Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, has announced $2.6 million in grants for priority research into the social, economic and institutional dimensions of climate change across Australia. The research projects funded under the Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants program will explore adaptation measures to prepare people and institutions from the unavoidable impacts of climate change. The funding will support nine research projects investigating the impacts of climate change and practical adaptation options to support the community, as well as public and private institutions.
Currently funded Projects
Project Title | Investigator | Information Available |
|---|---|---|
| Extreme heat and climate change: adaptation in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities | Peng Bi (The University of Adelaide) | Project synopsis |
| What about me? Factors affecting individual adaptive coping capacity across different population groups | Kerrie Unsworth (University of Western Australia) | Project synopsis |
| Impact of Climate Change on Disadvantaged Groups: Issues and Interventions | Graeme Hugo (University of Adelaide) | Project synopsis |
| The Legal, Institutional and Cultural Barriers to Adaptation to Sea-Level Rise in Australia | Jon Barnett (Uni of Melbourne) | Project synopsis |
| Changes to Country and Culture, Changes to Climate: strengthening institutions for Indigenous resilience and adaptation | Jessica Weir (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)) | Project synopsis |
| Heat-Ready: Adapting Aged Care Facilities to prevent premature death in elderly Australians | Deborah Black (University of Sydney) | Project synopsis |
| Developing adaptively: The role and capacities of private sector development institutions in urban climate change adaptation | Jago Dodson (Griffith University) | Project synopsis |
| Every state for themselves? Learning from cross-border regulatory instruments to support and promote climate change adaptation in Australia | Wendy Steele (Griffith University) | Project synopsis |
| An assessment of Australia’s existing statutory frameworks, associated institutions, and policy processes: do they support or impede national adaptation planning and practice? | Karen Hussey (Australian National University) | Project synopsis |
About the Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants
What is the Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants program?
The Australian Government, through the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE), has established the Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants Program (the ARGP), to provide seed funding of up to $27 million to fund priority adaptation research needs. These priority research needs have been identified in National Climate Change Adaptation Research Plans (NARPs), developed by NCCARF in consultation with leading researchers and stakeholders.
How many research calls will there be, and in what sectors?
DCCEE in partnership with the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) and other relevant funding agencies anticipates research calls in nine key themes to address NARP priorities:
- Human Health
- Emergency Management
- Marine Biodiversity and Resources
- Settlements and Infrastructure
- Terrestrial Biodiversity
- Social, Economic and Institutional Dimensions
- Primary Industries
- Freshwater Biodiversity
- Indigenous Communities
Which calls have been completed? (as at 1st June 2011)
Information on succesfully funded projects can be found here
- Human Health: To date two research calls have been made by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in partnership with the DCCEE. A third research call in closed on 8 March 2011.
- Emergency Management: A Research Call was made in 2009 and six projects have been funded so far.
- Marine Biodiversity and Resources: A Research Call was made by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) in partnership with the DCCEE in 2010.
- Settlements and Infrastructure: A Research Call was made in 2010 and 6 projects have been funded so far.
Which calls are current and up coming? (as at 1st June 2011)
- Terrestrial Biodiversity: The Research Call opened on 3 December 2010 and closed on 21 January 2011. Final approved projects are due for announcement in June 2011.
- Human Health: A third research call has been made by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in partnership with the DCCEE, closing on 8 March 2011.
- Primary Industries: The Research Call opened on 4 February 2011 and closed on 14 March 2011. Final approved projects are due for announcement in June 2011.
- Social, Economic and Institutional Dimensions: The Research Call opened on 4 February 2011 and closed on 21 March 2011. Final approved projects are due for announcement in June 2011.
- Freshwater Biodiversity: Expressions of Interest (due by 3rd June, 2011) are invited for grants to support research that will help Australia to prepare its freshwater biodiversity for unavoidable climate change. Seed funding totalling up to $1.9 million is available to address certain research priorities in the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Plan: Freshwater Biodiversity, developed by the National Climate Change Research Facility (NCCARF). For information on the Freshwater Biodiversity Research Call click here
- Indigenous Communities: The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Plan for this sector is still under development. A call is expected in the latter half of 2011.