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GESA Project Grant Criteria

 

Purpose

The purpose of the GESA Project Grant is to provide funding to investigators in the fields of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Pancreatology (and related areas) to undertake research that may lead to future grants. The Project Grant may be used for a pilot or larger study or the secondary analysis of existing data. The grant funds are intended primarily to support reagent or equipment costs, but salaries may be included if appropriate and necessary to complete the project.

 

Grants

The grant funding is for multiple grants of $50,000 (exc GST). All budgets will be considered equally. The research is to be completed within twelve months of receiving funding with a final report due one month after completion.

 

Eligibility

The application should be submitted via the GESA Grants Portal by a GESA member who will be the Project Champion or Chief Investigator.

The Chief Investigator is required to:

  • be an Australian citizen or permanent resident;
  • be a current financial GESA member with at least one year of prior membership (from the time of receiving the grant money) and remain a financial GESA member until the project is completed and the final report has been received;
  • have a position at, and approval from, an appropriate institution for the proposed research;
  • conduct the research in Australia;
  • have submitted satisfactory final reports for completed projects that were supported by GESA grants in previous funding rounds; and 
  • attend a GESA event in the year of the grant they apply for. (E.g. if you apply for a 2026 grant, attend a GESA event in 2026).  

 

Application Process

Please submit a one-page expression of interest (EOI) in the first instance. Each Chief Investigator can submit only one grant per funding round. The GESA Research and Grants Committee (RGC) will assess and rank the EOIs and invite full applications to be assessed in the second round.

 

EOI format - First Assessment Round

The format of the EOI should be one A4 page, 12 pt font, 2 cm margins, and should briefly cover these sections in the following order:

  1. Project title

  2. Investigator Team (Chief Investigator and potential Associate Investigators)

  3. Background/rationale

  4. Study originality/innovation

  5. Project aims/methodology

  6. Expected outcomes/significance/impact

  7. Budget request

  8. Provide a table summarising grants awarded in the last 3 years. Include grant title, role (e.g. CIA, CIB etc), amount of funding, years funded, amount of the grant funding allocated to the investigator if not the full grant amount.

 

The EOI must be a PDF file. Inclusion of figures is permitted, given that there is space to include a clear legend or fully describe the figure in the text.

 

Full Application Format - Second Assessment Round

The format of the full application should be three A4 pages (excluding references), 12 pt font, 2 cm margins and should cover the following sections in the following order:

  1. Project title

  2. Investigator Team (Chief Investigator and potential Associate Investigators, incl. GESA membership number)

  3. Background/rationale

  4. Study originality/innovation

  5. Project aims/methodology/experimental plan

  6. Research facilities and environment

  7. Expected outcomes/significance/impact

  8. Detailed budget

  9. Grant promotion

 

The full application must be a PDF file. Inclusion of figures is permitted, given that there is space to include a clear legend or fully describe the figure in the text.

In a separate file, Chief Investigators should provide a two-page CV (including a list of publications, grants held, awards etc.) in the last five years. Any career disruptions or factors relevant for ‘relative to opportunity’ considerations should be outlined. If significant achievements relevant to the grant lie outside the five-year time frame, please provide a short explanation why they should be considered.

An additional 200-word synopsis will be required – this will be used on the GESA website and in other communications for the successful applications.

 

Judging Criteria

The applications will be judged according to the following criteria:

A. 40% Research plan & Trial design

B. 30% Originality & Impact

C. 20% Track record

D. 10% Budget & feasibility

 

Assessment

Applications will be assessed by the GESA Research and Grants Committee (RGC).

Begin a new application for this grant here.

Review your existing application(s) here.