Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: From $2,500 to $10,000
- Application opened: 16 August 2024
- Application closed: 1 October 2024, 10:00 am
Program objective
The Program is the primary mechanism by which the OCSE provides financial support to NSW high school students, either as individuals or in groups, who seek to further their education in STEM through participation in STEM-related Activities, held either domestically or internationally, including:
- competitions
- events
- prestigious academic course.
The Program aims to maximise STEM education opportunities for NSW high school students who are:
- experiencing financial hardship
- from a low socio-economic background
- from regional or remote locations
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- living with a disability
- from any other backgrounds that might need support.
The intended outcomes of the Program are to:
- provide opportunities for a diverse sector of students to develop essential skills such as teamwork, collaboration, creativity, communication, and technical science and engineering knowledge
- help students to explore their potential, expand their perspectives and future ambitions
- build participation from students under-represented in STEM education and related industries.
- Align with policies and initiatives to advance a resilient and diverse STEM workforce in NSW that meets future innovation needs and broader global technological change.
This program is funded and administered by Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Grant funding will be considered for students who identify with at least one of the following groups. For student teams, composition must reflect diversity, equity and inclusion which includes participants who identify with at least one of the following groups:
- experiencing financial hardship
- from remote or regional areas
- from a low socio-economic background
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- living with a disability
- from any other background that might need support.
A student can only be included in one application per funding round/per year.
You can only apply for one round within the same financial year unless you were unsuccessful in the first round.
Applicants must be:
a relevant teacher or Principal at a NSW high school applying on behalf of a secondary school student or group of secondary school students
or
a relevant teacher, Principal or agent of a NSW high school or other NSW educational institution or association, in their capacity as organiser of a student team or group, which involves secondary school student entries from more than one NSW high school.
The applicant must:
have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or
be one of the following entities:
- a secondary school that is registered with the relevant authority
- a registered charity or incorporated not-for-profit organisation
- an entity incorporated in Australia
- be able to enter into a grant agreement in your own right or through an affiliated entity.
Types of projects funded under this grant
For a grant Activity to be eligible it must be a:
- STEM-related competition
- STEM-related event
- STEM-related academic course.
The intended eligible Activity must fall into at least one of the following STEM-related areas:
- mathematical, information and computing sciences
- physical, chemical and earth sciences
- engineering, environmental sciences and energy innovation
- biological and biotechnological sciences.
When the project can start and end
The project should be started by 1 December 2024 and the project must be completed by 30 June 2025.
Who can’t apply
You are not eligible to apply for the Program if you are:
- insolvent
- an individual
- a partnership
- an unincorporated association
- a trust (however, an unincorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust).
- coordinating the Activity for which you are applying, except when it is for a school excursion where the school itself is the applicant
You cannot apply for Round 2 if you are successful in Round 1 of the same financial year.
Most recent recipients
What was approved
Approved for Rutherford Technology High School
For 20 students to participate in The Orbispace Initiative (TOI), a twenty-week STEM Innovation program for Year 8 female high school students.
$10,000 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & EngineerDate approved
May 2024Location of the project
SydneyLocation of the recipient
MaitlandAbout the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and EngineerProgram term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement executionWhat was approved
Approved for Embers Robotics Incorporated
For the Embers Robotics team of 17 students to participate in a 3-day FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) event in Windsor, NSW.
$4,739 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & EngineerDate approved
April 2024Location of the project
HawkesburyLocation of the recipient
WollongongAbout the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and EngineerProgram term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement executionWhat was approved
Approved for Bomaderry High School
For ten students to participate in The Orbispace Initiative (TOI), a twenty-week STEM Innovation program for Year 8 female high school students. TOI students apply STEM skills critically, creatively and collaboratively to solve real world problems.
$10,000 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & EngineerDate approved
April 2024Location of the project
SydneyLocation of the recipient
ShoalhavenAbout the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and EngineerProgram term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement executionWhat was approved
Approved for Ulladulla High School
For one nominated team member to travel to Houston, Texas USA to participate in the Robotics World Championships. The FIRST World Championships run in the USA and represent the ultimate test for FRC teams. Students interact with the best robotics teams in the world and engage with major Educational Institutions and STEM companies. Students experience other cultures in an atmosphere of encouragement and camaraderie.
$5,000 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & EngineerDate approved
April 2024Location of the project
Out of NSWLocation of the recipient
ShoalhavenAbout the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and EngineerProgram term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement executionWhat was approved
Approved for Willyama High School
To fulfill the fieldwork requirement outlined in the NSW Year 11 Biology syllabus while providing students with a hands-on learning experience. This excursion aims to cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation of biological concepts spanning from molecular to systemic levels and the intricate interplay between organisms and their environments.
$10,000 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & EngineerDate approved
March 2024Location of the project
Out of NSWLocation of the recipient
Broken HillAbout the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and EngineerProgram term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement executionWhat your application needs to include
To apply you must:
- complete the online application form available on the Chief Scientist & Engineer website
- provide all the information requested
- address all the eligibility criteria
- address the assessment criteria set out in Section 2.2 of the Program Guidelines (Assessment criteria)
- Provide a Letter of Support for each student who identifies with an equity or access circumstance that is included in the eligibility criteria. For teams with greater than 10 students, you must provide a Letter of Support for at least 50% of the students that identify with the equity and access criteria.
- Provide evidence of competition, event or course registration. If you cannot provide evidence, please include proof of written approval received from the OCSE to proceed with your application.
- submit your application by the timelines outlined in Section 3.2 of the Program Guidelines (Key dates).
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
Start the application
Before applying, you must read and understand these Guidelines.
These documents may be found on the the Chief Scientist & Engineer website. Any alterations and addenda[1] will be published on the the Chief Scientist & Engineer website.
To apply you must:
- complete the online application form available on the the Chief Scientist & Engineer website
- provide all the information requested
- address all the eligibility criteria
- address the assessment criteria set out in Section 2.2 of the Program Guidelines (Assessment criteria)
- include all necessary attachments
- submit your application by the timelines outlined in Section 3.2 of the Program Guidelines (Key dates).
[1] Alterations and addenda include but are not limited to: corrections to currently published documents, changes to closing times for applications, Questions and Answers (Q&A) documents, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents.
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: The Director, Policy - Science and Research, Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer or their delegate
The assessment of applications will be led by the Department. Your application will be considered based on a two-stage process. Where the Department considers an application unsuitable or unsatisfactory against any criteria, we may exclude that application from further evaluation. Only eligible applications will move to the next stage. We consider eligible applications through an open competitive grant process.
Stage 1: Eligibility Assessment
The OCSE Secretariat will conduct an initial eligibility screening for all applications according to the published eligibility criteria in the Program Guidelines that are set out Section 2.1: Eligibility Criteria.
Only applications which meet all eligibility criteria will progress to assessment against the assessment criteria.
Stage 2: Assessment by the Assessment Panel
The membership of the Assessment Panel (Panel) will be determined by the Department in its sole discretion and may include independent assessors from the broader NSW public sector.
The Panel will assess each application on its merits against the assessment criteria and compare it to other eligible applications before recommending which applications are to be awarded a grant.
On behalf of the Panel, the Department may seek additional information about you or your application.
The Panel has the discretion to recommend that an applicant receive a smaller amount of funding than indicated in their application.
The Panel members are expected to assess all eligible applications unless they have a declared conflict of interest for a certain application(s).
Panel members will individually assess all eligible applications against each criterion set out Section 2.2 of the Program Guidelines (Assessment Criteria). All criteria have equal weighting.
When making their recommendations, the Assessment Panel may take the following into consideration:
- The total funding available for the Supporting Young Scientists Equity and Access Program 2023-24 round 1
- The assessment criteria outlined in the Supporting Young Scientists Equity and Access Program Guidelines for Applicants
- The requested amount against the scope of the Activity i.e., could the applicant effectively deliver the Activity with less funding? Advice may be sought from applicants to understand the potential impact if a decision was made to award less funding than requested.
- Whether the requested funding amount is too large compared to the Activity.
- Whether a reduction could pose significant risks to the success of the Activity.
- Whether the applicant has sufficient or additional resources or avenues available to raise capital other than this grant that could assist with the success of their Activity.
- Whether a decrease of funding will impact achieving the overall aim of the Supporting Young Scientists Equity and Access Program.
The Assessment Panel may seek advice from an external probity advisor if required.
Anticipated assessment outcome date is November 2024
Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is December 2024
Support and contact
raap.grants@chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au