AAVAC Ltd. Research Fund 2018

General

Grants for research projects addressing clinical aspects of exotic and wild birds, including diagnostic tests, drug pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, practice management, and avian conservation will be available from the Association of Avian Veterinarians Australasian Committee (AAVAC). Five grants, totalling AUD$5,000, are available each year. Grants are limited to AUD$1,000.00 for individual projects, although if less than five applications are received in any one year, this limit may be increased at the discretion of the research committee.

The grants are primarily directed towards:

1. Small research projects by private practitioners e.g. histopathology on a series of cases;
2. Clinical research electives by final year students where they are required to source some funding for their project; or
3. Small research projects by academics in Universities.

Advertising

The grants will be advertised through the AAVAC discussion list and Eolophus in June-July and again in November each year.

Conditions

• The full project, or portion of the project for which funding is requested, must be completed within one (1) calendar year upon acceptance.
• Costs such as travel expenses, publication costs, investigator or assistant salaries, major equipment purchases, and overheads shall not be funded by the AAVAC.
• All prospective research studies must have approval from an Animal Ethics Committee. If this approval is pending at the time of the application to the AAVAC, proof of subsequent complete approval must be made available to the AAVAC before funds can be released for the research project.
• Successful applicants, in the year following the receipt of the Grant, are to publish their results in a suitable peer-reviewed journal such as:

1.    Eolophus;

2.    the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery (JAMS); 

3.    Avian Pathology;

4.    Avian Diseases;

5.    Emu;

6.    the Australian Veterinary Journal; or

7.    the New Zealand Veterinary Journal.

Authors planning to publish in other journals must seek approval from the Research Committee. They are also expected to present their findings at the annual conference of the AAVAC or the AAV in the year following the receipt of the grant.

• Successful applicants will be required to provide a written research update to the AAVAC Research Committee at the end of the first calendar year from funding, and to submit a final research summary suitable for publication in AAVAC Newsletter once the project is completed. A financial reconciliation is required at the time of the final research summary.
• Applications must be received by the AAVAC Research Committee by the 1st December each year
  Grants will be announced via the AAVAC Newsletter as soon as possible after the 1st January the following year.
• Payment of the grant will be made as a lump sum at the time of grant announcements.

 Application Requirements and Limitations

• At least one applicant in the research group must be a financial member of the AAVAC;
• Any researcher may submit a total of three (3) applications, but no more than one application may be approved for any institution or practice each year;
• For prospective live bird research studies involving anaesthesia or invasive surgery or surgery that causes a permanent change in the animal, a registered veterinarian must be listed as the principal investigator or co-investigator;
• All conditions listed above must be met; and
• In the event the researcher fails to meet the conditions above, a full refund of the grant may be requested by the AAVAC

Applications

• Applications shall be received on a single A4 page, minimum font 10 points.
• Supporting documentation may be requested by the AAVAC Research Committee after the application has been reviewed.
• Each application must contain the following headings:

Submission

Applications must be submitted as word processing document (not pdf) email attachment to Michael Cannon (Chair of the AAVAC Research Committee) no later than the 1st December each year.