Grants

During the last 30 years the Intensive Care Foundation has supported more than 140 projects and awarded almost $5M in funding. This has been a major factor in enabling our researchers to obtain >$200M in funding from major granting bodies.

Grants Program

Since our founding, the Intensive Care Foundation has been committed to funding groundbreaking research and supporting the professional development of clinicians and educators in critical care. Our grants enable ICU specialists and healthcare teams to explore new treatments, validate innovative id…

Granting Program - Expression of Interest (EOI)

This form is for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in the Foundation’s Project Grants (Research or Education) only.

There is no EOI stage for our Educator Development Scholarships (applications open in June).

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Grant Categories

The Intensive Care Foundation’s funding is distributed across three key categories:

Research Projects

The Intensive Care Foundation will continue to fund research projects, with an emphasis on supporting early career investigators. We also provide seed funding for pilot projects that are backed by good teams with good ideas, capable of major grant success (e.g. NHMRC) in future.

Maximum Grant: AUD$50,000

Education Projects

The Intensive Care Foundation will fund the development and dissemination of educational products, and education-related research pertinent to caring for critically ill patients in ICU. Examples of educational products include learning packages, videos, and online resources.

Maximum Grant: AUD$50,000

Educator Development Scholarships

The Intensive Care Foundation award scholarships to support the personal and professional development of early career clinician educators with bright future prospects in health professional education.

Maximum Grant: AUD$5,000

Eligibility

Foundation grants are designed to support innovative research and education projects that improve care in Intensive Care Units across Australia and New Zealand.

Grants are offered to support early career researchers and educators from medical, nursing, physiotherapy and other allied health qualified backgrounds.

Essential Criteria

Early Career Focus: The project team should bring together professionals from different ICU roles, such as doctors, nurses, and allied health staff, working together to improve care for critically ill patients.
Interprofessional: The project team displays interprofessional, defined as more than one ICU profession or craft group that work together providing care to critically ill patients in ICU (e.g. medical, nursing, allied health).
Feasibility: The project should be able to be completed within three years of receiving the grant.

Desirable Criteria

Lead by an Early Career Professional: We encourage projects where the chief investigator is an early career researcher or educator.
Multidisciplinary Approach: Teams made up of various clinical disciplines and professions are strongly encouraged, as ICU care relies on collaboration.
Diversity and Inclusion: We value diversity within the project team and welcome projects that address issues impacting a wide range of communities, or that are accessible in different locations and times.
Equity and Fairness: The Foundation encourages projects that support the First Peoples of Australia and New Zealand or focus on communities with low and middle incomes.

Grant Timeline

Expressions of Interest (EOI) Open: 01 March 2025

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Application process

Each year, the Intensive Care Foundation runs a competitive grant process, opening Expressions of Interest (EOI) in March. All eligible individuals are encouraged to apply.

The submitted EOIs are reviewed by the Scientific Review Committee (SRC), and the most outstanding applications are invited to submit a full research or education proposal. These Full Applications undergo a second evaluation by the SRC, with recommendations then reviewed by the Intensive Care Foundation Board. Grants are awarded to projects that advance knowledge and innovation in intensive care.

Additionally, the Foundation awards annual Professional Development Scholarships to promising early-career clinician educators who show exceptional potential in health professional education.

Acquittal Process

Upon receiving a grant from the Intensive Care Foundation, both the Foundation and the recipient will formalise a funding agreement. This agreement details the payment schedule, as well as the reporting and accountability requirements specific to the project.

Each agreement is tailored to the unique needs of the project, but most include three key milestone reports, which must be submitted prior to subsequent progress payments. All projects are expected to adhere to the timeline and guidelines established in the funding agreement.

Previous Grant Recipients

2024 Grant Recipients

The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Foundation received over 73 grant applications this year, reviewed by two expert committees. The Research Scientific Review Committee, chaired by A/Professor David Gattas, and the Education Scientific Review Committee, chaired by A/Professor Chris Nickson, rigorously evaluated applications based on scientific excellence, potential patient benefits, and equity in workforce development to foster future leaders in research and education.

From this competitive process, the Intensive Care Foundation awarded over $230,000 in grants to 10 outstanding recipients from across Australia and New Zealand. Representing medicine, nursing, and allied health, these recipients’ work spans adult and paediatric ICUs in both metropolitan and regional settings. These grants underscore the diversity and innovation within the intensive care community and support vital efforts to improve outcomes for critically ill patients.