Upskilling Australia's workforce in the age of artificial intelligence and better prediction of rising sea levels are a few of the innovations that may emerge from new research projects to be undertaken by some of Australia's best early-career researchers.
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Chief Executive Officer, Ms Judi Zielke PSM, welcomed the announcement today of more than $86 million in funding for 200 new research projects to be undertaken as part of the ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme.
Dedicated funding support from the DECRA scheme is a strong investment into the growth of Australia's research and innovation capacity.
"Increasing Australia's research and innovation capacity generates new knowledge and results in the development of new technologies, products and ideas, the creation of jobs, economic growth and an enhanced quality of life in Australia," said Ms Zielke.
Awarded ARC DECRA projects include:
Queensland University of Technology ($382,440): to inform regulation of the Australian digital game industry, ensuring effective and ethical ways of safeguarding the Australian community against risks like surveillance, harmful advertising, and predatory design.
University of New England ($410,778): to reduce the environmental and economic burden of food waste by enabling its use as feed for poultry, thereby reducing both the cost of poultry for the community and Australia's annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to 5%.
University of New South Wales ($432,485): to better understand misinformation evolution and distribution in online social media networks and create capabilities to eliminate misinformation to strengthen Australia's resilience, especially during critical events.
University of Notre Dame Australia ($448,008): to advance knowledge of the intersection of modern slavery and climate change to assist Australian businesses in addressing these issues holistically, while holding businesses accountable.
University of Tasmania ($444,000): to improve understanding of ice-ocean interactions and subglacial melting, and reduce uncertainties in projections of the Antarctic ocean's contribution to global and regional sea-level rises.
For a full list of funded DECRA projects, including a snapshot of funding by state and territory, please view the grant announcement kit here.
