Swinburne awarded $5M for research

Swinburne University of Technology has been awarded over $5 million from the Australian Research Council (ARC) to fund 19 innovative, high-quality research projects.

The funding, administered through the ARC's National Competitive Grants Program, was announced yesterday by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr.

Part of the latest round of the ARC's Discovery Project and Linkage Project schemes, the funds will lead to an advancement of knowledge that will help Australia tackle current and future challenges.   

According to Senator Carr, the grants will encourage innovative research to make Australia a more productive, skilled and competitive nation.

“These grants address a range of challenges — economic stability, climate change, education and health,” Senator Carr said. 

The successful Swinburne projects will explore a range of research areas including urban and regional planning, nanotechnology, biochemistry, engineering, astronomy, physics, psychology, media and communications, information technology, business and alternative medicines. 

Applications for National Competitive Grant Program funding are subject to a rigorous, independent peer review process that considers a number of factors  including: the researcher's track record and capacity to undertake the work; the significance and innovation of the proposed research; the approach to be taken; training opportunities to be made available; and the national benefit.

In total, the latest round of Discovery Project and Linkage Project grants saw $376 million awarded to 1126 research projects across the country.

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