Funding Rounds

Applications for Funding Round 6 are closed and grant recipients are completing their CPD activities. Grant recipients from Funding Rounds 4 and 5 who were unable to use their funds due to COVID-19 have had their grants rolled into Funding Round 6.

Applications for Funding Round 7 will open on 1 December 2022, for CPD activities to be completed between 1 July 2023 and 30 September 2024.

We are always happy to hear from rural specialists. Please contact us with any questions or suggestions.

Applicant Eligibility Criteria

SRSA grants are available to medical specialists who live and work in regional, rural and remote Australia and are part of a (non-GP) Australian/Australasian specialist medical college as:

  • A Fellow
  • An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander trainee
  • An international medical graduate under assessment

CPD Activity Criteria

CPD activities must:

  • Be undertaken in Australia (from Funding Round 7 onwards, activities can be done in New Zealand if they are specialist medical college run)
  • Be in-person, online or blended (in-person activities are encouraged)
  • Take place within the time frame specified for each funding round
  • Be from providers that are nationally accredited or recognised
  • Meet individual specialist medical college CPD program frameworks
  • Be directly relevant to the applicant’s current employment in a regional, rural, or remote area of Australia and benefit the community/ies they serve
  • Align with the applicant’s learning needs

Selection Criteria

Grant applications are assessed against the following criteria:

  • Demonstration of relevance of the CPD activity to identified healthcare needs of the community/ies the Applicant serves
  • Demonstration of relevance of the CPD activity to the Applicant’s individual educational needs and ability to reduce professional isolation
  • Demonstration of appropriate educational principles in the application to enable key knowledge/skills attainment and transfer
  • Ability for the CPD activity contribute to sustainable changes in practice
  • Rurality of an Applicant’s main practice (regional, rural, and remote focus)
  • The type of CPD activity and its relative cost effectiveness / value
  • The length of time the applicant has worked in a rural location
  • The Applicant’s current full-time equivalent (FTE) living and working in a rural/remote location

Funding Round Process

Application

Applicants:

  • Review the Funding Round Guidelines to ensure they, and their nominated activity/ies, are eligible
  • Complete the online grant application form

Please contact us if you have any questions about your application or need assistance.

 

Review and selection

The SRSA Program Management Unit reviews all applications for eligibility and does a preliminary ranking against the assessment criteria.

The Assessment Panel, made up of Fellows and staff of specialist medical colleges with relevant experience and expertise:

  • Reviews all eligible applications against the assessment criteria
  • Determines the final list of grant recipients

Notification of outcomes

The Program Management Unit (PMU) will email all applicants to let them know of their outcome.

Grant recipients will be sent the SRSA Terms and Conditions to be electronically signed and emailed back to the PMU.

Unsuccessful applicants can contact the PMU to ask for more  information about why they were not awarded a grant.

Using the grant

Grant recipients complete their approved CPD activity within the time frame specified for that funding round (usually 15 months).

They are asked to keep all receipts and invoices related to their activity, such as for travel, accommodation, registration and meals.

Reimbursement

Once s grant recipient has completed their CPD activity they will be asked to

  • Complete a short online evaluation survey
  • Email the Program Management Unit (PMU) copies of all relevant receipts / invoices

The PMU verifies the grant recipient’s receipts / invoices and reimburses them for their expenses into their nominated bank account.