HDA Travel and Development Grants, round 1 2026 - NOW OPEN!

The HDA Travel and Development Grants are offered to enable final year PhD students and Early Career Researchers (up to 5 years post PhD) to undertake travel related/virtual  conference or research professional development (training course, interstate collaboration, lab visit).

Specific travel and development program

To enable final year PhD students and Early Career Researchers (up to 5 years post PhD):

(i)  to present their research in-person or at online/virtual international conferences

(ii) to undertake in-person/online training courses towards career development

(iii) to travel interstate to undertake lab visits, collaborations or present at a conference

Eligibility

• PhD students must be current HDA research members and enrolled in a South Australian university  
• Early Career Researchers must be current HDA research members and working in a South Australian university
• Previous recipients of travel grants will not be excluded from consideration, but preference may be given to first-time awardees
• Applicants will have a limit of being funded twice, once domestic and once international
• Previously funded recipients can only apply once every two years
• Open to paid members only. Membership is $30 (excluding GST) for 1 year or $60 (excluding GST) for 3 years https://health.adelaide.edu.au/healthy-development-adelaide/get-involved
• Not open to adjunct research members, members must work and reside in South Australia
• Applications for this round can submit their application for conference travel / program development valid from 1 January 2026 – 30 June 2026.

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be judged on the basis of:

(i) The quality of their application

(ii) The quality of the training/development opportunity

(iii) The extent of their involvement/contributions to HDA (e.g. length of membership, participation in HDA events)

(iv) The track record of research output, funding success and contribution to discipline and/or community (volunteering, conference organisation), judged relative to career stage

Funding Conditions

Travel and Development Grants of up to $750 for national conference/program and upto $1,500 for international conference/program will be awarded.

HDA must be acknowledged in research products originating from the funded activity, where relevant, using the HDA logo (e.g. on conference posters or slides) or other relevant research products originating from the funded activity.

A 500 word report to be submitted to HDA within four weeks of return from the conference or related career development course/activity outlining the benefits of the conference/course/activity and how it related to healthy development.

Participants must submit proof of payment (receipts for airfare, conference registration fee and/or accommodation) and participation in the conference/development opportunity, and provide the 500 word completion report, to receive the funding.

Application Process

Applications will close at 5.00pm Monday 5 January 2026. Late applications will not be considered.

Applicants will be notified of the results after the assessment in January/February.

Email the following documents: 1) application form 2) abstract (abstract title, if known) or summary of intended presentation 3) short CV with track record (1-3 pages in total) 4) evidence of PhD enrolment/date of conferral to: Anne Jurisevic, HDA Executive Officer: anne.jurisevic@adelaide.edu.au

application form here: /hda-form