AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND COLLEGE
OF VETERINARY SCIENTISTS
Ophthalmology Chapter Memorial Research Grant
Dedicated in honour of Dr Denise Brudenall and Dr J Rowan Blogg
The Ophthalmology Chapter honours the legacy of our previous members who have contributed to the vision, growth, and success of our profession. In particular, we remember our deceased members: Dr Denise Brudenall (who was long-term Secretary and Science Week Convenor) and Dr Rowan Blogg (who is considered the grandfather of veterinary ophthalmology in Australia). The Ophthalmology Chapter Memorial Research Grant will be named in honour of a deceased Chapter member for three consecutive years. The inaugural grant will be dedicated in honour of Dr Denise Brudenall and Dr J Rowan Blogg and then future Chapter members. A Chapter Grant Fund will be sought from the Ophthalmology Chapter’s income.
The Ophthalmology Chapter wishes to encourage high standards in all aspects of veterinary ophthalmology and to promote the development of related research. Veterinary ophthalmology residents (from ANZCVS, ECVO, ACVO or AsiaACVO) and interns who are conducting ophthalmology or vision research in Australia or New Zealand are eligible to apply. One annual grant up to the value of $AUD4000 will be available for basic or clinical research in veterinary ophthalmology. If there are no suitable applications in a year, a grant will not be awarded that year. All previous grant recipients must have provided both receipts and reports to be considered eligible for further grants.
Projects are expected to be of 1-2 year’s duration. Applicants are expected to propose a project of scientific merit that is applicable to veterinary ophthalmology. Grants will be evaluated on scientific merit, feasibility, and clinical relevance. All applications will be subject to peer review and must include background information, project aims and objectives, project design, specific methods, and detailed budget together with an explanation of the relevance of the proposed work to veterinary ophthalmology, as described in the guidelines below. Applications not adhering to the guidelines may be returned to the applicant unassessed. Any use of experimental animals must conform to ethical and animal welfare regulations. It is highly recommended that candidates apply to the Chapter Secretary(secretaryophthalmology@anzcvs.org.au) for an Information Pack (that provides resources regarding study design, animal ethics requirements and manuscript instructions for authors) before planning their research study and grant application.
Successful applicants will be expected to submit their results for publication in a suitable peer-reviewed journal, as per Ophthalmology Chapter Fellowship guidelines, (e.g. Veterinary Ophthalmology journal) and to present their findings to the Ophthalmology Chapter Science Week meeting within three years from receipt of the grant. Grants cannot be used to cover institutional overheads, or for travel or accommodation to the Science Week meeting. However, applicants are entitled to free registration at Science Week on the day they present the findings of their research project. It is expected that funding sources will be acknowledged in publications and conference presentations.
Grant applications must be received by 31st March 2024 for consideration by the Chapter Grant Committee, to be sent electronically in PDF format to the Chapter Secretary (secretaryophthalmology@anzcvs.org.au). An acknowledgement will be sent within 14 days.
Grants will be awarded and announced by 1st June each year. Payment of grants will be made incrementally or completely following receipt of relevant tax invoices by the Ophthalmology Chapter Treasurer. Payment of grants will not be possible without submission of appropriate tax invoices. Significant deviation from the estimated budget may result in incomplete payment of invoices.
Annual progress reports are required and must be submitted to the current Ophthalmology Chapter Secretary by 1stJune each year, in preparation for the Ophthalmology Chapter AGM. Failure to submit this report may result in cessation of further grant payments.
Guidelines for Preparation of ANZCVS Ophthalmology Chapter
Memorial Research Grant Application
Applications not adhering to these guidelines will be returned to the sender. Number of pages listed are maximum numbers with text fonts no smaller than 10 (superscripts and subscripts notwithstanding). Shorter proposals are acceptable and welcomed.
Section 1 (one page maximum)
A cover letter.
Section 2 (one page maximum)
A brief up-to-date curriculum vitae of the principal applicant.
Section 3 (one page maximum)
A title page which should include the project title, the name and title of the investigator, the institute or veterinary practice/s at which the research will be performed, and the date of the proposed project period. The names of both primary and secondary supervisors should also be included.
Section 4 (one page maximum)
i. Provide a brief abstract with clearly stated objectives, indicating the importance of the research, and an outline of the experimental design and the methods used for achieving the stated objectives.
ii. Specific aim(s): State in general terms the long-term objective(s) and the hypothesis to be tested. List the specific primary and secondary outcomes that will be measured and any predictors or risk factors to be included.
Section 5 (2 pages maximum)
Background and significance: In this section briefly review the background for the present proposal, and the gaps in the knowledge that the proposed project will fill.
Section 6 (2 pages maximum)
Preliminary studies: If there are preliminary data to support the hypothesis or to demonstrate that the investigator is familiar with the proposed methods, they should be included. If there are no preliminary results, then this section can be omitted.
Section 7 (2 pages maximum)
i. Experimental design and methods: This section should contain concise detail of the experimental design (eg randomised controlled trials, RCT), cohort or case-control study, cross sectional survey or other design) and the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims listed above. The study should be designed so that the results can be reported according to the appropriate reporting guideline (eg CONSORT for RCTs, STROBE for observational studies, ARRIVE for experimental animal studies, STARD for studies of diagnostic tests). See https://www.equator-network.org/ for a comprehensive list of reporting guidelines. The methods should be sufficiently detailed to judge the feasibility of completing the study and should list a brief description of resources available to investigators. It is important to discuss how the data will be collected, analysed, and interpreted to allow a sound scientific analysis.
This section should include justification of the sizes of experimental groups1, controls required, and the type of statistical evaluation to be performed (eg for the comparison of means use t-test or Wilcoxon Rank Sum test; for the comparison of proportions use chi-square or Fisher’s exact test; for associations between risk factors and outcome use regression techniques, if applicable). Techniques should be specified for: the management of repeated measures where measurements are taken repeatedly over time; and where there is clustering due to geographical location.
ii. Animal use: Projects must fulfil the requirements of animal welfare legislation in force, and a statement to this effect should be included in the application. Any project proposal involving animals must be evaluated by the applicant’s institution animal use committee and a statement to that effect should be included in the proposal. If pets are to be used in the project, a permission form for the owners to complete should be appended to the proposal, or an ethics committee approval if the study is done at an academic institution. However, applicants are encouraged to submit projects for which animal ethics approval has not been finalised. For these projects, the Grant Committee’s assessment and review process would assist in obtaining such approval.
Section 8 (one page maximum)
A one-page detailed budget should be included. The grant will not cover professional veterinary fees incurred by clients in the investigation of animals involved in clinical projects.
Section 9 (one page maximum)
References should be provided for Section 5 (background information) and
Section 6 (methods).
[1]
[1] Sample size description should include sufficient information to allow the reviewer to validate the sample size; eg for comparison of means for two independent groups, the expected means, standard deviation, alpha (p-value) power (usually 80%); for two proportions the proportion in each group, alpha (p-value) and power. Include any allowance for dropouts if applicable.
