The 2016 round aims to continue building on the purpose of the 2015 round, which was designed to lay the foundations for the collaborative framework of MIME, by encouraging early clinician involvement in identifying areas of significant clinical need enabling our research to be directed to areas where it can deliver the greatest impact. Additionally, we are aiming to continue building and strengthening collaborative relationships between MNHS clinicians in Monash's partner hospitals and researchers in the Faculties of Engineering and IT, as well as reaching out to researchers in other disciplines and partner organisations.
Like the 2015 round, there will be two stages to the application process: an initial call to clinicians to define areas of unmet clinical need, followed by an invitation to all Monash staff to respond with proposed solutions. All Monash staff are eligible to participate in the multidisciplinary ‘solution' teams. Researchers from MIME partner institutions are also invited to participate as members of the collaborative teams.
Following on from the success of 2015, there will be up to $500,000 available in the 2016 funding round. Applications may be for any amount between $10,000 - $50,000. The funding will be directed to projects that can achieve a meaningful outcome within 12 - 18 months, e.g. proof-of-concept data or initial prototype. The seed funding is aimed at progressing a project to the point that the research team is well positioned to then secure external funding from industry or grants to progress the next phase of the R&D.
Further details regarding the 2016 MIME Seed Fund round including key dates are available on the MIME website.