Fundamental Ecology Award – FAQ

The grant is open to:

• any student who is enrolled in postgraduate research at an Australian University; and
• is undertaking research that will advance the science of ecology; and
• is a member of the Ecological Society of Australia (note: this can be done at time of application)

A condition of the award is:

• The winner must be able to attend the annual conference in the year following to present their work as “The Fundamental Ecology Award presentation”. (Note: registration, accommodation and travel costs will be paid by the award)

Applications are open between May 1 and June 30 (11:59pm) each year and are accepted via this online form.

• Identify how the $5,000 will add value to your project – don’t just include a total project budget.
• You can apply for membership at the same time as you submit your application.
• Ensure you include your supervisor reference, no extensions will be given for you to arrange the reference, so ask them early.

Yes, you can! Just use the correct form for each award (both available on our website). The application process is similar for both so it can be worthwhile to put your project in for these awards if your research fits the criteria.

You do need to be a current member of the ESA to apply BUT if you are not already a member you can submit your application for membership online at the same time as your application submission. As long as you have submitted your membership application and paid your subscription fee your application will be accepted. Confirmation of your membership will be sent at a later date.

Applications are open to any student who is currently enrolled in a postgraduate programme at an Australian university and is a financial member of ESA. This means that if your research is based outside of Australia or if you live outside of Australia but still meet these two criteria you are eligible to apply. If your research has relevance to Australian ecology, including this information can only strengthen your application.

The Fundamental Ecology award is an annual scholarship offering a single payment of $5,000 into a nominated university research account.

A condition of the award is attendance at the ESA annual conference in the year following your award to present a research paper. Accordingly, ESA will fund travel, registration and accommodation costs associated with these events.

Yes. This award is based on assessment by a committee of senior ecologists considering the merits of a postgraduate project in fundamental ecology. The summary of your project should therefore be presented as a sound scientific document as well as selling the merits of your expected research outcomes.

The purpose of this section is to indicate specifically how you would apply the $5,000 grant to your project and how these funds would improve research outcomes e.g. broaden the scope, extend time in the field or lab, improved data collection etc. This can be done as part of a complete project budget but the application of grant funds needs to be clearly identified.

Applications should be no longer than four (4) pages NOT including reference list/citations and the required supervisor’s reference. There is no mandated citation style.

The application only requires a supervisor reference. However, if you would like to add an additional relevant reference that strengthens the value of your research to the field of ecology, you are most welcome to do so.

If one of your referees cannot provide a reference by the due date but will be available within a reasonable time frame, submit the application by the nominated date and time including the referee’s name and details on the application form, and request an extension to provide the reference .  You will then be notified if the extension has been approved and be given a revised due date. NOTE:  It will then be your responsibility to chase up the reference. If it is not received on time your application will not proceed.

As this is a relatively small grant, we expect that the total funds provided be allocated for the work of the recipient/s and not used for general university administration or indirect cost recovery purposes. We consider that the Government should be providing funds for that purpose.

If you are unsure about any application conditions or requirements, or need more information, contact  to make sure, as it may impact on the success of your application