Content
Early Career Species Discovery
Contents
Sponsor
The ABRS Eureka Prize for Early Career Species Discovery is sponsored by Australian Biological Resources Study.
Description
The ABRS Eureka Prize for Early Career Species Discovery is awarded to an early career Australian individual or group for outstanding research in discovering, naming and identifying Australia's fauna and flora that has provided, or has the potential to provide, innovative or positive outcomes for industry or the environment.
prize
$10,000
Purpose
The Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS), within the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, is the Australian Government's lead program on species discovery - the discovery, naming and identification of Australia's plants and animals.
ABRS provides funding for research relating to the naming, identification and relationships of species and supports publications on Australian species. ABRS seeks collaborative partnerships with museums, universities, herbaria, conservation agencies and industry to promote species discovery and support Australian research.
Naming and understanding Australia's species is critical to Australian science, conservation and industry. Species need to be clearly understood before they can be declared endangered and conservation management undertaken. Good understanding and identification underpins Australia's response to pest and weed management and is vital for trade. For example, accurate identification of fish species is worth over $30 million per year to the seafood industry alone by linking scientific identification to consistent trade names and certainty for consumers. However, only about one quarter of the estimated 680,000 plant and animal species in Australia have been discovered and named.
The ABRS Eureka Prize for Early Career Species Discovery aims to recognise an early career Australian individual or group for outstanding research in naming, identifying, classifying or describing Australia's fauna and flora that has provided, or has the potential to provide, innovative or positive outcomes for industry or the environment.
This research may include morphological and/or molecular research, or the development of innovative identification keys or bioinformatics products, that contributes to naming and identifying Australia's plants and animals to meet a particular environmental or industry need.
Judging Criteria
Entries must address each of the following criteria:
1. Innovation
a) What are the innovative aspects of the research and/or its results? (e.g. develops or extends techniques/concepts or employs methods not normally used; involves innovative research/funding partners; makes information publicly available in a novel way)
b) What new insights into Australian flora and fauna and/or the Australian environment have been gained as a result of this research? (e.g. new species identified; new understanding of habitat and potential impacts from climate change)
2. Relevance
a) What gap in Australia's research capacity does the work address? (e.g. Is the early career researcher(s) contributing in an area where capacity is diminishing/otherwise non-existent? Is the early career researcher(s) taking advantage of an opportunity for capture and passage of skills and information from a more experienced colleague?)
b) What industry or environmental need does the research address? (e.g. Does the research contribute to addressing a specific problem for Australian industry such as agriculture or fisheries? Does the research provide critical data underpinning national responses to human-induced change, for conservation planning or for the rehabilitation of degraded environments? Does the research contribute to a greater knowledge of Australia's vulnerable and endangered species?)
c) To what extent does the research respond to Australia's unique biological circumstances?
3. Impact
a) To what extent has the research contributed to addressing the particular environmental or industry need identified under ‘Relevance'?
b) To what extent has the research been effectively communicated to appropriate audiences? (Identify the key stakeholders - e.g. other scientists, land managers, policy makers, the general public, media - and explain how the research was communicated to them)
Conditions of entry
The prize is open to individuals or groups.
Individuals must be 35 years of age or younger.
Individuals may be nominated for their significant role (lead researcher or key researcher) in a group research project, where not all group members are 35 years of age or younger.
Research entered for this prize must have been undertaken:
• in Australia by an Australian citizen(s) or Australian resident(s). Where the entry is by a research group, all members of the group must meet this criterion;
- • undertaken no more than 5 years before the closing date for entries.
For group entries, all members of the group must be 35 years of age or younger.
Entrants may either enter themselves or be nominated by others. If nominating an entrant, please ensure that they have the opportunity to provide input to the documentation provided in support of their nomination.
You must submit an online entry form including all supporting documentation by midnight AEST Friday 1 May 2009 to be eligible for this prize.
Entries with insufficient sets of supporting documentation will not be considered. Submitted material will not be returned.
Any entries received after midnight AEST Friday 1 May 2009 will not be considered.
Hard-copy applications will not be considered.
The research entered/nominated for this prize may not be entered/nominated for another Australian Museum Eureka Prize.
The deliberations of the judging panel remain confidential. All recommendations and decisions taken are binding and final and no correspondence will be entered into on such matters.
Information provided by the entrant(s) in relation to the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes (including photos), may be used by the Australian Museum for promotional/publicity purposes.
Personal information provided in connection with the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes will be used only by the Australian Museum and only in connection with the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
How to enter
1. You must prepare and attach the following supporting documents to your online entry form. (Please clearly label your attachments as per below.)
a) Research Summary: a brief description of the activity/research entered, including objectives and results to date (two page maximum)
b) Judging Criteria: a brief description of how the entrant's activity/research addresses each of the judging criteria (two page maximum)
c) Published Article: You may, if you wish, include a copy of one published article about the research in an internationally respected journal(s), book(s) or equivalent electronic publications;
d) Assessor Reports: a maximum of four (4) written reports addressing each of the judging criteria from assessors who are familiar with the entrant's work (two page maximum per report). NOTE: Judges rely on assessor's reports to provide additional perspective and informed opinion on entries. Therefore, assessors should not be personally or directly involved in the activity entered in this prize.
Supporting documentation can be uploaded in Microsoft Word (.doc), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), Microsoft Excel (.xls) or JPeg (.jpg). Collectively, attachments can be no larger than 5MB.
2.Submit an online entry form with your attached supporting documents by midnight AEST Friday 1 May 2009.
If you require further information or help, please call the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Unit on +61 2 9320 6483 or email eureka@austmus.gov.au
