899 new research projects funded

Senator Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training, has confirmed funding for 889 new research projects as part of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Major Grants announcement.

The ARC Major Grants for 2016 include funding under four ARC schemes. The amounts awarded under each scheme are:

• Discovery Projects — $244.9 million for 635 projects
• Discovery Early Career Researcher Award — $70.7 million for 200 projects
• Discovery Indigenous — $4.1 million for 10 projects
• Linkage, Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities — $37.9 million for 54 projects

Senator Birmingham said the $357.7 million in funding represents a strong investment in research excellence and the future health of Australian research.

“A strong investment in high-quality research will drive innovation, secure the jobs of the future, improve the health of our community, protect our environment and ensure our researchers can compete on the international stage,” he said.

Examples of some of the projects being funded include:

• $650,187 for La Trobe University researchers to evaluate how historical gold mining has shaped river systems, which could lead to improved catchment and reservoir management.
• $373,536 for a researcher at the University of Adelaide to develop ‘metal-organic framework superstructures’ as a new materials platform, which has the potential to benefit industry.
• $572,000 for researchers at the Australian Catholic University to identify the characteristics of schools that are helping Indigenous students to achieve their potential.
• $1,000,000 for researchers at Curtin University to expand our capability to observe the universe by building a second phase of the Murchison Widefield Array.

The full list of projects being funded can be found on the ARC website.