Master of Research Scholarship Grant Applicant Guidelines: 2017 Grant Round

DEADLINE: Friday Sept 15th, 2017 at 5pm (AEDT)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Research grants from Chiropractic Australia (CA) in collaboration with Chiropractic & Osteopathic College of Australasia Research Limited(COCA Research)and the Australia & New Zealand Musculoskeletal (ANZMUSC) Clinical Trials Network are for researchers to work on a research project supervised by an ANZMUSC member that is endorsed by the ANZMUSC Scientific Advisory Committee.. The purpose of this scholarship grant is toadvance research in defined areas of musculoskeletal research. In addition to the applicant’s track record, applications will be considered on the basis of scientific merit.

Submission of Application Forms

Applicationrequires one electronic copy via email to arrive by the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted. Applicants who fail to apply as instructed will not be eligible for consideration. Receipt of your application will be acknowledged byreturn e-mail.

Send completed applications, by, Friday Sept 15th2017 at 5pm (AEDT) to:

Selection Criteria

Funds will be allocated by ANZMUSC, whose decisions in collaboration with a co-opted COCA Research Limited representative and a member of the ANZMUSC Consumer Advisory Groupshall be considered final. Applications will be judged in relation to:

  • Evidence and strength of candidate academic qualifications gained and, where applicable, professional qualifications and/or relevant experience
  • Ability of the host institution and supervisor to provide excellent research training
  • Match of the applicant’s interests with his/her potential supervisors
  • The appropriateness of the design, participant selection, intervention, outcome measures and proposedstatistical analysis to the research question;

MRes Scholarships

A MRes scholarship is available to suitably qualified applicants. The Scholarship is for one year (full time) . The level of payment will be equivalent to the current Australian Commonwealth Government’s Australian Postgraduate Award (APA);the 2016 full time rate is a tax free stipend of $26,288 per annum for a period of one year. The successful applicant must start the project in 2017 within 6 months of scholarship acceptance. Scholarships cannot be deferred. The student cannot hold another scholarship at the same time.

Notification

All applicants will be notified in writing of the final decisions of CA & ANZMUSC.

Eligibility Criteria
The MRes Scholarship applicant must:
  • Be chiropractor or an osteopath. Chiropractic applicants must be a member of Chiropractic Australia, and osteopathic applicants must be a member of COCA Scholarship recipients must maintain CA or COCA membership for the duration of the MRes scholarship (Please note that CA and COCA memberships are cost free for academics and full-time students);
  • Be registered, or eligible for registration, as a chiropractor or osteopath with the Chiropractic Board of Australia or the Osteopathy Board of Australia;
  • Be an Australian citizen, or have permanent resident status;
  • Currently reside in Australia and expecting to reside in Australia for the duration of the PhD candidature;
  • Commence the Masters degree within 6 months of scholarship acceptance;
  • Be supervised by an ANZMUSC member;
  • Work on one of the approved ANZMUSC projects;
  • Provide evidence of eligibility for enrolment in a MRes degree at the supervising ANZMUSC member’s Australian University and must apply for candidature in the usual manner;
  • Obtain approval from the supervisor’s university to enter their MRes program before commencement of the degree

Obligations of Grant Recipients

Payment: A CA& ANZMUSC Research Scholarship will normally be paid to the relevant Administering Organisation in quarterly payments. The Scholarship shall be used solely for the purpose specified.

Project Reports:Progress Reports (submitted to ANZMUSC) are required every 12 months from the date of commencement of theMRes Scholarship to demonstrate satisfactory progress in order to receive continued funding. A final project reportis required no later than 12 months from the completion of the project and should indicate any presentations andpublications related to the project.

Communication: Research findings are expected to be disseminated and this may be in the form of publicationin appropriate journals, conference presentations, workshops, etc.

Acknowledgment: All publications and presentations from research carried out with the assistance of aCA& ANZMUSC Research grant must be appropriately acknowledged in all publications and presentations. A copy of publications must beforwarded to ANZMUSCand/or ANZMUSCnotified of conference presentations.

Legal Agreement

Successful applicants, or their Administering Institution, are required to sign a formal agreement prior to receiving any grant monies.

Ethical Approval

For research involving humans and/or animals, ethical approval from an appropriate ethics committee must be gained. Confirmation of this approval must be supplied to ANZMUSC prior to the second paymentpayment of the scholarship.

Release of Information

All information provided on a CA& ANZMUSC Research grant application form is private and confidential and will be used inaccordance with the COCA Research Privacy Policy. In the event that your grant applicationis successful, information including the name of the applicant, grant amount, project title, and projectsummary will be disseminated by CA, COCA & ANZMUSC on their websites and in Newsletters.CA and COCA may alsoforward copies of the final project report and any publications resulting from the funded research to a grant donor.

GUIDELINES FOR COMPLETING THE APPLICATION FORM

Please complete the application in no smaller than Size 12 Font

  1. Research Area

The research area and/or the research question should be clinical research in a specific area of musculoskeletal research.

  1. Project Title

Provide a short descriptive title (maximum 30 words) that accurately describes your research project.

  1. Applicant date of birth

This is needed only for identification purposes.

  1. Administering Institution

Provide details of the administering Institution.

  1. Location of Proposed Study

Provide details as indicated about the location of the proposed study.

  1. Applicant and supervisor details

The applicant must:

  • Be registered, or eligible for registration, as a chiropractor or osteopath with the Chiropractic Board of Australia or the Osteopathy Board of Australia;
  • Be an Australian citizen, or have permanent resident status;
  • Currently reside in Australia and expecting to reside in Australia for the duration of the MRes candidature;
  • Be a financial member of CA or COCA and maintain membership for the duration of the MRes scholarship;
  • Provide evidence of eligibility for enrolment in a MRes degree at the ANZMUSC supervisors’ recognised Australian University.

The Primary Supervisor should be an experienced researcher with previous and currentresearch support and publications arising from that support. The Primary Supervisor must be an ANZMUSC member.

  1. Applicant proof of Australian chiropractic/osteopathic registration (or eligibility for registration)

Applicants must be registered, or eligible for registration, as a chiropractor or osteopath with the Chiropractic Board of Australia or the Osteopathy Board of Australia. Provide details as indicated in this item and append scanned evidence of current registration to this application.

  1. Project summary

In no more than 200 words, summarise the research question, plan and significance of the project to chiropractic and osteopathy and to the general community.

  1. Project Proposal
  2. Project Outline

Take no more than 6 pages in minimum size 12 font to outline your project proposal under the following headings:

  • Background
  • Significance
  • Research Aims
  • Methods
  • Analysis
  • Feasibility
  • References(one additional page)

Provide sufficient detail to explain your proposal but note that excess pages and/or explanatoryappendices will not be included in the evaluation of the proposal.

9.2Project Milestones

List up to seven project milestones, ensuring each milestone is measurable. Use the table format providedon the application form to briefly show your work plan for achieving each project milestone. The workplan should include the actions, key performance indicators and deadlines for each milestone. Theexamples provided on the application form may be used as a guide.

Note that if your application receives funding, the information provided here will bethe milestones and deadlines you report against for your Progress and Final Reports.

  1. Project alignment with ANZMUSC vision and mission

Describe how the project aligns with the ANZMUSC vision and mission

  1. Project Workload

Demonstrate that it is feasible for the applicant and supervisor/s to undertake the proposedresearch project in conjunction with other research and professional commitments. Indicate theaverage number of hours per week that each person is likely to commit over theduration of the project and what percentage these hours constitute within their EFT role.

  1. Detailed undergraduate performance: undergraduate career chronology

Indicate higher education degrees obtained. Transcripts and Institutional key to grading system used must be appended to the application.

  1. University Prizes and other prizes/awards

Document any academic prizes received during University study. Also list any other relevant prizes or awards received.

  1. Career chronology from beginning of tertiary studies

Provide details as indicated of relevant employment and study from the beginning of your tertiary studies.

  1. Research Experience

Document formal and informal research experience.

  1. Research record: Applicant publications

Provide a list of all your publications, categorising as indicated.

  1. Proposed Primary MRes Supervisor

Provide details as indicated about the proposed MRes supervisor.

  1. Proposed Supervisor report in confidence

Each Scholarship Applicant is required to arrange for the report form to be completed by the proposed Supervisor (without which the application will be deemed ineligible). Where more than one supervisor is proposed, the report is required to be provided by the Primary Supervisor. The report template is available at:

The Supervisor is required to email this completed report to the ANZMUSC office by the grant deadline.

  1. Proposed OtherMResSupervisor(s) (if applicable)

Provide details as indicated of other proposed PhD supervisor(s), if applicable.

  1. Research Record: supervisor(s)

List the relevant publications of the supervisor(s)as indicated.

  1. Applicant and Supervisor research compatibility

Provide a description of how the research proposal contributes to your Primary Supervisor’s ANZMUSC program(s)

  1. Ethics and other approvals

Provide details as indicated of ethical implications of the proposed study regarding research involving humans or animals. For research involving humans and/or animals, ethical approval from an appropriate ethics committee must be gained;confirmation of this approval must be supplied to ANZMUSC prior to the payment of the second grant instalment.

  1. Certifications

The Chief Investigator (applicant) must verify the contents of the application and his or her eligibility for aCA& ANZMUSC MRes Scholarship.

The Head of Department/Unit Director in the Administering Organisation must verify the contents of theapplication and confirm that the Administering Organisation is willing to support and resource theproposed research project.

Approved byCA and ANZMUSC. July 2017

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