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SCIENTIFIC VISITS TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA AND MEXICO

This program is now closed and will reopen in April 2009.

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The Australian Academy of Science invites applications from Australian professional scientists, including early career researchers, to visit the United States of America, Canada and Mexico between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2009 to collaborate with researchers in those countries. Proposals in any field of natural science, basic and applied, including mathematics and engineering science, will be considered. Applicants must be Australian citizens or an Australian permanent resident living in Australia at the time of submitting the grant application. Support will not be given when the primary purpose of the visit is to attend a conference.

Applicants must hold a PhD degree or equivalent at the time of application. They should propose a collaborative research project, or a specific activity, which has been developed in consultation with host scientists in those countries. Under this scheme, applicants can request travel support to access international leading-edge small to medium research facilities and equipment. Support will not be provided for costs associated with the use of these facilities.

Note: The program does not provide assistance to access research facilities already supported under the Access to Major Research Facilities Program (AMRF) administered by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). For details on the AMRF please go to: http://www.ainse.edu.au/AMRFP.html

A letter of invitation from the host institution(s) commenting on the proposed collaboration must be submitted with the application. Proposals will be assessed on the scientific merit of the research, the demonstrated achievements of the applicant in the context of his/her career to date, the appropriateness of the work being done in the nominated country, the value of the expected outcome of the research project to Australian science, and whether the visit will improve Australian access to global leading-edge science and technology. The proposed visit should initiate or consolidate long-term collaborations and facilitate the development of the applicant’s career.

Preference will be given to visits which are short-term and highly-focused. The grant scheme is not to supplement or extend either study or sabbatical leave that is being conducted overseas.

Terms of award: Successful applicants may receive from the Academy a grant-in-aid of up to $10,500. This is based on a contribution towards travel between Australia and the host institution(s) up to a maximum of $2,500, and a living allowance of up to a maximum of $200 per day for a period between 14 days and 40 days (maximum of $8,000). Please note that the full amount applied for may not always be given.

The duration of the visit must be for a minimum of 14 days and a maximum of 40 days. The program does not provide funds for bench fees, managerial, insurance or visa costs.

Successful applicants are required to submit two reports of their visit, one within 30 days and one 12 months after returning to Australia. We anticipate that the latter report will indicate how the collaboration has progressed.

The report should include the outcomes of the visit, such as:

• the value of international research collaborations;
• incidents of access to leading edge small to medium scale research facilities and equipment;
• the number and details of joint publications, presentations and the like;
• the number and details of substantial subsequent contacts made with other collaborators, domestic and overseas, as a result of participation in the activities;
• details of new applications of technology and the uptake of new technology;
• the extent to which Australian researchers secured access to global science facilities, including gaining access to equipment and data that may not be available in Australia or is more state-of-the-art than what is available in Australia;
• the extent to which the activities were consistent with the Government's National Research Priorities;*
• the extent to which the activities facilitated the development of international institutional arrangements, including the exchange of post-doctoral fellows.

This project is supported by the Australian Government Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research's International Science Linkages - Science Academies Programme.