Special Purpose Grant

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Objectives

These grants may be awarded to those working in cancer care, or cancer support organisations and may be used to carry out projects to support New Zealand- based initiatives that will lead to improvements in the prevention, detection, diagnosis or treatment of cancer, or improvements in the palliative care of cancer patients. These projects may be related to the biomedical, clinical, epidemiological or psychosocial aspects of cancer. Examples of projects that have been supported by a Special Purpose Grant are: Reprinting of the Palliative Care Handbook; Scholarships for Medical Physics Registrars; Support for a Clinical Nurse Specialist for Educational Initiatives; Training of GPs in Palliative Care. Hypothesis-driven clinical or biomedical research projects should be submitted on the Research Project Grant application form. Special Purpose grants can also be used to fund invited speakers to local cancer-related conferences. The maximum for this purpose is $3,000 and will be offered in both the March and main grant rounds.

Application

As stated under Objectives the Trust aims to assist a wide range of professionals working in the fields of cancer research, treatment and support. Applications for funds will always exceed the amount available so funding rounds are managed on a competitive basis. Therefore, it is important that applications are well presented with clear objectives and relevant supporting information. It is likely that some applicants who are eligible for Trust support will be new to the art of grant preparation. Those without previous experience of applying for competitive funding are advised to seek the help and input of colleagues who are practised and successful grant writers. A list of those applications funded since 2002 is available on our web site at www.cancerresearchtrustnz.org.nz. When constructing the budget applicants should bear in mind the total sum available for distribution across all successful applications, which is $1 million annually.

The principal applicant would normally be a member of staff of an academic institution or cancer-care organisation. The head of the facility or clinic, or academic department must approve the application. Applications from non-affiliated private individuals may also be considered. The application form is available on the Cancer Research Trust NZ's grants portal once the funding round is open. The closing date for applications is in late August each year; the exact date will be advised on the Cancer Research Trust NZ's grants portal. Applicants will be advised of the outcome in early December.

It is recommended that prospective applicants register on the Cancer Research Trust NZ's grants portal. This ensures they are advised by email when funding opportunities are available.

Further Application Guidance

All applicants should read the Guidelines and General Information section, that provides valuable advice on how applications are assessed:

* [#285,Guidelines and General Information]

Award

If the Trust approves a grant, the Applicant will be informed of the nature and amount of the grant and the conditions under which it is made, and asked for a formal acceptance under specific conditions. The conditions of the grant include:

* the grant covers a nominated period, and expenditure incurred after this period will not be met

* any person engaged to work on the grant must be made aware that if for any reason the project is terminated their engagement concludes, that any leave due must be taken during the period of the grant and that payment will not be made for leave taken after the period of engagement is ended.

* if the grant covers salary, this may not be used to finance study towards further qualifications without the agreement of the Trust. This will usually only be given to those working towards a Masters or Ph.D.

Reporting

The Trust will require a report from the investigator at the conclusion of the project, once course of study has been completed, after equipment has been purchased and installed, or facilities upgraded. Grant recipients will be advised by email in advance of reports being due.

Ethical Approval

If ethical approval is appropriate this will need to be obtained from the human or animal ethical committees of the sponsoring institution. The application form includes a section to capture this information.

If you can't find the information you need, please use the "Get in touch" form on this page to send an inquiry to the Cancer Research Trust NZ.