Citizen science and leadership training among events to inspire and support EMCRs

Citizen science, collaboration with Japan, measuring success and training future leaders are events aimed at building the skills of early- and mid-career researchers over the next 12 months.

Each year the Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia), through the Academy, supports the delivery of EMCR activities designed to provide tangible career benefits for EMCRs in Australia. This year is no different—despite the considerable impacts of COVID-19 and the additional challenges and restrictions for event planning, four EMCR events will be delivered in the 2020–21 round.

All four events will plan for the possibility of partially or fully virtual online delivery. Despite the complicated nature of organising events in a COVID and post-COVID world, the successful applicants are planning innovative solutions for virtual attendance. This pragmatic problem-solving demonstrates the EMCR community’s capacity to adapt and devise accessible and inclusive solutions.

The four successful proposals funded this year are:

• Enhancing connections between early- and mid-career researchers and citizen science to inspire, impact and influence—a series of online opportunities for EMCRs interested in the Australian citizen science sector and advancing citizen science in Australia. These EMCR events will be delivered in the lead-up to the Australian Citizen Science conference in 2021
• Japan Connect/JSPSAAA symposium—a symposium aimed at connecting EMCRs in Australia with past, present, and possible future collaborative links with Japan
• Moving beyond metrics—a think tank designed to develop recommendations to modernise the metrics of success for the Australian research sector
• Training the future leaders of research—a three-day workshop for early-career researchers to introduce, develop and refine the skills required to promote their careers and provide direction in their journeys as future leaders in science.

The Theo Murphy (Australia) Fund was established with the purpose of furthering scientific discovery in the fields of medicine, science, technology and engineering. The fund is made available by the Royal Society of London and administered by the Academy.

To receive updates about the current Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) activities and information about future funding rounds, join the EMCR Forum mailing list today.