NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships
Application tip sheet
Please note, incomplete and ineligible applications will be exclude by the NHMRC for consideration.
We would recommend thoroughly proof reading your application for typing and grammatical errors prior to submission.
Please ensure that any acronyms are explained under each major section as the order in which the assessors read the application cannot be ensured.
ELIGIBILITY AND COMPLIANCE
Citizenship/Permanent Residency
All applicants are required to hold Australian Citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency or New Zealand Citizenship with a Special Category Visa at the time of application submission.
Multiple Applications
Applicants can only apply for one postgraduate scholarship per application round.
Previous Postgraduate Scholarship
Applicants must not have previously held an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship.
Current Australian government scholarship
Applicants can not currently hold an Australian Government Scholarship such as an Australia Postgraduate Award (APA).
Current Study Status
Applicants cannot:
· Be in their final year of an Honours degree at the time of application; or
· Have completed more than 24 months of their PhD candidature, or 12 months of their MPhil candidature, as at 1 January of the award year (2018)
Scholarship Type
Please ensure that you review the eligibility criteria under the Postgraduate Scholarship Funding Rule for the relevant Scholarship Type.
Fulfilled obligations to all previous NHMRC funding
Please be aware that you must have fulfilled all obligations from previous NHMRC Grants or Funding Agreements (including final and progress reporting requirements) in order to be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Scholarship.
Other Salaried Positions
NHMRC Postgraduate Scholars are not able to personally receive a salary from another comparable award, full-time academic position, or other full-time position in conjunction with their NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship. Any other awards or salaried positions held must be relinquished as at 1 January of the award year (2018) to take up an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship.
Proposed Research
Applicants must have:
· A proposed project that is based in Australia, with the scholar required to spend at least 80% of their time in Australia. Periods of activity may be undertaken overseas however a period of more than 3 months per year overseas would require NHMRC approval; and
· A proposed degree that is a research degree (PhD or MPhil).
Please ensure that your Grant Proposal aligns with these requirements.
Ineligible Content
Applicants must not include in their application:
· Links to external websites, apart from references to published or peer reviewed journal articles that are only available online. Where links are included, provide the URL in full; or
· References to publication and citation metrics such as Journal Impact Factors, the previous Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) Ranked Journal List, or h-index.
In addition, the NHMRC requires that applicants do not use the RGMS ID number or RGMS sequence number created in the ‘Snapshot Reports’ to refer to specific publications in their application.
UploadED PDF Naming Protocols
PDF files must be named using the following convention: APPID_Applicant’s Surname_Document Type/Name.pdf. For example: APP#######_Applicant’s Surname_Grant Proposal.pdf.
Please ensure that documents are uploaded into RGMS in the NHMRC specified convention.
APPLICATION - PART A
PART A: GENERAL
Grant Duration
The maximum duration for a NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship is 3 years for PhD or 2 years for MPhil, with the duration of the scholarship reduced by any periods of study already undertaken towards the proposed degree prior to 1 January of the award year (2018).
Administering Institution
The University of Queensland must be listed at the administering institution for your application.
Application Title
The application title is used to identify the application and should accurately describe the nature of the grant proposal.
In order to ensure that your reader can easily understand and be engaged in your proposal, we would recommend minimising the use of acronyms / abbreviations / jargon in your application title.
ATSI Research
If your application includes Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health research and/or capacity building you will need to address the additional assessment criteria for Indigenous Research Excellence within your Grant Proposal. Please note that to qualify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health research, at least 20% of the research effort and/or capacity building must relate to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health.
Synopsis
The synopsis should accurately, and briefly, summarise the research proposal. This information may be used to assign applications to Peer Review Panels (PRP) and assessors. In addition it may also be used by other organisations to determine whether the research proposal meets their priorities for funding. It may also be considered in the assessment process. Please ensure your application is accessible to the layperson or discipline non-expert by using plain English and terminology that is not highly specialised.
The content and structure of your synopsis is very important in effectively conveying your proposed research to assessors. Please ensure the aims, hypothesis, outcomes and significance of your research program are all communicated to maximum effect.
Whilst statistics and history of the disease is very important in painting a picture of the ‘why is it timely to be funded now’, the content of your synopsis is very important in effectively conveying your proposed research to assessors.
The synopsis should not contain details about yourself as a researcher, including publications, awards and funding awarded to date. The synopsis should only focus on the research project and not include information relating to your ‘track record’.
Plain English Summary
The Plain English Summary should describe the overall aims of the research and expected outcomes in simple terms that could be understood by the general public. Please ensure your application is accessible to the layperson or discipline non-expert by using plain English and terminology that is not highly specialised.
Privacy Notice
We would recommend that you read the privacy notice and tick the box accordingly.
Consent to Provide Information to International Assessors
We would recommend that you indicate ‘yes’ to this question.
A-PINST: PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS
Participating Institution Details in RGMS
If your research is to be conducted at more than one institution, the percentage allocated to each participating institution and department must be entered to reflect the sharing of the research effort among the institutions.
Please ensure that the research effort total (that is, the sum of all figures given for research effort) equals 100%.
A-RC: RESEARCH CLASSIFICATION
Guide to Peer-Review Areas
Please be aware that applicants are to choose at least one, but up to three thematic areas, in priority order. The NHMRC will use these suggestions as a guide to allocating applications to the most relevant Grant Review Panel (GRP).
Broad Research Area
Please select one of the four Broad Research Area categories from the drop-down list (choosing the category that is the most appropriate to your proposal).
Field of Research
Please select the most appropriate FOR category and subcategory for your proposal.
Information entered into this section will be used in the peer review process to assist with the allocation of your application to the most relevant peer review panel and to aid in the selection of appropriate expert peer reviewers for your application.
Research Keywords/Phrases
You are required to select a minimum of five Research Keywords/Phrases that specifically describe your research.
The NHMRC uses keywords to assist with the selection of appropriate expert peer reviewers for your application. Please check the keywords to ensure that they do not inadvertently direct the application to reviewers in less optimal field/s.
A-BoD: BURDEN OF DISEASE
Please ensure that you select Burden of Diseases that best describes the area of research of the application. You can select up to three Burden of Disease types and you must allocate a percentage (%) of time against each. The percentage (%) total must not exceed 100%.
A-RT: RESEARCH TEAM AND COMMITMENT
A-RT is not required for NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship applications. Information entered here will not be included in the Assessor Snapshot, so please ensure that any information entered under Qualifications and Skills is included elsewhere in the application. You are also encouraged to refer to mentors and collaborators who will participate in the scholarship research program in other parts of the application.
A-EG: ETHICS - GENERAL
Please ensure that a response is made to each question.
APPLICATION - PART B
B-AISch: APPLICATION INFORMATION (SCHOLARSHIP)
Time Committment
Part-time scholarships are only available to Medical/Dental Postgraduate Scholars who are undertaking dual training (postgraduate medical/dental and a PhD program) OR for applicants under any Scholarship Type who have parental/carer responsibilities or personal illness.
Applicants applying for part-time due to parental/carer responsibilities will need to provide a letter of support from their Primary Supervisor or Administering Institution as part of B-SA: Scholarship Attachments.
Electromagnetic Energy (EME) Research Details
This section is only available for applicants applying in the Clinical and Public Health Scholarship types and the research must align with the aims of the 2010 WHO Research Agenda for Radio Frequency Fields.
Co-Funding
If you wish to be considered for a co-funded award, select the organisation(s) from which co-funding is sought by clicking ‘Browse’.
NHMRC does not require any additional information or attachments for applicants who are also applying for co-funding, however some of the co-funding partners may require further information or have an application form that the applicant needs to complete. For example the MS Research Australia Betty Cuthbert Scholarship and National Heart Foundation of Australia Scholarship require a separate application form to be completed. Ensure you check the co-funding organisation’s website for further details.
Current Enrolment and FTE
The response to the full-time equivalent months question must indicate the period of full-time enrolment completed on the proposed degree, up to 31 December of the year prior to the award year (2016).
For Dora Lush Biomedical ONLY
If you are applying for a Dora Lush Biomedical Postgraduate Scholarship please ensure that you complete this section to include the date of your most recent academic qualification; and provide a statement outlining the circumstances which have delayed your ability to pursue PhD or MPhil studies.
For Medical Graduate with Further Clinical Training ONLY
If you are applying for a scholarship type with ‘Medical Graduate with Further Clinical Training’ as the Sub-Category please ensure that you have indicated the status of your postgraduate clinical qualifications in this section.
Academic Performance
In this section, the NHMRC requires you to describe your academic performance. We recommend that you emphasise aspects of the subject choice for further study in your proposed degree. Please do not repeat your academic transcript or provide a full CV, but describe the directions you have taken in your academic career and any special highlights to which you wish to draw attention to.
For ease of reference, please ensure that you use full names when referring to supervisors.
Previous EXperience
We recommend that this section has a strong focus on the significance of your contributions. Applicants should highlight a few of their most significant contributions by giving a brief summary of what the contribution was (what research was conducted), and then explain why these particular contributions are significant and what makes these contributions interesting and unique. For example - How did your work change the development of the discipline? How did it lead to technological innovation? How did it underpin conceptual advances or new methodologies? Was significant new knowledge created? Why were these important breakthroughs to have made?
We recommend that you comment on the experiences that have led you to your current research. Each experience mentioned should be related back to how this affects the research that you will undertake in your proposed degree.
B-RCI: RESEARCH AND CAREER INFORMATION LIST
Supervisor/s
Please ensure that your primary supervisor is listed as Supervisor 1. Your primary supervisor will also be required to provide a referee report and 2 page CV under B-R: Referees. You can select a maximum of three supervisors.
Project
1. Potential of Project & Choice of Supervisor:
We recommend that you include details regarding the knowledge and skills that you will gain from this project as a whole, and not those that you will gain specifically from your supervisor.
You should include details on your choice of supervisor, reasons for choosing your supervisor may include:
· The quality of other researchers in your supervisor’s research group at UQ.
· Your supervisor’s collaborations with other researchers in your field.
· Access to the research facilities.
· Access to specific data.
· Knowledge of methods that may be used in your research.
· Possibility of joint publications.
2. How the tenure of this award would contribute to your future career aspirations:
We recommend you discuss your career objectives in relation to what you hope to achieve over the term of your proposed degree, and how this will assist you in reaching your career aspiration after the completion of this scholarship. For example:
· Obtaining increased opportunities for future funding for your work
· Publishing your results in high impact journals
· Developing collaborations with leaders in the field both nationally and internationally
· Developing your international profile through conference presentations
· Developing a more independent program of research
It is also important to outline how you intend to achieve these objectives.
3. How the research topic relates to your current and future professional pathway:
We recommend that you include details regarding how your proposed research topic relates to your current career, as well as your future career aspirations.
Future Career
Please ensure that you describe your intended career after completion of the proposed degree.
B-SA: SCHOLARSHIP ATTACHMENTS LIST
Grant Proposal - General
Please use the template provided for your Grant Proposal. To ensure compliance do not modify the key components of the template.
You are required to name your proposal PDF using a specified convention. The convention is APP10xxxxxxx_Applicant’s Surname_Document type/name.pdf (for example: APP1234567_Smith_Grant Proposal.pdf).
The NHMRC requires the following to ensure compliance: