Deadline: 17-Oct-22
Applications are now open for the Melbourne Social Equity Institute’s Community Fellows Program to support research that will lead to positive outcomes such as improved service delivery, the development of new services, improved ability to advocate effectively or the improved capacity to undertake future research projects.
Community Fellows are able to spend time at the University of Melbourne to develop research skills. Projects should be relevant to the work of community-based organisations and aim to promote social equity. Projects could involve conducting a scoping report, literature review, data analysis or a small research project.
The initiative is targeted at small to medium-sized community-based organisations (up to 199 employees) that currently have very limited capacity to conduct research. Projects should be small, tightly focused and address an issue of relevance to the organisation. Key objectives for the Community Fellows Program are to meet community-based needs for research and to foster community–academic collaborations.
Benefits
- Grants of $7000 are made available to the community-based organisations to compensate them for the time that Fellows spend working on their research projects. A small research budget will be allocated to each Community Fellow to enable them to undertake their research. A Collaboration Agreement will be created specifying project details, levels of financial support and expected outcomes.
Eligibility Criteria
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To be eligible to participate in the Community Fellows Program, please ensure that:
- You are currently an employee of your organisation with the right to work in Australia. The institute is unable to support volunteers.
- Your organisation is a small to medium-sized community organisation (up to 199 employees).
- You are able to spend time on the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus, including a three-day orientation program on 8–10 February 2023.
- You are able to commit between 100 and 200 hours to work on the project (depending on its complexity) including active participation in research training and cohort-based activities.
- Your organisation is incorporated and holds insurance to the value of $10,000,000 public liability and $2,000,000 professional indemnity insurance (this is a fairly typical level of coverage for small organisations)
- Your organisation was not awarded an MSEI Community Fellowship as part of the 2020 cohort – if unsure, please contact the MSEI to confirm social-equity@unimelb.edu.au.
- Your organisation supports your application and will support you to complete the Fellowship project.
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In addition, successful applicants will:
- work at a community organisation that is involved in work that promotes social equity and works with marginalised communities.
- Having a viable idea for an original project such as a scoping report, literature review, data analysis or a small research project.
- Have a demonstrated ability to develop and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders.
- Have a commitment to sharing knowledge and supporting ethical research.
- Have experience in managing and completing projects.
- Have the capacity to conduct the research project (with guidance and support from an Academic Mentor).
For more information, visit Melbourne Social Equity Institute.
For more information, visit https://socialequity.unimelb.edu.au/community-fellows-program