10 results

Capability and Capacity: Innovation bursaries and conference sponsorship

Project number: 2023-106
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $184,730.10
Principal Investigator: Sally Roberts
Organisation: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)
Project start/end date: 11 Jan 2024 - 29 Apr 2026
Contact:
FRDC

Need

This project provides opportunities to be exposed to innovation, build and develop capability and capacity, connect with innovation networks and generate new contacts. These opportunities will demonstrate benefits of being in innovation space for new entrants from fishing and aquaculture through encourage and enabling participation. The project aims to stimulate collaboration and increase the visibility of "getting into innovation", potentially increasing ideas to feed into future investment lanes and possibly more adoption. This includes exposing fresh minds to spark novel ideas who are unaware of opportunities and/or may experience barriers to participate.

The skills and capabilities required to intervene in complex systems need to be developed to capitalise on new systems and processes. This includes mechanisms to engage stakeholders to focus, priorities and invest in capability and capacity development locally and nationally. EvokeAg is a flagship event, focused on showcasing and stimulating innovation through connecting people with each other and to knowledge, information and

$75,000 sponsorship (includes exhibition stand and furniture, printing and 5 x 2024 tickets (2025 & 2026 details tbc) over 3 years
$110,000 bursaries ($6k - conference and side event tickets, flights, accommodation, travel incidentals) - allows for 18 full bursaries over 3 years OR a mixed level of support (e.g. partial bursary, alternative innovation event)

Objectives

1. Support up to 16 people to attend EvokeAg (or similar) during the project
2. Enable global, local, connection and collaboration across innovation and emerging sectors
3. Increase FRDC's visibility of providing capability and capacity development enabling innovation
People
PROJECT NUMBER • 2023-102
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Capability & Capacity: 2024 Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo North America and Conference

I believe the value that bursary recipients received from attending the Electric and Hybrid Expo was valuable in a number of ways. The networking opportunity for the younger members was valuable as they all shared experiences and were a little removed from what was happening on a global stage for...
ORGANISATION:
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)

Capability and Capacity Building - Scientific Networking & Early Career Development (Australian Society for Fish Biology)

Project number: 2023-074
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $115,050.00
Principal Investigator: John R. Morrongiello
Organisation: Australian Society For Fish Biology Inc
Project start/end date: 31 Oct 2023 - 25 Jun 2026
Contact:
FRDC

Need

We submit this EOI as a non-competitive sponsorship application.

The ASFB is the premiere professional Society promoting research, education and management of fish and fisheries in Australasia. Our capacity to facilitate these goals is dependent on the amount of financial support generated from ASFB members (via membership fees), conference sponsorship (from Government and industry stakeholders), and the FRDC.

We request a new round of funding support from the FRDC to allow us to continue delivering our annual conference and supporting students and early career researchers (ECRs) at a high level. We also request support from FRDC to help facilitate the following: i) real advancement in our Society’s engagement with, and inclusion of, First Nations peoples; ii) recognition and promotion of the value of the core principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in the fish and fisheries sector; iii) better engagement of fisheries managers with scientists; and iv) closer ties with our neighbouring Asian Fisheries Society.

Students and early career researchers represent the future of Australasia’s fish and fisheries sector. ASFB has a long and successful history of promoting and supporting student and ECR members as they undertake their research training, showcase their discoveries and ideas, and begin a career working with fish and fisheries. For the last 10 years, FRDC has been an invaluable partner in this endeavour through the provision of travel bursaries that enable students to attend our annual conference and awards that recognise outstanding achievements. We request FRDC funding to continue supporting our students and ECRs.

ASFB has been making steady progress in ensuring our Society actively supports and facilitates an equitable and inclusive environment that promotes the value of diversity. In 2014, our 40th annual conference (held in partnership with the Australian Society for Limnology; FRDC 2013-404) was built around the theme of ‘Indigenous participation in research and management of aquatic ecosystems’. We facilitated a workshop on Indigenous cross cultural awareness, and throughout the meeting, delegates had the opportunity to explore ways of meaningfully including indigenous peoples in the design, delivery and interpretation of scientific work. Ten years on, we believe there is still a clear need for ASFB to better engage with and include First Nations peoples in our Society. We seek financial support from FRDC to form an independent working group that includes strong indigenous representation, alongside ASFB representatives, to advise our Society on how we can enact meaningful actions that help achieve these goals. Whilst we do not seek to pre-empt the working groups recommendations, we see great opportunity for ASFB to promote the primacy of Indigenous Peoples around water and fisheries rights, facilitate the inclusion of cultural practices and knowledge into western science and management paradigms, and to build capacity of Indigenous Peoples in the sectors of fish, fisheries and aquatic natural resources.

Our Future of the Society Committee is currently drafting a policy document that promotes the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in ASFB. At our 2016 conference, we held an important event titled ‘Women in Ichthyology’. This was borne from the acknowledgement that, while in recent decades we have made great strides in achieving higher representation of women in research, the job is far from done. Women are often equally represented at lower tiers of the research sector, such as postgraduate students and early career levels, but rapidly dwindle as the professional hierarchy increases to senior leadership roles. The 2016 event celebrated the key contributions of women to fish and fisheries science, and explored how we can all encourage gender equity in this area. We have seen a steady increase in the representation of women in senior roles in our Society (e.g., three of our last six presidents since 2012 are women; three of the last six winners of the prestigious K. Radway Allen Award were women). We believe that more can and will be done to address gender equity in our Society.

The ASFB endeavours to be free from all forms of discrimination, and welcomes all members regardless of age, cultural background, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, physical or mental differences, politics, nationality, religious affiliation or beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family or caring responsibilities, socio-economic background, career status, and work experience. The ASFB aims to continue to foster an inclusive environment where a diversity of people, ideas and perspectives can inspire members to advance fish and fisheries science and management. We seek FRDC support to host a plenary presentation and/or special session on the equity, diversity and inclusivity challenges and opportunities we face in the fish and fisheries sector at the 2024 annual science conference in Newcastle, NSW.

The annual conferences of ASFB provide a fantastic opportunity for fisheries managers from around Australia and New Zealand to meet up and experience networking opportunities with their peers and fisheries researchers. Our conferences provide a forum for managers to hear about the challenges faced in other jurisdictions and work together to develop solutions and innovations. Feedback from our members who are fisheries managers is that it is difficult for them to attend our conferences due to low levels of support from their employers for travel and registration costs, which is a poor outcome for fisheries managers. In turn, our broader membership suffers because they miss the opportunity to engage with managers in an environment conducive to knowledge sharing and collaboration. Furthermore, our students and early career researchers are not exposed to employment opportunities in a valuable sector of our industry. Here, we propose a new travel bursary program, co-funded by FRDC, ASFB and employers, to address the major financial barrier limiting manager engagement with our Society’s activities.

Lastly, we need a vibrant and viable Society to deliver on our project objectives. ASFB is now 53 years old. Throughout this time, the Society has successfully served its membership, and by extension, the broader fish and fisheries community in Australia. Our executive council and sub-committee members are all volunteers and collectively dedicate thousands of hours in-kind each year to ensure we provide effective leadership and deliver on our responsibilities (conservatively valued at $100,000 pa of salary). More recently, we have sought professional support to administer membership databases, facilitate conference logistics (they work for local volunteer organising committees), handle internal and external communications and maintain our website. These are all essential roles and beyond what can be expected from our volunteer office bearers. We are reviewing our current membership fee schedule to help cover some of these costs. We seek FRDC support to contribute to the management and facilitation activities of our Society so that we can continue to deliver excellent opportunities for all our members and successfully deliver on the important objectives outlined in this proposal.

Objectives

1. Provide a nationally and international relevant forum for researchers, managers and stakeholders to meet to discuss issues relevant to fish and fisheries science and management
2. Support, encourage and recognise achievements of early career researchers and students via sponsorship of targeted excellence and research awards
3. Support and encourage student participation at ASFB's annual science conference and key international conferences via sponsorship of travel bursaries, a specific networking event, and any other appropriate activities
4. Assist in setting up an independent working group with First Nations representation to help ASFB improve how we include and engage with First Nations peoples in our Society
5. Develop a co-funded bursary (alongside ASFB and home institutions) to support the attendance of fisheries managers at ASFB’s annual conference
6. Host a special session and/or plenary at a future conference addressing the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in fish and fisheries

Aquatic Animal Health and Biosecurity Coordination Program: strategic planning, project management and adoption

Project number: 2020-052
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $605,748.56
Principal Investigator: Nicholas J. Moody
Organisation: CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory
Project start/end date: 23 Jun 2022 - 31 May 2026
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Australia’s aquatic animals are free from many diseases that occur overseas, providing us with a competitive advantage in both production and trade. Australian aquaculture has grown from an industry valued at AU$260 million in 1993 to an industry valued at AU$1.6 billion in 2020 (ABARES, 2021). This dramatic growth has been accompanied by the emergence of new diseases/infectious agents, e.g., NNV since 1989, Bonamia since 1992, OOD since 2006, OsHV since 2010, POMV since 2012, new YHV genotypes since 2013, PMMS since 2015 and WSD since 2016, all of which threaten the sustainability of major aquaculture enterprises. Consequently, the need for health research to support this expanding sector is also growing. The wild-harvest, recreational, Indigenous and ornamental sectors are also under threat; e.g., crayfish plague, Edwardsiella ictaluri in catfish, Perkinsus in oysters, WSD in crustacea and gourami iridovirus in a range of finfish species pose significant risks.

Thus, identification and prioritisation of aquatic animal health and biosecurity research and capacity building needs to be coordinated across all aquatic sectors to ensure synergy while avoiding duplication. FRDC, through AAHBRCP, plays a major role in addressing research needs and training in aquatic animal health and biosecurity and is able to direct funding priorities to the most pressing areas. AAHBRCP provides a cohesive national approach to FRDC-supported R&D by providing leadership, direction and focus for health R&D and other related non-R&D activities. According to an external review of AAHBRCP undertaken in 2015 the consensus among major stakeholders was that AAHBRCP provides an essential service for the aquatic animal sector. Given the success of the AAHBRCP there is a need to continue it as a means of providing the service with consideration given to adjustments (reflected in this proposal) to enhance the service it provides for the evolving needs of Australia’s seafood industry, public policy and program needs

Objectives

1. In consultation with key stakeholders (industry, government, aquatic animal health providers and industry representatives) identify and prioritise R&D needed to deliver national, jurisdictional and industry sector aquatic animal health and biosecurity related planning objectives
2. Promote and manage aquatic animal health and biosecurity training and capacity building
3. Facilitate the dissemination of outputs (information and results) from R&D projects to key stakeholders
4. Through the biannual AAHBRCP scientific conference, cultivate research community collaboration, engagement, and foster early career researchers.

Attracting the next generation - Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia Membership 2022-2023

Project number: 2022-073
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $52,550.00
Principal Investigator: Luciano Mesiti
Organisation: Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA)
Project start/end date: 20 Oct 2022 - 13 Jul 2023
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Engaging with and educating the next generation is challenging and competitive, given the range of opportunities available to teachers and students in terms of topics, development opportunities and careers locally, nationally and globally.

Providing awareness, access and support to educators and students is critical to attracting and retaining people across fishing and aquaculture. Through curriculum aligned resources and aligned interventions, activities and experiences, FRDC can spark the curiosity and also provide access to a range of people in fishing and aquaculture through partnering with PIEFA.

This project builds on the strong relationship with PIEFA to conduct research to understand the current level of engagement, barriers and opportunities to position fishing and aquaculture with students and educators. This research will position FRDC for success through utilisation of established, trusted channels and networks. Providing opportunities to showcase the wide variety careers through interactive activities and self directed learning provides the fishing and aquaculture community a direct connection with the next generation.

PIEFA provides a mechanism to showcase fishing and aquaculture, and food and fibre more broadly in Australian schools.

This includes accessing multiple platforms, newsletters, exclusive invitations to members meetings and PIEFA AGM. Invitation to 2023 PIEFA Conference and events.

Objectives

1. Understand and improve teacher awareness, confidence and knowledge to effectively implement food and fibre education in Australian schools
2. Utilise and leverage trusted, valued PIEFA networks and channels
3. Food and fibre education resources are accessible and are accessed by a growing number of Australian schools
4. Inform and engage with a national strategic framework that supports schools awareness and delivery of food and fibre education and careers
5. Food and fibre education initiatives and messages in the wider media and industry spheres are identified and shared between PIEFA and FRDC
Industry
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