Harold Mitchell Foundation Travelling Fellowships

 

The Harold Mitchell Foundation has generously provided funding to the BEI to support two Travelling Fellowships. The first of these commenced in 2007 and will continue on an annual basis for the next 5 years.  The value of these Fellowships is up to $5,000 each, to be used towards the cost of overseas travel. The details are as follows:

  • A Harold Mitchell Postgraduate Student Travelling Fellowship for a ‘senior’ PhD student (generally regarded to be at least one year into their candidature) within The Bionic Ear Institute to present his/her work at a major overseas meeting and to visit cognate laboratories/research workers
  • A Harold Mitchell Post Doctoral Travelling Fellowship, for a post doctoral fellow in their early career (generally regarded to be no more than five years since receiving their PhD) with The Bionic Ear Institute to present his/her work at a major overseas meeting and to visit cognate laboratories/research workers.

These Fellowships are part of the Institute’s program to recognize and reward outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career.  Applicants should note that selection for these fellowships is competitive.  The selection of successful candidates will be at the discretion of the Director, aided by a selection committee.

 

Guidelines

 

Eligibility requirements

The Harold Mitchell Postgraduate Student Travelling Fellowship is available for a PhD student who has confirmed candidature at an approved tertiary institution. Your principal supervisor must be a BEI staff member and your research project aligned with the strategic objectives and priorities of the Institute.Please discuss with either Susanne Clarke (HR Officer) or Linda Peterson (Executive Officer) if you do not fit this criteria.

The Harold Mitchell Post Doctoral Travelling Fellowship is available for a Post Doctoral Fellow who has been employed by The Bionic Ear Institute for a minimum of one year, although preference will be given to those employed for a longer duration.

The travel must be overseas and be relevant to your thesis/research project.  Acceptable purposes include:

  • Access to research materials or facilities that are not available in Australia
  • To present papers (oral or poster) at a conference or workshop
  • Work in a laboratory, research institute or to meet other key researchers.

Travel need not occur in the financial year in which the fellowship is awarded; however it will need to be completed within 12 months of being awarded.

Please note that it is a condition of the Harold Mitchell Fellowship that an applicant cannot be awarded the Fellowship more than once in the same category.

Obligations

Successful applicants will be required to:

  • Acknowledge the Harold Mitchell Foundation and The Bionic Ear Institute in their presentation(s).
  • Prepare a 2 page report, in lay terms, briefly outlining when and where they went, presentations made and a concluding paragraph on what you gained from the award, within 4 weeks of returning.

 Awards will be acknowledged in the Institute’s Annual Report. Further, it is envisaged that the Foundation will recognize successful candidates at an awards dinner to be hosted by the Foundation.

Selection Criteria

The Committee will consider candidates who:

  • Satisfy all the eligibility requirements listed above
  • Submit a complete application by the closing date (all required documents provided).

When making a decision the Committee will also consider:

  • the statement of purpose and reasonableness of the budget provided by the applicant
  • therationale and support that the applicant's supervisor provides for the intended trip.

 

Eligible costs for budget estimates

  • Airfare, train/bus fares to destination
  • Local travel at research/conference site
  • Visa fees, airport taxes, travel insurance
  • Accommodation
  • Conference fees
  • Meals, incidental costs
  • Other costs (eg entrance fees)

Application procedure

Download the appropriate application form (Postgraduate Student Travelling Fellowship or Post Doctoral Travelling Fellowship) from the Intranet or collect from Susanne Clarke, HR Officer.

Submit 3 copies of the completed application form, budget proforma and all required documents to Susanne Clarke, HR Officer by the closing date.

Attachments must be typed in no smaller than 11 point font size.

It is suggested that applicants keep a copy of their application for their own reference.

 

Checklist and required documents

Before submitting the application, please carefully check you have:

 

·         Answeredall the questions on the application form.

·         Read the applicant's declaration and signed and dated the application form

·         Attached:
o        a detailed explanation of your trip (Attachment A)
o        a statement of support from your supervisor/project leader (Attachment B)
o        your budget for travel (Attachment C)
o        list of peer reviewed publications and conference proceedings (Attachment D)

 

Application outcome

Applicants will receive notification of the success or otherwise of their application two weeks after the closing date.

Successful applicants will need to consult with the HR Officer concerning the relevant Travel Policy requirements in relation to Intellectual Property, evidence of travel expenses, final travel itinerary and applying for leave of absence.