SCHEDULE F PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research seeks to contribute to Australia's needs for conservation and management of native species and ecosystems and enhance Australia's international standing in plant biodiversity assessment and conservation.

The Centre will apply strategic research in plant biology to determine the dimensions and importance of plant biodiversity for ecosystem integrity, and to provide a knowledge base for effective natural resource management and utilisation of native plant genetic resources.

Co-operative and Collaborative Arrangements

Outcome: Mutually productive collaborative programs and projects between the Parties and with national and international institutions and individuals.

Establishment of co-operative arrangements between the Parties in collection management, information technology, education and research on plant biodiversity.
Establishment of collaborative research programs and projects within and between the Parties and external agencies.
The development and continuation of enhanced interactions with other research groups in Australia and overseas in the form of collaborative projects.
Regular liaison and interaction with other herbaria - national and international - including active participation and leadership in activities of the Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH).
Participation in development of botanical database and data transfer standards, including involvement with such organisations as the International Organization for Plant Information (IOPI) and the International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases for Plant Sciences (TDWG).
Constructive interaction with research funding bodies resulting in increased grant allocations.

Ensuring High Quality Scientific and Technological Research

Outcome: Productive botanical research of a high standard.

Establish and implement systems to monitor and evaluate research program progress and performance.

Outcome: Effective communication and acceptance of the Centre's research outcomes.

Publication of scientific papers in refereed journals, books or book chapters.
Publication and publicity in non-technical media.
Conference presentations, lectures and seminars by Centre personnel.
Invitations to Centre personnel to participate in national and international scientific meetings.
Impact of seminar series, national conferences, and workshops organised by the Centre on general scientific theory and practices, taxonomic principles and methodology and biodiversity knowledge.

Scientific Collections

Outcome: Integration of herbarium and associated collections from ANBG and CSIRO.

Successful amalgamation of nearly 1 million specimens and associated material into one integrated collection (on two sites) after building handover.
Maintain a comprehensive set of reliably identified voucher specimens of plants growing in the ANBG and provide services to verify the identity of the living collections.

Outcome: Management and curation of the combined collection to a high archival standard.

Curation of the collection with high standards to maximise accessibility, with taxonomic and nomenclatural accuracy.
Identification of priority groups for database entry, especially in relation to target biodiversity research projects, and the establishment of a program to database these groups.
Significantly increasing the proportion of the collection data available in computerised format.

Outcome: An efficient specimen acquisition, exchange and loans program.

Continued maintenance of specimen loan and exchange systems at high international standards so that transactions are completed without undue delay.

Outcome: Efficient, timely and reliable plant identification services.

Development of identification services through expansion of Public Enquiry Services and Public Reference Herbaria for further interaction with public.

Application of Research and Collection Information

Outcome: Research and information outputs from the Centre that reflect the needs of the Parties, the scientific community and the public.

Active involvement of external users in setting priorities and directions and in collaborative research.
Beneficial appreciation of findings relating to assessment and management of biodiversity resulting from activities of the Centre, e.g., seeking feedback on effective usage of research results such as interactive identification systems, horticultural protocols, fire monitoring systems, identification of disease resistant genes.
Effective interaction with stakeholders, clients and user groups through identification of client needs, increased communication between researchers and land managers, production of information sheets, kits and manuals for managing biodiversity.
Widened scope in numbers and types of application of computerised specimen data by external users.

Management and Budget

Outcome: Sound management planning for the Centre and its programs.

Development, updating and circulation of a Research and Development plan and an annual review through which progress towards objectives can be determined.
Forward planning of programs and projects to be prescribed in terms of background, aims, strategies and milestones.
A high level of achievement of program and of individual work objectives shown by the projects completed or milestones reached within the planned time and to the planned budget.

Outcome: Sound financial planning for the Centre and its programs.

Accurate and efficient recording and reporting of financial transactions.
Success in attracting additional research funding from other sources, including peer reviewed grants from rural R&D corporations, ABRS and similar government agencies, and private sector sources.