NOTE: As of July 1st 2009, HCSNet's funding programs are now all closed to further submissions. These pages remain here for historical interest.

Click here to view past award winners and what they did with their awards.

Promoting Excellence in Higher Degree Research

Background and Description

The Annual HCSNet Graduate Student Network Awards are designed to promote excellence and opportunity in Higher Degree Research (HDR) training and development. Each year, the competitive scheme provides financial support for an Australian-based HDR student in each of our five priority areas to spend a block of time (two weeks or longer) at Australian research labs, university departments or facilities with an interest in human communication. The proposed visit should be designed to enhance the student's knowledge or skills base, build professional networks, and provide an opportunity to discuss research with experts in the field. Longer-term goals to be encouraged are a joint publication involving the student and host institution, and/or presentation of a joint paper at an international conference with publication of the paper in the conference proceedings.

In applying for an award, the student, in consultation with their HDR supervisor, and a researcher at the host institution, should outline a plan and program of activities to be undertaken at the host institution. Activities might include the conduct of an experiment or data collection, training in specialist skills or methods, presenting seminars on their research, working in a discipline other than their own, and meeting with research experts. Applications will need to identify clear outcomes, demonstrate interdisciplinarity and relevance to Human Communication Science, and include a proposed budget.

As the spirit of the scheme is to promote excellence in research, the process will be competitive and awarded on merit. There will be a call for applications in mid-May 2009, the closing date for applications is 26 June 2009 and recipients of the awards will be announced in mid-July 2009. Financial support from HCSNet is up to $2,500 to the student plus $500 to the host institution to assist with local expenses. The winning student and host institution will receive a certificate and student winners may be invited to present a report at SummerFest. HCSNet reserves the right not to award any grants in a given year.

Please click here to view a list of research laboratories, centres and groups represented in HCSNet. This list is not definitive. If you are from an Australian lab, university department or facility with an interest in human communication and would like to be added to this list, please contact Rosemary Eliott (r.eliott@uws.edu.au).

Closing date for applications: 26 June 2009

How to Apply

1. The student should make contact with the supervisor at the host Lab/Centre/School/Facility and, together with their supervisor and the host supervisor, apply to the HCSNet Graduate Student Network Awards. Participating laboratories and facilities may also call for applications in a particular area via the HCSNet Newsletter.

2. Applications for the HCSNet Graduate Student Placement Awards should include: name, affiliation and contact details of the student, their supervisor, and supervisor at the host institution; year of student enrolment (e.g., 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd); a statement outlining the relevance of the visit for the student's doctoral project; a program of activity at the host institution (e.g., seminars, meetings, data collection, skill acquisition, joint paper at SummerFest and/or journal and/or International Conference Proceedings); anticipated outcomes of the visit; a budget showing costs including any cash and/or in-kind support from either the host or source institution; CVs from the student applicant and the student visit supervisor at the host institution; and written and signed recommendations from the student's supervisor and the host institution.