THINKING SYSTEMS

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THINKING SYSTEMS
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Thinking Systems
Professor Alan Johnson Executive
Director Biological Sciences and
Biotechnology Australian Research Council Ms
Rachel Attard Australian Research Council Mr
Luiz Ribeiro National Health and Medical
Research Council
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Thinking Systems

• NATIONAL RESEARCH PRIORITY
• ARC and NHMRC collaboration to progress the
  Australian Governments National Research
  Priority
• Frontier Technologies for Building and
  Transforming Australian Industries
• Particularly relating to the National Research
  Priority goals
• Breakthrough Science
• and
• Frontier Technologies

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Thinking Systems
AIMS AND FOCUS Cross-disciplinary research at
some or all of the intersections of neuroscience,
genetics, proteomics, cognitive science and
information technology that will increase
understanding of the biological hardware,
programming and operation of thinking systems.
Cross-disciplinary, collaborative and
cross-institutional initiative expected to lead
to the generation and application of new
knowledge in the development of intelligent
machines, robots and information systems and
place Australia at the forefront of this area
internationally.
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Thinking Systems
OBJECTIVES Thinking Systems initiative
encourages proposals which can demonstrate that
they can enhance collaboration among
organisations, leading directly to better use or
sharing of infrastructure, data sets or other
resources. Collaboration with Australian
industries, or international groups of
researchers, is encouraged, but is not mandatory.
Where there are industry participants, they are
required to provide resources to the proposal.
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Thinking Systems
TENTATIVE TIMELINE
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Thinking Systems

• SPECIAL RESEARCH INITIATIVES (SRI)
• Thinking Systems will be conducted under ARCs
  SRI scheme
• - to support high-quality research which will
  assist in advancing Australias research
  excellence to be globally competitive and deliver
  benefits to the community.
• Specifically, SRI funding supports
• co-operative activities among researchers
• co-operative development of national and
  international linkages
• co-operative development of innovative research
  areas
• rapid response to contingencies, e.g. field work
  at an erupting volcano
• activities aimed at building the scale and focus
  of research and research training
• other activities which the ARC judges to be
  consistent with the schemes objectives.

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Thinking Systems

• DESIGN
• 10 Million total funding available
• An average of 750k per year over 5 years per
  project
• 1 - 5 Year project duration
• Eligible organisations include
• Australian Higher Education Organisations
• certain Museums and Herbaria
• Registered NHMRC organisations including Medical
  Research Institutes (http//www.nhmrc.gov.au/fundi
  ng/policy/accred.htm)

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Thinking Systems
NHMRC-REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS Organisations
that conduct health or medical research that, at
the deadline for submission of applications, are
registered with the NHMRC for the purposes of
directly applying for and subsequently
administering NHMRC research grants and/or
awards, excluding those organisations outside
the higher education sector that are funded from
State/Territory or Commonwealth Government
sources primarily for research purposes other
than health or medical research, including, but
not limited to DSTO, CSIRO, GA, ANSTO, AIMS,
and those State/Territory Research and
Development Organisations not funded primarily
for health or medical research.
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Thinking Systems

• APPLICATION PROCESS
• Applications should include
• outline of activity or activities being proposed
• statement on how activities will meet the SRI
  schemes objectives and the Thinking Systems
  objectives
• how the application falls within the National
  Research Priority Area Frontier Technologies for
  Building and Transforming Australian Industries
• an indication of funding sought, relative to the
  total cost of the proposed activity and
• statement of financial and in-kind contributions
  from participating organisations and other
  sources.

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Thinking Systems

• ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
• Cross-disciplinary Approach and Method 40
• - the nature and merit of the proposal in
  relation to the objectives of the SRI scheme and
  Thinking Systems initiative, taking into
  consideration
• the goals of the proposal
• the method and approach proposed to be adopted
• - is the proposal cross-disciplinary,
  collaborative and cross- organisational?
• - are the conceptual framework, design, methods
  and analyses adequately developed, well
  integrated and appropriate to the aims of the
  proposal?
• expected results and
• value for money and budget justification,
  including where appropriate any cash or in-kind
  financial contributions to be made from non-ARC
  sources

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Thinking Systems

• ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
• Investigators 30
• - the parties who are to be involved in and
  associated with the project, including
• track record relative to opportunities
• capacity to undertake the proposed research,
  including in relation to commitments to other
  research programs, teaching, committee
  memberships and administrative duties

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Thinking Systems

• ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
• Innovation 20
• Innovation is a key objective of the Thinking
  Systems initiative
• Assessment will take into account the extent to
  which the proposal supports novel and innovative
  research
• are the proposed aims and concepts novel and
  innovative?
• will new methods or technologies be developed?

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Thinking Systems

• ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
• National Significance and Importance 10
• - the relevance of the proposal to issues of
  national significance and importance
• does the research address an important problem?
• how will the anticipated outcomes advance the
  knowledge base of the discipline(s)?
• what is the potential of the research proposal to
  result in economic and/or social benefits for
  Australia from the expected results and outcomes
  of the proposal?
• is the research principally focussed upon
  progressing the Australian Governments National
  Research Priority Area Frontier Technologies for
  Building and Transforming Australian Industries?

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Thinking Systems
NATURE OF RESEARCH SUPPORTED a) pure basic
research experimental and theoretical work
undertaken to acquire a new knowledge without
looking for long-term benefits other than the
advancement of knowledge b) strategic basic
research experimental and theoretical work
undertaken to acquire new knowledge directed into
specified broad areas that are expected to lead
to useful discoveries. It provides the broad
base of knowledge necessary to solve recognised
practical problems and c) applied research
original work undertaken primarily to acquire
new knowledge with a specific application in
view. It is undertaken either to determine
possible uses for the findings of basic research
or to determine new ways of achieving some
specific and predetermined objectives.
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Thinking Systems
BUDGET ITEMS NOT SUPPORTED Thinking Systems
does not support the following budget
items Salaries of Chief Investigators (CI) or
Partner Investigators (PI) The Commonwealth will
not provide support, in whole or in part, to meet
the salaries of Chief Investigators or Partner
Investigators under Thinking Systems. Research
support for Partner Investigators Funding will
not be provided for research costs for Partner
Investigators, apart from short-term project
support for investigators visiting from overseas.
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Thinking Systems
DUPLICATION Thinking Systems will not fund
research already funded by a Commonwealth-funded
research Centre or which could reasonably be
expected to be supported by the Centre given its
research program and level of funding. The
proposed research must not duplicate work that is
funded by or forms part of the proposed funded
work of the Centre. Each Thinking Systems
proposal, on which there is an applicant who is
associated with a Commonwealth-funded research
Centre, must be accompanied by a letter signed by
the Centre Director. The letter must describe the
relationship between the proposed research and
the research funded by the Centre, and
specifically states that the proposed research
does not duplicate work that is already funded or
could reasonably be expected to be funded by the
Centre. Failure to provide a letter in such
circumstances may render the Thinking Systems
proposal ineligible.
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Thinking Systems
SELECTION PROCESS Each valid Thinking Systems
application will be assessed by external
assessors ARC will consider requests put forward
by an applicant to exclude any person as an
assessor. However, ARC may choose not to give
effect to an applicants request. Rejoinder Extern
al assessors textual comments will be provided
to the administering organisation allowing the
opportunity for a rejoinder to the
comments. Interviews The ARC and the Selection
Advisory Committee may short-list proposals and
invite some applicants to attend interviews.
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Thinking Systems

• RELEVANT DOCUMENTATION
• Special Research Initiative Funding Rules for
  Funding commencing in 2006
• Thinking Systems Call for Proposals
• Thinking Systems application form
• Instructions to applicants ARC Grant
  Application Management System (GAMS)
• GAMS ID and password (GAMSIDS_at_arc.gov.au)

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Thinking Systems

• INTERNATIONAL SCHEMES Examples
• Foresight Cognitive Systems Program staff,
  London - UK
• Department of Trade and Industry, Office of
  Science and Technology
• Collaborative Research in Computational
  Neuroscience - US
• National Science Foundation and National
  Institutes of Health
• Biologically-Inspired Cognitive Architectures -
  US
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

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Thinking Systems
THINKING SYSTEMS CONTACTS Thinking Systems
enquiries may be addressed to Thinking Systems
Coordinator Australian Research Council GPO Box
2702 CANBERRA ACT 2601 Email Thinkingsystems_at_ar
c.gov.au Phone [phone] Fax 02 6287
6638 Web http//www.arc.gov.au GAMS ID
email GAMSIDS_at_arc.gov.au