Social Sciences Research Co-ordination Program

Preliminary Research Proposals - Due May 10th, 2010

The FRDC has initiated a Social Sciences Research Co-ordination Program (SSRCP) to address the limited understanding around the social aspects of the fishing and aquaculture industry, including fisheries management, change management, community perceptions, R&D adoption and industry communities’ ability to adapt. The focus is on the individual, business, group and sectoral levels, and the ways in which fishing in these sectors interacts with the broader community and regional industries.

While complementing biological and economic research, the aim of the program is to ensure the provision of information to support practice and community perception change. It is a program that provides leadership, issues identification and strategic direction, collaborative focus on NRM social issues with other research providers and researchers, and advises on research proposals. Specifically, the program seeks to increase and improve outcomes through, leverage off past research, and building synergies between current projects of social and other discipline research areas, across all fisheries, aquaculture and NRM sectors. In collaboration with other agencies and organisations, it aims to efficiently allocate FRDC social science research funds to achieve project outcomes with greater reach in their contribution to the sustainability of fishing and aquaculture activities. For the purposes of this program, the industry encompasses the commercial, recreational and indigenous sectors, taking into account of the views of fishers, fisheries managers, community and public perceptions, researchers, and special interest groups in all three areas. The fishing industry is defined broadly as including any industry or activity conducted in, or from, Australia including; aquaculture; taking; culturing; processing; preserving; storing; transporting; marketing; and/or the selling of fish or fish products.

In summary, the program will focus on directing and coordinating social science research funded by FRDC, in a synergistic and, where possible, collaborative manner with other agencies and organisations. It encompasses the following fishing sectors and activities:

Commercial sector

• commercial wild-catch
• aquaculture
• post-harvest (up to and including retailing)

Recreational sector

Indigenous sector

• customary fishing
• commercial fishing
• recreational fishing

Program Objectives

• To establish a social research co-ordination program which facilitates the leverage of effort between projects; assesses the synergy of project proposals between FRDC and other NRM research agency activities and optimises beneficial resource allocation and opportunities for all fishery activities.
• Identification of social research and development priorities affecting the wild harvest, aquaculture, post harvest, recreational and indigenous fishing sectors.
• Addresses research needs arising from FRDC’s existing programs and ensures the quality and relevance of proposed social research projects.
• Coordinates and undertakes the communication of key social research priorities to the research community and research outcomes to fishers. And;
• Provides program oversight for social projects including evaluation, commissioning of projects, review and provision of advice on projects.

Key Issues and Research Areas

The Key Issues and Research Areas identified by the Steering Committee are supported by the SSRCP and provided for the guidance of researchers. Researchers are strongly encouraged to review these (in the light of current and past research (see below) and discuss topics of interest with the FRAB contacts fishers and Fisheries Managers in the State(s) or Territories where they may be interested in conducting this or any other research, in the development of proposals.

Applying for Funding

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Manger or relevant State/Territory Fisheries Research Advisory Body (FRAB), to discuss research options and proposals. All FRDC funding applications must be submitted by filling in the online application form at FishNET.

The steps to submit an application are:

• Register or login to FISHNET
• Open a new application, in the case of undertaking a full proposal subsequent to a pre-proposal, open the pre-proposal and click on the ‘convert to full proposal’ tab at the bottom of the list, and enter all the project details.
• When required to identify which "Review organisations" you would like to review your application, ensure that the SSRCP box is selected.
• SEND a hard copy of the application to the Program Manager; Kate Brooks, PO Box 3287 Prahran East, VIC 3181. Applications MUST BE RECEIVED in hard copy as well being lodged on FISHNET.

2010/2011 Year

Pre proposal Submissions to the SSRCP close on May 10th, 2010

Full Proposal Submissions to the SSRCP and FRDC close on November 1st, 2010

You can download copies of the Program's Operating documents, which are available through the following links.

• 2009-2012 Strategic Plan
• Terms of Reference

For further information please contact the Program Manager, Dr Kate Brooks on 0412 091 143.

Structure

Program Management

Dr Kate Brooks is the Program Manager for the SSRCP. As a director of her own research consultancy, Kate brings to this position a broad background in rural community capacity building, and project and policy social assessments. She began her career in strategic marketing and corporate affairs in a range of industries; a career which is now complemented by an established profile in the area of social research and community sustainability.

She brings a wealth of experience to the role of program manager. In addition to her own business, she is also a Visiting Fellow of the School of Social Sciences, ANU; an advisory scientific panel member for the Australian Centre for Excellence in Risk Assessment (ACERA), and has previously worked with the Bureau of Rural Sciences (DAFF). Kate has also worked with other government agencies, managing a variety of social research projects in the areas of fisheries, forestry, broad-acre farming and the viticulture industry. Currently Kate conducts a successful private consultancy in the rural industries field, with a strong client base in industry, State and Federal Government and Research and Development Corporations. She has also provided input to Environmentally Sustainable Development workshops, co-developed and presented community consultation workshops, and presented seminars on State and Commonwealth Government policy uses of social science research in rural sustainability.

Steering Committee

A Steering Committee which is comprised of industry expertise across wild catch, aquaculture, post harvest, recreational and indigenous fishing sectors, provides program guidance. Topics include issue identification, assessment of project synergies with other social science as well as ecological and economic research, activities, and liaison across their fields of expertise in the industry to disseminate objectives and activities of the program, and knowledge gained from it.

Technical Reference Group

A Technical Reference Group is comprised of social sciences expertise in the fisheries and NRM sectors. Its tasks are to ensure that the issues and strategies of the program can feasibly be addressed in research project proposals. ; communication of the program strategic plan and objectives to the research community and to provide information to that community wherever possible to encourage relevant and targeted research proposals; to review research proposals received and provide recommendations to the Steering Committee in regard to the relevance and achievability of proposals in relation to the programs objectives and strategic plan.

More information

• Terms of Reference
• SSRCP Strategic Plan 2009- 2012
• Current Social Research Projects
• Program Media Release