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How Language Develops, What Goes Wrong, And Why It Matters: Following The Early Language In Victoria Study To Age 13
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$857,242.00
Summary
One in five children start school with low language. Little is known about the long term effects on developmental, educational attainment and other outcomes later in life. In this landmark study we will track the children's language, literacy and wellbeing from ages 8 to 12 years. We will capture the children's ability as they finish their primary school education and prior to the crucial transfer to high school.
Neural Mechanisms Of Language Facilitation In Aphasia Due To Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$523,192.00
Summary
This project will assess the underlying neural mechanisms by which neurostimulation improves impaired language functions after stroke (aphasia). This will be accomplished by using a novel combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging and simultaneous transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) administered to different brain regions. These studies will provide crucial information necessary to optimise future clinical trials that combine tDCS with language therapy.
Up to 40% of stroke survivors have aphasia (disturbance or loss of language) and of these, 60% will still be aphasic 12 months post-onset. Up until now, it has not been possible to predict aphasia recovery or response to treatment. This research will use clinical measures and brain imaging to develop better predictors of aphasia recovery.
Predicting Language Skills From Early Auditory Speech Discrimination In Infants With Hearing Loss: Implications For Early Management And Intervention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$706,113.00
Summary
Now that newborn hearing checks are available, hearing loss can be picked up soon after birth and hearing aids are fitted shortly after. Although procedures exist for checking that the devices make sounds audible, there is no way to evaluate their effectiveness for supporting a child’s auditory discrimination. This study aims to 1) develop new clinical tools for assessing infants’ auditory discrimination, and 2) determine whether early discrimination predicts spoken language at 3 years of age.
The Gudaga Study is a unique study of Aboriginal children in an urban environment on the eastern seaboard of Australia. Children were recruited at birth and have been followed up at 6-monthly intervals to age 5 years. This research aims to describe the health, early learning and service context of these urban Aboriginal children from 5 to 9 years. Detailed longitudinal data on Aboriginal children's early life experiences have not previously been collected in an urban setting.
The research will investigate the mechanisms by which our brains are able to listen selectively to sounds of interest in competing background noise. This will be investigated in normal hearing subjects, those with partial deafness and in profoundly deaf patients who use a cochlear implant. If deaf patients can learn to use cues to enhance detection of sounds of interest this could have an impact on the effectiveness of hearing aids and cochlear implants in noisy listening situations
Neonatal Cranial Ultrasound: Safety, Knowledge And Practice Of Prolonged Or Repeated Exposure To Acoustic Waves
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$255,055.00
Summary
Ultrasound is routinely used for diagnosis of brain lesions amongst newborns. Animal studies have shown that ultrasound can sometimes be harmful to the brain. We currently have very little information on the characteristics of neonatal cranial scans. This project will investigate current knowledge of safety and training via a nationwide survey, analyse the elements of 'typical' scans and measure brain surface heating after ultrasound amongst neonates.
Cognitive Decline In Type 2 Diabetes: Investigating The Contribution Of Neurodegeneration And Cerebrovascular Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$608,520.00
Summary
Dementia occurs more commonly than expected in diabetes but the reasons are unknown. There could be a build up of deposits of the toxic protein in the brain that causes Alzheimer's disease. A new technique, using Positron Emmission Tomography (PET scans), will be used to answer this question in combination with MRI scans and serial cognitive testing in patients considered to be at-risk for dementia. The study will help direct research efforts aimed at dementia prevention and treatment.
Humans, like all animals, receive similar, although not identical, visual input via the eyes. This information is combined in the brain to form a single view of the outside world. In this proposal we aim to understand how single neurons in the brain process the combined information received from both eyes. This work will increase our understanding of the underlying cellular mechanisms responsible for sight, and determine what changes occur when visual input is impaired through blindness.
A Computer-aided Diagnosis System For Gait Analysis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$333,379.00
Summary
Gait analysis provides detailed information on how a patient walks to help orthopaedic surgeons decide on surgical treatments. However, gait analysis requires long and specific training and expertise in gait analysis is not widely available which restricts its benefits to the community. We will build the first computer-aided diagnosis system from renowned experts from The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne to assist clinicians interpreting gait analysis data nationally and internationally.