Media Release

Discovery Projects    (71.26K) Linkage Projects    (57.17K) Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities    (18.63K) Discovery Indigenous Researcher Development    (41.97K) Linkage International Fellowship    (53.01K) Click on the above links for details about the grants awarded. For full information about ARC funding, visit the ARC website.

Wednesday, 11 October 2006

The University of Adelaide has been awarded more than $12.7 million in new funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) for projects that aim to impact on people's lives in Australia and around the globe.

In the latest round of funding announced today for projects starting in 2007, the University of Adelaide has been awarded:

• 31 Discovery Projects worth $9,545,642;
• 11 Linkage Projects with industry worth $2,089,641;
• 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.

Discovery grants

Adelaide's Discovery grants include major, groundbreaking projects that have the potential to improve people's lives in Australia and across the world. They include:

• $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 - School of Mechanical Engineering);
• $201,000 for the improvement of intelligent surveillance systems, enabling the tracking of suspicious individuals and vehicles in busy environments and helping to safeguard Australia from terrorism and crime (Professor Mike Brooks and Dr Anthony Dick - School of Computer Science); 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 - School of Agriculture, Food & Wine).

Linkage grants

The new Linkage grants (projects conducted in partnership with industry) announced today include:

• $350,665 to develop a low-cost and rapid method of locating major mineral deposits (Associate Professor Graham Heinson, Professor David Giles and others - School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, in partnership with BHP Billiton and Teck Cominco Australia Pty Ltd); and
• $333,869 to develop high-powered cryo-cooled lasers that contribute to photonics, remote sensing of the environment, and to space-based defence and surveillance (Professor Jesper Munch and Associate Professor Peter Veitch - School of Chemistry & Physics, in partnership with Northrop Grumman Space Technology (NGST)).

Fellowships

Seven fellowships were awarded to University of Adelaide researchers. The most prestigious of these are the Australian Professorial Fellows. Adelaide's Professor Steve Tyerman (School of Agriculture, Food & Wine) and Professor Mathai Varghese (School of Mathematical Sciences) have been named among the ARC Australian 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 Australian Cretaceous fauna. This work is being conducted in collaboration with the Natural History Museum in London.

Other results

Adelaide's three Federation Fellows - Professor Alan Cooper (School of Earth & Environmental Sciences), Professor Graeme Hugo (School of Social Sciences) and Professor Mark Tester (Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics) - have all been successful today in winning ARC funding for research in their various fields, bringing in more than $1.15 million between them.

The University'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.

Research impact

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Alan Johnson says the latest ARC results are further proof that the University of Adelaide is one of the top universities in Australia for research.

"This is an excellent result for the University of Adelaide, with an extremely high calibre of research projects being funded by the ARC," Professor Johnson says.

"The new funding announced today 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 Australia 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 University of Adelaide, and these partnerships result in real benefits for the State and the nation," he says.