Stroke Foundation Research Grants (Australia)

Grants Offered

• Early to Early-Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Seed Grants
• EMCR Future Leader/Future Leader with Lived Experience Grants

Aim

• Early to Early-Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Seed Grants
  • To generate new knowledge, kickstart innovative projects and provide a platform for emerging researchers to tackle evidence and implementation gaps in stroke care and excel in their stroke specialty. Seed Grants provide a platform for emerging researchers to gain grant successes and leverage these into further national and international funding, to strengthen evidence in stroke prevention, treatment and recovery and grow researcher capacity.
• EMCR Future Leader/Future Leader with Lived Experience Grants
  • To develop leadership skills, increase potential for successful collaboration, build confidence and capabilities of emerging researchers, including those with lived experience, to contribute to stroke research.

Priority Areas

• Research in priority populations (as defined) in any stage of care.
  • Study areas include (but are not limited to):
    • Early recognition of stroke and emergency response (i.e., increased speed from recognition to diagnosis and treatment). This could include (but is not limited to):
      • less common warning signs; and
      • studies in all age groups or a specific age group, such as younger people and children.
    • Improving access to acute stroke services and specialist care; or
    • Developing and evaluating health services or pathways to improve stroke outcomes.
• Translational and implementation research.
  • Projects must specifically assess how to improve adoption or implementation of evidence-based treatments/processes, that have been shown to be effective, within health care or home settings. Only studies using a translational design, where the core component is implementation of existing evidence will be considered for funding. Studies to test or develop new or unproven treatments/processes, will not be considered for funding within this priority area.
  • Researchers are recommended to focus on areas where there is a strong clinical guideline recommendation but there is a known gap in care. Examples include (but are not limited to):
    • improved early access of reperfusion (increased % of patients receiving reperfusion within 60 mins); or
    • routine fitness training for those involved in inpatient or community rehabilitation; or
    • tailored information provision; or
    • embedding communication partner training in an acute stroke unit for staff and volunteers; or
    • better detection and management of atrial fibrillation.
• Long-term community support beyond 6 months post-stroke.
  • Projects must focus on improved connection to and delivery of community-based care for people living with stroke. Outcomes must be measured at least 6 months after a person’s stroke. Settings and examples include (but are not limited to):
    • Community health services
    • Primary care
    • Interventions for improved continuity of care
    • Reduced social isolation
    • Support for childhood stroke
    • Support for post-stroke complications (in all age groups), such as (not limited to) epilepsy
    • Long-term outcomes from previously conducted pilot work.
• Long-term psychosocial recovery beyond 6 months post-stroke.
  • Projects must focus on psychological needs and emotional and social wellbeing for people living with stroke which may include the relationships with their family/carer. Outcomes must be measured at least 6 months after a person’s stroke. Study areas include (but are not limited to):
    • Mental, emotional and social wellness
    • Recovery of cognition
    • Communication
    • Childhood stroke

Funding Information

• Early to Early-Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Seed Grants
  • EMCR researchers are invited to apply for Seed Grants of up to $80,000 per grant, available for projects of up to 18 months, addressing (at least one of) Stroke Foundation’s research priority areas.
• EMCR Future Leader/Future Leader with Lived Experience Grants
  • EMCR researchers and people with lived experience are encouraged to apply for Future Leader  Grants of up to $5,000 per grant, for a stroke research development activity in 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

• Early to Early-Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Seed Grants
  • Their Seed Grants focus on clinical, public health and health services research. Laboratory-based or pre-clinical research proposals are ineligible.
  • Principal Investigators must not be a previous Stroke Foundation Seed Grant recipient.
  • The research must be carried out in Australia.
  • The proposal clearly and directly addresses the nominated research priority area(s).
  • Proposals must demonstrate engagement and recognition of people with lived experience and/or community during the study design and/or ongoing conduct of the research. For this criterion, engagement that is safe, supportive, positive, and proportionate to the proposal is accepted.
  • Applicants have completed their module on working effectively with people with lived experience.
  • The proposal’s inclusion and exclusion criteria is justified. Consideration of, rationale and methods for inclusion across diverse groups, including people with communication impairments and priority populations, is provided.
  • The Seed Grant period is effective from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2026.
  • Preference for funding given for applications including some, or all, of the following criteria:
    • Innovative projects with considered diversity and inclusion methods and potential for national reach.
    • Studies to enable a research project to be developed such that it could be supported by a recognized grant-giving agency (e.g., NHMRC, MRFF) in subsequent years.
    • Applications with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration.
• EMCR Future Leader/Future Leader with Lived Experience Grants
  • Future Leader Grants are open to all disciplines.
  • Applicants must not be a previous Stroke Foundation Future Leader Grant recipient.
  • Applicants based overseas are ineligible.
  • The Future Leader grant period is effective from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.
  • Applicants should consider some, or all, of the following criteria and guidance:
    • That you have started on the path, or aspire to be, a leader in stroke research. Applicants are encouraged to provide an example of when you have demonstrated a commitment and/or engagement in a leadership role or activity.
    • They particularly encourage applications by lived experience researchers and/or applications that include development/collaboration plans with lived experience contributors. Such applications should include budget to pay for time and out of pocket expenses for lived experience contributors.
    • The budget must be well justified.
• Eligibility Criteria in all grant schemes
  • The following conditions apply in addition to specific eligibility criteria for each grant scheme. This should be considered foundational (but not exhaustive) criteria.
    • Applicants must meet the EMCR definition.
      • Consideration is given for career disruptions or other extenuating circumstances that have affected the applicant’s time in research.
    • The application must be supported by an Administering Institution.
      • For this criterion, the applicant should have a relationship with an Administering Institution (i.e., an Australian university or research body) to enable support for and oversight of the proposal, and if successful, fulfilment of the Conditions of Research Grant Award if successful.
    • The project timeline does not exceed the grant period.
      • The grant period is intended to include time for ethics approval. A proposal that is building upon existing work (‘pre-work’), such as lived experience and/or community engagement in study design, pending or existing ethics approvals, can apply where all other conditions are met. Pre-work relevant to the proposal may be indicated in the project timeline, without altering the grant period’s effective start date.
    • The project timeline should map how the research will be feasibly completed within the grant period, including final reporting to Stroke Foundation.

For more information, visit Stroke Foundation.