Avant Member Grants terms and conditions

The Avant Member Grants program offers research, education and equipment grants to Avant practitioner and practice members.

In 2024 we are offering:

• full-time grants – Valued at $50,000, these grants fund research on a full- time basis over a 12- month period
• part-time grants – Valued at $25,000, these grants fund research on a part-time basis, usually over a 12-month period. 
• microgrants – Valued at $5,000, these grants have a broad purpose and may be for research, education, equipment, career development or an initial research phase. 

Full-time and part-time grants are only for research projects. Microgrants have a broader purpose and may be for education, equipment, career development or an initial research phase.

To ensure fairness in the assessment of applications, and to encourage early career researchers, we ask practitioner applicants to identify themselves in one of five practitioner categories:

1. student – must be enrolled in a medical degree at university
2. accredited trainee – must hold an accredited training position with an Australian specialty college
3. pre-vocational – must not hold an accredited training position with one of the specialty colleges and not previously completed specialty training
4. new fellow – one to five years after becoming a fellow
5. practitioner – all other practitioners.

All the above categories of practitioner must hold (at the time of application and throughout the project period) a practitioner indemnity insurance policy with Avant Insurance Limited (ACN 003 707 471) (Avant).

Practitioner applicants must be the project leader responsible for the design, execution and management of the project. If the project involves other people, they must consent to the applicant being the project leader. Grants are awarded on an individual basis and other parties are not eligible to receive any part of the grant.

To be eligible for a grant, medical practice applicants must hold (at the time of application and throughout the project period) a practice medical indemnity policy with Avant. For practices applying for part-time and full-time research grants, both the practice and the lead researcher must hold a medical indemnity policy with Avant.

Applications open at midday (AEDT) Tuesday 26 March 2024 and close midday (AEST) Tuesday 25 June 2024 (application period).

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Complete the online application form and submit it during the application period.

Applicants must specify the category and grant type for which they are applying. Applicants cannot apply for more than one grant type.

Applications will only be accepted when requested supporting documentation is complete and attached. Avant will not consider incomplete applications in the review process.

If, prior to grants being awarded, there is a substantive change to the research timeline that would require the grant period to be extended, the applicant must immediately notify Avant in writing, explaining the reasons for the additional time.

Similarly, if there is a substantive change to the research scope the applicant must immediately notify the proposed change to Avant in writing.

Grant recipients will be selected based on information provided in the application form and responses to further requests by Avant.

Applicants may be required to supply further information. Avant reserves the right to request an interview and/or verification of any information provided.

Selection is based on the assessment criteria which includes:

• previous work experience
• past research
• research project
• research team and supervisor (if relevant).

An applicant’s career stage will be taken into account when assessing applications.

Avant reserves the right to:

• award grants at its absolute discretion
• decrease the number of grants which may be granted
• determine that no grants will be made.

Grant period

The grant period is 12 months from the date of commencement, which is when Avant makes its first grant payment to a successful applicant. Under exceptional circumstances, and on receipt of an application for extension form, Avant may extend the grant period to a maximum of two years.

Employment restrictions 

For full-time grants, research must be conducted on a full-time basis. For part-time grants and microgrants there are no employment restrictions.

Evidence of ethics approval 

Where applicable, evidence of ethics approval must be supplied prior to the second instalment of full-time and part-time grants.

Where ethics approval is not required, Avant must receive evidence showing that the proposed research does not require ethics approval as outlined in the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Ethical considerations in quality assurance and evaluation activities.

If ethics approval is not received (when ethics approval is required), within 12 months of the first grant payment, the remainder of the grant will be forfeited. In some instances, repayment of the first instalment may be required.

Avant does not require ethics approval for microgrants.

Funding agreement 

Before receiving the grant, all recipients will be required to sign a funding agreement, in a form determined by Avant.

Payment of Avant grants 

To be eligible for payment, grant recipients must undertake the research project as approved by Avant and within the grant period approved by Avant. 

Full-time and part-time grants are paid in two instalments – 50% upon commencement of the project, 50% midway through the grant period on receipt of a satisfactory progress report and ethics approval, where required.

Microgrants are paid in full upon receipt of a signed funding agreement. 

Funds will be paid directly to the practitioner or practice that submitted the application. Payments are made by direct deposit into the grant recipient’s nominated Australian bank account. To facilitate this payment, grant recipients will be required to supply their nominated bank account.

Repayment of grants 

Grants must be repaid in full within four weeks of being requested by Avant if the grant recipient: 

• receives a payment made in error or an overpayment 
• was ineligible to apply
• received an offer of a grant in error
• is found guilty of professional misconduct by the Medical Board of Australia
• is subject to disciplinary procedures with their university or learning institution
• causes reputational harm to Avant, or a related body corporate of Avant, by their conduct in any form 
• abandons or fails to complete their research within the grant period unless there is prior written approval to extend beyond the grant period or
• breaches any of the terms of the funding agreement. 

Should the project not go ahead or progress reporting and ethics approval not be received within 12 months of the first payment, the remainder of the grant will be forfeited. In some instances, repayment of the first instalment may be required.

A grant may be withdrawn by Avant at any stage if incorrect information was provided, or relevant information was withheld, during the application process. If any part of an application is found to have been made fraudulently, or with an intention to mislead or deceive, immediate and full repayment will be required. 

Grant recipients must hold a professional indemnity insurance policy with Avant when applying for a grant and at all times during the grant period. If a recipient does not hold a professional indemnity insurance policy with Avant at any relevant time, Avant may require the recipient to immediately repay all amounts already received. Recipients must immediately comply with such a request and will be ineligible to receive any further payments from Avant.

Changes in timeline or scope 

If there is a substantive change to the research scope or if the timeline needs to be extended, the recipient must immediately notify Avant in writing, explaining the reason and seeking written approval to extend the grant period. Applications for extension must be submitted via the online form.

Avant may, at its sole discretion, elect to continue to pay grant instalments or cease to fund the remainder of the grant. If the grant recipient fails to notify Avant of a substantive change in the research scope or timeline, we may require the recipient to repay the grant in full.

Reporting requirements 

Grant recipients must provide formal progress reports every six months, or as otherwise determined by Avant throughout the grant period, in the form required by Avant. 

These must be accompanied by a statement of progress from the research supervisor for grant recipients in the early career researcher categories. 

If an extension to the grant period has been agreed, Avant, at its sole discretion, may request additional reports. 

Recipients should enable Avant to publish these reports, or extracts from them, in any Avant materials or publications (including on Avant’s website).

Promotion and media 

Recipients may be asked to work with Avant’s editorial team to publish the results or progress of their research in relevant publications in Australia. 

All reports, articles, publications, relevant correspondence, and materials relating to the research and/or findings pertaining to the subject of the funded research must prominently state that the work was supported by Avant. 

No use of the Avant logo, brand, mark, or other intellectual property of Avant will be permitted other than by express written license. A grant recipient may request such a license from Avant at any time. Avant may, in its absolute discretion, withhold the grant of such a license and for any reason. 

Upon request, recipients may be required to present their findings at an Avant event. 

Recipients agree, at Avant’s request, to participate in any promotional activity (such as publicity and photography), and consent to Avant using their name, likeness, image and/or voice (including photograph, film and/or recording of the same) in any media for an unlimited period without remuneration for the purpose of promoting the Avant Member Grants now or in the future.

Intellectual property 

Avant acknowledges that intellectual property resulting from funded research may belong to the grant recipient’s institution. If the intellectual property resulting from the grant does not belong to the recipient’s institution, it will be the joint property of Avant and the grant recipient. 

If the intellectual property does belong to the recipient’s institution, grant recipients must: 

• notify Avant of any patentable discoveries, inventions, processes, or improvements arising from the research
• disclose any revenue derived from any commercial exploitation of material or results arising from the research 
• acknowledge Avant in all commercial activities arising from the use of material or results arising from the research.

Applications remain the property of Avant. All personal information in an application may be collected, used and disclosed for the purposes of conducting the Avant Member Grants program (which may include disclosure to third parties for assessment and verification purposes) and, in the case of recipients, for the purpose of promotion of the Avant Member Grants and similar Avant programs in subsequent years. 

By applying, applicants consent to the collection, use and disclosure of their information as described in these terms and conditions and the Avant Privacy Policy. Applicants may access, change, and/or update their personal information by contacting Avant on 1800 128 268.

Avant reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time, acting reasonably. When it does so, Avant will update the terms and conditions on its website and notify applicants of the changes within a reasonable time.

If for any reason any aspect of the Avant Member Grants program is not capable of running as planned, including by reason of computer virus, communications network failure, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failure or any cause beyond the control of Avant, Avant may in its sole discretion cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the program and invalidate any affected entries, or suspend or modify a grant.