Australian social science received a funding injection today with the announcement by Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, of $668,958 over four years for seven new research projects.

The projects, outlined below, were selected through a process of competitive peer review under the Linkage International Social Sciences Collaboration between the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the UK Economic and Social Research Council.

"I am a strong advocate for the social sciences. To operate effectively in the world, Australia must develop knowledge and make advancements in all discipline areas,” Senator Carr said.

"A well-rounded approach to knowledge development that encompasses the physical and social sciences and the humanities is essential to achieve a balanced society that is globally competitive and able to deliver significant benefits to the Australian community.

"Working cooperatively with overseas scholars spurs creative endeavour. Promoting international collaborations of this kind is a key part of the Rudd Government's innovation agenda."

The selected projects, which all involve collaboration with UK researchers, will:

• Investigate the intrusive memories of trauma that are a key symptom in people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, to determine why the unwanted memories occur and why they persist. (The University of New South Wales)
   
• Contribute to national security and crime prevention by increasing the accuracy with which security staff can check the validity of photo-ID documents, such as passports. (The University of New South Wales)
   
• Develop methods to better determine the impact of household structure and other groups/social networks on unemployment, poverty, educational attainment, crime victimisation and poor health. (University of Wollongong)
   
• Identify and recommend practices and policies for Australian workplaces and educational institutions to sustain and develop further the skills of Australia's growing number of older workers and help them to effectively manage their work transitions. (Griffith University)
   
• Explore the 'rules of engagement' for group criticism that results in positive changes rather than hurt, denial, mistrust, hostility and defensiveness and develop specific recommendations for negotiating sensitive issues within and between cultural, national and corporate groups. (The University of Queensland)
   
• Examine the determinants of school choice, including the roles played by government subsidies, demographic changes and income inequality, to better understand why there has been a growth in the number of students at private schools over the past 30 years. (The Australian National University)
   
• Examine how Russia has accommodated strong elements of authoritarianism within a representative democracy and shed new light on the process of democratisation in post-communist societies—knowledge that will have implications for political stability across a large section of the world in transition from authoritarianism to democracy. (The Australian National University)

Senator Carr approved all of the projects recommended by the ARC for funding.

For more information, visit www.arc.gov.au

Media contacts: Catriona Jackson, Minister's office,        0417 142 238
                          Fiona Skivington, ARC,                         0412 623 057