Research Seeding Grants program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
MEDIA RELEASE – 30 April 2020
Research Seeding Grants program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
A Research Seeding Grants program has been launched by the Lowitja Institute that will put research into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community hands.
Lowitja Institute CEO Ms Janine Mohamed said “the Lowitja Institute, since its birth some 23 years ago, has wanted to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations to transform their ideas into research that meets the needs of, and is led and held by, their communities”.
The Lowitja Institute Research Seeding Grants program is offering up to $40,000 to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations. The grants will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations the opportunity to develop their research agenda and go on to attract research funding.
“This grants program reflects our new strategic plan and research priorities as we realise a long held dream of becoming a community controlled national health research organisation,” Ms Mohamed said.
The Seeding Grants will focus on the Lowitja Institute Research Agenda themes:
- Empowerment
- Sovereignty
- Connectedness, and
- Cultural safety and respectful systems in the health sector.
The Seeding Grants are the first step to express an interest in the Lowitja Institute Grant Funding Round in July 2020. A successful seeding project does not guarantee additional Lowitja Institute funding, however seeding projects may be used to seek funding from other research funding sources.
In light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, applicants will need to consider a realistic timeframe for their project and address current public health guidelines and social distancing protocols in developing their project proposal. Applicants are encouraged to adopt new ways such as online platforms to facilitate the development of their Seeding Grant applications.
Live drop-in Q&A sessions will be held from 29 April to 8 May (registrations at EventBrite). A full information pack is available from the Lowitja Institute website.
Applications close Friday 22 May 2020.
