CANBERRA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Australian Science Minister Kim Carr announced Monday the winners of this year's Australian Research Council's competitive grants scheme, with 1145 projects to receive 394 million dollars (366 million U.S. dollars).

    Kim Carr said in a statement that "The research that is being supported will lead to the discovery of new ideas and the advancement of knowledge that will help Australia tackle current and future economic, health and environmental challenges."

    Among those winners, nine indigenous Australian researchers will share 1.8 million dollars in grants through the Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development Scheme to further research areas of importance to indigenous Australia.

    New South Wales researchers were the big winners, claiming over133 million dollars in grants, followed by Victoria 103 million dollars, Queensland 61 million dollars, the Australian Capital Territory 40 million dollars and so on.

    The federal government will hand out 760,000 dollars to the University of New South Wales to research the effects of parents providing alcohol to children.

    The Australian National University will receive 347,000 dollars to study the ancestors of the recently discovered species of hominids, Homo floresiensis (also known as hobbits), in Indonesia.

    La Trobe University will receive 220,000 dollars over three years to help develop a new type of honey bee with no sting.