Research News

In light of Stage 4 restrictions, the research and research return to campus pages on the Central University's COVID-19 website have been updated with the latest information on eligibility criteria for on-campus research to ensure compliance with relevant Stage 4 restrictions, as well as advice regarding the new worker permit processes.

All previously approved on-campus research is to be reassessed to ensure it complies with Stage 4 restrictions. This work is being undertaken at the Academic Division level. No new approvals for return to campus can be given at the Divisional level but are to be managed via the process that was in place for Phase 1 requests. Requests will be routed to the DVCR for approval.

Guidance on the website will continue to be updated in line with new advice from PRG or any further clarifications from the Victorian government.

The Technology, Knowledge & Society Research Network 2021 has issued a call for papers for its 17th International Conference on Technology, Knowledge and Society, to be held on 8-9 April 2021.

This conference is brought together by a shared interest in the complex and subtle relationships between the histories of tech, knowledge makers, and social realities.

For more information on proposal submissions and registration deadlines, please visit the conference website.

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TRAM (Translating Research at Melbourne) Track applications are now open for their Semester 2 cohort. In response to popular demand, this second intake of TRAM Track will create more opportunities for all researchers to interact with and participate in their programs. TRAM Track is undertaken by dynamic research teams over eight weeks to build their understanding of how to achieve impact. To do this, Track will support you to engage with customers to understand what problems they care about, generate a business model, and get your head into a business mind frame.

Applications are open from Wednesday 26 August through to Wednesday 21 October.

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Expression of Interest (EOI) for ARC schemes opening in the third and fourth quarter of the year are now available. If you are interested in applying for the current rounds please complete the EOI so that the MERI team can support you through the application process.

• ARC Linkage Projects 2020 (continuous round)
• ARC Future Fellowships 2021
• ARC Laureate Fellowships 2021
• ARC DECRA 2022
• ARC Discovery Projects 2022

The Library Discovery team (the team that manage the discovery of and access to books, ebooks, and journals) are conducting a user research project to understand the needs, motivations and difficulties of people using the library systems and platforms. This includes Discovery, the Library catalogue, LeanLibrary, and Minerva.

The project aims to identify improvements that we can make to the discovery and access to Library resources. The team is seeking to interview both research academics and Graduate Researchers.

The interview will be conducted via Zoom and will take approximately 30 minutes. If you choose to participate, you will be asked questions about you and your research, which systems you use, and how you access them.

If you are interested in participating in the study and would like more information, please contact Hannah Armitage, Discovery UX Specialist, Student and Scholarly Services at hannah.armitage@unimelb.edu.au

The new Research Capability Mapping (RCM) tool offers users an aggregated view of research capability with an easy-to-interpret visualisation, and thus provides an alternative to the low-level lists of individual research activities or simple activity counts that are the output of existing tools. RCM allows users to explore our activities using rich queries across keywords, researchers, academic divisions, external partnerships, and Field of Research (FoR) Codes.

Visit the RCM website to learn more about the tool, explore the user guide, and get answers to common queries.

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Researchers preparing major grant proposals often find it helpful to exchange drafts and feedback with others who are applying for the same grants. This program is a buddy system for the ARC DECRA and Future Fellowship schemes. You'll be paired with another researcher who is applying to the same scheme/level and matched according to which ARC Panel you align with. Matches will take place across all Academic Divisions to simulate the diversity of assessors. Once you have been paired, you can support each other to develop your proposals. Buddies are assigned on a weekly basis on a Thursday. You will receive an email informing you of your fellowship buddy along with further guidance.

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