THE University of Adelaide has been awarded more than $17.6 million in funding for new research.

Late last month, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) announced funding oŁ almost $7 million to the University for 21 new research projects dealing with medical science and dentistry.

This followed the recent announcement by the Australian Research Council (ARC) that $10.7 million would be awarded to the University for new research, equipment and facilities.

The combined total, $17.6 million, was "a very strong injection of research funding into this University and into the State", said the Vice-Chancellor, Professor James McWha.

The latest funding announcements reinforced the University's reputation for quality research, he said.

"Per researcher, the University of Adelaide is among Australia's best-performing research institutions, with our research producing great benefits for the State, the nation and the international community"

NHMRC grants

The new projects funded by the NHMRC span the fields of pharmacology, dentistry, medicine, obstetrics & gynaecology, orthopaedics & trauma, paediatrics, pathology, physiology and molecular biosciences/genetics.

Total funding announced for the projects is $6,948,500 million, more than half of the $10 million received in total by South Australian institutions.

Among the projects funded at the University of Adelaide are:

• $405,000 over three years for a study of the "plasticity" of the brain and its link to recovery from stroke (Physiology)
• $375,000 over three years to investigate a potential mechanism for the suppression of breast cancer growth (Medicine - RAH)
• $137,500 over three years to study the impact of declining tooth loss on oral health and usage of dental care (Dentistry)
• $87,500 over two years to examine the effect of iron supplementation in pregnancy on children's cognitive development (Paediatrics)

"Research can have many benefits for the community, and nowhere is this more evident than in medical research," said Professor McWha. "The benefits that could be produced from these projects, such as new methods of preventing the spread of cancer, a better understanding of the human brain, and the basic science that underpins the many and varied conditions that affect mankind, will be of great value to future generations."

ARC grants

A closer link with the South Australian Museum is one of the key outcomes from the latest round of ARC grants.In the funding announced last month, Adelaide will receive:

• $8.25 million in large "Discovery" grants for 36 research projects
• $1.05 million for nine research projects linked to industry partners
• $1.47 million towards four new infrastructure, equipment and facilities based at the University of the Adelaide.

At a State level, the University of Adelaide received 36 of the 61 Discovery grants awarded in South Australia. Adelaide continues to outperform for its size, receiving the fourth-largest infrastructure allocation in the country.

Among the other organisations working with the University is the SA Museum, whose Director, Professor Tim Flannery, is an affiliate professor of the University of Adelaide.

A number of key projects have been funded that will benefit both the University and the Museum, mainly in the area of science. One of the successful grants for infrastructure, equipment and facilities the South Australian Regional Facility for Molecular Evolution and Ecology-is seen as a major coup for the University and the Museum, along with their other partners, Flinders University and the South Australian Research and Development Institute.

Research projects funded in the latest ARC round will benefits researchers across all five Faculties at the University of Adelaide. Among the 36 Discovery projects funded at Adelaide are:

• $630,000 over five years for a study of the "plasticity" of the brain and its link to motor control and learning (Physiology)
• $625,000 over five years for a study of the evolution of reptiles and birds (Environmental Biology)
• $342,000 over three years to investigate a new technology for active noise control (Mechanical Engineering)
• $258,000 over three years to examine issues associated with globalisation, sustainable development and the role of the World Trade Organization (Economics)
• $246,000 over five years to investigate changing work/life patterns and preferences among Australians (Social Inquiry)

A major industry project involving the University's Department of Chemical Engineering and United Water International Pty Ltd has received $229,000 over three years to investigate the desalting of reclaimed wastewater at Virginia, a major horticultural region in South Australia. It is one of the nine research projects linked to industry partners.

As well as the facility for molecular evolution and ecology, the new facilities to be established at the University of Adelaide with ARC funding are: a high-speed cell sorter and analyser, a supercomputing facility, and a new spectroscope designed to support research of interest to the wine and biotechnology industries.

For details of all the successful grants, visit the Adelaide Research and Innovation website: www.adelaide.edu.au/ari/

-David Ellis