The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce (the developer) has released the draft Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 for ongoing public consultation.

The developer will be seeking NHMRC approval of the guideline under section 14A of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992.

You can access the guideline and provide comment on the MagicApp here (you will need to set up a MagicApp account if you do not have one).

The Medical Research Future Fund has recently announced grant schemes covering a number of research areas under the strategies and priorities of the fund. 

Details of the current opportunities, application agency and corresponding closing dates are found below. 

If you are interested in applying for any of the above opportunities, please contact the NHMRC and Health Research Grants team in the very first instance to discuss your application and internal deadlines.

Currently Open Schemes with applications to be lodged through the Business.gov.au grant application portal are:

Preventive and Public Health Research Initiative – Closing 20 April 2020

• 2020 Targeted Translation Research Accelerator

Grant Documents for each of the above schemes can be found through GrantConnect. If you are interested in applying for any of the above opportunities, please contact the NHMRC and Health Research Grants team in the very first instance to discuss your application and internal deadlines.

The Online Safety Grants Program, led by the eSafety Commissioner, is part of the Australian Government's commitment to keeping children and young people safe online.

Grant funding of between $80,000 and $1 million is available to deliver online safety education to children, young people and their communities, or training to those who work with them. A total of $9 million will be allocated starting in mid-2020.

The objectives of the Online Safety Grants Program are outlined in the Guidelines.

Applications need to demonstrate an ability to use evidence-based research and best practice in online safety education to develop services, resources and products that provide new solutions for improving online safety. 

These can be:

• for use in schools and other places of learning
• designed for parents and carers, communities or support workers 
• focused on at-risk communities
• aimed at scaling up new services, resources or products.

If you are interested in applying, in the first instance contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII), for application advice and assistance. Applications will open 12 Noon AEST Thursday 16 April 2020 and close on 5pm AEST Tuesday 21 May 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 7 May 2020. 

The Program Guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Draft Commonwealth Simple Grant Agreement. The eSafety Commissioner webpage will be updated with the application form when the grant round opens and the application form will also be made available on GrantConnect.

Applications for the Beat Cancer Project Grants - NHMRC Ideas Grant near miss projects are now open.

Applications are via NHMRC Ideas Grants, with the additional Supplementary Questions form to be completed and submitted to the NHMRC and Health team in Research Development and Support by 9 June 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Amanda Wright, Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

Applications will comprise

1. The NHMRC application which is to be submitted to the NHMRC in accordance with the guidelines, and
2. The Supplementary Questions document, which is to be submitted by Research Development and Support as a PDF file to Cancer Council Australia’s National Cancer Research Grants Secretariat.

In order for NHMRC to pass on application data to SAHMRI/Cancer Councils, applicants need to select "Cancer Council" as one of the funding options in the NHMRC Ideas Grants application. Applicants also need to provide consent for NHMRC to release application data. The same application ID must be used on the NHMRC application form and Supplementary Questions document.

Applicants ineligible to apply for NHMRC Ideas Grant funding are still entitled to apply via the NHMRC process for Beat Cancer Project funding.

Funding guidelines are available at the Beat Cancer Project website.

The objectives of the Beat Cancer Project are to increase funding for cancer research, increase the capacity for researchers to attract more national and international research grants, and build a stronger cancer research workforce and broader research infrastructure in South Australia.

The Beat Cancer Project is a South Australian state-wide initiative intended to support and advance cancer research within the state. It is funded by Cancer Council SA and the SA Government through SA Health) and administered by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) 2021 Investigator Initiated Research Scheme (IIRS) grant round is now open. Given the unprecedented circumstances externally this year, the NBCF has made a strategic decision to split the funding available for breast cancer research between supporting existing ongoing research projects, as well as funding new grants.

To maximise the opportunity for new research, this year NBCF funding available for the Investigator Initiated Research Scheme (IIRS) is being matched by Love Your Sister. This partnership creates a unique opportunity for a smaller, focussed program of research to be supported commencing in 2021. 

The application deadline is 5pm AEST Monday 29 June 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 15 June 2020. For application advice and assistance, please contact staff, Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health)

Potential applicants should be aware of significant changes to previous iterations of the IIRS, made as a result of the total pool of available funding being significantly reduced from previous years. Funding will be restricted to projects that address either precision prevention or precision medicine for breast cancer, and the maximum funding available per application is $375,000 over 3 years (or $125,000 per year). 

The full application guidelines and appendix are now available on the NBCF website.

The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is inviting applications for the second round of research hubs or consortia under the National Environmental Science Program (NESP 2)

The National Environmental Science Program (NESP) is a long-term commitment by the Australian Government to environment and climate research. NESP projects deliver collaborative, practical and applied research to inform decision making and on-ground action through research hubs or consortia.

The program represents a $149 million investment by the Australian Government and will consist of multi-disciplinary research hubs or consortia hosted by Australian research institutions with national capability and be delivered where appropriate through regional nodes. 

NESP 2 in applied environmental science will support decision-makers from across the Australian community, including Indigenous communities, build resilience while achieving positive environmental, social and economic outcomes. NESP 2 will deliver applied scientific knowledge, decision tools and practical management options to support environmental commitments made by all levels of Government and other end-users.

Applications close 30 June 2020 and bids are encouraged from multidisciplinary teams. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Sarah Jay, Research Grants Officer (IGII) as soon as possible.

The opportunity is to apply to be one of four multi-disciplinary research hubs or consortia: 

• ‘Resilient Landscapes’ Hub 
• ‘Marine and Coastal’ Hub
• ‘Sustainable Communities and Waste’ Hub
• ‘Climate Systems’ Hub

Each hub or consortia will demonstrate:

• capacity to harness multi-disciplinary expertise;
• excellence in the management and delivery of national scale applied environmental research programs; and
• deep stakeholder networks with local communities, organisations, government and the private sector. 

Further information is available at the Community Grants hub.

Information about the current NESP can be found on the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment website.

Applications for the Beat Cancer Infrastructure Grants are now open. Funding will be directed towards research infrastructure that could make an important difference to cancer prevention, treatment and knowledge across the research spectrum including applied clinical, health services and population health research fields and biomedical science.

Researchers and managers of research infrastructure platforms are invited to submit proposals where they can attract matched funding. Funding of up to $250,000 will be available per proposal.

Applications from researchers in applied fields are encouraged. Support services such as data management, biostatistical and health economics services will be eligible. A wide range of non-workforce infrastructure items will also be eligible, including items related to bioinformatics, clinical trials and advanced technology platforms (e.g., as might apply in relation to genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, crystallography and two-photon imaging). Funding will not be provided for infrastructure already purchased, although funding for important enhancements may be considered.

A letter of support can be provided for researchers and research infrastructure managers, if required, to enable them to apply for matched funding from other organisations. This will need to be specified in proposals submitted.

To be eligible for Infrastructure Funding, applicants and the Administering Institution must both be based in South Australia.

Funding guidelines and the application form are available at the Beat Cancer Project website.

There are no closing dates for this opportunity in 2020. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Amanda Wright, Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health) if they are intending to apply.

The objectives of the Beat Cancer Project are to increase funding for cancer research, increase the capacity for researchers to attract more national and international research grants, and build a stronger cancer research workforce and broader research infrastructure in South Australia.

The Beat Cancer Project is a South Australian state-wide initiative intended to support and advance cancer research within the state. It is funded by Cancer Council SA and the SA Government through SA Health) and administered by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

The Defence Innovation Partnership is offering one-on-one discussion sessions (by video-conference) with researchers interested in applying for the Collaborative Research Fund (round 4 due to open mid-July 2020) and learning more about how they can help with connections to collaborators in industry, academia and Defence.

The 30-minute video-conferences will be hosted by Defence Innovation Partnership and will be conducted on the following days: Tuesday 28 April to Friday 1 May 2020.

If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please email enquiries@defenceinnovationpartnership.com, with your details, and preferred date and times, and Defence Innovation and Partnerships will respond with a meeting request.

This will be on a first in - first served basis.

If you have any questions, please contact the Defence Innovation Partnership via email.

The Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Program will provide funding to support the immediate survival and long-term recovery and resilience for fire-affected Australian animals, plants, ecological communities and other natural assets and their cultural values for Indigenous Australians.

There is up to $12 million available for grants under the Program, with grants of between $100,000 and $1 million being offered.

It is anticipated that the Program will be delivered over two or more tranches. Tranche 1 priorities are attached under GO Documents on GrantConnect.

Applications close on 22 April 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 15 April 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Sarah Jay, Research Grants Officer (IGII).

For more information, visit GrantConnect.

The Department of Defense office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) has recently released Fiscal Year 2020 funding opportunities for a number of Department of Defense (DoD) Programs.

The Flinders internal closing date for each of these opportunities is 10 working days prior to the external closing date. Please contact the Research Grants and Tenders team if you are intending to apply as soon as possible so that they can assist in registering to apply etc.

Please consult the modified Program Announcements available on Grants.gov and contact the Research Grants and Tenders team if you have any questions.

Bone Marrow Failure Research Program

• Idea Development Award

Breast Cancer Research Program

• Breakthrough Award Levels 1 and 2
• Breakthrough Award Level 3
• Breakthrough Award Level 4
• Era of Hope Scholar Award
• Innovator Award
• Transformative Breast Cancer Consortium Award
  

Gulf War Illness Research Program

• Idea Award
• Research Advancement Award
• Clinical Evaluation Award
• Therapeutic/Biomarker Trial Award
• Patient-Provider and Health Communications Award
• New Investigator Award

Lung Cancer Research Program

• Concept Award
• Idea Development Award
• Investigator-Initiated Translational Research Award
• Career Development Award
• Clinical Translational Research Partnership Award

Lupus Research Program

• Idea Award
• Impact Award
• Transformative Vision Award
  

Military Burn Research Program

• Clinical Translational Research Award 

Neurofibromatosis Research Program

• Clinical Trial Award
• Early Investigator Research Award
• Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award
• New Investigator Award
  (Additional NFRP Award Mechanisms to be released at a later date)

Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Parkinson’s

• Early Investigator Research Award
• Investigator-Initiated Research Award
• Synergistic Idea Award
  

Orthotics and Prosthetics Outcomes Research Program

• Clinical Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award
  

Ovarian Cancer Research Program

• Proteogenomics Research Award

Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program

• Idea Award
• Impact Award
• Behavioral Health Science Award
• Translational Team Science Award
• Virtual Cancer Center Director Award 
• Career Development Award – Fellow Option
• Career Development Award – Virtual Cancer Center Scholar Option

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program

• Clinical Trial Award open to all 44 topics

Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program

• Applied Research Award
• Clinical Translational Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award

Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program open to Emerging Viral Diseases and Respiratory Health with a focus on COVID-19

• Clinical Trial Award
• Investigator Initiated Research Award
• Technology/Therapeutic Development Award
  

Prostate Cancer Research Program

• Early Investigator Research Award
• Physician Research Award
• Idea Development Award
• Translational Science Award
• Clinical Trial Award
• Health Disparity Research Award
• Population Science and Research Outcomes Award

Spinal Cord Injury Research Program

• Investigator-Initiated Research Award
• Translational Research Award
• Clinical Trial Award

Tick-Borne Disease Research Program

• Career Development Award
• Idea Development Award

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program

• Clinical Translational Research Award
• Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award
• Idea Development Award

Vision Research Program

Focused Translational Team Science Award

Investigator-Initiated Research Award Levels 1 and 2

Translational Research Award

Detailed descriptions of the funding opportunity, evaluation criteria, and submission requirements can be found in the Program Announcements. The Program Announcements are available electronically for downloading from the Grants.gov website, the CDMRP website and the electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP). A listing of all open CDMRP funding opportunities can be obtained on the Grants.gov website by performing a basic search using CFDA Number 12.420.

Submission is a two-step process requiring both pre-application submission and full application submission. All pre-applications must be submitted through eBRAP. Full applications from extramural organisations (non-DoD organisations i.e. Flinders University) must be submitted through Grants.gov.

Refer to the General Application Instructions, Section II.A. for registration and submission requirements for eBRAP and Grants.gov. For detailed information on the submission process, refer to Section II.D. of the Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity.

For more information on types of funding opportunities offered and application strategies review the CDMRP Webinar Series.

The NHMRC e-ASIA Joint Research Program (e-ASIA JRP) supports Australian participation and collaboration in leading international research. The e-ASIA JRP supports international joint research projects in the East Asia region.

The e-ASIA JRP selects research projects through an open call for proposals. Fields of cooperation are decided among the e-ASIA participating member organisations and funding is for up to three years. Funding of up to $3,000,000 is available.

NHMRC is supporting Australian researchers for the following research topics in the e-ASIA JRP 9th Health Research and Environment calls:

Health Research

• Infectious Diseases
• Mental Health
• Cancer

Environment

• Climate Change Impact on Human Health

Further information on the e-ASIA JRP 9th Health Research and Environment calls is available from the e-ASIA website.

Minimum data must now be entered into Sapphire by 5pm AEST, 29 April 2020. Completed applications must be submitted via Sapphire by 5pm AEST, 21 May 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 7 May 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Lucy Sheehan-Hennessy, Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

The common application form must be first submitted to the e-ASIA JRP secretariat by the collaborative project Lead Principal Investigator (PI). The Common Application form is available from the e-ASIA website.

The updated call information and supporting documents can be found via the e-ASIA, GrantConnect and NHMRC websites.

Nominations for the 2020 South Australian Science Excellence and Innovation Awards now close 5pm Friday, 22 May 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 13 May 2020. Please contact Dr Marina Delpin, Manager, Researcher Development, Training and Communication, as soon as possible if you are intending to nominate, as institutional endorsement is required.

The 2020 South Australian Science Excellence and Innovation Awards recognise outstanding achievements by leaders and tertiary teachers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM).

For HDR applicants, contact the Office of Graduate Research for application advice and assistance. They have a number of resources developed to assist applicants. Please note that nominees for the PhD Research Excellence Award must be Australian citizens, and have had their PhD conferred up to 24 months prior.

Awards will be presented in four categories in 2020:

• Awards for Science Excellence
• South Australian Scientist of the year
• PhD Research Excellence Award

• Award for Excellence in Innovation and Translation
• South Australian Innovator of the Year
• Excellence in Science and Industry Collaboration (previously Excellence in Research Collaboration)
• Awards for Innovation in STEMM Teaching
• STEM Professional Award
• STEM Educator of the Year (split into School Teaching and Tertiary Teaching categories)

The Award for Excellence in Innovation and Translation is new for 2020 and is for exceptional innovators (including researchers and research teams) that are able to demonstrate innovation and translation and how this innovation has delivered a positive impact.

The South Australian Scientist of the Year and new Innovator of the Year category will receive a prize to the value of $25,000 each. Other category winners will receive a prize to the value of $10,000 to use towards their career development.

Award finalists will now be announced in June through the Science Excellence and Innovation Awards website and social media channels.

The gala dinner, originally scheduled for August will now be postponed due to the circumstances and restrictions around COVID-19. Inspiring Research will advise the new gala dinner date, when it is announced.

Winners will be announced at a gala dinner on Friday, 14 August 2020 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Why should you nominate?

• Recognition of your (and your teams) achievements by peers and decision makers.
• Finalists receive a compelling video of their journey that is available online for colleagues, peers, and others to access. It can also be used for future endeavours, as a record of your journey.
• Special invitations are extended to winners and finalists, such as invitation to the Prime Minister's Prize for Science Awards night.
• The gala dinner provides an excellent opportunity to network with luminaries such as the Vice-Chancellor's of each SA university, keynote speakers and peers and industry.

For more information, guidelines and to apply, visit scienceawards.sa.gov.au.

Future Leader Fellows are emerging leaders, the best and brightest in cardiovascular research. Being awarded a fellowship will allow a researcher to build their research capacity as they become leaders of research groups.

The fellowship funds a generous salary along with project funding, to facilitate high impact research outcomes and assist researchers in leveraging funds from further sources to help support their career.

Level 1 Fellowship must be 3–7 years post awarding of their PhD on the application closing date. Level 2 Fellowship must be 7–10 years post awarding of their PhD on the application closing date. Applicants must be involved in any area of cardiovascular health research including biomedical, clinical, public health and health service delivery.

Applications open on 2 March 2020 and will now close on 8 May 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 24 April 2020.

For application advice and assistance, contact Mary Lyons, Senior Research Grants Officer (IGII).

For more information, including eligibility criteria, visit the Heart Foundation website. 

The Australian Academy of Science invites applications from Australian researchers for the APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE Prize) for 2020.

The ASPIRE Prize is an annual award which recognises young scientists from APEC economies who have demonstrated a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication, and cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies.

The theme chosen for this year is Biodiversity for a Prosperous Economy. This theme focuses on scientists’ contributions to biodiversity for prosperous economies across the APEC region by driving research that contributes to local livelihoods, traditional and modern medicines, and economic development.

To be eligible, Australian researchers must be under 40 years of age at 31 December 2020 and be an Australian citizen, or an Australian permanent resident who is a citizen of an APEC member economy and living in Australia at time of application.

The call for applications will now close at 11:59 pm (AEST) on Friday 15 May 2020. The Flinders internal closing date is 11 May 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Dr Marina Delpin, Manager, Researcher Development, Training and Communication.

For more information and the nomination form, visit the AAS website.

Heart Foundation Vanguard Grants are available to researchers for concept studies with the potential to improve cardiovascular health in the short term.

Designed to test the feasibility of innovative concepts, Vanguard Grants may lead to larger, more rigorous testing in the future. The projects will provide tangible outcomes with the potential to improve cardiovascular health. 

To be eligible, an applicant must be involved in any area of cardiovascular health research including biomedical, clinical, public health and health service delivery and only one application per applicant (Chief Investigator A only) is allowed.

Applicants can apply for funding for up to two years, with up to $75,000 of funding per year.

Applications will now close on 1 May 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 24 April 2020. For application advice and assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health).

For more information, including eligibility criteria, visit the Heart Foundation website.

The Heart Foundation Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards are now open.

This award is to provide grant funding for research groups and/or individuals conducting research in the cardiovascular health sphere/community. Projects are expected to produce tangible outcomes with the potential of creating high impact change in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cardiovascular health research community, whilst also providing a capacity building opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and/or students.

Applicants will be required to demonstrate how the requested funding will benefit both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and/or communities, as well as how it will benefit the development of knowledge for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cardiovascular health management.

Applications open on 10 February 2020 and will now close on 1 May 2020. The Flinders internal closing date for a completed final draft application is 17 April 2020.

For advice and application assistance, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health), Research Development and Support.

For more information, visit the Heart Foundation website.

The Heart Foundation Health Professional Scholarships are now open.

Health Professional Scholars are established health professionals who have become active in research through the undertaking of a PhD. Applicants will be encouraged to continue their cardiovascular health practice during their PhD, whilst being encouraged to develop evidence-based health practice and research translation. 

Health professionals who have a strong research background are uniquely placed to champion and lead the translation of research into practice, with the potential to produce immediate health outcomes. 

Applications open on 3 February 2020 and will now close on 1 May 2020.

For advice and application assistance on the Health Professional Scholarship, contact Gareth Rees, Senior Research Grants Officer (NHMRC and Health), Research Development and Support.

For more information, visit the Heart Foundation website.