Dementia Australia Research Foundation Grants

Deadline: 29 July 2024

The Dementia Australia Research Foundation is offering grants to support talented new, early and mid-career researchers.

Purpose

Project Grants
- Research needs bright and talented scientists to focus on the growing challenge dementia poses to current and future generations of Australians. The purpose of the Dementia Australia Research Foundation – Project Grant scheme is to build capacity in the field of dementia research by supporting new and early-career researchers. The Project Grants are intended to help new investigators establish their careers as independent dementia researchers by supporting small, time-limited research projects, or pilot projects.
Post-Doctoral Fellowships
- To do this, RAD:
  - Identifies and financially backs the most talented early-career researchers.
  - Provides catalyst funding, enabling researchers to pursue innovative ideas at the highest level that might not get funded by the mainstream.
Mid-Career Research Fellowships
- The Mid-Career Research Fellowship scheme aims to support researchers, who have completed their PhD within the last 10 years, to continue their progress towards becoming independent researchers and leaders in the dementia field. It also provides an opportunity for mid-career researchers to establish their own research programs.
Clinical Practice Post-graduate Stipend
- The Mid-Career Research Fellowship scheme aims to support researchers, who have completed their PhD within the last 10 years, to continue their progress towards becoming independent researchers and leaders in the dementia field. It also provides an opportunity for mid-career researchers to establish their own research programs.
Travel Grant
- The scheme aims to strengthen and build research skills and promote networking, collaborations, communication or dissemination of research results through scientific events, meetings or work experience. The proposed travel must benefit dementia research. The award aims to support researchers across the early stages of their career, from PhD students (who have completed at least one year full-time equivalent of their PhD and passed their PhD confirmation) to Mid-Career researchers (who are up to 10 years post-PhD).
Research Translation Grant in Dementia Care
- The Dr Stuart and Bonnie Bartle Research Translation Grant in Dementia Care aims to accelerate the real-world adoption of evidence-based strategies that contribute to best practice approaches to dementia care. The scheme aims to attract proposals from new and established groups, which may be multi-disciplinary and include members with expertise in knowledge translation or implementation science. By bringing expertise from outside (as well as within) the field of dementia, new approaches and collaborations may be identified that enable evidence to move more efficiently into sustainable practice and, ultimately, improve outcomes for people living with dementia, their families and carers.

Funding Information

Project Grants
- Dementia Australia Research Foundation Project Grant: $85,000
- Dr Maree Farrow Memorial Project Grant: $85,000
- Hazel Hawke Research Grant in Dementia Care: $85,000
- Dr Stuart & Bonnie Bartle Project Grant: $85,000
Post-doctoral Fellowships
- Race Against Dementia – Dementia Australia Research Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship: Salary $114,000 p.a. Project grant $125,000 5 years
- Dementia Australia Research Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship: Salary $114,000 p.a. Project grant $85,000 3 years
Mid-Career Research Fellowships
- Royce Simmons Foundation Mid-Career Research Fellowship: Salary $151,000 p.a. Project grant $85,000 2 years
- Dementia Australia Research Foundation Mid-Career Research Fellowship: Salary $151,000 p.a. Project grant $85,000 2 years
Post-graduate Stipend
- Dementia Australia Research Foundation Clinical Practice Postgraduate Stipend: $30,000
Travel Grants
- Dementia Australia Research Foundation Travel Grant: $15,000
Research Translation Grant
- Dr Stuart & Bonnie Bartle Research Translation Grant in Dementia Care: $200,000

Eligibility Criteria

At the time of application, acceptance and for the duration of the grant, the Applicant (Chief Investigator (CI) must be an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen living in Australia, a permanent resident of Australia, or have an appropriate work visa in place. The CI must also be based in Australia for at least 80% of the project. All applicants must provide evidence to their host institution to support this criterion. Host institutions are responsible for certifying and ensuring that these requirements are met. The Dementia Australia Research Foundation may request further information in relation to these requirements, including evidence of residency and/or citizenship.
- To be eligible for a Project Grant:
  - The CI must not have more than six years post-PhD experience at the time of applying, adjusted for career interruptions / relative to opportunity i.e. the CI was awarded a PhD or equivalent (DPhil or M.D. by research) on or after 29 July 2018 or has submitted a PhD thesis for examination (the thesis must be passed prior to the proposed commencement date of the project i.e. before March 2025).
  - The CI must not have been awarded project funding from NHMRC, ARC, MRFF or equivalent international schemes where they have been listed as the lead CI (i.e. CIA) on the application. CIs that have been awarded a Fellowship through NHMRC, ARC, MRFF or an equivalent international scheme that may or may not include some level of project funding are eligible to apply.
- To be eligible for a Post-doctoral Fellowship:
  - The CI must not hold a fellowship funded by another organisation unless, if successful, they plan to relinquish the existing fellowship.
  - The CI must identify an experienced dementia researcher as a supervisor, who is based at the same or a related institution (e.g. an affiliated hospital or research institute) as the CI. Under usual circumstances, the mentor would not have been the applicant’s PhD supervisor.
- To be eligible for a Mid-Career Research Fellowship:
  - The CI must not have more than 10 years post-PhD experience at the time of applying, adjusted for career interruptions / relative to opportunity i.e. the CI was awarded a PhD or equivalent (DPhil or M.D. by research) on or after 29 July 2014.
  - The CI must hold a position at or below the level of Associate Professor (or equivalent if not employed within the university system).
- To be eligible for a Clinical Practice Post-graduate Stipend:
  - The CI must be a health professional (e.g., medicine, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, dentistry, physiotherapy) prior to the commencement of the award.
  - The applicant must be enrolled in a research PhD (part-time or full-time) at an Australian university or show that they have made arrangements to undertake a PhD in research at an Australian university, alongside their clinical work.
- To be eligible for a Travel Grant:
  - The CI must have completed at least one year full-time equivalent of their PhD (with confirmation passed) and not more than 10 years post-PhD experience at the time of applying, adjusted for career interruptions / relative to opportunity (i.e. the CI was awarded a PhD or equivalent (DPhil or M.D. by research) on or after 29 July 2014). If applicable, evidence of the applicant’s PhD confirmation must be provided by March 2025.
  - Research that is to be presented publicly must be approved by an authorised ethics committee, if applicable.
- To be eligible for a Research Translation Grant:
  - The research team must include at least one early-career researcher with not more than 10 years post-PhD experience at the time of applying, adjusted for career interruptions / relative to opportunity i.e. PhD or equivalent (DPhil or M.D. by research) on or after 29 July 2014 or has submitted a PhD thesis for examination.
  - The research must be conducted primarily in Australia and address the topic and scope of the funding round.

Criteria

Project Grants, Post-doctoral Fellowships, Mid-Career Research Fellowships, Clinical Practice Post-graduate Stipend
- Eligibility for multiple awards
  - Where they are listed as the CI, applicants:
  - May only submit one application within each funding scheme. Applicants who apply for a Fellowship, are eligible to and wish to be considered for a stand-alone Project Grant must submit a separate Project Grant application i.e. a Fellowship application will not automatically be considered for a Project Grant.
  - Are not permitted to submit an application to both the Post-doctoral and the MidCareer Fellowship schemes.
Travel Grants
- Where they are listed as the CI, applicants:
  - May only submit one application within each funding scheme.
  - Must submit a separate application if they are eligible and wish to be considered for another award i.e. a Travel Grant application will not automatically be considered for a Project Grant.
  - May hold a Travel Grant jointly with another award. If a researcher has submitted an application as a CI and also appears as an Associate Investigator (AI) on another application, both may also be awarded.
Research Translation Grant in Dementia Care
- Where they are listed as the CIA, applicants:
  - May only submit one application within this funding scheme.
  - Can only be awarded one grant or fellowship from this year’s Dementia Grants Program (except for Travel Grants, which can be held jointly with another award). If a researcher has submitted an application as CIA and also appears as an Associate Investigator (AI) on another application, both may be awarded.