In 2024, the RANZCP Foundation is offering two scholarships to encourage and support PhD research in psychiatry by RANZCP members.

The RANZCP Foundation Partners PhD Scholarship

Established in 2024, this scholarship, for up to A$60,000, is supported by donations from RANZCP Foundation Partners.

The Trisno Family PhD Scholarship

Established in 2022, this bi-annual scholarship for up to A$60,000, is supported by donations from the Trisno Family.

The information and application form are the same for both and is as follows:

Purpose

To encourage and support clinically relevant PhD research in psychiatry by RANZCP members.

• The Scholarships are available bi-nationally in Australia and New Zealand to RANZCP members.
• The Scholarships are not limited to any specific sub-specialty or focus area of psychiatric research.
• An applicant may be at any stage of their PhD at the time they apply for the Scholarship. Full time and part-time applicants will be considered.
• An applicant may apply to use the Scholarship for either stipend support, research costs, or a combination of both.

Form of the award

Each Scholarship includes up to A$60,000 in funding for a period not exceeding two years. 

The recipients will be invited to receive their award at the College Ceremony held at the annual College Congress.

Eligibility

An applicant for the Scholarships must:

• be either a RANZCP Fellow, Affiliate or Trainee (Associate) member who is in good standing with the RANZCP;
• be enrolled, or provide evidence of future enrolment as a PhD candidate in psychiatric research at an Australian or New Zealand tertiary institution; and
• have approval, or evidence of a pending application, to carry out their research from an approved ethics committee.

Selection criteria

Applications are assessed on the basis of

• Originality
• Scientific merit
• Feasibility
• Clinical relevance
• Any other criteria determined by the RANZCP Foundation Committee

Selection process

The RANZCP will convene a selection panel for the purposes of assessing all applications and making a recommendation to the RANZCP Foundation Committee, and the RANZCP Board. The selection panel will consist of the following RANZCP representatives:

• Chair (or nominee), RANZCP Foundation Committee
• Chair (or nominee), RANZCP Committee for Research
• Member, RANZCP Foundation Committee
• Member, RANZCP Committee for Research

The Chair of the selection panel may co-opt additional members with particular expertise if required (e.g. from the Committee for Research), or a person external to the RANZCP that has particular expertise which could support the selection panel in assessing the proposal.

All decisions of the selection panel must be endorsed by the RANZCP Foundation Committee; and ratified by the RANZCP Board.

Special conditions

The recipient(s) will be required to submit an abstract on their funded research at a RANZCP scientific conference, or to a RANZCP journal.

Cultural safety

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the First Nations and the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands and waters now known as Australia, and Māori as tangata whenua in Aotearoa, also known as New Zealand. The RANZCP Foundation is interested in hearing from applicants whose projects prioritise cultural safety and the mental health and wellbeing of First Nations people, and members who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or Māori or Pasifika are encouraged to apply.

Lived experience

The RANZCP commits to improving the delivery of psychiatric care and mental health services by partnering with people with lived experience. This includes supporting psychiatrists to work in partnership with people with lived experience so they can have genuine input in research, planning, monitoring, and implementation of treatment and care.

Checklist to apply

You will need the following documentation to complete your application.

• Curriculum Vitae,
• Evidence of approval from a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) or evidence that approval has been submitted,
• At least one referee’s report,
• Proof of enrolment,
• Academic transcripts, and
• Letter of support from your Supervisor and Research Group Leader.

Other information

The RANZCP

• will decide to award scholarship funds commensurate with the amount it determines is necessary for the applicant to complete the proposal assessed,
• may decide to award the scholarship funds to a successful applicant in part up front, with later instalments subject to satisfactory progress reports provided to the RANZCP Foundation, and
• reserves the right to make no award of the Scholarships if it does not receive any suitable applications that, in its opinion, are capable of achieving the objectives of the Scholarship.

The successful Scholarship recipient(s) will be required to enter into an agreement with both the RANZCP and their administering tertiary institution before receiving funding. That agreement will set out the terms and conditions to receive the funding and the obligations of the successful recipient. Before applying, applicants should consider the following essential terms of the Scholarship that will form part of this agreement, including that:

• commencement of the Scholarship may not be deferred,
• entitlements such as candidature leave and subsequent deferral or suspension of the Scholarship will be consistent with the relevant administering tertiary institution’s policies and procedures,
• the Scholarship recipient may hold other scholarships, grants or supplementary awards; however, this must be in line with the administering tertiary institution policies and procedures,
• the Scholarship recipient(s) will be required to, where appropriate, publicly acknowledge the support they receive from the Scholarship and the RANZCP Foundation,
• the Scholarship recipient(s) will be required to provide periodic reports to their administering institution that demonstrate satisfactory progress,
• where the Scholarship recipient(s) fails to meet their agreed milestone progress requirements, then the RANZCP Foundation reserves the right to withhold distribution of any further instalment of the Scholarship money to the Scholarship recipient(s),
• where the Scholarship funds are not used for the permitted uses and/or according to the approved budget proposal, the RANZCP Foundation reserves the right to make a formal request of the Scholarship recipient(s) for the scholarship funds to be returned.
• funding will be paid in part up front, with later instalments subject to satisfactory progress reports provided to the RANZCP Foundation, and
• funding must not be used to cover any costs beyond those set out in a Scholarship application as approved by the RANZCP, including travel costs associated with receiving the award at any College event.

Outcome

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact foundation@ranzcp.org.

Approved by the RANZP Foundation Committee September 2024. Next review July 2025.