To be eligible the applicant must be:

• enrolled in or employed by an Australian University as a PhD student or level A-D academic who is within 10 years of their PhD being awarded
• based in Australia for the duration of the project
• positioned to complete the project by Friday 29 November 2024. Your primary supervisor must be a Chief Investigator or Associate Investigator of the CRE

The research project must align with the New Knowledge activities of the CRE WHiRL in any of the following topic areas:

• Infertility
• Early menopause (medical or spontaneous)
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Improving translation

Applications relevant to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander health must include in the supervision team CRE WHiRL Chief Investigator Dr Jacqueline Boyle.

You are ineligible if you:

• have received previous CRE WHIRL seed or project support grants totalling $15,000 (this is the maximum amount that will be awarded to any applicant during the life of the CRE)
• are a chief investigator with the CRE

Assessable criteria

All applications will be assessed using the following criteria:

1. Scientific description of the project (aims and hypothesis, background, methods, statistical considerations)
2. Alignment of the project with CRE new knowledge activities
3. Evidence of, or plans for stakeholder involvement
4. Potential impact of the project (advances in knowledge or the clinical significance and innovation of the project and the proposed impact for researchers or health professionals, consumers, community or carers, or measurable process change)
5. Translation/ implementation plan (including preparation of a publishable manuscript)
6. Budget
7. Research environment
8. Summary Curriculum Vitae (competitive for career stage)

General information

• The CRE WHIRL seed grants and project support funding are designed to provide financial support for high quality projects that align with CRE research priorities . Funds can be used for any purpose that supports the research and/ or facilitates collaboration (e.g. purchase equipment, collect data). Funds cannot be used as income or additional scholarship support for the applicant.
• The CRE Training and Mentoring Committee will endeavour to ensure the equitable distribution of funds across eligible applicants. Applications will be assessed against assessment criteria, with consideration given to the career stage of the applicant and any career interruptions.
• Grants will be awarded for high quality, well-documented proposals without any alternative funding source.
• A maximum of $15,000 seed grants or project support funding can be awarded per person over the life of the CRE in PCOS.
• Unused funds must be returned to the CRE if unforeseen circumstances prevent a recipient from expending the funds by Friday 1 December 2023.

Reporting requirements

Following completion of the project, grant recipients must submit a brief, one-page report to the CRE Training and Mentoring Committee, email cre-whirl@monash.edu by Monday 17 December 2024.  The report should detail the outcomes of the project and ways in which the grant has enhanced, or will enhance your research activities.  The report may be published in the CRE newsletter and/ or on the CRE website.