Two new incentives for end-users

It is has become apparent to me that the best people to promote our research, are those that make good use of it!  To encourage end users, and their agencies, to actively participate in the utilisation of our research we are introducing two incentives - The Research Utilisation Award to acknowledge agencies that make outstanding use of Bushfire CRC research and a Conference Support Scheme to provide as many as three grants a year of up to $3000 to support individual end-users to attend major international conferences to discuss and promote the use of the research.

The Research Utilisation Award will be presented at each AFAC-Bushfire CRC annual conference alongside the existing Bushfire CRC Special Recognition Award for research leadership and AFAC’s Laurie Lavelle Award for industry achiever of the year. The award will be specifically for agencies and specifically focused on Bushfire CRC research utilisation. It is the end-user agencies who utilise our research to make improvements to their businesses and ultimately impact on the safety of communities. Nominations for the award will be sought through both the Bushfire CRC and AFAC websites in early 2012.

The travel grants will support conference attendance by end users from member agencies who can demonstrate that they have utilised the Bushfire CRC Research to make effective improvements to the business of their organisation. Up to three applications will be supported each year. Conferences with a high international profile will be preferred.  Applicants will be required to have had a paper accepted for verbal presentation at the nominated conference.

I hope to be flooded with applications!