The Douglas and Lola Douglas Scholarship in Medical Science

The Douglas and Lola Douglas Scholarship in Medical Science was made possible through a generous bequest made by Lola Rachel Maude Douglas, a philanthropist with a keen interest in medical research. Her main charity was the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney but one of her great wishes was to support young researchers and this bequest enables the Academy to help to fulfil this wish.

Applications are not sought for this award. Highly ranked recipients of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarship will be contacted by the Academy and invited to apply.

The scholarship is offered as a ‘top up’ scholarship to PhD candidates awarded an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship in one of the areas of Indigenous or primary health care, with preference given by the Academy to the area of Indigenous health research. It is awarded initially for one year (currently $7,000 per annum) with funding available for a maximum of two years. It is awarded on condition that the scholar continues to hold the NHMRC scholarship and is enrolled in a PhD program, and the Academy receives a satisfactory annual report. The scholarship’s purpose is to cover costs of small items of equipment, research materials, travel, or research assistance. The funding may not cover bench fees, managerial, insurance or visa costs or go towards stipends.

Supporting institutes and awardees are required to ensure that any research they undertake that is funded by the Australian Academy of Science adheres to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of research. Breach of these codes may result in the withdrawal of current and refusal of future funding support. Research involving Indigenous Australians must comply with the Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies.