ANZAN Education And Research Foundation
Background
The ANZAN Education and Research Foundation was established by ANZAN in 2001 in order that it could raise funds and receive bequests for research into specific neurological diseases. Almost all neurologists in Australia and New Zealand belong to ANZAN and many are deeply involved in such research as well as the management of neurological illnesses. With this resource and the network of affiliated and associated research interest groups such as the Epilepsy Society of Australasia, the National Stroke Foundation and Multiple Sclerosis Australia, to mention a few, ANZAN is advantageously placed to be able to foster research amongst its members and trainees and to direct research monies to areas of need.
Method of Operation
Australia
The ANZAN Education and Research Foundation is managed by a Committee of Management which comprises the current Council of ANZAN including the President. There are two principal subcommittees; (1) The Scientific Advisory Committee which receives and reviews applications for research projects (see below), and (2) The Development Committee which is responsible for raising funds.
The Scientific Advisory Committee operates in line with the NH&MRC grant system. Broadly when general or specific research monies are available these are advertised throughout Australia particularly in the scientific and research institutions as well as amongst the ANZAN membership. Project applications are then sent to external referees and graded, and reports and approvals are sought from the responsible institutional ethics committees. The Scientific Advisory Committee then selects the projects to be funded and informs the applicants of their decision. Grants are administered in the same way as those awarded by the NH&MRC including the level of remuneration for the research workers. Financial reports are required from the administering research institution which oversees the expenditure of the grants. Publications in scientific journals and presentations at scientific meetings are required to acknowledge the Research Foundation as the source of the funding and at the termination of the grant final reports are required to be submitted.
New Zealand
These scholarships are intended to provide personal support for outstanding neurology trainees or neurologists early in their career so they can be trained to conduct research that is internationally competitive and develop a capacity for original independent research. The scholarships are funded collaboratively by the Neurological Foundation, the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN), and the Neurological Association of New Zealand (NANZ).
Methods of Fundraising
Funds are raised from the following sources:
- ANZAN members
- Specific fundraising activities
- Bequests
- General
- Specific, eg. for diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, peripheral nerve disease, myaesthenia gravis, etc
Generally endowments and bequests for specific research projects will need to fund a research person for a minimum of one year which with on-costs and materials will be at least $50,000 per annum. Generally the opportunity for smaller amounts to be specifically targeted or tied are limited to small projects which can be completed within a short time frame or seeding grants, and are probably better placed as a general bequest.
Conclusion
The ANZAN Education and Research Foundation is an important focal point for research into neurological illness. Not only are its members dealing first hand with the illnesses clinically, many are actively engaged in their study. The research funded by the ANZAN Education and Research Foundation will complement that already funded by other agencies but will also facilitate the targeting of specific research activities through tied and general bequests.
Australian Association of Neurologists Education and Research Foundation
145 Macquarie Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Tel: 02 9169 4894
Email: anzan@anzan.org.au