Deadline for applications: midnight 14 February 2021

Background

The Centre of Research Excellence in Pulmonary Fibrosis (CRE-PF) aims to reduce the growing burden of pulmonary diseases in Australia. 

The CRE-PF recognises the importance of providing research students and early career researchers with the necessary training and skills to develop as future leaders of pulmonary fibrosis health research. Our vision is to CREATE (CRE Advanced Training Environment) is to the next generation of outstanding investigators capable of developing and translating knowledge from bench-to-bedside, with a focus on the prevention of end-stage fibrotic lung disease and new treatments to improve the health of Australians affected by pulmonary fibrosis. 

The goals of CREATE are to:

• Enhance clinical and basic science research training to produce the next generation of outstanding respiratory researchers using formalised mentoring and training environments; 
• Enhance the training relevance to career progression through the use of necessary curriculum elements including ethics and professional skills; 
• Focus on the translational pathway from basic biomedical discoveries to clinical research and to clinical practice.

Invitation

In 2021, there is a CREATE Grant-in-Aid opportunity for the award of one or more grants valued at a total of $7,000 to assist new collaborative investigator led Pulmonary Fibrosis research within the group of CREATE Fellows. The objective of the CREATE Grant-in-Aid is to encourage new research which meets the aims of the CRE-PF and builds collaborations between CREATE Fellows drawn together through the CRE-PF.

The CREATE Grant-in-Aid Award is open to those who have been accepted as CREATE Fellows. Fellows may apply for the CREATE Grant-in-Aid as part of a team of two or more investigators. Applications may be for a minimum of $2,000 to a maximum of $7,000.

Note that these funds can be used to support any research into pulmonary fibrosis which meets the aims of the CRE-PF. In most cases, the CREATE Grant-in-Aid is not intended to provide sole support for the research activities. Instead it is designed to act as seed money to obtain pilot data to support attracting additional external funding; and/or as a travel grant assist with establishing a research project. For example, the Grant-in-Aid funding may be used to support:

• travel and associated costs to permit Investigators to spend time together to design the proposed discrete research project;
• costs of equipment/consumables directly related to a proposed discrete research project;
• additional laboratory work directly related to a proposed discrete research project;
• technical staff costs directly related to a proposed discrete research project;
• post-hoc statistical or bioinformatic analysis of a large dataset derived from another and/or research project.
• Information should also be provided on any other potential sources of project funding and how the grant would be used if the application were to be successful. Preference may be given to applications which demonstrate most clearly how the Grant-in-Aid will leverage funding or significantly enhance the attractiveness of a subsequent grant proposal, or make best use of resources available from within the CRE-PF.

Applications will undergo peer-review with the support of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ). If during the peer-review process the reviewing committee determine there are no applications of suitable merit, the CREATE Program Advisory Committee has a right to decline to award the grant.

Key Eligibility Criterion

The CREATE Grant-in-Aid will be offered to group of individuals meeting the following eligibility criterion:

• The applicants must have been accepted as CREATE Fellows.
• The application must be for pulmonary fibrosis research (IPF, other idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis etc).
• The proposed research must be investigator-led. Sponsored research will not be funded.
• The application must relate to new research collaborations, not to collaborative projects already underway.

Conditions

1. The grant will be competitive and open to teams of two or more CREATE Fellows from two or more institutions.
2. Applications should include a summary of the rationale for the proposed study, the scientific design, intended duration and whether or not it has gained ethical approval.
3. Applications should include a statement regarding any confirmed funding sources for the study.
4. Grantees are expected to commence their project within six (6) calendar months of being awarded. If the award is not taken up within this timeframe the monies will be forfeited.
5. In applying for research funding from CREATE funds from the CRE-PF, applicants must confirm that they will:
   1. Ensure the ethical conduct of research under the grant;
   2. Identify any applications to other organisations for the same project;
   3. Acknowledge the support of the CRE-PF in any publications (including scientific articles, press releases and abstracts) arising from work carried out under the grant; and
   4. Provide a Final Report on the funded work within 12 months of commencement of the grant, signed by each investigator. Note that completion of the funded work may not coincide with completion of the project in its entirety.
6. By virtue of the signature of the appropriate supervisors/group leads and Head of Department for First Collaborator on the application form, supervisors/group leads and Heads of Department confirm that they will ensure:
   1. That monies given by the CRE-PF will be administered by their institution only for the purpose designated by the CRE-PF and in accordance with the relevant institutional policies and processes;
   2. That physical facilities and infrastructure support will be provided and maintained to allow research under the grant to proceed; and
   3. That the applicant/s has/have the work time available to undertake the proposed study when existing commitments are considered.
7. Any grant will be conditional upon the relevant institution and the applicant(s) entering into an appropriate form of agreement with the CRE-PF as to the disposition of the grant.
8. Recipients of grants may be asked by the CRE-PF to present the results of the funded research at a public symposium, in media or other promotional activity organised by the CRE-PF.

Applications will be assessed by an independent review committee. The judging criteria for the submitted applications are as follows:

Timeline

Application & Supporting Documents