Three Postgraduate Scholarships in Dementia Research - Application Closed

The Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration (DCRC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) would like to announce the 2021 DCRC Postgraduate Research Scholarships for Dementia Research. Three PhD scholarships are on offer at $30,000 per annum for up to 3 years starting in 2021.

Funded by the Australian government, the DCRC’s primary research foci within the broader topic of dementia research are:

• Prevention
• Assessment and diagnosis
• Intervention and treatment
• Living with dementia and care

The DCRC’s primary goals are to increase knowledge and implementation of research findings in these areas and to address the five priority areas listed under the Strategic Roadmap for dementia Research and Translation, see https://dementiaresearch.org.au/about-us/ for more information.

For this scholarship round, candidates undertaking research into dementia care and prevention will be prioritised for funding.

Students applying for these scholarships must:

• Be eligible for enrolment in a research PhD at an Australian institution and undertake their studies full-time or part-time (pro-rata).
• At least one member of the supervisory team must be a member of the DCRC.
• Have a written agreement from a qualified supervisor and the support of an Australian university to carry out the proposed project.
• The research proposal must relate to dementia care or dementia prevention.
• Not be employed in paid work during the scholarship period for more than maximum number of hours per week as specified by the administering university (normally 14 hours per week).
• Be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand citizen living permanently in Australia. Applicants who have been resident in Australia for at least two years and have evidence of eligibility and an application for permanent residence in progress may also be eligible.

For questions, please contact: Tiffany Jessop or Ani Johnston
Email: DCRCgrants@unsw.edu.au

To apply, please send your application to DCRCgrants@unsw.edu.au  with the subject heading “DCRC PhD Scholarship Application: [candidate surname]”

To complete the application you must provide the following documents (labelled using the following naming conventions):

• Evidence of citizenship or permanent residency (Surname_Residency)
• A copy of an official academic transcript <from last degree attained> (Surname_Transcript)
• An up-to-date curriculum vitae (Surname_CV)
• A research proposal of up to 3 pages (Surname_ResearchProposal) including references (see below)
• A 250 word lay summary of your proposed project, including an indication of which priority areas the project is relevant to (Surname_Summary)
• Supervisor/s details (name, contact details, 1 page CV) (Surname_Supervisor)
• Signed letters of support from your proposed primary supervisor and university research office (supplied at the end of this document) (Surname_Approval)

Note: All documents MUST be labelled using the requested naming conventions and pages numbered.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Scientific quality of proposed research 40%
• Feasibility (supervisor cred, university, research plan suitable for PhD) 20%
• Addresses an evidence gap/area of need 15%
• Addresses a DCRC/NNIDR research area 15%
• Academic record of applicant 10%

THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

The research proposal should not exceed 3 pages, including references, with a minimum font size of 12pt. Please do not exceed 20 references. Any additional pages will not be forwarded for assessment. Explanatory appendices are not permissible. You are permitted to include figures and tables within the 3 pages. Descriptions for figures may be in size 10pt font.

The research proposal should include the following sections:

• Aims—List specific aims and potential significance of the project. Clearly state the research question and hypothesis(es) to be tested, as well as rationale and objectives. Be clear in the aims which of the research priorities the project will address.
• Background—Summarise previous work that provides the basis for the proposed research.
• Research strategy— Include a clear description of the methods and research design, including research strategy. Include information about how consumers will be involved in the research.
• References—List all references quoted in the application, with a maximum of 20 in total.

The final decision on successful applicants will be made by a panel of experts in the dementia priority areas and the Directors of DCRC, with input from consumers.

The successful applicants will be notified by the end of January 2021.