This year a single grant, to a maximum value of AUD$10,000 will be made available to full members of ISPO Australia to fund their research proposal/project for a period of up to two years

Applications are sought for research projects relevant to improving the quality of life or treatment for individuals with neuromuscular or musculoskeletal pathologies who use or may benefit from prostheses and orthoses.

The principal motivations for establishing this grant are to improve research quality and to strengthen the evidence supporting treatment. An addition aim is to develop the research skills of ‘early' researchers, who cannot yet attract grants from the major funding agencies.

Assessment of applications will be based on the following criteria:

• Objectives of the project (e.g. originality);
• Benefits likely to be realized;
• Soundness of the project design and methodology;
• Feasibility of the project;
• Reasonableness of the budget;
• Likelihood of completion and publication/ presentation.

The panel of assessors will comprise researchers with expertise in the fields relevant to the applications who are not affiliated with any of the applicants.

The grant is open to members irrespective of their professional discipline, but undergraduate student members are not eligible to apply Applications demonstrating a team approach will be encouraged so long as the Principal Investigator is a member of ISPO.

Ethics clearance must be obtained from an appropriate university or hospital committee prior to money being paid to the grant recipient. However, at the time of application, it is acceptable to state the body to which the application will be made.

The deadline for submitting applications is 1st June 2007.

This grant will be awarded biennially when meritorious applications are received.

Please download the application package, which will be available in early March, from the ISPO Australia web site http://www.ispo.org.au/.

If you have any questions about the ISPO Australia Research Grant, after reading the application package, please send questions to Prof. John Evans, Chair, ISPO Research Grant Committee on email: jh.evans (at) qut (dot) edu (dot) au