that can take up to four years to grant an innovation patent usually takes one month. If you ever subsequently need to enforce your innovation patent, for example you suspect someone is copying your idea; you will need to have it examined and certified at an additional cost.
• Ultimately, the innovation patent is a fast, cost effective and accessible protection option.

Learn more about the innovation patent by visiting http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/innovationpatent/

To view a commercially successful and interesting innovation patent case study visit: http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/smartstart/case10.htm  

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