What have we been up to?

Sandra Gardam
Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Project Officer
Australian Academy of Science
@sandra_gardam

Have you ever wondered what the EMCR Forum does? Ok sure you get a newsletter with interesting articles every once in a while and e-updates full of awards to apply for and funding opportunities (make sure you read it – it could include just the opportunity you are waiting for!) But other than that?

Well that is what this is all about. What do the Forum Executive members do? Who do they meet with? How are they representing you and other EMCRs around the country? And are they achieving anything?

Who have we been meeting?

Over the past few months the Forum has taken your concerns about EMCRs success rates in grant rounds to the NHMRC and the ARC by meeting with their respective CEOs: Professors Anne Kelso and Aidan Byrne. Late last year we also met with advisors to the Minister for Education and Training and the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science to discuss the needs of EMCRs.

Do you have issues you would like us to raise with funding bodies or politicians? Email emcr@science.org.au or tweet to @EMCRForum

How to have your say

The EMCR Forum represents the interests and needs of EMCRs in formal consultation processes held by government departments and other organisations.

The following consultations are currently open and the EMCR Forum will be making submissions. We encourage you to make an individual submission if relevant to you. If you would like to provide feedback to the EMCR Forum on any of them please contact us.

• Medical Research Future Fund consultation for the development of the Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy and related Priorities closes 6 June 2016
• ARC and National Innovation and Science Agenda consultation on Research Engagement and Impact Assessment closes 24 June 2016.
• The Department of Education and Training consultation on new program guidelines for Research Block Grants for universities closes on 6 June.

Working to represent EMCR interests as part of the NHMRC structural review

The NHMRC requested input from the EMCR Forum as part of its ongoing structural review. Thank you to the 200 of you who work in medical research who took our recent survey so we could represent your views. We asked ‘what is the most important recommendation you would make to the NHMRC’s structural review?’ We will represent everyone’s views, but the most common responses were:

• separate NHMRC project grant money for EMCRs
• increase the number of grant rounds (e.g. two rounds/year; rolling deadlines)
• Provide greater recognition for clinical translational outcomes and industry experience
• incentivise inclusion of EMCRs as CIs on all schemes
• include an EOI stage before full submission
• reduce the number of grants a CI can hold (average recommendation was 3 grants/CI)
• restructure fellowships eligibility criteria (e.g. Early Career Fellowships up to 5 years post-PhD, ability to request eligibility rulings for illness, industry re-entry, and associate professor in Career Development Fellowships scheme)

Congratulations to the following people who won a double pass to the movie The Man Who Knew Infinity for their time in completing the survey:

• Jason Lodge
• Donna Reidlinger
• Dr Melanie Thomson
• H Peter Soyer
• Archa Fox
• Brad Farrant
• Peter O'Meara
• Kathryn Steadman
• Khine Soe Lin
• Dr Peta Cook

There will be further chances to have your say about the NHMRC Structural Review later in the year. We will keep you informed.

What have we been planning? (upcoming events)

The topic of the 2016 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank—An interdisciplinary approach to living in a risky world was very popular, with more than 300 applications received. Congratulations to the 60 excellent candidates who have been chosen to attend and we look forward to welcoming you in Canberra in July for two and a half days of intense thinking and discussion about all types of risk.

We run a Think Tank every year on a different topic. We also run a Frontiers of Science symposium each year; this year it will be on ‘The microbiome—exploring the role of microorganisms in ecosystem processes and health’ in November in Adelaide.

Why would you be interested in these events?

• they are exclusively for EMCRs
• positions to attend are fully funded
• they focus on helping EMCRs build their networks and establish collaborations

Also don’t forget Science Pathways 2016: Future Leaders specifically for EMCRs.