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Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Ethel Mary Read Research Grants

Instructions to Applicants

Applicants should read the following comments and instructions carefully. If your application is successful, you must agree to comply with the Conditions listed below.

Please note that these instructions form part of your application.

The Application Process

The original and four hard copies should be sent to:

Convenor,
EMR Research Grants Committee
Royal Zoological Society of NSW
P.O. Box 20
MOSMAN NSW 2088.

Completed applications must reach the Society's rooms by 30th April and late applications will not be considered. The EMR Research Grants Committee will make its decisions within two months of this closing date and all applicants will be notified of the results. The merits of each application will be judged by the Royal Zoological Society of NSW EMR Research Grants Committee.

In any year the Society will award up to nine Grants.

Your application must consist of the following components:

  1. An Application Coversheet
  2. The signed declaration at the end these instructions
  3. A Project Proposal

Please use the enclosed Checklist to be sure you have your application in order.

Your Project Proposal

You must prepare a brief project proposal. Your proposal must be a maximum of four (4) A4 pages. Please provide the following information in your project proposal:

  1. Name, address, date of birth and tertiary qualifications.
  2. Project title and degree for which enrolled, if applicable.
  3. Brief description of the project, stating: aims and justification, methods, including project design, progress made to date, and expected year of completion.
  4. The application should indicate the conservation significance of the work. Preference will be given to applications involving Australasian fauna.
  5. An indication of how the award would be spent.
  6. Details of all other sources of funding for the project.
  7. Name of department and supervisor, if applicable. A signed statement by the supervisor verifying that the project has been represented accurately and that the Institution is prepared to administer the award.
  8. A brief CV including any relevant publications.

Remember: Your Project Proposal should not exceed four (4) A4 pages in length.

Conditions

  1. Grantees must provide a written project report (in triplicate) to the Convenor of the EMR Research Grants Committee by 30 April, unless an extension has been approved in advance.  An electronic copy should also be forwarded to the RZS at: office@rzsnsw.org.au.  The project report should include:

a.       an abstract of up to 400 words suitable for publication in the RZS Newsletter.  The abstract should inform members of the nature and progress of the research.  As the RZS is a broad-based zoological society, authors should assume limited prior knowledge on the part of readers and the abstract should be written in a relatively informal style compatible with past Newsletters.

b.      a report to Council of up to 4 pages comprising a summary of the results of the research project, a financial accounting of how the grant was spent (receipts should not be forwarded with the report, but should be retained for six months in case they are required by the RZS Treasurer), and a statement of anticipated publications arising from this support.  Project reports may be posted on the RZS website.

  1. The results of EMR-financed research should be made freely available and, wherever possible, should be published in the scientific press.
  2. Grantees must undertake to acknowledge the support provided by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales in any publications or spoken presentations arising from the research.  A copy of relevant publications or conference abstracts should be forwarded to the Convenor of the EMR Research Grants Committee.
  3. Any native animal specimens which may be collected as a result of support by the fund must be offered to an approved public (not private) zoological collection. Normally this means deposition in the collections of a State Museum.
  4. Upon completion of the project, grantees must consult with the Society about the ultimate disposition of any equipment purchased using funds from any EMR Research Grant. Normally such equipment will become the property of the host institution in which the work is carried out. In any case, when the grantee is not using this equipment it should be made available to others whose projects will benefit from its use.
  5. Applicants must indicate that they have obtained (or will obtain) all necessary permits (eg. from State fauna authorities) to carry out the research project. Grants will be conditional on all necessary permits being obtained before the research begins.
  6. On receipt of the award the student will receive all but $100 of the amount granted.  The final $100 will be paid on receipt of the project report.
  7. Applicants are required to be financial members of the RZS for the financial year of the grant.

I agree, if awarded an Ethel Mary Read Research Grant, to abide by the conditions set out above.

Signed:_____________________________________

Date:________

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