Download Research Themes Investment Scheme: Information Pack

Research Themes Investment Scheme:
Information Pack
Table of Contents
Research Themes Investment Scheme (RTIS) Guidelines ..................................................................... 3
Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Intent ................................................................................................................................................... 4
Eligibility .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Funding available ................................................................................................................................ 5
Application and selection process ...................................................................................................... 6
Fund management, reporting requirements and deliverables .......................................................... 6
Appendix 1: UniSA’s Research Themes - Overview ....................................................................... 7
Appendix 2: RTIS Scholarship Guidelines .................................................................................... 10
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Research Themes Investment Scheme Guidelines
OVERVIEW
The University of South Australia (UniSA) recognises the value of interdisciplinary
research to solve real-world problems - this is evidenced by an announcement that
ranked UniSA as Australia’s leading University for interdisciplinary research 1. While this is
a significant achievement, we need to ensure we continue to strengthen and broaden
these activities across other areas, including those identified as UniSA’s Research
Themes.
As articulated in the Research and Innovation Strategic Plan 2016-2020, the thematic
approach to research at UniSA is a mechanism for building research capability that is
positioned around six key themes to ensure we can deliver innovative and sustainable
solutions that respond to some of the most pressing needs of society.
Spanning across the University, the themes will: create critical mass; link our research
strengths; and address local and global socio-economic needs. A thematic approach to
research will allow us to nurture transdisciplinary research - that is, research that spans
across traditional disciplinary boundaries, for example research across two or more
institutes, research across institutes and schools, or research that spans across divisions.
Research Themes will be one of the University’s primary mechanisms for engaging with
the community about our research, allowing us to talk about our research activities in a
meaningful and relevant manner. Themes are also being introduced to encourage our
researchers to focus and respond to the needs of industry 2.
The purpose of the Research Themes Investment Scheme (RTIS) is to support research
activity that is aligned with UniSA’s Research Themes (Figure 1). Appendix 1 provides an
overview of the Research Themes.
Figure 1: UniSA’s Research Themes
U-Multirank 2015 interdisciplinary publication score reflecting UniSA’s innovative character.
Throughout this document ‘industry’ refers to a range of external stakeholders including, but not limited to,
commercial entities, government agencies, not-for-profit organisations and community groups.
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2
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The scheme comprises two streams, Seed Funding and Development Funding. The intent
of each stream is detailed in the boxes below.
Stream 1: SEED FUNDING
The intent of this stream is to support the formation or development of research that
spans across traditional disciplinary boundaries, and that builds collaborative
partnerships. Funds will be awarded to transdisciplinary projects which will forge
pathways for future competitive research activities of significant scale and focus, with
tangible and relevant research outcomes. A clear case must be made as to how the
proposal extends research activity already in progress.
INTENT
It should be noted that each application must include Chief Investigators (CIs) from at
least two different disciplines. Priority will be given to those projects that can identify an
external partner. Where an external partner is not known, the project team should
identify a future source of industry collaboration.
Grants between $10,000 - $40,000 will be awarded to projects that can facilitate the:
• creation of a transdisciplinary project team that will drive a project which has
significance and relevance to external partners and encourages future collaborative
opportunities;
• development of a clear strategy, articulated through the project outcomes, that will
enhance the University’s profile, focus research on real-world challenges, and
improve the quality of our research outputs; and
• delivery of demonstrable research outcomes within 12 months of receiving seed
funding.
Stream 2: DEVELOPMENT FUNDING- THEMATIC POSTGRADUATE SUPPORT
The intent of this stream is to develop and strengthen an existing transdisciplinary
partnership, via the provision of a HDR scholarship. These new scholarships are being
implemented to facilitate student cohorts around themes.
To apply for a scholarship, transdisciplinary supervisory teams must nominate an
industry-linked project - the project will allow a HDR candidate to engage meaningfully
with an industry partner via thematically-linked research that is informed, leading edge
and relevant.
A range of scholarship support options are available for domestic and international
students, for a duration of 3-3.5 years.
The options are:
I.
A ‘Thematic Postgraduate Support Package’ ($10,000 per annum). This support
package will be awarded to domestic students, or international fee paying
students, who are in receipt of an externally-funded living stipend (e.g. APA, ARC
stipend, NHMRC stipend, IPRS, or an industry-funded stipend). The support
package can fund a top-up scholarship and/or activities that allow the students
to further enhance and profile their research externally, (i.e. consumables, travel
and conference attendance);
II.
A thematically-badged living stipend for domestic students, set at a level of the
current APA rate (2016 rate is $26,288). This stipend will encourage high
performing students to align their research with UniSA’s Research Themes;
III.
A fee waiver for exceptional international applicants, who are in receipt of a
living stipend sourced from external funds, to strengthen and increase research
aligned to UniSA’s Research Themes
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All RTIS applications must clearly address the following eligibility criteria:
ELIGIBILITY
The project proposal:
•
aligns with 1 or more of UniSA’s Research Themes
•
addresses national and/or state research priorities through a clearly articulated
and defined research challenge
•
establishes and/or further develops meaningful engagements with external
industry partner(s) in order to drive future research activities and deliver tangible
impact and benefit
•
demonstrates a potential to attract future funding from external sources
The project team:
•
is a transdisciplinary collaborative research team from UniSA with CIs from at least
two different disciplines.
For all Development Funding: Thematic Postgraduate Support options:
•
there must be an end-user identified as part of the application
•
there must be at least one (1) end-user advisor proposed as a member of the
students supervision panel.
The Lead CI / Principal Supervisor must be employed by UniSA for the duration of the project.
CIs / Principal Supervisors are limited to leading one application from each Stream.
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Grants from both streams will be awarded to each thematic area and the funding
available is detailed below.
Stream 1: SEED FUNDING
FUNDING
AVAILABLE
A total funding envelope of ~$400,000 will be available for Seed Funding. Grants ranging
from $10,000 - $40,000 will be awarded.
Activities supported by RTIS Funding include: travel to facilitate engagement with an
external partner (includes accommodation and airfare expenses plus incidentals);
attendance at forums/conferences/workshops to engage the external partner and
develop collaborative opportunities; research assistance to progress the RTIS project;
and residencies with the external partner.
Please note this list is not exhaustive and other activities which facilitate the
development of a collaborative partnership will be considered.
Stream 2: DEVELOPMENT FUNDING – THEMATIC POSTGRADUATE SUPPORT
A number of scholarship and support packages will be available for Development
Funding for students commencing in RTIS postgraduate projects approved in 2016.
Applications will be judged on their fit with the scheme and likelihood of delivering a
successful outcome. All successful proposals will be eligible for a RTIS support package
‘voucher’; however these ‘vouchers’ will be allocated to students on a first-come, firstserved basis once the supervisor has identified a suitable candidate and they have
accepted a place at UniSA.
Once the total funding allocation for the scheme has been exhausted, remaining projects
will be notified that no further funding is available and would need to be resubmitted to
a subsequent round of RTIS if they wished to continue with the scheme.
As required, thematically-badged scholarships will be advertised via a national advertising
campaign in July-August 2016, to assist in attracting exceptional candidates to specific
projects. This timing is broadly aligned with the University’s HDR domestic recruitment
timelines.
Students may be recruited in the main domestic scholarship round or independently to
the rounds. However they are expected to commence no later than 18 August 2017.
Please refer to the attached Scholarship Guidelines (Appendix 2) for further information.
It is important that you are familiar with the expectations articulated in the guidelines
before submitting a RTIS application.
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A RTIS application form must be completed using the online application, and submitted by
the closing date and time.
The closing date for applications is 10 June, 2016, 5.00pm ACDT.
APPLICATION
PROCESS,
FUND
MANAGEMENT,
REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS
& DELIVERABLES
The Research and Innovation Portfolio will assess all applications received for compliance
against the eligibility criteria prior to being presented to the Major Research Initiative Working
Group. If ruled ineligible, the Lead CI or Principal Supervisor may be offered the opportunity
to amend and address any compliance issues.
The Major Research Initiative Working Group will meet following the close of applications,
and outcomes will be communicated to the Lead CI or Principal Supervisor shortly thereafter.
In the case of Stream 1: Seed Funding, the Lead CI is responsible for managing their funds,
with all monies transferred to a Project (PG) account. Funding must be acquitted upon
submission of an annual performance update and any unspent funds will be reclaimed and
returned to the DVC: R&I budget, unless DVC: R&I approval has been sought. All end-user
(cash) funding committed to the proposal should also be invoiced into the project account.
In the case of Stream 2: Scholarships will be administered in accordance with the
University’s current HDR Scholarship policies and procedures. Normally, scholarships will
be awarded during the major University scholarship rounds. However, if suitable candidate
are not identified during these rounds the principal supervisor may award the scholarship ‘out
of round’ provided the candidate is assessed against the University’s HDR scholarship criteria,
is of a high calibre and can commence by 18th August 2017.
For both Streams, upon the completion of the project, the Lead CI or Principal Supervisor
(along with the HDR student), will:
1.provide a final written report to the Working Group for review,
2.meet with the Major Research Initiative Working Group and outline the outcomes
(projected and current) from the project,
3.work with UniSA’s Communications and Marketing Unit in the production of a short video
about the project.
As an additional requirement for Stream 2, in order to enable the Major Research Initiative
Working Group to monitor the student’s progress, their Review of Progress, which is
completed biannually, will be provided to the Working Group for noting.
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Appendix 1: UniSA’s Research Themes - Overview
AN AGE FRIENDLY WORLD
Unlocking human potential across the community through intergenerational approaches
Australia and the world’s demographics are changing dramatically – we are living longer and fertility rates
are falling in many societies. The ‘Baby Boomers’ are driving an ageing demographic, where there will be
huge opportunities as the makeup of our communities shifts. In conjunction with a growing population, the
demand on our energy resources, transportation and health services is increasing and there is a need to
improve efficiency. The impact of these changes in our communities is immense and is providing major
challenges and opportunities in areas such as education, energy production and technologies, population
health, transportation, social care and the economy.
As people live longer we have come to expect a high quality of life and are facing major challenges such as:
o How do we sustain a high quality of life for people across a longer lifespan?
o How do governments and industries provide developmentally appropriate services and facilities such
as education, healthcare and social support, while ensuring the financial sustainability of our systems
and institutions?
o How do we develop a resilient transport fuel system, with increased diversity of sources, and to
design and deliver infrastructure that responds to Australia’s urban, regional and remote
communities?
o What new clean energy technologies and energy storage technologies are required, in a growing
population, that are efficient, cost-effective and reliable?
o How do we develop reliable, low-cost, sustainable energy supplies that are resilient to shocks, as
well as decadal trends in demand and climate, and to technologies that use energy more efficiently?
o What are the rights of people across the lifespan? How do these rights differ at various stages of life?
Is this fair and does this enable all members of society to fully participate in work, recreation and
family life?
CANCER
Enhancing our understanding of cancer and building our capacity in its prevention and management
Humans are living longer than ever – opening the windows of the expression of chronic diseases, including
cancer. While a focus on therapeutic cancer treatment is fundamental we have the opportunity to offer
leadership in additional areas relating to the early detection and lifestyle intervention in cancer.
At its core, this theme will operate as a hub to address the real-life challenges facing cancer patients,
including:
o How can we better manage pain and cancer?
o How can nutrition intervention be utilised as a prevention strategy for cancer? How can specific
nutrition plans improve the quality of life of cancer patients
o How can exercise be used as a preventative for cancer, and as an adjunct to improve/enhance
existing cancer therapies?
o How do we create more effective therapeutics that are appropriate to patients?
o In addition to the current pharmaceutical cancer treatments, where are the opportunities to
repurpose existing therapeutics as treatment options, which would provide rapid entry to market
and patients?
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TRANSFORMING INDUSTRIES
Building economies of the future
The world economy is increasingly influenced by many countries moving from labour intensive to capital
intensive manufacturing processes. Australia’s resource sector is a significant contributor to the economy.
By prioritising the sustainable extraction of our resources and by adding value where we have competitive
advantage, we will optimise long-term economic, social and environmental benefit to the community. In
addition, Australian competitiveness needs innovative industries that are focused, agile, high value-add,
transformative and fully integrated into global supply chains. Research will be critical in developing a new
and advanced manufacturing sector for Australia.
The theme will address a number of issues, including:
o What can we produce in South Australia and Australia – and how will we identify what we should
produce?
o Where are the opportunities for South Australia to add value to existing industries?
o How will we compete, both nationally and internationally?
o How will we educate our future workforce to best respond to the needs of future markets? How do
we encourage and support an entrepreneurial culture in the next generation?
o In the competitive global market, what selected niche product categories should Australia aim to
dominate?
HEALTHY FUTURES
Understanding, treatment and prevention of, chronic diseases
The key disease burden in Australia is chronic disease, and over the past two decades research has identified
that most are preventable. The prevention and management of chronic disease is heavily dependent on
intervention, as early as possible, which includes the integration of population health activities with lifestyle,
communication and decision making.
Across this theme, our researchers will address major challenges such as:
o What are the causes of diseases and how can we best intervene to prevent these illnesses? How can
we better educate future generations to reduce the burden of chronic disease?
o How do we treat diseases to improve health outcomes for our citizens? How do we create more
effective therapies that are appropriate to patients and align with services, facilities and social
support?
o How do we improve our health systems and services while ensuring their financial sustainability?
o What are the rights of people receiving health care? What are the rights and responsibilities of
families of people receiving health care? How do individuals receiving health care, their families and
health care providers work together to improve health outcomes of Australians?
o How can we improve the health outcomes of our citizens and advance health equality?
SCARCE RESOURCES
Making more with less
In Australia we live with a deep dichotomy around resources – we must survive with scarce resources, and at
the same time we must capitalise upon the scarce resources found in our land. Scarce resources influence
the production of goods and services that have limited availability, often in combination with potentially
unlimited productive use. As demand increases, Australia will need to develop sustainable, high intensity and
high production capacity in new and existing food products. Furthermore, we face constrained soil and
water resources, and changes in the environment that could lead to increased difficulties in meeting
expectations.
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Questions of scarcity present opportunities for our researchers to directly source, understand and
appropriately support what is required to respond to this challenge, including:
o How can we better utilise our scarce resources and sustain their use for future generations?
o What sustainable alternatives can we use to provide the same or similar outcomes?
o What approaches are required to place our economy at the forefront of sustainable scarce resource
management and conservation?
o What opportunities are there to position our industries so that we can better respond to the supply
of scarce resources?
o How can we add value through, and refine our current methods for, the production of scarce
resources?
o What smart systems, including sensing, automation, robotics and data analytics, can be introduced
to deliver effective and efficient resource extraction, processing and waste management?
SOCIETY AND GLOBAL TRANSFORMATIONS
Transforming societies through global citizenship
Through this theme researchers will examine the complex inter-relationships between social, environmental,
cultural and political changes, which aim to revolutionise sustainable, citizen-led social innovation. This
theme is underpinned by transdisciplinary research in areas such as new information technologies,
telecommunications, cybersecurity, manufacturing, supply chain management, finance systems in a global
economy, environmental change, political community, languages and cultures, social capital, globalisation
and sustainability to answer emerging issues, including:
o How is society being transformed by information technologies and telecommunications?
o How do we secure information and communication systems in our utilities, businesses and
government agencies to protect against attack or damage?
o How do we respond to the impacts of environmental change on populations, urban and rural
communities, industry and the use of energy, water and other natural assets?
o What is the impact of more diverse living circumstances on citizens?
o How is society being changed through increasing transnational flows of people, commodities, values
and images?
o What is the role of citizens as agents of change in this complex process?
o How are governments seeking to regulate transnational flows of people, commodities, values and
images to protect their sovereignty?
o How does the trend towards individualisation impact on the emergence of human rights and
citizen’s voices?
Underpinning the six Research Themes is ‘Understanding and Decision Making’. Whilst we still
know relatively little about the fundamentals of decision making, what research does tell us is
that the integration of areas such as psychology, marketing, and education, heavily influences
human choice behaviour and decision making. Not only does this impact individual lives, and
organisations, but the choices we make have broader ramifications – academically, commercially,
politically, and at a societal level.
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Appendix 2: RTIS Scholarship Guidelines
ELIGIBILITY
This scholarship is available to both domestic and international students looking to undertake a research
degree aligned with UniSA’s Research Themes.
Applicants must be of high academic quality with demonstrated research potential. Generally applicants will
have first class honours or equivalent to gain a scholarship at the University of South Australia.
The applicant’s principal supervisor must meet the University’s supervisor eligibility requirements.
The PHD supervisory panel must include at least one end-user.
International applicants from non-English speaking backgrounds are expected to meet UniSA’s English
language proficiency standards. Scholarship applicants are required to demonstrate that they have met the
required level of proficiency by the closing date for scholarship applications.
Scholarships are awarded on the basis that the candidate will be studying full-time.
Awards will not be made to persons who:
•
•
have completed a PhD degree or equivalent; and
seek to undertake paid employment on a full-time or substantial part-time basis.
All scholarship applications will be assessed and administered in accordance with the University’s current
HDR Scholarship policies and procedures (see also Research Degrees Scholarship Allocation Guidelines:
Competitive Commonwealth and University of South Australia funded scholarships).
BENEFITS AND CONDITIONS
These scholarships have the same benefits and conditions as the UniSA Postgraduate Research Award
(domestic students) and University President’s Scholarship (international students).
In addition, successful candidates must:
•
•
•
•
•
•
commence no later than research period 3 2017
have an established supervisory panel in place, including representation from the major disciplines and
an industry partner;
maintain satisfactory progress with reviews of progress monitored by the RDC sub-committee
spend a proportion of their candidature within the industry environment
undertake an oral examination as part of the examination process; and
Upon the completion of the project, (with the Principal Supervisor) meet with the Major Research
Initiative Working Group and outline the outcomes (projected and current) from the project. Prior to this
meeting a final report must be submitted to the Working Group for review.
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