John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships 2014
Overview
The 2014 SIEF Scholarships Program includes funding for up to four John Stocker
Postgraduate Scholarships (top-up), or two full Scholarships, commencing in 2014 over a
three year period. The Program recognises the value of candidates with industry experience
and has the desired outcomes of encouraging return to study and promoting industry
collaboration. The Program encourages potential international collaboration.
In 2014, projects are encouraged with strong industry involvement through a mechanism
such as a ‘cadetship’ and/or the recipient scholar having 1-2 years work experience in the
relevant industry. The intent is to provide an additional financial incentive to high calibre
candidates with industry experience and/or involvement to undertake a PhD in their field of
experience. As such, Supervisors should submit an application in which a candidate student
has already been identified. The SIEF John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships will also act
as a mechanism for international collaboration and, as such, the intent is to provide some
flexibility to allow the funds to be expended on activities that support co-location of the
scholar.
The process of awarding scholarships will begin with a call for proposals. The proposal,
which must be submitted via the University Research Office (or equivalent), will identify
the eligible Candidate, the proposed project, University supervisor and any other
collaborating partners (preferably including industry partners). Proposals will be assessed by
a panel of experts drawn from universities, publicly funded research agencies and industry
representatives.
Further information regarding the terms and conditions of the John Stocker Postgraduate
Scholarships, including eligibility and funding documentation, can be found at
http://www.sief.org.au/FundingActivities/Stocker.html
Process and Timeline - 2014*
Round Opens
By 30 August 2013
If successful, a grant for three years for each successful proposal
may be awarded as a contribution towards the student’s stipend or
wage, and operating costs. Up to $10,000 may be used for
operating costs. The scholarship requires a minimum $8,000pa
collaborator co-contribution.
Scholarships available may include top-up scholarships ($7,000
Student stipend and $10,000 operating) where the student also is in
receipt of an APA or equivalent; or full scholarships ($32,000 pa). A
combination of full and top-up scholarships may be offered; the ratio
of full to top-up scholarships will depend on the quality of the
applications each year and the available funds.
Round closes
31 October 2013
(5pm AEDT)
Proposals, which include the written support of all Collaborating
Organisations, to have been submitted. Proposals, prepared by the
Supervisor(s) in conjunction with the Student candidate, must be
submitted electronically by the Lead Organisation’s Research Office
2014 SIEF John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships - Overview
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or equivalent by email to sief@sief.org.au. SIEF will only consider
applications that have been listed on the SIEF spreadsheet as
submitted to SIEF by The Research Office. It is the responsibility of
the Research Office to provide SIEF with the completed
spreadsheet that lists each application for which their organisation is
the Lead.
Proposals will be assessed by expert assessment panels and
proponents of successful proposals will be notified via the Lead
Research Office. An outcomes spreadsheet listing the results for
proposals submitted by your organisation will be provided to the
Research Office or equivalent. Formal notification letters for
November - December successful and unsuccessful proposals will be provided to the
2013
Research Office for distribution to the proponents.
Funding Agreement forwarded to each successful Lead
Organisation. Note that the Funding Agreement must be executed
on behalf of the Lead Organisation and each of the Collaborating
Organisations.
60 days from letter of
offer
Funding Agreement to be signed by all Collaborators and sent to
the SIEF Manager for approval and execution by the SIEF Trustee.
Milestone 1 reports completed and invoices sent to SIEF Manager.
No later than 30 June
2014
Commencement of Student.
*The dates and procedures set out in this table are indicative only and are subject to change.
Funding
Top-up PhD Scholarships are valued at $7,000 per annum top-up to the Student plus
minimum $10,000 per annum for operating costs for 3 years.
Full PhD Scholarships are valued at $32,000 per annum stipend to the Student plus
minimum $10,000 per annum for operating costs for 3 years.
The scholarship requires a minimum $8,000pa collaborator co-contribution which can be
made up of cash, in-kind or a combination.
Student Eligibility
The Student must have gained first class honours or equivalent in a relevant research area
prior to the commencement of the scholarship and/or provide evidence of relevant industry
experience and, at the date of commencement of the scholarship, be:
 a full-time student;
 enrolled at an eligible Australian Higher Education Institution for a course of research
leading to the award of a PhD from an Australian University;
 if the Application specifies a top-up scholarship, awarded an Australian Postgraduate
Award or equivalent scholarship;
 available to commence project prior to 30 June 2014.
Note: International students must have obtained a scholarship covering International fees.
Selection Criteria
Quality and Relevance of Student Project
A primary assessment criterion for a Postgraduate Scholarship is the quality and relevance
of the project being proposed. The research must offer the highest potential for important
scientific achievement and benefits to Australia.
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Industry involvement
While not mandatory, preference will be given to projects that can demonstrate clear industry
engagement including active participation in the project and supervision of the Student,
and/or relevant industry experience of the Student.
Quality of the Student
The quality of the student is also critical to the assessment of a scholarship and prior to
commencement the candidate must have gained a degree from a recognised University with
normally a first class honours or equivalent.
Recipient scholars will preferably be able to demonstrate 1-2 years work experience in the
relevant industry.
Relevance of University Supervision
The relevance of the Supervisors’ research background and their willingness to supervise the
Student should also be made clear. The student must be entering a collegial, supportive
environment where they will have the opportunity to gain all the skills necessary (both
technical and professional) to become an active member of the scientific community.
Prospects
The project must be of the highest calibre with the possibility of novel and important scientific
outcomes address issues of national priority and bring benefit to Australia. Active enduser/industry engagement in the project is encouraged.
Preferentially, research projects in which Postgraduate Students are to be engaged will be
collaborative projects between an Australian University and one or more of the following: a)
industry partner(s); b) Australian Publicly Funded Research Agency; c) International
collaborator(s). The prospect of the project to aid in the establishment and/or continuation of
productive international collaborations is highly desirable.
Examples of Publicly-Funded Research Agencies
Australian Astronomical Observatory
Australian Antarctic Division
Australian Institute of Marine Studies
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Geoscience Australia
Conditions of Scholarship
Successful applicants are required to sign the Funding Agreement within the specified
timeframe or the Scholarship may not be funded.
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John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships 2014
Project Proposal Application Form
This form must be completed for each proposal. Each Project Proposal Application Form
must be signed by an authorised officer of the Lead Organisation and each Collaborating
Organisation, and submitted via the Research Office or equivalent. SIEF will only consider
applications that have been listed on the SIEF spreadsheet as submitted to SIEF by The
Research Office.
Proposals should adhere to the page limits as indicated at relevant sections (excluding the
appendices) and supply only the information requested. A minimum of 10 point font
should be used. Please ensure you have read and comply with the Guidelines for more
information about what is required in each section. Applications that do not comply with the
guidelines will not be accepted.
Please delete the Overview (above) and Guidelines (below) sections before submission
Section A – Details of Project
A.1: Lead Organisation: Name of university
A.2: Who will be the primary supervisor of the Postgraduate Student? (Nominate one
person only)
Salutation:
First name:
Last name:
Mailing
address:
Email:
Phone:
A.3: Collaborating Organisation(s): organisation / university
A.4: Who will be the co-supervisor of the Postgraduate Student?
A.4 Project Title:
A.5: Indicate which Field of Research (FOR) the project is relevant to: Please indicate a
maximum of two (2) FORs from the list below that best align with your project. FORs are
based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008.
01 MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES
02 PHYSICAL SCIENCES
03 CHEMICAL SCIENCES
04 EARTH SCIENCES
05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
07 AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES
08 INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCES
09 ENGINEERING
2014 SIEF John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships - Application
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10 TECHNOLOGY
11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
A.6 The application is for:
Full scholarship
Top up scholarship
Both
A.7 Project description: No confidential information should be included in this
application [2 pages]
A.8 What opportunities will the Student have for engagement with the Collaborating
Organisations, in particular Industry partners? [1/3 page]
SECTION B – Project Potential
In this section please provide information on the significance of the research area, the
supervisor(s) role and fit of the project to ongoing research
B.1 How does the proposed Primary Supervisor(s) support the project? [1/3 page]
B.2 Calibre and recognition of the Primary Supervisor e.g. significant publications,
international recognition, originality and potential of the science (Attach information
as an appendix - see guidelines for more information): [1/2 page]
B.3 How will the project benefit from the Supervisor(s) knowledge and the university
involvement? What will be the contribution of the Collaborating Supervisor(s)?
[1/2 page]
B.4 Any other relevant information: [1/2 page]
SECTION C – Details of the Student
C.1 Student information:
Salutation:
First name:
Last name:
Gender:
C.2 Years of work experience in a relevant industry (if any). Please provide dates
(mm/yy).
C.3 Details of type of work experience. (Provide evidence of employment such as a letter
from your employer and attach as an appendix):
[1/3 page]
C.4 Details of the Student’s academic record (Academic transcript to be attached as an
appendix):
Attach as an appendix
C.5 Details of scholarship awarded or other support to be offered for the duration of
the project (see guidelines for more detail):
C.6 Why does the Student wish to undertake postgraduate study?
[1/2 page]
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SECTION D – Endorsement of Lead Organisation
Details of cash and/or in-kind contribution year-by-year by the Lead Organisation
(minimum $8,000pa) in addition to the SIEF grant. Please indicate how the Operating
component of the SIEF funds will be expended.
This will include operating expenses, travel, training and development etc as well as direct
cost associated with engagement of the Postgraduate Student, but should not include the inkind contribution of supervisors or ‘laboratory fees’.
Year
1
2
3
Total
Cash/in-kind annual Contribution from Lead Organisation
$[insert]
$[insert]
$[insert]
$[insert]
Endorsement of the Lead Organisation
[Do not delete these conditions]
NOTE: By signing below, the signatory represents that he/she has authority to do so, this
document contains no confidential information and that, if successful, the Lead Organisation
is agreeing to:
(a) provide the cash and/or in-kind contribution specified above, and that this contribution
combined with the contributions pledged by the Collaborating Organisations (if any) is
sufficient to support the Project if the proposal is successful and that if these pledged
contributions are insufficient, the Lead Organisation and the Collaborating
Organisation will meet any additional costs and expenses to enable the Project to be
carried out; and
(b) The publication of the project title, name of Lead Organisation, names of relevant
researchers, and other relevant details of this Project Proposal Application Form,
including on the SIEF website;
(c) execute the Funding Agreement within 60 days from letter of offer and
(d) comply with all applicable laws and codes of conduct in carrying out the Project,
including those set out on SIEF’s website (www.sief.org.au).
_________________________
Signature of authorised officer of Lead Organisation
_________________________
Name
________________________
Position
________________________
Date
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SECTION E – Endorsement of Collaborating Organisation
Duplicate this section for each Collaborating Organisations
Details of cash and/or in-kind contribution year-by-year by the Collaborating
Organisation in addition to the SIEF grant
This will include operating expenses, travel, training and development etc as well as direct
cost associated with engagement of the Postgraduate Student, but should not include the inkind contribution of supervisors or ‘laboratory fees’.
Year
Cash/in-kind annual Contribution from Collaborating Organisation
1
$[insert]
2
$[insert]
3
$[insert]
Total
$[insert]
Name(s) of Collaborating Organisation(s):
Name of Supervisor(s):
Endorsement by Collaborating Organisation:
NOTE: By signing below, the signatory represents that he/she has authority to do so, this
document contains no confidential information and that, if successful, the Collaborating
Organisation is agreeing to:
a) provide the cash and/or in-kind contribution specified above, and that this
contribution combined with the contributions pledged by the Lead Organisation (if
any) is sufficient to support the Project if the proposal is successful and that if
these pledged contributions are insufficient, the Lead Organisation and the
Collaborating Organisation will meet any additional costs and expenses to enable
the Project to be carried out; and
b) the publication of the project title, name of Collaborating Organisation, names of
relevant researchers, and other relevant details of this Project Proposal
Application Form, including on the SIEF website;
c) execute the Funding Agreement within 60 days from letter of offer; and
d) comply with all applicable laws and codes of conduct in carrying out the Project,
including those set out on SIEF’s website (www.sief.org.au).
_________________________
Signature of authorised officer of Collaborating Organisation
_________________________
Name
________________________
Position
2014 SIEF John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships - Application
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________________________
Date
Details of Lead Organisation Contact for Proposal
Contact:
Email:
Phone:
Details of Collaborating Organisation Contact for Proposal
Contact:
Email:
Phone:
SECTION F – Submission
 Please delete the Overview (above) and Guidelines (below) sections before submission
 All documentation relating to an individual proposal must be assembled into one word or
pdf file
 Please name the document as per the following protocol: SIEF 2014 – JSPhD – [Lead
Supervisor surname] e.g. SIEF 2014 – JSPhD - Smith
Proposals should be submitted to sief@sief.org.au, via the Research Office, by 5pm AEDT
31 October 2013.
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Guidelines - John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships
The following comments on issues of special importance to the assessors may be helpful to those
preparing proposals.
Item in Proposal Form
Who should
complete this
application?
It is strongly suggested that this application be completed as a combined
effort between the Supervisor(s) and the proposed Student. Many of the
questions require information on current research activities, and Supervisor
background, and therefore should be primarily completed by the
Supervisor(s). The Student should provide relevant information for Section C
and may also be involved in the drafting of other sections, in particular the
Project Description (A.8).
Assessment
weightings
The following weightings will be assigned to assessment
Project, research environment and opportunity – 50%
Supervisor – 25%
Candidate Student – 25%
Submission
process
The completed Proposal:

must be submitted via the Lead Supervisor’s Research Office or
equivalent

no proposals will be
Researcher/Supervisor

all Collaborating Organisations must certify the proposal prior to
submission

applicants should make themselves aware of their internal Research
Office or equivalent deadlines and leave sufficient time for appropriate
sign-off by ALL collaborators

the document should be named as per the following protocol: SIEF 2014
– JSPhD – [Lead Supervisor surname] e.g. SIEF2014-JSPhD-Smith
accepted
if
submitted
directly
by
the
Proposals to be submitted to sief@sief.org.au by 5pm AEDT 31 October
2013
SECTION A:
Project
No confidential information should be included in this application form.
All information contained in this document will be considered as public
domain.
Project Selection: Funding from the SIEF is being made available to engage
Postgraduate students in research projects with the highest potential for
scientific achievement and benefits to Australia. Preference will be given to
research projects that are collaborative projects between an Australian
University and one or more of the following: a) industry partner(s); b)
international collaborator(s); c) Australian Publicly Funded Research Agency.
The prospect of the project to aid in the establishment and/or continuation of
2014 SIEF John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships - Guidelines
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productive international collaborations is highly desirable.
To be eligible for consideration, the project must be for scientific research
directed to furthering the interests of the Australian community, industry or
contributing to the achievement of Australia’s National Research Priorities.
Alignment with the research priorities and strategic direction of the
collaborating organisations is also of key importance.
Please note however, that while industry collaboration and engagement is
highly encouraged, the project the Student is to work on must not be overly
encumbered by intellectual property and/or confidentiality issues. The Student
must be provided with the opportunity to develop their communication skills to
a wide spectrum of audiences, and not have their project direction
significantly changed due solely to commercial considerations.
A1: Although there may be more than one supervisor, please nominate one
Primary Supervisor. This person must be a scientist of the Lead Organisation
and will be the person who is directly responsible for the day-to-day
supervision, research direction, and (usually) mentoring of the student. The
supervisor is crucial in this program and we must be able to determine if the
supervisor in an outstanding scientist with strong international profile and who
will provide an excellent experience for the student.
A5 - Select a maximum of two (2) Fields of Research (FORs) that best
describes the project. This selection will assist in the designation of reviewers
for your application. Further details and descriptors of what is included in
each FOR can be found on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) website.
How to select boxes:
 Double click box you wish to tick
 Under the ‘default value’ section select ‘checked’
A.6 Full and/or Top-up Scholarship: Please indicate if either a full and/or a
top-up scholarship is being sought. Further information will be requested at
question C.5
A.7 Project Description: Background and details of the project, including
field of research and how the project aligns with the SIEF priority research
areas and/or the information science areas.
Explain how the project is directed to furthering the interests of the Australian
community, industry or contributing to the achievement of Australia’s National
Research Priorities. What contribution would the project make to the research
program of the Lead Organisation and the Collaborating Organisation(s)? If
the Project involves international collaboration, describe this interaction and
the activities that will be carried out by the Student (eg visit to and/or time
spent at Collaborator laboratories).
A.8 Describe what advantage the Student will gain by engagement with the
Collaborating Organisations and Supervisors. How will the Student engage
with industry, describe the level and type of engagement (eg time spent
physically located with the industry partner; active participation of Industry
partner in project progress meetings and/or Student at Industry partner
meetings)
Assessors are, in general, not experts in all fields of science. Thus it is very
important to state the background and details of the project clearly and
simply without using acronyms, jargon and complex concepts
assessors may not understand. Sufficient detail of the project must be
given to make it clear what the student would do and how this relates to
2014 SIEF John Stocker Postgraduate Scholarships - Guidelines
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the program goals. State clearly the nature and the scope of the project. If a
diagram is included, make it self explanatory, clear and relevant.
SECTION B:
Supervisor
B2: To assist the assessors in determining the strength of the supervisor, the
supervisor may provide evidence by including a full CV and their significant
publications (refereed papers only) for the last five years in an appendix in the
format below. A description of the supervisor’s international recognition
amongst peers and originality and potential of the science should be included.
Refereed journal papers:
Reference
Smith RL, Jones BM, Brown FX
(2006) Rabbits, rabbits and more
rabbits. Pest Control 35: 1-4
Impact
Factor
3.6
Citations
28
NB: Type the name of the applicant/group member in bold
B4: Use this section for other relevant information you feel will help the
assessors, for example; awards, lifetime citations, editorial appointments; the
multidisciplinary nature of the group; the overall group environment the
Student will be working in including what additional support network there is
available on a day to day basis.
SECTION C:
Student
Details
C3 & C4 Work Experience and Academic Record: The quality of the
candidate is critical to the assessment of the application. Thus it is important
that their work experience (where applicable) together with their academic
record are considered.
C5: Please detail any other scholarship or financial support the student will be
receiving during this project. If a Top-up Scholarship is being sought, specify
the primary scholarship/funding source. Indicate if this is already secured or
pending. International students must hold a scholarship covering International
fees, and this should be detailed in this section.
C.6: Indicate why the Student is returning to study and/or wishes to undertake
a project with strong industry engagement.
SECTION D &
E:
Collaborator
contributions
A minimum of $8,000pa is required as co-contribution (cash, in-kind or a
combination) from the combined Lead and Collaborating Organisations.
Top-up Scholarship: $7,000 as stipend to Student; minimum $10,000 for
operating expenses.
Full Scholarship: $32,000 as stipend to Student; minimum $10,000 for
operating expenses.
Please indicate what level of co-contribution (cash, in-kind or a combination)
each of the Collaborators will be making and how the SIEF Scholarship and
co-contribution funds will be distributed. Co-contributions must be sufficient to
cover all costs and expenses of carrying out the Project not funded by SIEF,
and include the costs of equipment, consumables, travel, training and general
overheads. If relevant, indicate how the Scholarship funds will be used to
support activities associated with international collaboration(s).
Details of the composition of the applicants contribution including cash and/or
in-kind. This will include operating expenses, travel, training and development
etc as well as direct cost associated with engagement of the Postgraduate
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Student, but should not include the in-kind contribution of supervisors or
‘laboratory fees’.
There is some flexibility to allow the funds to be expended on activities that
support co-location of the scholar.
Grant Conditions: If successful, a Funding Agreement must be executed by
the Lead Organisation and the Collaborating Organisations within 60 days
from letter of offer
General
The job of the assessors is demanding. Assessors assess on the basis of
what is in the proposal. Thus, an incomplete or poorly prepared proposal
will be disadvantaged and scored accordingly.
Appendices should only be included where indicated. Substantial additional
information included as an appendix will not be considered during
assessment
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