School Manager's Update
Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue29 1–30 June 2022
Together we are welcoming June and the cooler winter months. Keep warm and please be careful on our slippery access road.
It has been a busy month of getting to know the School and commencing many business items.
Big congratulations to those who have recently put in an ARC grant application, wishing you all the best!
HERDC
This month we completed the 2021 HERDC return (Higher Education Research Data Collection). This is an annual return that measures our HERDC eligible, research and development income for the last year. The data collected determines the amount of RBG (Research Block Grant) returns which is a critical income stream for the University and School (outside of ECF).
In 2021, the final figure (adjusted for corrections) was $9.04 million comparing to $8.06 million in 2020. While this number has been consistently hovered around $8-9 million in the last few years, the composition of the funding has continued to change, away from Category 1 Funding (government grants such as ARC), towards Category 2,3,4 funding such as industry and international grants.
As special thanks the COS Finance Team and Research Finance Advisory for helping in the preparation.
HERDC eligibility is not automatic and must be considered at the concept stage of any grants or research projects. While there are many fixed rules, eligibility can be influenced by the nature of contracts that we enter into. Please come and discuss your grant and project proposals with me at the early inception stage.
CoS Admin at MSO
We will be welcoming back CoS Admin (HR, Finance and Research Management) to MSO, who will be recommencing hot-desking. Mondays will be our busy days, with two of the above-mentioned functions attending weekly on a two out of three-week basis. We want this to be a lively and interactive day, please use this as an opportunity to drop by and have a chat, but consider booking in a time to discuss any more complicated matters through the following functional email addresses,
Other updates
Electric car chargers
Following discussions with ANU Below Zero, we are scoping out a location and costing the installation of electric car chargers. While not confirmed yet, we are hoping that it can go ahead soon. Further, we are looking into NSW Government grant funding opportunities for a similar installation at Siding Spring. Early days yet.
Optical Grounds Station Facility
We have recently received National Capital Authority approval and the dome is set for delivery around Q3, we hope that construction can commence before then.
Visitors Centre and Café
Numerous people have asked me for updates in this space. We are all keen to see the Café and Visitor Centre reopening as it plays a vital role in our outreach and education as well as tying into our other activities such as stargazing. On top of this it plays an important role in the Canberra region.
This week Facilities and Services conducted an initial site inspection and we are seeking to reengage will possible partners and stakeholders. This will not be a fast process, but there is a strong appetite to make this happen. Watch this space
Intranet update
Out intranet is a vast resource but some of the information is now out of date. We are kicking off an ongoing review process to ensure the content stays relevant. We would like the intranet to become a complete repository for School policies, procedures and support services. Will share more information once we progress
See you all at the All-School Meeting at 9:30am June 23.
Mat Malzacher
