University of Tasmania researchers involved in projects ranging from the human body's defences against Alzheimer's disease and malaria to the response of plants to climate change have been awarded Australian Research Council grants.

University of Tasmania researchers involved in projects ranging from the human body's defences against Alzheimer's disease and malaria to the response of plants to climate change have been awarded Australian Research Council grants.

The ARC Discovery Projects funding, announced in Canberra today by the Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr, includes 10 grants to UTAS researchers totalling more than $2.7 million.

In addition, the Director of the University's Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, Professor Simon Foote, has received $630,000 to purchase a high-resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer and liquids separation module.

The NMR equipment will support Tasmanian research of international significance across the biological and medical sciences, chemistry and Tasmanian industries, including profiling studies in human health, plant biology, the molecular basis of disease and complex mixture analysis.

"This $3 million investment is great news for the Tasmanian community because it highlights the excellent local research talent and supports new interstate and international research partnerships," Senator Carr said. "I congratulate the University, its researchers and partners."

The UTAS Discovery Projects grant recipients include two Senior Research Fellows at Menzies, Dr Roger Chung and Dr Brendan McMorran.

Dr Chung has been awarded $270,000 for a project that will investigate some of the brain's own mechanisms for protecting itself against Alzheimer's disease.

Dr McMorran will study how platelets kill the malaria parasite, by investigating the role of host molecules and their potential as novel antimalarial agents. He is the recipient of a $280,000 grant.

The School of Plant Science's Dr Gregory Jordan has been awarded $285,000 to explore the ability of plants to survive climate change. In particular, his project is designed to generate simple principles that can be used in the management of species and vegetation at risk.

Funding will begin in 2012 and be administered over a period of up to five years.

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