The Academy of the Social Science in Australia is pleased to announce ten recipients of the inaugural Spark Grants program, providing funding of up to $1,000 for events planned for Social Sciences Week 8 to 14 September 2025.
Spark Grants were decided using a lottery system, a process found to reduce the influence of conscious and unconscious bias in assessment processes, providing a more equitable process for grant applicants.
Congratulations to the following organisations, randomly drawn from a pool of eligible applicants and awarded Spark Grants for 2025:
ANU Canberra
Reconnecting ‘NatureCulture’: foregrounding the biological and ecological dimensions of social life
This seminar brings together an eclectic group of academics and landscape practitioners whose work troubles separations that are often artificially drawn between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’.
Urana Arts NSW
Learn to use Artificial Intelligence in Urana
Urana is a small rural village in the northern Murray area of NSW with limited access to cultural or educational institutions. Most residents are likely to be unfamiliar with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Event coordinator Yvette Dale will team up with widely exhibited AI artist, to showcase creative ways AI can be used.
Bellingen Shire Council, NSW
Reclaiming Solidarity – Revisiting Emile Durkheim in a Fractured World
Bringing together community members, students, educators and creatives from the NSW North & Mid-North Coast for an evening of poetry and conversation illuminating the social foundations of connection and cohesion. The aim of the event is to explore the social foundations of solidarity – how it is formed, how it becomes strained, and how it might be renewed in response to contemporary global challenges.
Australian Catholic University, Online event
After Robodebt – how are public service leaders engaging with the lessons of the Royal Commission?
A webinar to explore new public administration research by Dr Casey, Dr Ball and others, about how the Australian Public Service (APS) can learn the deep cultural lessons from Robodebt; exploring the positive steps some APS agencies are already taking; and how to embed ethical decision making.
The Cairns Institute at James Cook University
Emerging research & discussions in social science
This event will be a combination of film(s), speakers and exhibition. Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students from Social Science disciplines will present their research (akin to a 3minute thesis presentation). The exhibition will be drawn from specific artefacts from the Bragge Collection, staff and students commemorating 50 years of Papua New Guinea’s independence (16 September 1975).
The Outback Exploratorium, Emerald, QLD
Big Questions, Quick Answers: A Social Sciences Trivia Night
The Outback Exploratorium will host a lively and inclusive Trivia Night designed to spark curiosity and conversation among rural and regional community members. With rounds themed around history, politics, culture, psychology, economics and more, the event will explore how the social sciences help us understand ourselves, others and the world around us.
Flinders University, South Australia
From the personal to the political: Understanding the impacts of colonialism through story telling
This in-person seminar will explore The Chosen Son (2024), a powerful new memoir by Professor Leanne Weber, recounting her experience growing up in Adelaide with an Aboriginal foster brother. While deeply personal, the book offers broader insights into Australia’s colonial past and present, particularly regarding the legacy of forced removal and the Stolen Generations. It seeks to enrich current policy debates and amplify voices often unheard in public discourse.
Moorabool Shire Council, Victoria
Talk Moorabool: More Than Meets the Eye – Untold Tales of Ballan
A living history workshop bridging Ballan’s rich cultural heritage with its evolving future. Located 78km northwest of Melbourne, Ballan stands at a pivotal moment in time -balancing ongoing development with historical preservation. The Talk Moorabool workshop will examine how communities evolve and preserve cultural narratives across generations. Local residents will tell stories from Ballan’s history, supported by members of the Ballan Historical Society.
Victoria University
Education with Deepfakes, Hallucinations, and Smartglasses
Education with Deepfakes, Hallucinations, and Smartglasses invites educators, researchers, students, and policymakers to step into the near future through a series of provocations developed from global conversations. Participants will handle smartglasses and take part in activities designed to push the boundaries of what we think we know about trust, privacy, and truth in education.
Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
Balancing Advice and Intuition: Feeding and Parenting in the Early Years
This community workshop explores the intersection of digital technology, parenting, and health communication through a social science lens. Grounded in recent research conducted through the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, the event focuses on how Infant Feeding Apps (IFAs) influence parent-child communication and decision-making across the infant feeding journey, from antenatal planning to weaning to introducing solids.