About
The RM Gibson Program of the AAG Research Trust supports early career researchers and practitioners working across the multidisciplinary field of ageing. The program was set up to honour the memory of Dr Richard (Dick) Maxwell Gibson, who played a foundation role in the development of gerontology within Australia and beyond. Dick made a significant contribution to AAG, including serving as National President and the inaugural Chairman of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics Asia/Oceania Region. In 1996, a biography of Dick written by Margaret Henry was published in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Aim
Targeting the next generation of researchers in ageing, RM Gibson Program grants are awarded for work that improves the experience of ageing through innovation in research, policy and/or practice.
RM Gibson grants are open to AAG members who are in the early stages of their careers. They are specifically aimed at supporting the next generation of researchers or practitioners across the multidisciplinary field of ageing. These grants:
- Facilitate early career learning and growth by providing seed funding for a standalone project, or a discrete piece of work within an existing project; and
- Help early career researchers build their grant track record.
On the Research Trust pages of the AAG website, you can read how previous RM Gibson grants have supported knowledge creation and innovative thinking. Examples include:
- ‘The RM Gibson award supported a critical aspect of my PhD studies … [and] helped set a foundation for my career by instilling me with confidence to pursue my passion for ageing and dementia research’ (N D’Cunha, 2018)
- ‘Involving people with lived experience of dementia in every aspect of our research would not have been possible without the funding received from the AAG Research Trust and DARF’ (N Folder, 2022)
- ‘The RM Gibson award funded my PhD qualitative interview study, involving 30 GPs, which led to two publications on my PhD topic’ (K Weir, 2016)
Current grant round
In 2024, the RM Gibson Program is offering:
- Up to three grants of up to $10,000 (inc GST) each, for projects up to 18 months in duration; and
- A possible additional grant of up to $10,000 (inc GST), for projects up to 18 months in duration for applications with a substantive dementia focus, made possible through a partnership between the AAG Research Trust and the Dementia Australia Research Foundation (DARF).
Dates
The 2024 RM Gibson Program grants open on Monday 8 April. Applications close at 9.00 am AEDT on Monday 27 May 2024. Applications must be submitted via the Google form which will be available on this page from Monday 8 April.