New CEO for ARC appointed

Professor Margaret Sheil has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Research Council.

Professor Sheil is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Wollongong, a director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Smart Internet Technology, and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

She is also a member of the Research Quality Framework Reference Committee, and the immediate past Chair of the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee Deputy/Pro Vice-Chancellors’ (Research) Group.

Professor Shiel will take up the position on 17 August 2007.

The Federal Labor party has welcomed the appointment but has attacked the government for undermining the role of the ARC.

“Under the changes to the ARC Act – which abolished the Board – the Minister has a much greater capacity to intervene in the allocation of research grants.

“Dr Nelson alone vetoed 10 ARC grants as Education Minister – a matter which is the subject of a legal dispute.

“Professor Sheil’s challenge is compounded because of the difficulties by the Governments botched Research Quality Framework (RQF).

“The RQF will leave Australia unprepared to meet the challenges of the future and will do little to overcome the fragmentation of Australia’s research effort.

“The job ahead for Professor Sheil will not be easy, but her experience and passion for research will place her in great stead.

“Labor looks forward to working with Professor Sheil in Government to build a strong and truly national system of R&D as part of a coherent national system of innovation.”

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Australia to become associate member of European Molecular Biology Laboratory

The Minister for Education Science and Training, Julie Bishop, has announced that Australia is to become the first associate member of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

EMBL is an international research institution supported by 19 European member states. It has laboratories located in Germany, France, Italy and the UK, and a staff of more than 1400 researchers from 60 nations.

Associate membership will provide Australian researchers with access to faculty positions and research infrastructure within EMBL laboratories in Europe. It will also allow Australian research institutions to become EMBL Partner Laboratories and will encourage EMBL’s world-leading scientists to work collaboratively with these laboratories.

Funding for Australia’s associate membership will be provided through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and through contributions from Monash University, The University of Western Australia, The University of Queensland, The University of Sydney and CSIRO.

The EMBL Council agreed to Australia’s request to become an associate member on 3 July , with associate membership formally commencing from January 2008.

Further information on EMBL may be found at: www.embl.org

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Evaluation of changes to R&D Tax Concession

An evaluation report of the R&D Tax Concession has found that new elements of the program introduced in Backing Australia’s Ability in 2001 have been broadly successful in encouraging increased business expenditure on R&D (BERD).

The evaluation was undertaken by a Steering Committee comprising officers from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, The Treasury, the Australian Taxation Office and the Department of Finance and Administration, as well as a representative of the Tax Concession Committee (a sub-committee of the Industry Research and Development Board).

It found that the Offset is associated with an extra 1,000 firms a year using the Concession based on previous trends.

“The large influx of firms in the first year of the Offset was followed by sustained growth in the number of firms and levels of R&D. For the first three years there was an average of $310 million R&D invested per year above trendline projections for firms within the $5 million turnover and $1 million caps.

“This growth is approximately a doubling of R&D expenditure below $1 million, and is made up predominately of firms new to the Concession.”

The R&D Tax Offset enables firms in tax loss to 'cash out' deductions they are eligible for under the R&D Tax Concession. It is available to firms with an annual group turnover of less than $5 million and with annual grouped R&D expenditure not greater than $1 million.

The evaluation recommended that the Government consider the evaluation’s findings in relation to the appropriateness of the current R&D expenditure threshold for the Offset and its impact on incentives.

The impact of the 175% Premium R&D Tax Concession was more difficult to assess as it could be subsidising firms expanding their R&D anyway. The review concluded that “It is not possible to determine at this stage whether the strong growth in Premium R&D will be sustained or whether it is an initial response to the new incentive. There are limits to how fast and how high Premium firms can expand R&D expenditure, especially since the majority are not yet showing commensurate growth in turnover. Some may have expanded their R&D expenditure to gain a one-off benefit at the higher rate. This trend has been observed with other economic incentive programs, which have also seen investments plateau, drop back to normal, or drop below normal if they had been artificially brought forward.”

The evaluation found that the requirement for an R&D Plan “appears to be effective in achieving greater management focus on planning and decision-making”, and recommended that guidelines for R&D Plans be reviewed and revised to provide better guidance to firms on intent and requirements.

The Shadow Minister for for Industry, Innovation, Science & Research, Kim Carr, criticised the terms of reference for the evaluation, saying that the report only focused on the six years between 1998-99 and 2003-04, ignoring the impact of the Government’s 1996 decision to halve the R&D tax concession.

“The 1996 decision saw the number of companies registered for the concession drop from 3,733 in 1995-96 to 3,295 the following year and R&D expenditure fall from $4.5 billion to $4.2 billion. For the manufacturing sector, R&D as a share of output plummeted from around 3.3 per cent in 1995-96 to only 2.8 per cent in 1999-00.

”Over the full eleven years of the Howard Government, its performance on R&D has been woeful. Average annual growth rate of real business investment in R&D fell from 11.4 per cent in the ten years to 1995-96, to only 5.1 per cent between 1995-96 and 2004-05.

”The result is that Australia languishes half way down the list of OECD countries when it comes to business R&D investment, with expenditure as a proportion of GDP less than two thirds of the OECD average.”

The evaluation report is available at www.industry.gov.au/RandDtax.

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FASTS paper finds science R&D lagging

The Federation of Scientific and Technological Societies has released a briefing paper entitled Is this what you had in mind? – Science lags national investment in R&D which found that university expenditure on R&D in the natural sciences between 2000 and 2004 had declined as a share of GDP.

Key findings of the paper included:
The natural sciences were the only field of research to decline as a share of GDP in this period;
In real terms, science increased by 13.5% but lagged medical research (81%) and the humanities, arts and social sciences (50%).
Mathematics, physics and chemistry, the key enabling sciences, only increased by 8%, well behind the overall average of 42% and
Public sector funding of R&D in science, IT, computing, engineering and technology all declined as a share of GDP

The report is available at http://www.fasts.org

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Australia’s first campus-based Microsoft Centre launched

The first of three Microsoft Centres to be based at La Trobe University has been opened. The La Trobe University Microsoft Center is a partnership between the Victorian Government, Microsoft, La Trobe University and the local ICT industry. It is also supported by technology companies Intel, WACOM, and i-mate.

The Minister for Information & Communication Technology, Tim Holding, said a major beneficiary of the Centre would be the Victoria.NET industry cluster, a group of 400 Victorian companies established in 2003 under the Victorian Government’s $1million ICT Linkages program.

“The La Trobe University Microsoft Centre will provide Victoria.NET members, academia and students with access to the .NET platform and technology which will help develop products for commercialisation and ultimately contribute to Victoria’s economic growth.

“The benefits of setting up a Centre like this are the mentoring opportunities for smaller companies, who gain access to giants such as Microsoft, Intel and i-mate, as well as creating better student-to-business linkages, making Victorian students more ‘job ready’,” Mr Holding said.

The Centre will be located at the La Trobe University’s R&D Park

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Research Centre of Excellence in Geothermal Energy for Adelaide

The South Australian government has announced it will give a grant of $250,000 to University of Adelaide as seed funding for the development of a Research Centre of Excellence in Geothermal Energy.

Under the agreement, the university will host Australia’s first research cluster examining all aspects of hot rock enhanced geothermal systems.

Australia-wide, 27 companies have applied for 166 geothermal licences. Between 2002 and 2012 these companies are currently expected to invest more than $650 million in exploring-for and undertaking proof-of-concept projects in their licenses.

Of these, South Australia has attracted 17 companies to apply for 142 geothermal licences with work programs worth more than $550 million for the term 2002-12.

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Positions Vacant: Scientists and Engineers Wanted

Canberra based positions.

View the latest advances in technology and play an integral role in innovation — all in a stimulating, friendly environment. Become a patent examiner.

Scientists and Engineers
Become a Patent Examiner — help shape the future

Not everyone can claim to have a job where they are amongst the first to see the details of new and exciting inventions and technology, let alone play a lead role in the innovation process. But as a Patent Examiner, that’s exactly your role.

IP Australia, the government agency responsible for administering Australia’s patents, trade marks, designs and plant breeder’s rights systems is looking for graduates and experienced professionals who are decisive, can work independently and can apply technical knowledge to new and challenging ideas to commence as Patent Examiners in Early 2008.

We are currently seeking people with qualifications and experience in:
• Mechanical Engineering;
• Biomedical Engineering;
• Physics;
• Pure or Applied Chemistry;
• Industrial Chemistry;
• Biotechnology; Pharmacology;
• Electronics;
• Telecommunications;
• Electrical Engineering;
• Computer Science;
• Computer Engineering; or
• Chemical Engineering.

All Patent Examiner positions are based in Canberra.

Your starting salary will be in the range of $46,161–$58,550 (plus superannuation), depending on your qualifications and work experience. Please note successful applicants may be offered an Australian Workplace Agreement, to be negotiated based on skills and experience.

To apply or obtain the job documentation and further information, please visit www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about/jobspatexam.shtml or phone (02) 6283 2100. If you’re interested in learning more about the role of a Patent Examiner, phone Leigh Tristram on (02) 6283 2075.

To be eligible for employment you must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or have an appropriate work visa and are close to attaining permanent residency.

Applications close: Friday 10 August 2007

Join IP Australia and help shape the future

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Announcing the GlaxoSmithKline Australia Post Graduate Support Grant

Our global quest is to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. To achieve our quest, GlaxoSmithKline invests up to $35 million each year in Australian research and development - ranking us in Australia’s top 15 R&D companies (Source: see below).

Support grants for postgraduate research students

GSK Australia is pleased to offer grant awards of up to $15,000 per annum for two years to PhD or Post Doctorate students in the field of human health.

These awards will provide additional financial support to PhD or Post Doctorate research students who are currently in receipt of a research grant from a non-commercial body.

How to apply

For further information and application forms, please visit www.gsk.com.au/research  
Closing date for applications and supporting documentation is 5.00pm (AEST) Friday 27 July 2007.

Source: Australia’s 2006 R & D and Intellectual Property Scoreboard
GlaxoSmithKline is a registered trademark of the GlaxoSmithKline Group of Companies.  GlaxoSmithKline Australia Pty Ltd. 1061 Mountain Highway Boronia VIC 3155. ABN 47 100 162 481

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Clinical Research Informatics

As information technology has become more powerful and sophisticated it is now possible to create data linkages and interrogate data in ways that was not even possible two years ago. The Bio21:Molecular Medicine Informatics Model (Bio21:MMIM) is an example of a recently implemented clinical research database linkage project.

"Clinical Research Informatics" is a course designed for clinical researchers who want to understand the power of the informatics tools available and maximise their opportunities for getting clinical research outcomes through application of these tools. This may include:
• Clinical researchers with their own data
• Clinical researchers or others who do not have data but have a research questions
• Clinical researchers who want to better understand what they need to do to get data, what data already exists and any possible issues
• Clinical researchers who want to be able to compare their data with other similar data for verification or other purposes, or who want access to additional data
• Clinical researchers with a background in informatics or statistics who want to update their skills and learn about contemporary practices in clinical research informatics
• Clinical research groups who have data who are interested in learning how to improve their data collection practices in order to maximise their clinical research outcomes

At the end of the course, clinical researchers will understand clinical research relational databases to the extent that they will be able to interrogate a simple relational database with provided research questions, and understand when and who they would need to collaborate with when faced with more complex research questions.

This subject is half of the Specialist Certificate in Clinical Research (Informatics & Analysis). To lean more about this award, visit our website www.soe.unimelb.edu.au/informatics  

Dates: August 13, 14, 16 & 17 2007
Cost: $2,000 per person

For further details contact Elise Strande on (03) 9810 3136 or email e.strande@soe.unimelb.edu.au  

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Clinical Research in Oncology

Graduate House
220 Leicester Street
Carlton, Vic 3053
20, 21, 23 & 24 August 2007
22, 23, 24 & 26 October 2007

Overview
Clinical Research in Oncology is an enormous field and integrates the efforts of a multi-disciplinary team of medical and allied health professionals. This course has been designed to bring together this multi-disciplinary group to give them a better understanding of all types of research design conducted and surrogate endpoints derived from laboratory and functional imaging studies.

Students are presented with ethical and legal considerations relevant to clinical research in oncology as well as developing essential skills in critically appraising research presentations and publications. This will give them an understanding of the breadth of opportunity for clinical research in oncology and the various outcomes assessed by oncology clinical trials; including how and why these might differ from other disciplines. Students will also gain an appreciation of all aspects of the concept outline, and the process and requirements for successful conduct of clinical research in oncology.

Who should attend?
Oncologists in training, clinical trials nurses and people in health services, pharmaceutical industry or contract research representatives.

Presenters
• Austin Hospital
• Cancer Council Australia
• Novartis Pharmaceuticals
• Peter MacCallum Centre
• Royal Melbourne Hospital
• St Vincent’s Hospital

Registration
Closes: 20 July 2007

Fee
Specialist Certificate in Clinical Research (Oncology) - $4,000

About the program contact:
Danielle Boardman
Project Manager
T: +61 3 9810 3250
F: +61 3 9810 3149
E: d.boardman@soe.unimelb.edu.au  
W: www.soe.unimelb.edu.au/oncology  

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Are you a clinician involved in NEUROSCIENCE?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne, in association with the NHRMC - funded Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Neurosciences and the Brain Research Institute, are pleased to announce that they will be holding a 4 day short course on Clinical Neuroscience Research: Methodology and Disease Applications Part 2, at the Austin Repatriation Centre on August 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th.

NUMBERS ARE LIMITED, so be quick!

This course has been specifically designed for people already in clinical practice, who want to understand and interpret the existing research, or to think about the research questions before embarking on clinical research studies. Experienced clinicians who are in their first years of conducting clinical research will also benefit by consolidating their research methods and skills. In addition, this course will provide basic orientation in various clinical research methodologies applied to neuroscience for other professionals who are unfamiliar with the field of neuroscience or clinical research.

Specialist Certificate in Clinical Research (Neuroscience)

The 25 points specialist certificate is a Masters level award and is achieved by completion of the two four day subjects, Methodology and Disease Applications Part 1 & 2, with associated assessment. It provides full credit into the Masters program in Clinical Research.

NEED TO KNOW MORE?  Please see website here

Cost: $1975 + GST

When: August 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th

Where: Neurosciences Building
Austin Repatriation Campus
Banksia Street Gate10)
West Heidelberg

Express your interest in this course and related courses by contacting:

• Kathy Lefevere on (03) 9496 2290 or email here
• Brad Atkins on (03) 9810 3185 or email here

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