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Researcher training, development and communication


Training and development initiatives build key skills that are core to doing research at Flinders.

The Researcher training, development and communication team facilitates the ongoing development of Flinders' researchers.

Inspiring Research communicates opportunities related to research and is updated daily. Researchers can realise and action opportunity and be best informed on changes to Flinders' and the broader Australian research landscape.

Flinders’ Research FastStart - researcher orientation and induction

Flinders’ Research FastStart provides information vital to commencing research at Flinders. This interactive program will gives a hands-on introduction to Flinders’ online systems so that researchers new to Flinders can start their research… fast!

During this program researchers will be directed to key sources of information and given details on who to contact for help and advice within RDS, the portfolio and university.

Scheduled regularly throughout the year, contact us to join our next Research FastStart.

Researcher training and development

Building researcher capacity and capability, training focusses on developing skills core to the research process and doing research at Flinders University. Aligned with the Vitae Researcher Development Framework, programs aim to impart the knowledge, key traits and attributes of effective, highly successful researchers.
 

Current researcher training and development

In 2019, core themes include:

  • partner
  • fund
  • apply
  • commence
  • measure
  • publish
  • communicate.

Workshops within these themes are included in 'Grants Evolution' or Flinders’ June research intensive.

All upcoming researcher training and development workshops can be viewed, and your place secured by enrolling at ienrol-Research.

We recommend that your research career and training and development planning be discussed with your college leadership, and form into an ongoing dialogue.

Please contact the Researcher Training, Development and Communications team if you have any queries, including workshop suggestions.

We look forward to supporting you on your learning journey.
 

Grants Evolution

Streamed research income programs aim to get researchers 'grant ready'. 

Consisting of a series of 1.5 hour action-learning workshops, 'Grants Evolution - Category 1' and 'Grants Evolution - Category 2 & 3' will run from April through to October 2019.

Skills development workshops are presented in an order that will enable consideration, planning and action - of your identifying funding options, through to the development of your application and commencing your project.

You can access stand-alone workshops or participate in the entire series.

Details of these series can be accessed via the Researcher Training and Development page.

To participate, please enrol through ienrol-Research.
 

Research Intensive

'Research Activate and Communicate' is an initiative to bring Flinders’ research community together to inform, inspire and share strategies for research success.

In 2019, this research intensive ran in the week of 24 June and built on the success of the 2018 research intensives.

A collaboration between Research Development and Support, Flinders Library and the Office of Communication, Marketing and Engagement, sessions covered a breadth of topics core to: exploring the commonalities of successful funding applications; publication strategy; publishing with impact; benchmarking your career; academic profile management; working with the media, including advanced training; social media for researchers; establishing yourself as a thought leader and defining your 'brand'.

Please contact the Researcher Training, Development and Communications team for further information.
 

Access for rural and remote researchers

Training opportunities coordinated by Flinders’ Researcher Training, Development and Communication team can be accessed in real time by our colleagues located at Flinders’ rural and remote campuses. No matter where you are located we can help connect you and link you in.

Please contact the Researcher Training, Development and Communications team for further information.

 

Past training and development

Previous workshops can be accessed and viewed at anytime, anywhere.

Prize and awards

Research prizes and awards can assist in building your track record and developing your research profile. Flinders can provide support and advice in the preparation of major research prizes and awards. Please contact us to explore the potential and possibilities.

Research prizes and awards are advertised regularly in Inspiring Research.

Capacity building programs

Researcher mentoring scheme for early career researchers

  • Are you expanding your independent or collaborative research career?
  • Would you like to broaden your strategic thinking within the University sector?
  • Are you interested in growing your research profile and networks?
  • Would you like the support and guidance of an experienced, senior researcher?

Flinders’ mentoring is a strategy to assist early-stage researchers with their careers. Mentoring has positively impacted on Early Career Researchers’ (ECRs’) well-being and research profile, including grant income and publications. Mentees have reported that the scheme has enhanced their ability to plan their research career, set goals, lead, manage and collaborate.

For this scheme, an ECR is defined as a researcher who is 0-8 years post-PhD conferral.

Each mentee is assisted in developing and maintaining a one-on-one mentoring partnership with a mentor, who is a senior Flinders academic and matched based on a mentee’s requirements.
The year-long scheme also offers researcher development opportunities to mentees throughout the year. These events promote a collegial, supportive environment for mentees to strengthen bonds amongst their peers, who are based in all colleges across the University.

Applications open in October each year.
Please contact Dr Marina Delpin, for more information.

Welcome from the Deputy 
Vice-Chancellor (Research)

Welcome to the Flinders University Researcher Mentoring Scheme.

The Scheme is an opportunity for researchers to mentor early career researchers. Since the Scheme began in 2012, more than 150 early career researchers at Flinders have been mentored. 

The annual Scheme provides a mentoring opportunity to researchers up to ten years post-PhD conferral, supporting those who are, or transitioning to, mid-career status. 

Feedback on the impact on participating ECRs' research profile and well-being has been consistently and strongly positive. The University values the input and wealth of experience that our senior academic staff bring to mentoring our early career researchers, and I strongly encourage you to participate in this Scheme.

Professor Robert Saint
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

Building research leaders

Building Research Leaders (BRL) is a program for Flinders’ Mid-Career Researchers (MCRs), 9-15 years post-PhD conferral.

This program is designed to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to become a research leader, including:

  • high level interpersonal skills
  • effective research planning and strategies
  • delegation
  • thinking strategically
  • self-management
  • the ability to promote yourself

BRL is open to MCRs who are looking to gain the skills, knowledge and attitude to become a leading researcher. Places are limited and participants are selected based on an application that addresses selection criteria, including identifying key aims and goals together with their Deans (Research).

If you would any further information, please contact marina.delpin@flinders.edu.au.

In the current fast-paced academic climate, the 2017 Program provided an opportunity to reflect, regroup and re-energise, by quarantining time for personal research development. The program was structured in such a way that participants were able to develop personal skills alongside supportive relationships with facilitators and peers alike. Each participant set personal goals throughout the year and the sessions provided good accountability for tracking our progress. Workshops also provided useful tips that we could immediately apply to our work. For example, we developed strategies for reducing time spent on email, getting more words on the page, fostering positive collaborations, and attracting non-traditional funding.

The Building Research Leaders program was relevant to the diversity of experiences of early career researchers in terms of disciplines, career stage, and funding source. It achieved this by cleverly distilling the fundamentals of research success and sharing them in practical and meaningful ways creating personal epiphanies… To have the program occur across the year means that I had the opportunity to try different ways of putting into practice the specific practices, approaches, and evidence-based knowledge.

The best thing about the Building Research Leaders program was the opportunity to meet other researchers from around the university, and to get together once a month to talk about the challenges we’re facing and the achievements we’ve made with our research. This kind of open discussion is an under-emphasised but extremely important part of the creative process. It also enforces a sense of community and the notion that we are not alone and a lot of the issues we’re dealing with are shared by a wider group.

Initiatives to interlink Flinders’ research community

Hosted by Flinders' Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) (DVCR), Professor Robert Saint, these fora provide an opportunity for our Early Career Researcher (ECR) community (0-8 years post-PhD conferral) to come together to hear from the DVCR about the research landscape at the University, and raise discussion on any aspects of their research career at Flinders.

Run twice a year, these fora also act as a platform to facilitate ECR networking and have resulted in the development of many cross-discipline conversations and partnerships.

Register your interest with us at researcherpd.rds@flinders.edu.au to be included in all communications.

New in 2019 and hosted by Flinders' Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) (DVCR), Professor Robert Saint. These fora provide an opportunity for our Mid-Career Researcher (MCR) community (9-15 years post-PhD conferral) to come together to hear from the DVCR about the research landscape at the University, and raise discussion on any aspects of their research career at Flinders.

The MCR fora also provide an opportunity for MCRs to develop and foster cross discipline conversations and partnerships.

Register your interest with us at researcherpd.rds@flinders.edu.au to be included in all communications.

We are open for business and here to provide our research community with advice and support related to all facets of research management.

Drop-in sessions are regularly scheduled to enable you to meet individually with Research Development and Support (RDS) teams.

Drop-in session details and bookings can be made via ienrol-research.

If a drop-in session related to your query is not listed, please contact researcherpd.rds@flinders.edu.au.
 

Drop-in sessions can address:

  • services and functions of RDS and how it relates to doing research at Flinders University
  • finding funding opportunities
  • Category 1, 2 and 3 funding – ARC; NHMRC and health; industry, government, international and internal grants
  • social and behavioural research ethics - applying for approval and getting advice on compliance
  • understanding research analytics and reporting
  • advice on research contracts and post award processes
  • advice on engaging and linking with external research partners
  • advice on intellectual property protection and commercialisation

Inspiring Research

Inspiring Research is updated daily to brief Flinders' on research opportunities, inform on changes to research - internal and external to the University.

Access Inspiring Research to view opportunities related to:

  • research funding;
  • training and development;
  • continuous improvement projects related to research at Flinders;
  • our information hub to link you in with essential research updates internal and external to the University.

If you have information for the Flinders research community, please email us at inspiring.research@flinders.edu.au

Contact us

Contact the Researcher training, development and communication team for help or support.

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Last Updated: 14 Aug 2019
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