Archived News for Research Sector Professionals

The director of National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) has urged Australia to take a leading role in tackling the emerging global crisis in groundwater management.

The University of Sydney has acquired the first ground state depletion (GSD) super-resolution microscope in the Southern Hemisphere, which will enable researchers to see materials at a cellular level and open the way for improvements in the diagnosis of diseases including cancer.

The University of Melbourne has released a review that investigates new methods of water conservation and the need to transform policies and attitudes surrounding the vital resource.

South Pacific countries will experience more severe and extreme weather events as a consequence of increasing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a research paper published in the journal Nature.

Move to mitigate to reduce carbon emissions can significantly improve the health of the country’s population and could save billions of dollars and thousands of lives each year, a new report has found.

The Universities of New South Wales and Queensland have secured two major photovoltaic (PV) research grants under the Federal Government’s Solar Flagships program.

The Productivity Commission has released a discussion paper on its current inquiry into the compulsory licensing provisions of the Patents Act 1990.

The Australian National University (ANU) has opened the final stage of The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR).

Scientists have taken a quantum leap forward towards future computing after discovering that ‘background interference’ in quantum-level measurements, may be the very thing they need to unlock the potential of quantum computing.

Flinders University has announced it will establish a teaching and research centre at South Australia’s new advanced manufacturing hub in Adelaide’s Tonsley Park.

The Federal Government has released a public consultation paper to enable small and medium sized companies and other stakeholders to contribute to the design of the R&D Tax Incentive quarterly credits initiative.

The new R&D quarterly credits initiative will provide more timely access to tax incentives for small and medium sized businesses undertaking eligible research and development.

R&D quarterly credits will be an opt-in element of the Government's R&D Tax Incentive, which will further improve company cash flow and enhance incentives to invest in R&D activities.

Quarterly credits will be available to small and medium sized companies eligible for the R&D refundable tax offset.

Rather than waiting until an income tax return is assessed by the ATO, companies can choose to obtain the benefit of the offset on a quarterly basis during an income year.

Providing benefits to smaller companies sooner will be a better way to help them invest in their own future success, and in doing so, the Government is also investing in Australia's long-term economic future.

The R&D Tax Incentive is part of the Government's ambitious innovation agenda to create more business opportunities, growth and jobs for the future. It will help make our businesses more innovative and, across the nation, will assist to increase Australia's productivity and competitiveness.

Quarterly credits will be accessible for each quarter commencing on or after 1 January 2014.

The Government encourages comment and feedback on the paper as part of the consultation process to help ensure that the design of quarterly credits works for business.

The consultation paper can be found at www.treasury.gov.au. Consultation on the paper will close on 31 August 2012.

Three new Centres of Research Excellence have been funded under latest round of the NHMRC Centres of Research program to focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues. The new centres are:

 Dr David Williams, former Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Space Agency and Chairman of the European Space Agency, has been appointed as CSIRO Group Executive, Information Sciences.

The Federal Minister for Health, Tanya Plibersek, has announced new appointments to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) including the new chair Justice Annabelle Bennett AO.

A new $4 million terascale research supercomputer, funded under the Australian Government's Super Science Initiative, has been launched at The University of Western Australia.

Named Fornax, Latin for 'furnace', after a southern hemisphere constellation known as a birthplace for stars, the computer is the second of three supercomputers commissioned as part of the $80 million Pawsey Centre project, which is a participant in Australia and New Zealand's successful bid to co-host the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.

Funding totalling $42.3 million has been allocated to 17 research centres in the latest round of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centres of Research Excellence program. The program provides up to $2.5 million over five years  to support teams of researchers to pursue collaborative research and develop capacity in clinical, population health and health services.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia has queried by The Australian Research Council's (ARC) is not funding academic business research.

For further details on the NSW Scientist of the Year and NSW Science and Engineering Awards 2012, including entry requirements, are here.

Bond University will lead a national $14 million sports science research project in collaboration with The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute.

The project is the largest of its kind, with $5.75 million cash funding from the Commonwealth Government.

The Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education has awarded Bond University a $5.75million Collaborative Research Network (CRN) grant.

In collaboration with Professor Matt Brown's group at The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, the project also involves the Australian Institute of Sport, and the University of Sydney, and will identify proactive ways to manage the health and fitness, and potential for injury of athletes and the wider community.

Professor Matt Brown says this is a great opportunity to partner UQDI's outstanding strength in genomics research with leading experts in musculoskeletal sciences to investigate issues relating not just to athletic performance, but also healthy ageing.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Bond University in this fascinating study, which will contribute a lot to the understanding of major musculoskeletal diseases of ageing, such as osteoporotic fracture and arthritis.”

Bond University's Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Brailsford said the CRN grant was a significant development for Bond University and sports science research in Australia, and the timing could not have been better.

“This is not only Australia's largest sports science research project it is also the largest research grant awarded to Bond University in its 23 year history. With the Olympics about to commence, the timing of this announcement could not have been better,” said Professor Brailsford.

The CRN program provides a platform for regional and metropolitan institutions to develop their research capacity and strengthen research systems by partnering with other institutions, to leverage world-class infrastructure and specialist expertise.

Professor Brailsford said the project will bring together some of Australia's most prominent experts in musculoskeletal and sports science, such as Professor Matt Brown, Professor Bon Gray from Bond University; Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh from the University of Sydney; Professor Nicholas Brown, AIS Deputy Director (Research and Applied Science).