Project summary

In order to develop proposals and ideas for cooperation between Australian and Chinese universities with the aim of promoting opportunities for outbound student mobility from Australia, the DIISRTE provided the Go8 with $100,000 funding to establish a new Go8-C9 ‘Student Leadership in International Cooperation’ (SLIC) Project.

The SLIC Project will support two separate groups of Go8 HDR students to undertake a two-week visit to four-five C9 universities in China during early-mid 2013.  

Each selected student participant will be provided with up to $5,000 for the cost of visiting the C9 universities, which may include airfares, accommodation or other costs associated with the visit.

Student participants will be required to present their proposals and ideas at the debriefing event upon their return to Australia.

Student selection

Each university has set up its own eligibility criteria to select the ideal “student ambassadors”. Students should contact their own insitution for further information.

In general, participating students should:

• be Australian citizens or permanent residents, and have no established links with China (including through living, studying or working in China);
• be enrolled in a research degree at a Go8 university;
• have strong communication and interpersonal/social skills, especially in an international setting
  (e.g. can communicate in English clearly, and have awareness and respect about other cultures, etc);
• be a team player;
• have leadership skills; and
• be innovative and creative

(Note: Chinese language proficiency is not required)

Requirements and responsibilities

Students will be required to:

(Before the trip)

• commit to the agreed travel timeframe and visit activities;
• organise relevant travel documents including visa applications (receipts and bank details to provide to the Go8 office for reimbursement);
• provide scanned copies of their passports to the Go8 office for group flight booking purposes (passports should be valid for at least another six months after departure);

(During the trip in China)

• travel within the student group;
• participate in all group activities that are listed in the visit program;
• abide by the regulations and rules of the hosting institutions;

(After the trip)

• present their proposals and ideas at the debriefing event upon their return to Australia (some domestic travel may be involved), and provide a copy of their presentations to the Go8 office;  
• complete a short project report form (Go8 to provide later) and submit it to the Go8 at the debriefing event.

Funding

• Group flight bookings will be made by the Go8 and paid for at time of booking;
• Campus accommodations in China will be booked by the Go8 secretariat and C9 hosts (if available);
• Each student will receive a daily allowance to cover meals and other incidentals;
• Each student will be covered by international travel insurance; and
• If students need to travel from other cities to attend the debriefing event in Australia, the Go8 office will cover the return domestic airfares and other associated costs.

Timeframe

• Two-week visit takes place on 16-29 April 2013, followed by a debriefing event in Sydney, Australia on 29 April.

Further information for students

Students should contact the Graduate Studies Office or Global Education and Student Exchange Office at their own insitution for further information.

The Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) and the Group of Eight (Go8) are undertaking a joint trial exercise in 2012 to assess the impact of research produced by the Australian university sector.

The Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) and Group of Eight (Go8) universities, along with the University of Newcastle, Charles Darwin University and the University of Tasmania are participating in an impact assessment trial, the Excellence in Innovation for Australia (EIA) Trial, which aims to identify and demonstrate the contribution that high quality research has made to the economic, social, cultural and environmental benefit of society. Implicit in this goal is the purpose to investigate the means by which these benefits may best be recognised, portrayed and assessed by institutions and government.

List of participating institutions

Curtin University	University of South Australia	RMIT University
University of Technology Sydney	Queensland University of Technology	The University of Queensland
The University of Melbourne	The University of Western Australia	The University of New South Wales
The University of Newcastle	Charles Darwin University	The University of Tasmania

Participation in the Trial is based partly on a growing international realisation of the need for universities to demonstrate the benefit, or impact of their research – to government, to funders and to the broader society. This is particularly true in the UK where their research assessment mechanism, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) has explicitly included assessment of research impact for their next assessment exercise in 2014. In Australia, the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) is currently undertaking a feasibility study into ways of assessing research impact.

In the Trial each university will be asked to provide case studies of research impact aligned to four broad SEO Sectors:

• Sector A - Defence
• Sector B – Economic Development
• Sector C – Society
• Sector D – Environment  

Each case study will include details of the claimed impact, the underpinning research that led to the impact, references to publications arising from the underpinning research, research data and a list of sources that could be accessed to corroborate the impact. The emphasis for case studies will be to provide supporting information for the claimed impact that is capable of being verified if required, rather than providing verified information as part of the submission

Each of the 12 participating institutions is being invited to submit a maximum of five case studies for each of the four SEO Sectors (ie a maximum of 20 case studies per institution).

Universities will be submitting their impact case studies by the end of August, 2012 and Assessment Panels will meet through September/October to consider submissions. Following the assessment process each university will receive the assessment results of its own submitted case studies and a report outlining the findings of the Trial encompassing all participating universities. A summary EIA Trial report will be prepared for the peak EIA Governance Group and released to the public following endorsement. This report will evaluate the process of the EIA Trial and make recommendations concerning its potential more widespread adoption.

EIA Governance Arrangements

The EIA Project is governed by:

• A Peak Governance Group comprising the Boards of the ATN and the Go8.
• A Project Steering Group including the DVCs R from each of the participant institutions (or their nominee).
• An Implementation Group including the Research Directors of each participating institution (or their nominee).
• A Development Advisory Board comprised of high-level representatives of stake-holder sectors including industry, business, universities, government, government research agencies and include international member(s).

                                      EIA governance/organisational framework

Guidelines

Guidelines governing the submission of case studies is available to view HERE.

The template for submissions is available HERE.

A list of 4 digit Socio-Economic Objectives (SEO) Codes is available HERE.

Institutions may find it helpful in preparing to case studies to refer to case studies at http://www.ref.ac.uk/background/pilot/. These are examples from the UK REF Impact Pilot Study conducted in November 2010 which assessment panels considered had strong features. Many were ranked 4* and the remainder 3* (on a scale where 4* was the highest ranking). Examples are included from: Clinical Medicine; Physics; Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences; Social Work and Social Policy; and English Language and Literature.

ATN-Go8 Symposium Excellence in Innovation: Measuring the innovation dividend

The ATN and Go8 jointly hosted the ATN-Go8 Symposium Excellence in Innovation: Measuring the innovation dividend. Held on 4 November 2011, the Symposium brought together a broad range of stakeholders in the Australian R&D sector to explore mechanisms for measuring the social and economic benefits (“impact”) of research. It explored how to draw together the individual experiences of stakeholder groups in the research sector into an overarching approach to measuring the innovation dividend across the spectrum of research activities. The outcomes of the Symposium have informed the design and implementation of the trial. 

Details of the Symposium program and speakers and the Symposium Report can be found at:
http://www.atn.edu.au/atnconference/2011/atn-go8_symposium/index.htm.

ATN-Go8 Excellence in Innovation for Australia: Research Impact and the National Agenda

The ATN and Go8 jointly hosted a second symposium Excellence in Innovation for Australia: Research Impact and the National Agenda in Canberra on 28 November 2012.The symposium marked the release of the report on the outcomes of the EIA trial.

Symposium program

Final report: 'Excellence in Innovation: Research Impacting our Nation's Future- assessing the benefits'

Further Information - EIA contacts

For enquiries from outside the 12 EIA participating universities please contact either the ATN Directorate or Go8 Secretariat.

ATN Directorate: Ms Vicki Thomson   ATN Executive Director   08 8302 9135   Vicki.thomson@atn.ed.au

Go8 Secretariat: Dr Ian McMahon Go8 Director, Research 02 6239 5488 ian.mcmahon@go8.edu.au

For enquiries from within an EIA participating university please contact your institutional EIA contact.

List of Institutional Contacts in Guidelines

Institution	Name	Position	Email	Phone
UQ	Ian Harris	Director, Research Partnerships UQ Research and Innovation	i.harris@research.uq.edu.au	07 3365 3559
UTas	Mark Hochman	Senior Advisor, Research Policy and Strategy	mark.hochman@utas.edu.au	03 6226 6371
RMIT	Lois Fitz-Gerald	Executive Director, Office for Research	lois.fitz-gerald@rmit.edu.au	03 9925 4603
UTS	Jeffrey Francis	Director, Research& Innovation Office	Jeffrey.Francis@uts.edu.au	02 9514 1253
Curtin	Charlie Thorn	Director Office of Research& Development	C.Thorn@curtin.edu.au	08 9266 9062
CDU	Jenny Carter	Director, Office of Research & Innovation	Jenny.Carter@cdu.edu.au	08 8946 6708
UWA	Campbell Thomson	Director, Research Services	campbell.thomson@uwa.edu.au	08 6488 3027
Melbourne	Shane Wood	Manager, ERA Project Team	woos@unimelb.edu.au	03 8344 2072
QUT	Michael McArdle	Director, Office of Research	m.mcardle@qut.edu.au	07 3138 5376
Newcastle	Lyn McBriarty	Director, Research Services	lyn.mcbriarty@newcastle.edu.au	02 4921 5300
UNSW	Murray Green	Deputy Director & Senior Data Analyst ERA Office	murray.green@unsw.edu.au	02 9385 8035
UniSA	Tracey Swift	Director Research& Innovation Services	tracey.swift@unisa.edu.au	08 8302 3471

The Group of Eight (Go8) has welcomed an announcement by the Education Minister Chris Evans of $100,000 for a new research leadership executive shadowing program between the Go8 and Consortium of China Nine Research Universities(C9). The funding acknowledges a highly successful relationship between the Go8 and C9 and affirms the vitality of Australia’s research relationship with China.

The shadowing program will enable senior research and research training executives from Go8 universities to spend two weeks at a C9 institution, and vice versa. The visitors will observe the host university’s operations and decision-making processes, and gain insights into research management and leadership issues in the partner nation.

This program will facilitate career development of university leaders including Deputy Vice-Chancellors Research and Pro Vice-Chancellors Research/Research Training, and deepen research and professional engagement between some of the main discovery universities in Australia and China, as well as foster mutually-advantageous activities including staff /student exchanges and joint research projects.

The C9 institutions are currently mentoring a number of Chinese western region universities which will also be included in this shadowing program.

Applications open on 11 August 2011 with the shadowing program commencing in early 2012. It is an extension of a Go8-C9 MoU signed in October 2010.

To facilitate communication and coordination in negotiating the timeframe and detailed arrangements for 2012-13, a contact list for Go8 and C9 DVC/PVC offices have been prepared and will be provided to all participating institutions.

For more information, please download program flyer from HERE.

For further enquiries:

Go8 Secretariat: Jane Liang, jane.liang@go8.edu.au and Ian McMahon, ian.mcMahon@go8.edu.au

Summary and scope of the program

This is an annual exchange scheme for young researchers between Australia and China. In 2013 it will support exchange between the two countries of up to 16 Chinese participants and up to 16 Australian participants from all universities/research institutions meeting the eligibility criteria.

This program is a joint initiative funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). It is supported by the Australia-China Science and Research Fund. In Australia the program is managed by the Group of Eight (Go8) office. The Chinese managing institution is the China Science and Technology Exchange Center (CSTEC).

Objectivities of the program

• Facilitate future long term science and research collaboration between Australia and China by bringing together future research leaders from both countries in order to foster long term relationships; and
• Develop early and mid-career Australian and Chinese researchers by increasing their understanding of the cultures, and particularly the science and research practices and systems, of the two countries and developing their leadership skills as future “science ambassadors” for Australia and China.

Funding information / eligible expenses for Australian participants

Each Australian participant will be funded for eligible costs for this exchange, including his/her return economy airfares from Australia to China, visa application fees, and travel insurance. The program will also cover all Australian participants’ accommodation, meals, costs incurred to attend orientation/debriefing sessions, and domestic travels during their two-week stay in China.

Activities of participants during/after the exchange

Australian participants will:

• travel as a group to China in the given period 1 to 14 September 2013;
• attend an orientation session upon arrival in China;
• be placed in at least one, and no more than three, appropriate research institutions in China for a total period of two weeks;
• attend a debriefing session and give a report on their two-week exchange experience before their departure from China.

Eligibility of Australian participants

Australian participants must:

• be Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents;
• be early to mid-career researchers. An “early to mid-career researcher” is defined as: A researcher who has had between 3 and 10 years of research experience since the award of his/her PhD (or equivalent research qualification), with the PhD having been awarded between 3 and 15 years at the closing date for submission of applications;
• be employed in an Australian research institution (i.e. universities, publicly-funded research agencies, or research-intensive businesses) in one of the approved research fields (including natural sciences, and engineering);
• have shown the potential to become leaders in the research community; and
• have no established links with China (including through living, studying or working in China), or have initial contacts, assumed to have high impact, if developed further.

Assessment criteria for Australian participants

The criteria to be used in assessing Australian applications include:

• the experience and track record of the participating researchers;
• the quality of their past and current research projects;
• the potential of their research projects to collaborate with China and to result in outcomes of mutual benefit to both countries;
• the potential to become leaders in the research community;
• the added value (to the discipline, institution and wider society) from the cooperation; and
• the potential to become leaders in the research community.

Application key dates for Australian participants to exchange in 2013

Applications for exchanges during 2013 open on 8 April 2013 and close on 16 June 2013.

How to apply

• Application for exchanges in 2013 open on 8 April 2013.
• Application form and program material can be downloaded from the bottom of the page.
• Read the application form including the terms and conditions on page 3 to determine if you are eligible to apply.
• Australian applicants must complete all the questions on the application pack, attach CV (maximum five pages) per participant, and submit them to the research office (or other single authorised central office) of each Eligible Research Organisation which will submit the 2 best ranked applications to the Go8 office for assessment and potential selection on the national level.

• Incomplete applications or applications not received by the advertised closing time and date will not be considered.

Information for Eligible Research Organisations

• Go8 will only accept a maximum of two applications per eligible research organisation within an annual round. The research office (or other single authorised central office) of each eligible research organisation will be responsible for setting up its internal deadlines for application submission and selecting the best two candidates from within the organisation;
• Each organisation will subject the applications it receives to its own quality assurance process and rank applications according to the assessment criteria listed above. The selected application(s) should then be provided to the Go8 office via yrep@go8.edu.au by 16 June 2013; and
• Research organisations that submit applications for this program should agree to host Chinese visiting scholars if required.

Further information about this program

Requests for further information about the scheme from potential applicants should be directed to each institution's research office (or other single authorised central office within the institution) in the first instance.

Further information may be obtained from the Go8 office:

Phone: +61 2 6239 5488
Email: yrep@go8.edu.au

Scheme documentation

Click on the following links to download or view -

Application form for exchange in 2013

Program report form

The Group of Eight Future Research Leaders Program provides best practice training in financial management, grant administration, business planning, commercialisation and technology transfer, corporate governance, financial reporting, acquittal and audit requirements to staff in Go8 universities who are identified as future research leaders.

The project aims to:

• provide development opportunities to current and future research leaders to create a critical mass for improved researcher productivity and performance;
• develop consistent and published sector-wide performance standards and learning materials for researchers in financial and business management of research;
• increase awareness among researchers and the research community as to what is expected of them in relation to the efficient management of research projects;
• involve the major funding agencies in the measurement and evaluation of the project outcomes, to drive reform at the institutional level as well as across the Go8;
• publicise the outcomes and findings of the program.

Program participants commence with an online induction module designed for researchers who are new to Go8 universities. The subsequent eight modules prepare participants for future roles as managers of research grants and leaders of research teams. These modules explore the roles and responsibilities that researchers assume as project managers, as research supervisors and as team leaders.

Each module comprises independent-study online learning material to be completed prior to an end-of-module workshop. The total time commitment for participants will be in the order of 8 to 16 hours per module.

The online induction module exploring financial and resource management comprises two elements.  

• a checklist of local practices and expectations which should be discussed with researchers during the induction process;
• documentation of principles and processes which should be reflected in effective research management practices.

The subsequent eight modules target the development of specific capabilities in the following areas:

• Research Strategy and Planning
• Commencement and Collaboration: Putting ideas into practice
• Governance and compliance: Protecting yourself, your research and your university
• Intellectual property and commercialisation
• Financial, resource and risk management
• Grant and Contract Administration
• Managing People in a Research Context
• Project Closeout

For further information about the scheme, contact:
Dr Ian Green - Phone 08 8313 6113 - ian.green@adelaide.edu.au

For information from individual Go8 institutions please contact the following staff:

	The University of Adelaide   Dr Ian Green Phone: 08 8313 6113 Email: ian.green@adelaide.edu.au Weblink to program information
	The Australian National University Ms Leanne Micklethwait Phone: 02 6125 3931 Email: leanne.micklethwait@anu.edu.au Weblink to program information
	The University of Melbourne Ms Bianca Danaher Phone: 03 8344 2000 Email: bianca.danaher@unimelb.edu.au Weblink to program information
	Monash University Ms Amber Collings Phone: 03 9905 6821 Email: Amber.Collings@adm.monash.edu.au Weblink to program information
	The University of New South Wales Ms Cecilia Stenstrom Phone: 02 9385 4277 Email: c.stenstrom@unsw.edu.au Weblink to program information
	The University of Sydney Mr Michael Pooley Phone: 02 9036 9670 Email: m.pooley@usyd.edu.au Weblink to program information
	The University of Queensland Ms Kirsty Fraser Phone: 07 3346 6293 Email: kirsty.fraser@uq.edu.au Weblink to program information
	The University of Western Australia Professor Shelda Debowski Phone: 08 6488 3845 Email: shelda.debowski@uwa.edu.au Weblink to program information

This scheme is a joint initiative of the Go8 and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Germany's national agency for the support of international academic co-operation.

It is one of the world's largest and most respected organisations in its field. Its mission is to advance Germany’s international engagement in the fields of education, science, culture and research.

The scheme aims to:

• Foster research collaboration of the highest quality between Australian researchers from Go8 universities and German researchers.
• Result in research outcomes and the exchange of skills and knowledge of mutual benefit to Australia and Germany.

Go8 Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme Video

Objectives and scope of the scheme

The scheme will support exchanges for Australian researchers to spend time at  partner institutions in Germany  and for collaborating German researchers to spend time at Go8 universities.

Eligibility

Exchange participants  must either be employed as academic staff members in a teaching and research or  research only role at a Go8 university, or a PhD student involved in the research  project submitted by an eligible staff member.

Assessment criteria

The criteria to be  used in assessing Australian applications include:

• the quality of the research project;
• the experience and track record of the participating researchers/research groups and the level of involvement of early career researchers;
• the potential of the project to result in outcomes of mutual benefit to Australia and Germany.

Application  key dates

Applications for projects commencing in 2014 open on 1 April 2013 and close on 28 June 2013.

Download Application Pack

Further information

Requests for further information about the scheme from potential applicants in  Go8 universities should, in the first instance, be directed to the relevant  contact officer in each institution's research office (details below). Further  information may be obtained from:

Dr Martin Grabert, Director, International and Business Relations, The Group of Eight, ph: 02 6239 5488 martin.grabert@go8.edu.au

Go8 Contact Officers            The Australian National University Mr  Cameron Glenn Research Development Co-ordinator Phone: 02 6125 9571 cameron.glenn@anu.edu.au                                                  The University of Adelaide Dr Don  McMaster Research Grants Officer (International) Phone: 08 8313 3347 don.mcmaster@adelaide.edu.au                                       The University of Melbourne Ms Melinda  Heron Senior Research Grants Officer - International Ph: 03 8344 2052 mheron@unimelb.edu.au                                                           Monash University Mr Dennis Batson Grants Officer, Research Grants and Contracts Team Ph: 03 9905 1193 dennis.batson@adm.monash.edu                                                     The University of Queensland Ms Vicki Sheehy Administration Officer,  Research Strategy & Management Phone: 07 3346 6217 v.sheehy@research.uq.edu.au                                                       The University of Sydney Ms Jane Zhang Research Administrator (International) Ph: 02 8627 8103 Jane.zhang@sydney.edu.au                      The University of New South Wales Ms Alexandra Bell   Grants Management Office   Ph: 02 9385 6160 a.bell@unsw.edu.au                 The University of Western Australia Ms Olivia Langensiepen Research Research Grants Officer Phone: 08 6488 4708 olivia.langensiepen@uwa.edu.au                        Scheme  documentation                             Project report form                            Click here to download  DAAD-Go8 MOU                            German scheme information (in German for German collaborating  partners)                            The 40 projects to be funded for exchange in 2012/2013 are  available HERE                            The 24 projects to be funded for exchange in 2011/2012 are  available HERE                            The 36 projects to be funded for exchange in 2010/2011 are  available HERE                            The 27 projects to be funded for exchange in 2009/2010 are  available HERE                            The 26 projects to be funded for exchange in 2008/2009 are  available HERE

The Group of Eight  offers eight annual fellowships to early career researchers in Europe to work in Go8 universities for up to six months.  Each Fellowship is worth up to AUD 20,000.

The Fellowships are open to eligible researchers in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Croatia.

The Go8 European  Fellowship scheme recognises the importance of international contacts for early career researchers. It is envisaged that Fellows will continue to collaborate with  Australian research partners when they return to their home institutions.

You are eligible to apply to be a Fellow if you:

1. have completed a PhD less than five  years prior to application for the Fellowship;
2. are under 40 years of age at the time of  application;
3. are a citizen of one of the designated  countries listed above;
4. reside in one of the designated  countries listed above (it need not be the same country as your citizenship);
5. have been employed (minimum half-time  appointment) for at least six months prior to application by a university or  research organisation (public or private) in one of the designated countries;
6. have sufficient competency in English to  be able to adequately communicate with researchers in their host university;
7. are eligible to obtain an Australian  Visiting Academic Visa (subclass 419) or equivalent Australian visa.

Application process

Download Go8 European Fellowships brochure for more information.

Expect the call for 2014 projects to be published mid August 2013 with a deadline early October 2013.

For information on how to apply for a visiting academic visa please click here.

Information about Go8 European Fellowship alumni 2007-2012 is available here.

For further information:

Please contact: Martin Grabert, Director, International & Business Relations, Group of Eight,  Ph: +61 2 6239 5488,   martin.grabert@go8.edu.au

For information from individual Go8 institutions please contact the following staff:

The Australian National University Mr Cameron Glenn Research Development Co-ordinator Ph: 02 6125 9571 Email: cameron.glenn@anu.edu.au	The University of Melbourne Ms Melinda Heron Senior Research Grants Officer - International Melbourne Research Office   Ph: 03 8344 2052 Email: mheron@unimelb.edu.au
The University of Adelaide Dr Don McMaster Research Grants Officer (International) Ph: 08 8303 3347 Email: don.mcmaster@adelaide.edu.au	Monash University Mr Dennis Batson Grants Officer, Strategic Grants Ph: 03 9905 1193 Email: dennis.batson@monash.edu
The University of Queensland Ms Vicky Sheehy Administration Officer (Grants) Ph: 07 3346 6217 Email: v.sheehy@research.uq.edu.au	The University of Sydney Ms Ms Jane Zhang Research Administrator Ph: 02 8627 8103 Email: jane.zhang@sydney.edu.au
The University of New South Wales Dr William Lao Project Officer Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Research Ph: 02 9385 9735 Email: w.lao@unsw.edu.au	The University of Western Australia Ms Karen Dalby Research Grants Officer Ph: 08 6488 1627  Email: karen.dalby@uwa.edu.au

The French Company Experience Program provides Go8 students the opportunity to work in French business environments in Australia  and France.

The objective of the program is to promote cross-cultural understanding between France and  Australia by enabling Go8 students to work in French business environments and  enabling French companies to develop a better understanding of education at Go8 universities.

Internships will be for durations of either six or twelve month periods depending on the needs of the companies.

Students spend the first half of the internship working in the company’s Australian office followed by working in the company’s French office for the remainder of the internship.

Students will most likely need at least a basic knowledge of the French language in order to be awarded a place in the program. Students should refer to the detail contained in the agreement signed by the university at which they are enrolled.

Download copy of the MOU

How to apply?

Students interested in applying for the program should contact the relevant staff member  at his/her own university listed below to find out if there are internship  positions currently available.

For further information:
Group of Eight Martin Grabert Director, International and Business Relations Ph: +61 2 6239 5488 Email: martin.grabert@go8.edu.au	French Embassy Catherine Hodier Higher Education Attache Ph: +61 2 6216 0154 Email: catherine.hodeir@diplomatie.gouv.fr

The Group of Eight will offer up to eight scholarships to early career researchers in the Italian city of L'Aquila to help them continue their research in Australia while the University of L'Aquila is rebuilt.  

In the aftermath of the April 2009 earthquake in  L'Aquila which claimed nearly 300 lives and left thousands injured, the  university has virtually shut down. Fifty five of those who died were from the  university's 23,000-strong student body.

"Most of the university buildings are currently inaccessible  and it will take at least 6-12 months before research staff and students will  be allowed to access them," said Professor Silvia Bisti, who holds a chair of  neuroscience in L'Aquila's Department of Biomedical Science and Technology.

"PhD students and postdoc fellows, particularly in the  scientific fields, are the worst affected. The earthquake destroyed their  laboratories, making continuation of their research almost impossible."

Professor Anna Tozzi, PVC International Relationships  at the University of L'Aquila, said "the Go8 contribution will make an enormous  difference, providing not only practical help for researchers to continue their  work but also hope for the community."

The Go8 will offer eight one-off scholarships of $5000  each to early career researchers to travel to Australia and spend time  conducting research at Go8 member universities.

The scholarships will be administered through the  Association for Research between Italy and Australasia (ARIA) and applications  will be assessed by an expert panel.

Eligible researchers are those currently enrolled in a  research degree at the University of L'Aquila or full-time staff of the  university. Preference will be given to PhD students and early career  researchers.

Further information including the application form is  available at HERE.

Between 2009 and 2012 the Group of Eight managed a program of academic collaboration with the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) in Port Moresby.  

The Go8-UPNG project engaged academics from Australian universities in a voluntary capacity to work with and support their academic counterparts at UPNG. Their travel, accommodation and living expenses were covered by the project (funded by the Go8 and AusAID), allowing the volunteers to work in a collaborative teaching and mentoring role.

The program is currently being reviewed by AusAID and will not operate beyond first semester 2012.

For information about outcomes of the program to date please click HERE.