National Research Flagships and The Collaboration Fund

1. National Research FlagshipsandThe Collaboration Fund Graham Thompson General Manager, Flagship Implementation, CSIRO

2. So, what are Flagships? Flagships are multidisciplinary research partnerships that align Divisions across CSIRO and external agencies to tackle big, audaciousgoals in areas of major national significance. Their larger scale, longer timeframes and clear focus on adoption of research outputs are designed to maximise their impact on their goals.

3. Flagships offer • Fast track innovation delivering to industry, government and community • Emphasis on outcomes and delivery • Strong focus on issues of national importance and urgency (National Research Priorities) • New industries, exports and jobs • World lead for Australia in strategic areas • Partnerships to seize opportunities only attainable through large-scale

4. The Flagships • Preventative HealthTo improve the health and well being of Australians and save $2 billion in annual direct health costs by 2020 through the prevention and early detection of chronic diseases. • Food FuturesTo transform the international competitiveness and add $3 billion annually to the Australian agrifood sector by the application of frontier technologies to high-potential industries. • Light MetalsTo lead a global revolution in light metals, doubling export income and generating significant new industries for Australia by the 2020s while reducing environmental impact.

5. The Flagships (cont’d) • Water for a Healthy CountryTo achieve a tenfold increase in the social, economic and environmental benefits from water by 2025. • Energy TransformedTo halve greenhouse gas emissions and double the efficiency of the nation’s new energy generation, supply and end use, and to position Australia for a future hydrogen economy. • Wealth from OceansTo position Australia by 2020 as an international benchmark in the delivery of economic, social and environmental wealth based on leadership in understanding ocean systems and processes.

6. Flagship Research (1)

7. Flagship Research (2)

8. How Flagships work Now for the how…… (driven by the why…..) • Engagement, consultation, listening, collaboration • Social process which takes time to build trust and ownership – learning process (introductions!!) • Identification of trans-disciplinary opportunities; scientific “white spaces” for innovation and integration • “One CSIRO” across science and resource silos • Partnerships must be true partnerships built on trust • CSIRO prepared to invest with (and in) others

9. Some Flagship partners • Universities, CRCs, Bureau of Meteorology, Ludwig Institute, Flinders Medical Centre • National and global companies in metals, food, transport, resources, energy, healthcare • Government partners: Greenhouse Office, Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Royal Australian Navy, Fisheries RDC, ABARE, DITR, state governments.

10. Some fundamentals • Flagships are “top down”, but require a creative “bottom up” response • Flagships are “white space” projects, NOT Flagships of convenience (re-badging and bidding issues) • Flagships are about growth and investment – new opportunities – partners should want to invest • Flagships are about multidisciplinary, multi-agency science with outcomes • Flagships are about partnerships – internally and externally – and these need to be managed

11. Collaboration Fund • An initiative under Backing Australia’s Ability – Building our Future through Science and Innovation • Contestable funding of $96.8m over seven years • Staged growth • Genuine collaboration – including creative inputs from partners • Enabling large teams with complementary capability sets to work on issues of national importance • Designed to provide an incentive for increased/ enhanced collaboration, not as the sole incentive

12. Staged growth • Underspends and overspends to be adjusted against future year allocations • All funding to be allocated by the last year • No CSIRO access to the Fund

13. Components of the Fund Flagship Collaborative Research Program • Flagship Projects • Flagship Clusters Flagship Visiting Fellowships Postgraduate Scholarships

14. CollaborativeResearch Program Flagship Projects • Specific research project • Outcomes and deliverables relevant to a Flagship objective • Funding usually for one year only • Minimum grant size of $100,000 • 30 - 35 projects funded per year • Solicited or unsolicited • Contestable

15. CollaborativeResearch Program Flagship Clusters • Larger scale of activity • Emphasis on people and partnerships working on a collection of projects relevant to a Flagship Program • At least one university partner • Minimum of $1 million, up to three years • 5 – 7 clusters funded per year • Expected co-investment by partner organisations • Contestable

16. Flagship Visiting Fellowships Flagship Visiting Fellowships • Researchers to work up to six months in areas directly relevant to a Flagship Program • Maximum funding of $100,000 • About 10 funded per semester • Secondment of Australian based researchers • Overseas academics can apply (support available for a living allowance) • Contestable

17. Postgraduate Scholarships Postgraduate Scholarships • Up to 50 per year for three years FTE • Top-up scholarships for APA - $7k pa • $4k pa operating expenses and a $6k allowance to attend an international conference • Full scholarships - $25k pa (limited) - NB a full scholarship cannot be held with an APA • University and CSIRO supervisor to support the application • Contestable

18. Important! • Collaborators wish to minimise the high cost of unsuccessful bids • CSIRO wishes to keep the assessment workload at a reasonable level • Therefore: please discuss proposals with the Flagship Director or nominated contact person before preparing applications

19. Clusters (1) Proposals are now sought for seven clusters: • Energy Transformed: Design new materials for hydrogen generation, storage, and use • Food Futures: Contribute to the design of biosensors by solving problems associated with olfactory transduction, signal amplification and processing, and pattern recognition

20. Clusters (2) • Food Futures: Develop frontier separative technologies that incorporate molecular recognition technologies to produce high value food products and ingredients • Light Metals: Contribute to the development and commercialisation of key science and technologies for aluminium and magnesium manufacturing and titanium production • Preventative Health: Provide new approaches, based on human population studies, to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease

21. Clusters (3) • Water for a Healthy Country: Address key ecological knowledge gaps to develop systems models for Coorong, Murray Mouth and Lower Lakes • Wealth from Oceans: Contribute to the development of an integrated multiple use management strategy for Ningaloo Reef

22. Visiting Fellowships Proposals for semester 2, 2005 are sought now: • Unspecified: in areas of complementary capability with a focus on achieving the Flagship goal • In the past, social scientists have helped us understand likely consumer reactions to new foods • Specified: [Example] Water for a Healthy Country seeks proposals to foster debate around cutting edge science and potential solutions to specific issues

23. Closing dates • Clusters: 30 June 2005 • Projects: as advised on individual websites • Visiting Fellowships - • For semester 2, 2005: 10 June • For semester 1, 2006: TBA • Postgraduate scholarships: • To be advertised early September 2005 • Tentative closing date: 6 November 2005

24. Applications and assessment Clusters and Projects • Advertised widely – CSIRO website, SPIN, COS • Prospective applicants to discuss proposals with relevant Flagship Director • Unsolicited projects require an Expression of Interest • Proposals submitted on-line with signed hard copy sent to Flagship office • Projects assessed by relevant Flagship Director with internal and external advice • Clusters assessed by committee (CSIRO and external members)

25. Applications and assessment Flagship Visiting Fellowships • Advertised widely – CSIRO website, SPIN, COS • Prospective applicants to discuss proposals with relevant Flagship Director • Proposals submitted on-line with signed hard copy sent to Flagship office • Proposal assessed by Flagship Director with internal and external advice

26. Selection criteria Projects, Clusters and Visiting Fellowships Applications will be assessed on: • Alignment with the work of the Flagship and achievement of the Flagship’s goals • Novelty of the proposed approach or work program • Distinctiveness of research capability • Expertise and track record of researcher(s) and the relevance of that expertise to the achievement of the Flagship’s goals • Clarity of outcomes.

27. Applications and assessment Postgraduate Scholarships • Postgraduate scholarships advertised widely - all major newspapers, university newsletters, CSIRO website • Prospective applicants advised to discuss their proposal with relevant Flagship Director • Proposals submitted on-line • Proposal assessed by CSIRO Scholarship Committee

28. Selection criteria Postgraduate Scholarships Applications will be assessed on: • Quality and relevance of the proposed project • Alignment with the work of the Flagship and achievement of the Flagship’s goals • Track record: course marks, conference papers, presentations, publications • Student must have or expect to gain 1st class honours or equivalent and receive an APA

29. Principles of operation • All funded activities subject to Flagship Oversight Committee oversight • All funded activities subject to CSIRO’s Program Performance Framework • Collaborators generally expected to coinvest • Reasonable approach to IP • ‘Double dipping’ not permitted • Creative engagement with partners • Processes may change in the light of experience

30. Stakeholders - external & internal Government Public External stakeholders Performance framework aligns and integrates external stakeholder requirements with internal management needs Internal stakeholders CSIRO Board and Senior Management Sector advisory councils Groups Commercial partners Divisions Flagships Industry clients Individuals

31. Program Performance Framework: Design Principles • Track progress against the strategy of major programs • Align measures of success from ‘Bench to Board’ • Focus on the most critical (and dependent) outputs • Measures - unambiguously defined and objective • Measures reflect both research achievements andexternal interactions with “delivery partners” • Link annual performance goals to long term goals • Encourage optimal resource allocation

32. Flagship(eg P-Health) Theme 1(eg ColorectalCancer) Theme 2 Stream4 Stream1 Stream2 Stream3 (eg. Policy / guidelines) (eg. Protective foods) (eg. Diagnostics) (eg. Frontier Science) APGs APGs APGs APGs Strategic Alignment Diagram Theme: Major area of research directed towards a clear and measurable strategic goal which is a key part of the Flagship’s mission (eg the goal for the Colorectal Cancer Theme in Preventative Health is to reduce colorectal cancer incidence by 10% and increase 5-year survival from around 63% to 70% by 2020). Stream: Collection of related projects that address a particular aspect of the Theme Goal. (eg the Colorectal Cancer Theme goal is pursued through three streams of activity; Developing protective foods, Developing novel diagnostics, and Developing policies andguidelines). APGs: Each Stream has an explicit objective supported by specific annual performance goals .

33. ‘Program’ Roadmap Short Term(Years 1-3) Medium Term(Years 4-9) Long Term(Years 10+) Theme 1 Theme 2 Theme 3 Theme Goal Outputs Theme Goal Outputs Rationale • The Roadmap at Program level is a communication device that lays out the general timing of each Theme and describes the anticipated benefits that lead to achieving the Theme Goals • the horizontal bars represent the timing of commencement of activities within each Theme • the Outputs represent the deliverables produced to generate the desired outcomes. For example: • new products and services • new and better technologies • The timing of activities and outputs for each Theme should be consistent with budgeting decisions and resource allocation Theme Goal Outputs Program Roadmap

34. Roadmap: Theme 2 Roadmap: Theme 1 Research Activity Delivery Activity Milestones Stream 1 Stream 2 Short Term(Years 1-3) Medium Term(Years 4-9) Long Term(Years 10+) Key Milestones Each Stream should have 2 types of Milestones: • Research - set targets for the required scientific and technical deliverables • Delivery - set targets for the evolution of delivery partner relationships Outputs Key Milestones Theme Goal Key Milestones Outputs Key Milestones Rationale • Roadmaps at Theme level provide the planning and performance link between near-term annual goals and long-term Theme Goals • They describe the short, medium and long-term Key Milestones and the timing of the Outputs required to achieve the Theme Goal • includes existing and planned activities • assists in identifying gaps in research and delivery activities ‘Theme’ Roadmaps

35. Example of APG Assessment

36. EXAMPLE ONLY Board Report on Themes

37. Further information Further information including links to: • Guiding principles • Application forms is available on the CSIRO website at: http://www.csiro.au/Flagships/CollaborationFund