University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program 2025 (Up to $7,000)

A flagship program fostering community-engaged and coproductive research, the Community Fellows Program recognises that community organisations are often best placed to undertake the research most relevant to their organisation and the communities they serve.

The Community Fellows Program offers a respectful, supportive and focused space for practitioners to step outside the daily demands of their work and consider how they might document, evaluate, share and scale their work, working with experienced academic mentors in related fields.

The Community Fellows Program is the only program of its kind in Australia. It was developed in recognition that community organisations possess deep and extensive practice knowledge, but often lack the capacity, time and resources to test, codify and share this knowledge.

 

• Table of Content
• About University of Melbourne
• University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program
• Aim and Benefits of University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program
• University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program Courses
• Requirements for University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne (informally Melbourne University) is an Australian public research university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Times Higher Education ranks Melbourne as 33rd in the world, while the Academic Ranking of World Universities places Melbourne 44th in the world (both first in Australia).... continue reading

University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program

Application Deadline	21 Oct 2024
Value	$7000
Country to study	Australia
School to study	University of Melbourne
Type	Fellowship
Course to study	View courses
Sponsor	University of Melbourne
Gender	Men and Women

Aim and Benefits of University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program

Through the Community Fellows Program, we aim 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.

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.

University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program Courses

• Research

Requirements for University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program Qualification

To be eligible to participate in the Community Fellows Program, please ensure that:

• Your organisation was not awarded a Community Fellowship as part of the 2023/2024 cohort. If unsure, please contact [email protected].
• The head of your organisation/department is supportive of your application and your possible participation in this Program.
• You are an employee with valid working rights in Australia (we are unable to support volunteers).
• Your organisation is a small to medium-sized community organisation (up to 199 employees).
• Your organisation is incorporated and holds insurance to the value of $10 million public liability and $2 million professional indemnity insurance (this is a fairly typical level of coverage for small organisations).
• You are Victorian-based and able to spend time at the University’s Parkville campus, including a three-day orientation on 12, 13 and 14 February 2025, as well as other research training and work-in-progress events throughout the year.
• You can commit 200 to 350 hours work on the project (depending on its complexity) including active participation in cohort-based activities.

In addition, successful applicants will:

• Work at a community organisation that is involved in work that promotes social equity and works with marginalised communities.
• Have 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).

Please note:

• Applicants with substantive research positions and/or PhDs will not be considered as suitable Community Fellows because the initiative is seeking to develop research capacities in organisations that do not currently have this in-house expertise.
• Organisations with in-house research and evaluation capacity will not usually be considered for this initiative.
• We are also not able to support fellows from local, state or federal government departments or units. However, we will consider projects by Victorian government schools that support or host community-focused projects.

Interview date, Process and Venue for University of Melbourne Community Fellows Program

Applications for Melbourne Social Equity Institute's Community Fellows Program are open until 5.00pm (AEDT) on Monday 21 October 2024

Applications for the 2025 Community Fellows Program opened on Tuesday 3 September.

Please read about the structure of the program and review the Frequently Asked Questions before commencing your application.

Information Session

An online information session about the Community Fellows Program will be held from 1pm– 2pm on Thursday 19 September.

 

Application Deadline

October 21, 2024

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to University of Melbourne on q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au to apply

The application process has three stages. In the first stage, individuals complete an application form via Qualtrics outlining their background, the aims of their project idea and the anticipated outcomes.

In the second stage, selected applicants are shortlisted by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute who will then work to identify an Academic Mentor for the Fellowship. The Institute’s ability to support a project is dependent upon securing a suitable academic mentor at the University of Melbourne.

Applicants are not required to identify their own Academic Mentors, however, applicants are able to specify a preferred Academic Mentor in their applications, if known. Should you wish to specify an academic you might like to work with, the University's Find an Expert site may assist in identifying suitable potential mentors.

In the third stage, shortlisted applications will be invited to an interview with the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and a potential Academic Mentor.

Application Form

We strongly encourage you to prepare your answers offline and save a copy for your records.

In addition to general contact and organisation information you will be asked to answer the following:

• Tell us about yourself and your work experience [up to 100 words]
• Briefly describe the work of your organisation [up to 100 words]
• Provide a short working title for your proposed research project [up to 25 words]
• Describe your proposed research idea and the challenge and/or opportunity it seeks to address [up to 200 words]
• How will the Community Fellows Program help you achieve your aims?  What support do you require from the University (e.g. academic mentoring, access to academic resources)? [up to 100 words]
• How will your organisation use the outputs / outcomes of your project? [up to 100 words]

You will also be asked to provide a CV and a letter of support from the head of your organisation.

For more details visit: University of Melbourne website.