Research Grants

The SPANZA research grants are given by SPANZA to support research in Australia and New Zealand in paediatric anaesthesia, paediatric ICU or paediatric pain management.

SPANZA continues to make available up to a total of A$40,000 for the annual research grants.

RECOMMENDED criteria for SPANZA grants

  • Collaborative projects across New Zealand and Australia. (including mentoring and senior support)
    OR
  • Novice investigator – within 10 years of fellowship or 5yrs of PhD or equivalent (taking into account career disruptions as per NHMRC)
    OR
  • Higher degree candidate – MD, PhD. Must be currently enrolled and project must be part of the higher degree

Applications (including details of career disruption or mentoring arrangements) should be uploaded as ONE PDF document via the Grant Submission Page.

A maximum of A$40,000 may be requested for any one grant, and SPANZA reserves the right to partially fund grants. Applications will be considered by the SPANZA research committee and approved by SPANZA executive. The successful applicant(s) will be announced at the AGM held at the annual SPANZA scientific meeting. Formal feedback for all grant applicants will be provided by the research subcommittee. Should you be awarded a grant, you may be invited to present details of the project at the SPANZA ASM, in the Research Forum.

Conditions for eligibility are:

  1. The chief investigator on the project must be a member of SPANZA at time of application.
  2. The project must be based in Australia and/or New Zealand and the activity must be research relevant to paediatric anaesthesia, paediatric intensive care and/or paediatric pain management.
  3. All applicants must be compliant with reporting requirements as follows: The recipient of funds will provide brief annual reports until the project is completed. A brief final report will be submitted when the project is completed. The results of the project will be presented at the annual SPANZA scientific meeting (this may be in addition to other presentations). Any grant holders who do not present or publish work funded by SPANZA will not be eligible for future grants, until such dissemination of findings occurs.
  4. The project application must include a clear aim, a complete project outline and a budget.
  5. Applications must be in the SUGGESTED FORMAT.

If you are awarded a grant, you may be invited to present details of the project at the SPANZA ASM, in the Research Forum.

The application will be judged on the following additional criteria:

  • The plausibility, importance and originality of the objective and the likelihood to change practice and/or result in publication.
  • The feasibility of the project
  • The track record of the investigators with respect to ability to complete project

2024 submissions are now open!

To submit your application please click below:

Deadline for application submission is Wednesday 10th July 2024

PAST WINNERS

2023 Grant Winners

SPANZA would like to congratulate 3 winners for 2023, for the projects entitled:

  • Developing a consumer priority list for research and clinical care in paediatric perioperative medicine in conjunction with Australian children and youth consumers
    Prof Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg, A/Prof Susan Humphreys, Dr Fiona Taverner, Jane Smitheringal
    Received $18,728
  • Australian children and youth prescribed opioids prior to referral to tertiary pain services – description and changes over 5 years (UNderstanding Opioids – UNOpioid)
    Dr Susie Lord, Priscilla Viana Da Silva, Dr Dinberu Shebeshi, Amy Wethered, Dr Krista Monkhouse
    Received $15,000
  • Anaemia in Cardiac Surgery at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
    Dr Paul Davies, Prof Paul Monagle, Dr Bryn Jones, Dr Ben Davies
    Received $6,272

2022 Grant Winners

SPANZA would like to congratulate 2 winners for 2022, for the projects entitled:

  • Baby CHiX: Caudal, High flow oxygen and DeXmedetomidine sedation for inguinal hernia surgery in neonates and infants. 
    Dr Fiona Tavener, Dr Laura Burgoyne, A/Prof Britta Regli Von Ungern Sternberg, A/Prof Andrew Davidson, A/Prof Scott Morris, Dr Susan Humphreys
    Received $20,000
  • Evaluation of physical compatibility and stability of selected intravenous drug combinations when administered via Y-type connectors.
    Dr Nicole Wylie, Dr Alka Garg, A/Prof Sanjay Garg, Dr May Song, A/Prof Souha Youssef
    Received $10,000

2021 Grant Winners

SPANZA would like to congratulate 2 winners for 2021, for the projects entitled:

  • Neurocognitive trajectory in adolescents recovering from major spinal surgery for idiopathic scoliosis (NEUROTRAJECT)
    Dr Suze Bruins, A/Prof Christopher Brasher, A/Prof Aaron Buckland, Dr Louise Margaret Crowe, Prof Andrew Davidson, A/Prof Liz Evered, Prof Robert Sanders, A/Prof Justin Skowno, Prof Laszlo Vutskits
    Fully funded, $9000.00
  • Physician versus viscoelastic assay-guided transfusion strategy for massive haemorrhage in elective cranial vault surgery 
    Dr Stuart Blain, Dr Shannon Morrison, A/Prof Susan Humphreys, Dr John Roy
    Partially funded, $31 000.00 ($40 000 requested)

2020 Grant Winners

SPANZA would like to congratulate 2 winners for 2020, for the projects entitled:

  • Development of a Paediatric Quality of Recovery Score (pedsQoR)
    Paul Lee Archer, Queensland Children’s Health, Brisbane
    Received $25,000
  • Core Outcomes in Children Undergoing Anaesthesia and Surgery: An International Stakeholder Engagement Study
    Elsa Taylor, Starship Children’s Hospital, Auckland NZ
    Received $15,000

2019 Grant Winner

SPANZA would like to congratulate 2 winners for 2019, who both receive $10,000 each for the projects entitled:

  • Towards optimal anaesthesia in the neonate: Characterising cortical evoked responses in neonates and defining an objective measure of anaesthetic effect.
    Dr Bae (Sebastian) Corlette, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
  • Sevoflurane Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics during Anaesthesia
    Dr. Ben van der Griend, Christchurch Public Hospital

2018 Grant Winner

The winner of the 2018 grant was the project entitled:

2017 Grant Winner

There were 2 winners of the 2017 grant, both award $10,000 each for the projects titled:

  • Blood glucose and ketone levels on fasting children between 6-12 months for elective surgery
    Abigail Wong, Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, Queensland
  • Enhancing Management of Perioperative High risk patients through Assessment of oxygen Saturation and Sleep quality (EMPHASIS)
    David Sommerfield, Princess Margaret Hospital, Perth

2016 Grant Winner

The winner of the 2016 grant was the project entitled:

2015 Grant Winner

The winner of the 2015 grant was the project entitled:

2014 Grant Winner

The winner of the 2014 grant was the project entitled:

2013 Grant Winner

The winner of the 2013 Grant, of $10,000 was the project entitled:

2012 Grant Winner

The winner of the $10,000 research grant was awarded for the following submission:

  • Pain at home following shortstay surgery in children
    Dr George Chalkiadis, Royal Children’s Hospital, Victoria

2011 Grant Winner

The winner of the $10,000 research grant was awarded for the following submission:

  • Safer anaesthesia for children with asthma: can exhaled NO levels predict children at risk for respiratory complications?
    Prof Britta von Ungern-Sternberg and Mary Hegarty, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Western Australia

2010 Grant Winner

The winner of the $10,000 research grant was awarded for the following submission:

  • Transition to Propofol Anaesthesia for the Final Three Minutes as a Strategy to Reduce Sevoflurance Emergence Delirium: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Dr David Costi, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, North Adelaide

2009 Grant Winner

Once again in 2009 the quality of the submissions was extremely high, and a decision could not be made between 2 applications, and therefore the grant was split into 2 x $5,000 grants, between the following 2 submissions:

  • Does gabapentin reduce itch in children with acute severe burns? – Aprospective randomised double blinded controlled study
    Dr Andrew Weatherall BMed, Children’s Hospital at Westmead
  • The pharmacokinetics of oral ketamine in children with significant burns:Determining the optimal oral dosing for ketamine in children withsignificant burn injury.
    Dr. Katharine Brunette, Red Cross War Memorial Hospital, Cape Town

2008 Grant Winner 

This year, for the first time, SPANZA have made available a research grant of $10,000.

The quality of the submissions were extremely high, and a decision could not be made between 2 applications, and therefore the grant was split into 2 x $5,000 grants, between the following 2 submissions:

  • Pediatric Emergency Transtracheal Ventilation
    Dr Paul Baker, Starship Childrens Health, New Zealand
  • Effects of Repeated Exposure to Nitrous Oxide in Children – A Prospective Cohort Study
    Dr Jonathan de Lima, Children’s Hospital at Westmead

Research