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A new agreement signed in January 2018 gives researchers from five WA universities and CSIRO equal access to equipment and research facilities in centres at The University of Western Australia (UWA), Curtin University and CSIRO.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UWA, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, The University of Notre Dame and CSIRO, researchers (staff, students, adjuncts and clinical appointments) can access microscopy, characterisation imaging and analysis facilities in UWA’s Centre for Microscopy Characterisation and Analysis (CMCA), facilities at the John de Laeter Centre (JdLC) at Curtin University and CSIRO. Under this MOU, all university-based researchers will receive equivalent subsidies of the cost from their host institution.

The MOU will foster increased collaboration between WA’s leading research institutions by removing barriers to research infrastructure for researchers.

Please visit the following websites/contacts for information on accessing these facilities and options for access and subscription rates:

CMCA @ UWA
Facilities: http://www.cmca.uwa.edu.au/facilities
Registration: http://www.cmca.uwa.edu.au/access/user-registration
Rates: http://www.cmca.uwa.edu.au/access/rates2
Contact: http://www.cmca.uwa.edu.au/contact

JdLC @ Curtin University
Facilities: http://jdlc.edu.au/facilities/
Rates: http://jdlc.edu.au/rates/ 
Contact: http://jdlc.edu.au/contact/

CSIRO @ Kensington WA
Facilities, Rates and Contact: Louise.Fisher@csiro.au

Cancer Council WA, in partnership with Government of Western Australia, Western Australian Health Translation Network, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, The University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute, are seeking EOI applications for the Collaborative Cancer Grant Scheme. A total of $321,309 is available in this grant round.

Expressions of Intent are being sought, for cancer research projects to commence in 2019;  funding support of $25,000 – $50,000 will be awarded for each project to encourage collaboration among early to mid-career researchers (E-MCRs).

Two unique features of these grants are: each application is required to have at least one chief investigator from a minimum of three West Australian Research Institutions; and all chief investigators must be E-MCRs.

For EOI details and guidance please visit the Cancer Council WA website: https://www.cancerwa.asn.au/research/funding/collaborative_cancer_grant_scheme/. Shortlisted applicants will move to the full application stage which opens in May.

Cancer Council Closing date: 4pm Monday 19 March 2018

Please submit the following documents by the internal closing date, Monday 05 March 2018:

• One fully completed UWA Grant Application Cover Sheet (pages 1-2): http://www.research.uwa.edu.au/staff/rgco/forms#acdn-2 .
• One electronic version of the application to sina.mesiti@uwa.edu.au

The Department of Health is inviting applications for New Independent Researcher Infrastructure Support (NIRIS) Awards.

The purpose of these Awards is to recognise outstanding new independent health and medical researchers and provide funding to help them meet the infrastructure costs associated with their research programs.  This supports them in their research activities in WA and assists them to develop their independent careers.

NIRIS Awards of up to $15,000 each are available and will be awarded on competitive merit.

These awards are for infrastructure costs associated with research programs for a period of 12 months commencing in the 2018 calendar year.

Applicants must meet eligibility criteria that are set out in the Guidelines and Conditions document.

The application period closes at 1.00pm on Monday 19 March 2018.

For the Guidelines and Conditions and Application Form, visit the Department of Health, Research Development Unit website http://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/N_R/New-Independent-Researcher-Infrastructure-Support-Awards

For more information contact the Research Development Unit via email CMOResearchDevelopment@health.wa.gov.au or phone 9222 2069.

The Raine Medical Research Foundation provides Priming Grants for health and medical research scientists and clinicians at an early stage in their career, to assist them to become more competitive for national and international peer-review grants. This program is intended particularly for those who are progressing towards an independent research career.

Key dates:
Call for Applications – 8 February 2018
Applications Close – 22 March 2018 at 1.00 pm
Successful Grants Announced – December 2018

The Raine Medical Research Foundation will award a number of two-year Priming Grants and “grants-in-aid” for 2019-2020. These Grants provide funding for research into any area of health and medical science that investigates the nature, origin and cause of human disease, and the prevention, cure, alleviation and combating of such disease.

Ranking of applications is based on scientific excellence. If a successful application is in the area of child health research or mental illness, support funding by the BrightSpark Foundation or the Cockell Bequest, respectively, may be considered.

Successful applicants must be employed by a Western Australian University or affiliated institution in Western Australia.

Grants may include funding (or part funding) for salaries of researchers and/or technical staff, small equipment, and consumables, and shall not normally exceed $200,000 total.

Please click here for Guidelines and Conditions and the online application form.

Are you involved with research in the WA health system?  Then be sure to sign up to the Research Governance Service (RGS).

The RGS is a collaborative, one-stop information technology system for both researchers and research administrators.

As a registered user you will be able to:

• network
• approve research projects
• hear about research-related events, training and information
• receive quarterly newsletters with research-related updates.

As an RGS-registered researcher you will also be able to add your profile to the publicly-available Investigator Speciality List, enabling potential sponsors and collaborators to get in touch with you.

You can also use the Project Search function to find other research projects in your area of expertise or track down particular researchers working at specific hospital sites.

For more information or to join the other 2500 registered users, visit the RGS.

If you are already an RGS user and need assistance email RGS.Support@health.wa.gov.au

The Data Linkage Branch now offers a tailored workshop for researchers and other applicants interested in applying for linked data. Both new and experienced researchers can benefit from the workshop, which covers these core essentials:

•      the data linkage process

•      the preparation of data

•      the datasets available to researchers

•      ethical considerations

•      the application process

There are five dates scheduled throughout the year:

 ·         21st of March at the University of WA

 ·         15th of May at Curtin University

 ·         11th of July at the Department of Health

 ·         19th of September at the Telethon Kids Institute

 ·         6th of November at the Department of Health

 Full details, including the course flyer and booking information, are available on http://www.datalinkage-wa.org/applicant-workshops-applying-using-linked-data>.

The workshop can be booked through Eventbrite

We are pleased, and very excited, to invite SPARK Co-Lab Design alumni, mentors, speakers and the wider Accelerating Australia community to join SPARK Co-Lab at the official launch of the Actuator seminar series.

The Actuator will be a weekly lecture series delivered free of charge, designed to enable the next generation of medical innovators. It will do this by providing medical researchers and early-stage entrepreneurs who already have great ideas with support, tools and know-how to commercialise their products through information sharing, mentorship and networking delivered and facilitated weekly by experts from across Australia and internationally.

The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Perth Lisa Scaffidi will provide opening comments to officially launch the lecture series, in recognition of the funding and support for the Actuator Series being provided by the City of Perth as part of their ongoing commitment to the life sciences sector in Perth and across Western Australia.

SPARK Co-Lab’s Celine Royet will then host an interactive panel featuring three of SPARK Co-Lab’s recent success stories, Perth-based start-ups NiMO, Biacorand Iris Biomedical, as well as more established companies including OncoRes and Resonance Health, who will speak about their experiences on the journey from identifying unmet medical needs to starting a company to solve these problems. To close the event, Kevin Pfleger, chair of Accelerating Australia will speak about the strength and diversity of the biomedical innovation ecosystem in Perth and across Australia.

Light refreshments and networking will follow, giving attendees the chance to talk further with the evening’s panellists and presenters.

Please see Actuator Schedule for the upcoming programs.

Click here to register.

SKTT-poster WAHTN May 2018 WAHTN is delighted to host the Scientist Knowledge Translation Training workshop 2018 by Melanie Barwick and Tamika Heiden on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 May 2018.

The course is appropriate for scientists (basic, clinical, health services, population health) as well as educators, clinicians and KT professionals (e.g. KT Specialists, KT Managers, Knowledge Brokers). While the focus is on health, the material is highly relevant to individuals working in other sectors. The SKTT™ course is intended for anyone who has an interest in :

• Sharing research knowledge with audiences beyond the academic community

• Increasing the impact potential of their research

• Building practical KT planning skills Course Content Learning Objectives Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Define KT and related terms

• Describe the relevance of KT in their context and role

• Identify strategies for sharing evidence with and engaging multiple knowledge user audiences

• Use KT planning tools and resources to develop a KT plan (e.g. KT Planning Template©, KT Game©)

Places are limited and registration will be confirmed on a first come first served basis.

Please register using the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/UEKJ

Genetic and Rare Disease Network, the Western Australian Health Translation Network, the Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies and Rare Voices Australia hosted the Rare Disease Day Symposium 2018 on the 28 February 2018.

The symposium commenced with welcome remarks by the Hon Malcolm McCusker AC CVO QC. A range of presenters talked about rare disease research from a patient, scientific and medical perspective and the event was concluded by the Honourable Roger Cook MLA, Minister for Health, Western Australia.