Programs and projects
Australian Sports Commission
The chief elements of the Applied Research Centre are:
- Post-Graduate Scholarships
- Visiting Scholars Scheme
- Applied Sensors Unit
- Research Grants Program
- National Small Technologies Program
- High Performance, Innovation, Management Systems Program
- Workshops, Seminars, Events
Post-Graduate Scholarships
The AIS provides placements for post-graduates including honours, masters, PhD’s, and post-doctoral students on an ‘as-needs’ basis. This scheme identifies specific areas requiring further research, thus providing a more focused assistance to AIS and national sports programs. It enables scholars to work with specific sports on a day-to-day basis, interacting closely with coaches in identifying and addressing issues of practical relevance. Since each of the scholars is enrolled through an Australian university and has both AIS and university supervisors, the scheme promotes the recruitment of external expertise to help solve sport-related problems. Financial contributions to the scheme are made by the AIS, a partner University and a National Sporting Organisation. Under Australian Government policy, the AIS can only offer scholarships to non-Australian citizens when there are no suitable Australian candidates.
The AIS Sport-based PhD Scheme (established in 2001) provided a model that is now being emulated in other countries.
Students interested in applying for a research scholarship should periodically refer to the ‘Positions vacant’ website.
Visiting Scholars Scheme
In 2007, the AIS Applied Research Centre commenced its Visiting Scholars Scheme. The Scheme provides funds to allow AIS sport science and medicine researchers to bring specially targeted people to the AIS in Canberra for periods of about one month to assist with the planning or conduct of AIS research, or the interpretation of results. Generally, three Scholars each year are supported.
Applied Sensors Unit
The Applied Sensors Unit designs and develops advanced sport-specific software for coaches and scientists, typically utilising sensor and video technology. The Unit gives the AIS the capability of gaining competitive advantage through highly innovative use sensors in a variety of sporting applications. This capability enables our scientists to monitor athletes in the field, rather than being confined to laboratory settings.
Research Grants Program
For many years, the AIS has operated a research grants program enabling sports scientists around Australia to apply for project funds on a competitive basis. Calls for funding applications are issued through the AIS and state institutes/academies of sport network. Academics are free to apply for funding, however, to ensure that the research is of value to Australia’s elite athletes, applicants must liaise with senior sports scientists and/or clinicians at either the AIS or one of the state/territory sports institutes/academies and gain their endorsement, and also obtain endorsement from the relevant coach or coaches.
National Small Technologies Program
Since 1997, the AIS has recognised a need for development of small, unobtrusive equipment to enable increased monitoring of athletes in field situations (as opposed to laboratory environments). There has been awareness that such equipment can enable more regular collection of data, providing a continuous and comprehensive picture of training adaptation rather than just occasional ‘snapshots’. Because of limitations to ‘in-house’ technological capacity, progress in this area has depended largely on the formation of collaborative links. In July 2001, the Australian Sports Commission became a partner in the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Microtechnology, and in the following years some very significant advances have occurred, particularly in regard to the development of prototypes for use in rowing and swimming. Strong technological and human resource platforms have been established to support future work (as evidenced at the 2004 CRC Annual Conference when there were no less than 23 presentations on sport-related developments).
Driven by the need to better service athletes and coaches, the Applied Research Centre has been at the foreground of developing technology which not only serves its purpose, but also has potential commercial scope as well.
High Performance, Innovation, Management & Systems Program
The HPIMS program takes a national leadership role in identifying future directions for innovation and world-leading practice for the AIS. It achieves this by researching emerging technologies, innovative service delivery methods, operating strategies and management systems within Australia and overseas.
One of the components of the HPIMS program is to undertake reviews or benchmarking studies. 'Benchmarking ’ is a process of measuring something (i.e. a product or service) against specified standards, in addition to identifying future potential and the steps required to achieve future objectives. For our purposes, benchmarking specifically relates to investigating and defining ‘best practice’ for service delivery to athletes and coaches at the AIS.
Workshops, Seminars, Events
The Applied Research Centre organises a weekly series entitled, 'Smart Talk'. Originally created to disseminate research information, Smart Talk presentations provide a variety of opportunities for Commission staff to hear about various activities in Australia and around the world. In September 2007, the 100th Smart Talk was delivered by Professor Peter Fricker, Head of the AIS.
Workshops have been conducted to expedite collaborative research. The most successful of these occurred on 2nd and 3rd November 2006 when the AIS and CSIRO came together for a two-day workshop. From this event, no fewer than 12 research projects were seeded.
The next workshop entitled, 'Frontiers of Human Performance' will be hosted by the AIS on 13th and 14th March 2008. This workshop will bring together scientists from the AIS, CSIRO, DSTO and NICTA to discuss where performance gains in human endeavour are likely to occur in the next 4-5 years.
Heath Francis