Awards and Grants
Spriggina, State Fossil for SA
To recognise work, expertise or publications considered to be outstanding, the Society has three awards with which it can indicate this recognition.
These are the Verco Medal for Fellows of the Society, the Andrewartha Medal for early career stage researchers and the Publication Medal for an outstanding paper submitted to the Transactions by a young scientist.
Also, in recognition of the difficulty there may be in accessing money for a small research project by a student or perhaps retired member, there is a grant system available.
Small Research Grants Scheme
RSSA awards small grants for research work in the following fields: ecology, botany, zoology, geology, geomorphology, palaeontology, geophysics, anthropology, soil science, environmental science, environmental remediation, and archaeology.
The aim of the scheme is to promote high quality natural history research that is unlikely to be funded through larger nationally competitive schemes. The Society specifically wishes to support research by those unable to acquire funding from major grant agencies, such as postgraduate students, Early Career researchers and those outside of Universities.
Important dates:
Opening and closing dates are set each year but are usually around Mid April and close Late May (download form below for dates).
Applicants notified of outcome: Approximately one month after closing date
1. The Primary Applicant must be a member of the RSSA for 2021 (other named applicants do not have to be members). If the applicant is a student member of the RSSA, one of their supervisors must also be a member of the RSSA.
2. The Primary Applicant can only submit one application for funding. Grant recipients from within the past 5 years are ineligible.
3. The funding request should be for a standalone research project i.e. not cover funding shortfalls in a current project. This research project may an extension of an existing funded research programme or it may form part of a larger PhD project, but the requested funding needs to be for a discrete and entire research component of that project. Institutional overheads or university infrastructure are not eligible for inclusion.
4. The grant is paid as a single instalment.
5. RSSA is to be acknowledged as a funding provider in all presentations and publications arising from the supported research..
6. Recipients are to give an oral presentation to an Ordinary General Meeting of the society within 18 months of being awarded the grant. Recipients are strongly encouraged to submit project findings for publication in the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia.
7. Research with direct commercial application will not be supported.
8. Research involving humans or animals must be approved by a relevant institutional research ethics committee.
9. If the research is not carried out within two years of the funding being awarded it is to be returned to the Society. Funds are non-transferrable to other research projects.
Application form: Click here
THE VERCO MEDAL
The medal shall be awarded for distinguished scientific work published by a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Australia. It is the highest honour that the Society can bestow on one of its Fellows. Only those who have made a significant, outstanding contribution to their field(s) of study receive the award.
The first award of the medal was made to Prof Walter Howchin in 1929. Previous winners include: JB Cleland, T Harvey-Johnstone, Sir Douglas Mawson, HG Andrewartha, Reg Sprigg, Pat Thomas, MF Glaessner, Michael Tyler, WD (Bill) Williams, Michael Archer and Tom White.
Because of the careful deliberation that goes with each award, the list of Verco Medallists represents a most revered, respected and outstanding collection of scientists.
Nominations close on June 30th of each year.
Download the Verco medal information and application form (PDF)
THE PUBLICATION MEDAL
This medal is awarded for the most outstanding paper published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia by an author aged 40 years or younger who is a Fellow of the Society. It’s aim is to encourage and reward high quality scientific publication by younger scientists.
The award is not given every year, as it is reserved for contributions of only the highest quality.
The recipient will granted a year’s full membership of the society.
THE HG ANDREWARTHA MEDAL
Due to the initiative and generosity of Emeritus Professor P.A. Parsons the Royal Society of South Australia has been able to establish a medal to recognise outstanding research by an early career young Australian scientist.
There is no restriction on where the work was done or in what discipline. Nor is the award confined to members of the Society. The only requirements are that the work must be truly outstanding, and that the scientist is an early career scientist.
The Society decided to name the medal in honour of Prof. H.G. Andrewartha (1907-1992) past president and Vercoe Medallist of the Society, and internationally famous ecologist.
In order to ensure that the Medal is awarded only for work that is exceptional, the following information is needed from anyone nominating a candidate:
- A statement outlining why the nominee’s work is outstanding and exceptional.
- A brief C.V. and a list of relevant publications.
- A citation history of these publications to illustrate the significance of the work in the candidate’s discipline, and allow comparison of the relative merit of research from unrelated disciplines (e.g. comparison with the I.S.I. Impact Factors of relevant journals).
- The names and addresses of two persons willing to write in support of the nomination.
To further ensure that the award recognises truly exceptional research, the Medal will be awarded only sparingly and not necessarily every year.
Nominations for this medal should be marked “Confidential: H.G. Andrewartha Medal” and should reach the Hon. Secretary at the Society’s rooms by June 30th each year.
Download the Andrewartha medal information and application form (PDF)
SIR JOSEPH VERCO MEDAL
1929 W. Howchin H.G. ANDREWARTHA MEDAL Named in recognition of the contribution to learning and to the Society by the ecologist Prof H.G. Andrewartha (1907-1992) and awarded from time to time for outstanding published research by a scientist in an early stage of their scientific career. Inaugurated in 2003. 2003 S. Connell | 1982 S.J. Edmonds PUBLICATION MEDAL Awarded from time to time for the most outstanding paper published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia by an author aged forty years or younger who is a member of the Society. Inaugurated in 1986. 1989 A.J. Boulton STUDENT PRIZE Awarded for the best paper presented to an ordinary general meeting of the Society by a post-graduate student. Inaugurated in 2000. 2000 B. Smith |
