Adelaide wins $48 million for new research
Research
The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide has been awarded more than $48 million in new funding from the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Research Council (ARC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for projects that aim to impact on people's lives in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and around the globe.
Here are the results of those funding announcements.
ARC funding |
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The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Research Council (ARC) has awarded more than $12.7 million to the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide for new research projects starting in 2007.
Adelaide was again the top-funded university in South ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥, and was awarded:
- 31 Discovery Projects worth more
than $9.5 million;
- 11 Linkage Projects with industry
worth more than $2 million;
- 3 Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment
and Facilities grants worth $951,000;
- 1 Linkage International Fellowship
of $40,306; and
- 1 Discovery Indigenous Researcher Development grant of $85,800.
Adelaide's Discovery grants include major, groundbreaking projects that have the potential to improve people's lives in
ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and across the world, such as:
- $541,063 to investigate methods of reducing soot in industrial flames, benefiting the community by reducing air pollution and improving health and safety (Associate Professor Gus Nathan, Dr Bassam Dally and others - );
- $201,000 for the improvement of intelligent surveillance systems, enabling the tracking of suspicious individuals and vehicles in busy environments and helping to safeguard ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ from terrorism and crime (Professor Mike Brooks and Dr Anthony Dick - ); and
- $873,000 to better understand calcium storage and water flow in plants, to benefit agricultural production and quality of life (Professor Roger Leigh, Professor Steve Tyerman, Dr Brent Kaiser - ).
In addition to the ARC funding, more than $3 million has been pledged in cash and in-kind support from industry partners for the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide's Linkage Projects.
Seven fellowships were awarded to ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide researchers. The most prestigious of these are the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Professorial Fellows. Adelaide's Professor Steve Tyerman (School of Agriculture, Food & Wine) and Professor Mathai Varghese () have been named among the ARC ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Professorial Fellows, with funding commencing in 2007.
The Linkage International Fellowship has been awarded to ARC Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Ben Kear (School of Earth & Environmental Sciences). Dr Kear aims to learn more about climate change through the study of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Cretaceous fauna. This work is being conducted in collaboration with the Natural History Museum in London.
Adelaide's three Federation Fellows - Professor Alan Cooper (), Professor Graeme Hugo () and Professor Mark Tester () - have all been successful in winning ARC funding for research in their various fields, bringing in more than $1.15 million between them.
The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development grant went to PhD student Richard Bosworth (School of Agriculture, Food & Wine). The $85,800 funding over three years is aimed at better understanding the competition between native and introduced herbivores on Kangaroo Island, which could lead to better management of land resources.
"This is an excellent result for the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide, with an extremely high calibre of research projects being funded by the ARC," said Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Alan Johnson.
"The new funding... will drive research here in Adelaide that has the potential to make a huge impact on the environment, our understanding of human thought and behaviour, the food we eat, the way we cope with future pandemics, how we defend our nation and its citizens, and many, many other fields in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and right around the world.
"I am especially pleased with the strong support we have had for research projects in partnership with industry. Industry links continue to be important to the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide, and these partnerships result in real benefits for the State and the nation," he said.
Story by David Ellis
NHMRC funding |
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The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide has confirmed its reputation as the leading medical research institution in South ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ after winning $35.3 million in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
This represents the lion's share of the $46 million awarded to South ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n universities.
Major beneficiaries in the include a $10.3 million program grant for reproductive health research, a $2 million Clinical Centre of Research Excellence grant for nutritional physiology and a $1 million project grant for prenatal corticosteroids research.
This year's funding is an increase of $11.1 million on the 2005 NHMRC grants awarded to the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥.
"This is an outstanding result for the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥," Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Alan Johnson said. "I am pleased that the NHMRC has recognised our research strength in areas such as reproductive medicine, orthopaedics, children's health, infectious diseases and biomedical science.
"The $35 million awarded to the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ is further proof that we are one of the top universities in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ for research and our work continues to make a significant impact on society," Professor Johnson said.
Funding highlights include:
- Professor Rob Norman, the Director of the , has been awarded $10.3 million for a program to investigate periconceptual foundations for a healthy start to life;
- Professor Michael Horowitz from the has received $2 million for research into nutritional physiology, interventions and outcomes;
- Professor Caroline Crowther from the has been awarded $1 million for a randomised controlled trial of early school-age outcomes after exposure to repeat prenatal corticosteroids.
In all, the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ received 46 new Project grants, a Clinical Centre for Research Excellence grant, five fellowships, as well as the substantial Program grant.
ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ researchers to benefit come from the Faculty of Health Sciences, , the Women's and Children's Hospital, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, the Child Health Research Institute and the Hanson Institute.
Nationally, the Federal Government provided $529 million in health and medical research for new projects beginning in 2007.
Story by Candy Gibson
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