Application Process

The Award Round opens annually around early July until late August. Important documents such as Terms & Conditions and Instructions are made available for download via the relevant Award Pages in late June. Ensure you read and understand these before submitting an application.

During an Award Round, applicants must log on to the Portal to draft, save, and submit applications for assessment.

Once an Award Round closes, the Foundation Office runs initial eligibility checks on submissions. You will be notified if you have submitted an ineligible application at this stage. Referees are then contacted for their Reports (usually mid-September).

Only applications that pass initial checks are put forward to our Board of Directors for further eligibility checks and assessment. Final decisions are made in November, and applicants advised of outcomes in December. Funding Agreements are finalised in the year of Award.

Awards Workshop

The Foundation hosts an online Awards Workshop before each Award Round, to present an overview of the upcoming Award Round and run through common eligibility queries. Registrants for the webinar will have the opportunity to ask Assessors and Foundation staff questions during the Q&A session. Details of the next workshop can be found on the Events page.

Assessment Criteria

The Foundation Board review and assess applications based on the Three Pillars of Assessment:

Assessments also review the suitability of an applicant and project, using criteria such as:

• Suitability of career-stage.
• Applicant’s track record, relative to opportunity, based on information provided.
• Whether the project sits within the field of OHNS.
• Achievable timelines.
• Originality of the study or extension of existing data.
• Clear description of outcomes and impact.

Further Assessment Criteria can be found in the Instructions for Applicants, available for download on our Award Pages, during an Award Round.

The Board may in its absolute discretion withdraw any Award if, in its opinion, the application has not fulfilled the objective of the Foundation to fund only the best people, research and applications.

Eligibility Criteria

It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure they meet eligibility requirements. These are available in the: 

• Terms and Conditions of Award
• Instructions for Applicants

These documents are made available on the relevant Award pages, during an Award Round. Only applications submitted by the Award Round deadline will be considered for assessment.