The CatWalk Trust accept proposals aimed at advancing research towards a cure for spinal cord injury, led by clinicians and scientists in New Zealand or at an overseas centre of excellence.
* Projects that leverage a larger project by answering a separate and complementary question
* Projects can be based at approved research institutions in New Zealand or internationally* Post-doctoral research fellows
* Clinicians* Continued academics
* Salaries for named investigators
* Salaries for research assistants and technicians* Working expenses, including publication costs
* Equipment up to a value of $15,000* Completion of existing projects
* Stipends or fees for postgraduate students* Salaries or institutional overheads for clinicians or scientists with permanent positions
If the closing date falls on a weekend or holiday, it will be extended to the next working day
* 1 April and 1 September
* Complete the application form, including signatures from your host institution. The Neurological Foundation will only accept applications sent by the host institution’s research office
* The budget requested should be in NZD. The CatWalk Trust will not award more than is requested in the budget and does not fund institutional overheads* Supporting documentation:
* Successful applicants will be informed of the conditions of the grant and asked for their formal acceptance of the research contract.
The key objectives of the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust are:
* Support the scientific opinion that a cure for SCI can be found
* Promote and generate funding for research into a cure for paralysis* Identify and assist in medical research and development into techniques designed for the regeneration of the effects of spinal cord injuries
* Monitor the research progress of all scientists funded by the Trust* Provide targeted assistance to organisations working on projects that promote the purpose of the Trust.
* Disseminate information about research into SCI* Foster cooperation between all disciplines engaged in central nervous system research, regeneration and direct relief
* Cooperate with international efforts in this fieldThe Trust will accept applications for research aligned with these objectives.Two groups of assessors will read your application: external national and international reviewers with expertise in your area, and the Neurological Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee which is comprised of a diverse range of clinicians and scientists. A clearly written proposal that is accessible to the non-expert will be appreciated by the Committee. Reviewers warm to a concise application and can be irritated when important details are missing, especially if there is unused space in the application.
The Neurological Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee provides constructive feedback to applicants after each grant round. If unsuccessful, applicants can resubmit their proposal in a subsequent grant round. However, the Scientific Advisory Committee believes that a third submission of an unsuccessful project is not appropriate. Therefore, only one resubmission of a project grant application will be accepted. A researcher who has been unsuccessful twice with a particular application is welcome to submit further proposals in their chosen field of research, but these proposals will need to be based on new or substantially revised hypotheses.
* The host institution will administer the grant
* The grant will have a specific start date and end date* The institution’s research programme may be rapidly evolving and the details of the research project may change after the application is made. If the contractual details of the project change a variation request will need to be submitted to the CatWalk Trust
* Funded salaries will cease at the grant’s end date, and the Trust will not fund any leave owing at the end of the grant* A final report will be required within 12 months of the grant’s end date
* Any presentations or publications resulting from the project will acknowledge the Trust’s support