Impact of evaluation-based funding on the content of scientific research. Evidence suggests that evaluation-based funding mechanisms trigger adaptive behaviour in scientists, leading to unintended changes in knowledge production. However, there is no conclusive evidence about when (under what circumstances), how (by what processes) and with what effects researchers adapt to these mechanisms. This study aims to answer these crucial questions. To overcome the methodological weaknesses of earlier s ....Impact of evaluation-based funding on the content of scientific research. Evidence suggests that evaluation-based funding mechanisms trigger adaptive behaviour in scientists, leading to unintended changes in knowledge production. However, there is no conclusive evidence about when (under what circumstances), how (by what processes) and with what effects researchers adapt to these mechanisms. This study aims to answer these crucial questions. To overcome the methodological weaknesses of earlier studies, a comparative investigation of several research fields and universities will be conducted, combining for the first time: qualitative interviews, ethnographic observations and bibliometric studies. It will enhance Australian research policy with a critical assessment of existing research funding models.Read moreRead less
Strategic assessment of research performance indicators. The use of quantitative measures of research performance in higher education sends powerful messages to those being evaluated, because the choice of measures signals what is considered most important. However, little critical assessment has been undertaken on the use of performance indicators or their impact on research practice. This project will create a knowledge base on performance measures - their validity, fairness, transparency and ....Strategic assessment of research performance indicators. The use of quantitative measures of research performance in higher education sends powerful messages to those being evaluated, because the choice of measures signals what is considered most important. However, little critical assessment has been undertaken on the use of performance indicators or their impact on research practice. This project will create a knowledge base on performance measures - their validity, fairness, transparency and impact on research, and the cost of implementation. By assessing an extensive range of measures, it will provide Australian science management and science policy makers with rigorous information on which to base informed judgements on their utilisation.Read moreRead less
Robust signal processing theory for synthesis and analysis of spatial wavefields. This project will develop breakthrough signal processing techniques applied to wireless communication, defence and surveillance, entertainment systems, and acoustic imaging. The outcomes will produce new products. The project will also provide high quality research training for gifted postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
Learned Academies Special Projects - Grant ID: LA170100022
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$118,098.00
Summary
Nourishing Australia: a decadal plan for nutrition science. This project aims to develop a plan to address the complex health and environmental challenges associated with changes in food production and consumption. Since the industrial revolution, our understanding of human diet has lagged behind the rate of change. This project aims to better integrate knowledge across nutrients, foods, meals, diets, and dietary patterns to understand balance rather than single nutrients or commodities. It will ....Nourishing Australia: a decadal plan for nutrition science. This project aims to develop a plan to address the complex health and environmental challenges associated with changes in food production and consumption. Since the industrial revolution, our understanding of human diet has lagged behind the rate of change. This project aims to better integrate knowledge across nutrients, foods, meals, diets, and dietary patterns to understand balance rather than single nutrients or commodities. It will examine the broader context of nutrition from individuals to communities to nations, and globally, and develop a consistent theoretical framework for nutrition that includes both individual biology and the physical, social and biological environment. This will provide broad benefits for social, cultural, economic and health outcomes in the region.Read moreRead less
Understanding and predicting submarine hydrofoil noise. Australia needs to develop a more sophisticated underwater flow-induced noise research and development capability if it is to achieve its ambitious naval plans set out under the Defence White Paper. This project will develop an experimentally validated model to predict submarine noise for the purposes of submarine design, operation and procurement.
Complex Ties: Investigating the Role of Networks in the Commercialisation of Public Research. This project seeks to understand the social processes that lead to commercialisation successes or failures in a competitive global economy and thereby identify activities that increase Australia’s ability to commercialise inventions from public research. Innovation is essential to Australia’s prosperity, bringing economic and social benefits. This project examines platform technologies which have a pote ....Complex Ties: Investigating the Role of Networks in the Commercialisation of Public Research. This project seeks to understand the social processes that lead to commercialisation successes or failures in a competitive global economy and thereby identify activities that increase Australia’s ability to commercialise inventions from public research. Innovation is essential to Australia’s prosperity, bringing economic and social benefits. This project examines platform technologies which have a potentially larger impact than single use technologies, because they can be applied in multiple ways. Using the latest advances in social network models, the project will detail the important substructures of collaboration networks which lead to commercialisation successes and failures, providing insights to improve the innovation process.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms of sound absorption at the nanoscale. Understanding the interaction of sound with nanoscale structures will guide the creation of novel carbon nanotube materials, optimised for sound absorption, which have potential application anywhere that noise exists and needs to be attenuated. Fuel savings from reduced drag and weight in applications such as jet aircraft engines are also expected.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100464
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,724.00
Summary
Conservatism as a dynamic response to the diffusion of innovations. This project aims to investigate how resistance to new and foreign practices and technologies can be a dynamic response to rapid cultural change, rather than a failure to innovate. The project will examine the underlying factors that influence innovation adoption and rejection. It will examine settlement structure and ritual activities in later prehistoric Cornwall, which was simultaneously a key node in the prehistoric economy ....Conservatism as a dynamic response to the diffusion of innovations. This project aims to investigate how resistance to new and foreign practices and technologies can be a dynamic response to rapid cultural change, rather than a failure to innovate. The project will examine the underlying factors that influence innovation adoption and rejection. It will examine settlement structure and ritual activities in later prehistoric Cornwall, which was simultaneously a key node in the prehistoric economy and a periphery, with a distinctly local material culture and way of life. The intended outcome is a model of innovation and conservatism, linking the uptake of new ideas and technologies to participation in local and more widespread networks of contact and exchange. This project will increase the profile of Australian research in archaeology and technology on the world stage.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE190100019
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
Time-layered cultural map of Australia. The Time-layered cultural map (TLCMap) of Australia is an online research platform that will deliver researcher driven national-scale infrastructure for the humanities, focused on mapping, time series, and data integration. The TLCMap will expand the use of Australian cultural and historical data for research through sharply defined and powerful discovery mechanisms, enabling researchers to visualise hidden geographic and historical patterns and trends, an ....Time-layered cultural map of Australia. The Time-layered cultural map (TLCMap) of Australia is an online research platform that will deliver researcher driven national-scale infrastructure for the humanities, focused on mapping, time series, and data integration. The TLCMap will expand the use of Australian cultural and historical data for research through sharply defined and powerful discovery mechanisms, enabling researchers to visualise hidden geographic and historical patterns and trends, and to build online resources which present to a wider public the rich layers of cultural data in Australian locations. TLCMap is not a singular project or software application with a defined research outcome, but infrastructure linking geo-spatial maps of Australian cultural and historical information, adapted to time series and will be a significant contribution to humanities research in Australia. For researchers, it will transform access to data and to visualisation tools and open new perspectives on Australian culture and history. For the public, it will enable increased accessibility to historical and cultural data through visualisations made available online and in print.Read moreRead less