The Paddy Pallin Foundation is offering an annual Science Grant of up to $7000 to support field-based, high quality ecological research. The objective of the grant is to provide financial support for conservation-based research of Australian ecosystems that will ultimately lead to tangible outcomes for management. The scope of the research is open to terrestrial, marine and freshwater research on animals and/or plants. The grant is open to postgraduate students and Early Career Researchers (within 3 years of submitting PhD). Funding for 2008 will commence in September. The grant will be administered through the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales.

Grant Conditions

• Applicants must be either enrolled or have an academic position (including adjunct/visiting positions) at an Australian University.
• Applicants should be financial members of the RZS NSW
• The research must address conservation problems in Australian systems and have clearly defined management implications. Preference will be given to research which deals with ecological community processes.
• The work should lead to publication in high quality ecological or conservation journals
• The successful grant winner will be expected to present the outcomes of their research at a public lecture within 18-24 months of award date.
• Details of the successful project each year will be summarised on the RZS NSW and Paddy Pallin Foundation websites.
• Conference travel is not supported
• University on-costs are not supported

Application Process

Applications should include the following information:

1. Research proposal structured under the following headings; Aims and Background, Significance of the research (including conservation significance), Methodology, and Management Implications of the work (max 3 pages)
2. The proposal should also include an itemised budget with brief justification for each item, a short description of the research environment at host institution and the names , details of research funding already received (project title, funding body and amount), and the contact details of 2 referees (max 2 page)
3. Brief CV including qualifications, summary of research/professional experience, publications/presentations (max 2 pages)
4. A letter from the Head of Department indicating that such a research proposal can be carried out within the Department and that any animal ethics issues have been resolved.
5. Applications must be emailed in PDF format to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and received by the Executive officer of the Royal Zoological Society of NSW by 5:00pm on 1 August 2008. Late applications will not be considered.

A subcommittee comprising members of the council of the Royal Zoological Society of NSW and members of the Paddy Pallin Foundation will assess applications and the decision of the subcommittee is final. Applicants will be notified by email of the outcomes of the grant by 15 September 2008. Funding will then be provided on staged basis after completion of progress report (after approximately 9 and 18 months depending on project).

The 2008 Paddy Pallin Foundation Grants are now closed.  To read about the 2008 Science grant recipient click here