Skip to Main Content
11 Palmerston Lane, Canberra, ACT 2603

The Capstone Editing Grant for Mid-Career Researchers

Vet treating a Kola

Overview

The Capstone Editing Grant for Mid-Career Researchers provides up to A$5,000 of seed funding for one researcher per year to undertake an innovative research project. The expectation is that the research project will gather preliminary data and lead to the development of a research council funding application.

The grant can be used to cover any costs related to the research project, such as software or small lab equipment; domestic or overseas travel to learn new techniques or collaborate with colleagues; academic editing of the grant proposal; and data analysis.

Man looking through microscope

Why we want to help

We recognise that many mid-career researchers suffer from job instability and insecurity. According to the National Tertiary Education Union, only one-third of employees in higher education have ongoing employment. The competitive nature of securing grants, combined with procuring contracts (that are often only short term), means many mid-career researchers navigate extended periods of uncertainty about their employment.

Lack of sufficient governmental investment into the research sector has meant that funding is becoming even more competitive for mid-career researchers—especially those in the fields of science and medicine. Understandably, some academics find this instability untenable and opt to leave their research field—this represents a significant loss for research in Australia. Others move overseas to secure longer-term positions. If mid-career researchers are not better supported into permanent roles and sufficiently funded, Australia stands to continue to experience a significant ‘brain drain’ that could devastate our higher education industry.

Capstone Editing values Australian and New Zealand research careers. As such, we have targeted this grant to support mid-career researchers, particularly through the preliminary stages of their research project. We hope that the Capstone Editing Mid-Career Researchers Grant will provide the successful applicant with the funds to begin preliminary work, leading to them winning a grant that will help them progress their career.

Application process

Applications are currently OPEN. Read about our 2018 winner, Dr Rachel Duckham and our 2019 winner, Dr Bridgette Semple

Applications are open from 15 April 2023 to 31 May 2024.

The grant will be awarded on 30 June 2024. The funds must be used within 12 months of their award.

The Capstone Editing Grant for Mid-Career Researchers is awarded based on both academic merit and financial need. Each application will be carefully assessed. The successful applicant will be chosen at the sole discretion of Capstone Editing, and this decision is final.

To apply, please complete the application form below.

If you have any questions, please first visit the Scholarship and Grants Program section of our FAQs.

If you still have questions or require any further information after reading our FAQs, you can email scholarships@capstoneediting.com.au.

Apply

To apply for this grant, simply complete this form and provide your supporting documents. Please ensure you have checked your eligibility in our terms and conditions. For details on how Capstone Editing protects your personal information, please read our privacy policy.

Your details
Your employment details
Research project details

Please include here details of the planned publication/s from this research project, including the research council grant you intend to apply for.

Please list up to five publications relevant to your project, which may include your own.

Please list, individually, items of equipment and their prices, such as personnel costs, travel, costs of research materials and the costs of any other items required to carry out the research described in this application. Estimates are acceptable.

Please provide a brief comment on each item listed in the budget table above, justifying its importance to the successful carriage of this research.

Supporting documents
No File Selected Browse
No File Selected Browse

Please provide the quotations you have gathered to support the costs for your proposed budget. These can be formal or informal quotations.