Further success in ARC Linkage Projects grants for 2018
Sydney researchers will join forces with high-profile industry partners on three projects: building a framework for explaining how and why rural land is changing hands; big data modelling in agriculture to forecast crop yield; and, the use of archaeology and museology to understand Australian South Sea Islanders’ cultural landscape and communities.
More than $1 million was awarded to three Sydney projects in the secound round of Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project outcomes, bringing our 2018 total to almost $3 million. Earlier this year, University of Sydney researchers were awarded $1.7 million as part of the first round of ARC Linkage funding.
Linkage Projects support academics to work with government and industry partners to tackle complex problems and fast-track solutions to benefit end-users.
“We are delighted with this outcome – we’ve worked very hard to improve our ARC Linkage Projects grants this year and this builds on our earlier success bringing our total to almost $3 million in 2018. We’re showing real impact with three further projects that augment our relationships with industry in the sectors of science, agriculture, and archaeology, working on projects with ongoing impact. A fantastic result." said Professor Duncan Ivison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research
We’ve worked very hard to improve our ARC Linkage Projects grants this year and this builds on our earlier success bringing our total to almost $3 million in 2018... we’re showing real impact.
Transforming national understanding of rural land ownership
Human geographer, Professor William Pritchard from the Faculty of Science, was awarded $239,270 to work with the Department of Primary Industry on a project to determine the impact of land ownership movements on rural social and economic change. The project will generate a research-ready database that will detail every land transaction in rural NSW over a period of ten years, and analyse the data along with a series of in-depth interviews with land-owners and key stakeholders. The project will transform national understanding of rural land ownership and promote best practice in decision-making.
Management of our agriculture landscapes
Associate Professors Thomas Bishop and Brett Whelan, and Professor Alexander McBratney from the Faculty of Science have been awarded $374,000 to work with and Dr Andreas Neuhaus and Mr Douglas Hamilton from CSBP Limited on a data-driven approach to management of agriculutre landscapes. Their work will examine yield, management, soil and weather and the data will be used to guide applications of nitrogen fertilisers with a focus on grains cropping according to local soil and weather conditions, maximising profit and minimising over-fertilisation.
Raising awareness of South Sea Islander lives and communities
Dr James Flexner and Dr Helena Robinson from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences have been awarded $445,313 to work with colleagues from Queensland Museum – Dr Geraldine Mate and Ms Imelda Miller – and the University of Queensland – Associate Professors Jonathan Prangnell, Thomas Baumgartl and Andrew Fairbairn. The project will be undertaken with Queensland Museum integrating archaeology, museology, and cultural landscape research to look at histories of Australian South Sea Islanders’ (ASSIs) lives and communities.
ASSIs are not indigenous to Australia but have a distinctive and vibrant indigenous culture. In partnership with living ASSI communities, this project will raise awareness about their past in Queensland society and contribute to their sense of identity in the present and future.