Benefits of membership in AMSI

Membership of the AMSI consortium has the following benefits for mathematical sciences departments of Australian universities.

Opportunity to apply to AMSI for funding for visits of international presenters at approved scientific workshops. Such workshops must be sponsored by at least one AMSI member institution. See here for guidelines.
Annual travel allowance to fund students and early career researchers from member departments to approved scientific workshops.
Cost of travel and accommodation and heavily subsidised registration for annual Summer School for incoming honours students.
Potential to be assessed for credit for courses taken at Summer School (with the approval of home institution).
Cost of travel and accommodation and heavily subsidised registration for annual Australian Graduate School of Mathematics.
Cost of travel and accommodation and heavily subsidised registration for annual ICE-EM Summer Symposium in Bioinformatics: BioInfoSummer.
Opportunity for an incoming honours student to compete for 1 of 10 vacation scholarships including participation in CSIRO's Big Day In.
Opportunity to be involved with activities through AARMS, PRIMA and MITACS at their member fees.
Subsidised registration for Industry Forums and Industry Breakfasts.
Opportunity to participate in national, regional and metropolitan seminars and courses through the AGR network.
Opportunity to partner with AMSI on applications for linkage grants and centres of excellence.
Opportunity to work with industry on nominated projects brokered by AMSI.
Receive up-to-date posters and printed material to encourage students to continue with a career in mathematics.
Opportunities for AMSI/MASCOS fellowships and scholarships.
Opportunity to influence state and national mathematics education policy.
Contribute to the national voice of mathematics.

Extra benefits for Full Members:

Part ownership of AMSI and of the proceeds of its business.
Opportunity to host Summer Schools and Graduate Schools.
Joint authorship of the Joint Venture Agreement.
Larger travel allowance.
Higher access to AMSI matching funds for grant applications.
Ability to nominate AMSI Deputy Director.

Corporate membership is also available. The benefits are set out here.

AMSI FAQs

How do I apply to AMSI for sponsorship of my workshop?

AMSI’s scientific program funds

meetings and workshops held in the AMSI precinct or at member institution sites
problem-solving workshops
theme programs.

Workshops usually run for between two days and a week, and address a specific field. Problem-solving workshops usually run for between 4 and 8 working days with working groups addressing pre-defined important unsolved problems in a specific area of mathematical science or a specific area of application. Thematic programs run for a minimum of three weeks and may involve a concatenation of various activities with a common scientific theme.

Assessment of proposals is based purely on scientific merit and likely national impact. If your university is an AMSI member, you can submit a proposal for a workshop by addressing the matters here. Proposals will be reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Committee for academic merit. The sponsorship will consist of subsidy to international and Australian speakers. Note that travel to the workshop for students and early career researchers is now supported under the member travel allowance and is not included in the workshop sponsorship. As a rule, one-week workshops will be funded at the order of $10,000 to support a small number of invited overseas pleanary speakers and an equal number of Australian speakers. Workshop or conference operating costs are not covered.

Where can I find out which workshops are supported by AMSI?

Right here!

What support can I get from AMSI to attend workshops?

If your university is an AMSI member then your Head of Department has an annual travel allowance paid by AMSI to cover your travel, accommodation and registration at AMSI-sponsored and other AMSI-approved events. This does not mean that all your costs will automatically be covered. Your Head will take into account the suitability of the event for you and the amount that remains in the budget. (If you are one of a small number of plenary invited speakers, then your expenses can be covered without recourse to the travel allowance.)

Can I expect a discount on my registration fee for an AMSI-sponsored workshop?

Usually you can. The amount will vary according to the organiser's budget. Some workshops do not charge a fee at all.

I am a student at an AMSI member university. Am I eligible to attend the Summer School?

Actually the School is sponsored by ICE-EM, a major program of AMSI funded by the Federal Government. The Summer School is targeted at incoming honours mathematics and statistics undergraduates. However many postgraduates and postdocs also attend. Travel and accommodation is paid for by ICE-EM and only a small registration fee is payable.

My university is not an AMSI member. Am I eligible to attend the Summer School?

The previous answer applies, except that your travel and accommodation is not paid and a higher registration fee applies.

Are any resources available from previous Summer Schools ?

Yes. Some lectures were video-taped and may be web-streamed from here. There are also some sessions from the 2004 Winter School in Mathematics and Computational Biology.

I am an academic at an AMSI member university. What arrangements are there for me to spend some off-campus time at AMSI?

Office space may be available.

What funding does AMSI supply towards an access grid room?

Access Grid Rooms are funded under the Commonwealth Government's grant for ICE-EM. All details are on ICE-EM's web site. However applications have now closed.

As a mathematics or statistics professional, how do I get involved in AMSI's collaboration with business and industry?

AMSI project manages on-site industrial pilot projects. Several pilot projects are externally funded by industry, including salaries of researchers. AMSI wishes to spread the benefits widely to graduates and staff of AMSI members. We encourage members of departments to submit a brief description of your expertise in mathematical and statistical modelling for industry.

What opportunities are there for working with AMSI on a joint approach to the ARC or other granting bodies?

AMSI invites proposals from member departments and individual academics for AMSI leverage funds for grant applications. In particular, AMSI is keen to support ventures such as Centres of Excellence and Linkage Grants that involve staff from a number of AMSI institutions. Contact Phil Broadbridge (03 8344 1779 or phil@amsi.org.au) to discuss your ideas.

How does my mathematical sciences department become a member of AMSI?

Membership of AMSI is presently only available to universities and certain organisations that have a strong affiliation with the mathematical sciences (e.g. CSIRO, ABS, AMT). For universities there are two categories: full membership ($50,000 pa) and associate membership ($10,000 pa). For the benefits of membership, see at the top of this page.

Can my business become a member of AMSI?

Yes, AMSI has introduced a category of membership for business, industry and government organisations. See the benefits of the various levels of members here.