[ASA] ASA COVID-fund

[Cathryn Trott]

Dear ASA Members,


At the 2020 Annual General Meeting, the ASA announced the creation of a “COVID-fund” to provide financial support for research-enabling activities to members-in-need, and asked for input from the membership about the scope of such a fund. The ASA’s finances are in a healthy situation, with funds otherwise pegged for supporting students to attend HWSA and APRIM, and international student travel support, remaining unspent. This money will be re-directed for this fund.


Thank-you to those who provided input. The ASA Council has collated the suggestions, and the Treasurer Yeshe Fenner has formed a base model.


Scope of support


The fund supports “research-enabling” activity within the current COVID-affected environment. In all cases, priority is for members for whom their institution does not provide such funding, and justification of all requests is required. We want to ensure that the funds genuinely go to those with the highest needs.


Funds are available for the following (not-exhaustive) list of costs:

  *   Payment of online conference fees

  *   Childcare-associated, or daycare, costs while attending conferences and meetings

  *   Support for professional and career development activities – especially if it is diversifying skills beyond research/astronomy

  *   Other expenditure, demonstrated to be enabling research (justification required).


Prioritisation of individuals


Students and ECRs (within five years FTE of PhD) will be strongly prioritised. More senior members with a very compelling case may also be considered.


Deadline and cycle


Initial deadline: Friday August 14, 2020


The first call will be followed by a rolling call for funding support, until the fund is exhausted.


Funding level


Individual payments, up to $1,500, with the expectation that most requests would be substantially less than this amount. Members can apply in more than one funding round, if funds are available, but the total integrated funding per individual is capped at $1,500. Expenses are those incurred from July 1, 2020 onwards, to allow for reimbursement of recent activities within this financial year.


Accessing funds


Please fill the online form at https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/slmuCr81nyt9ZoRWI736T_?domain=forms.gle<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/slmuCr81nyt9ZoRWI736T_?domain=forms.gle>



Regards,

Cathryn


_______________________________________________________
Cathryn Trott

Associate Professor
ARC Future Fellow

President, Astronomical Society of Australia

ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3D (ASTRO 3D)

International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
Curtin University
Bentley WA, Australia

cathryn.trott at curtin.edu.au
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