With the generous support of the A&E Finkel Foundation Trust, the ANS can provide up to four Travelling Fellowships of up to $50,000 each to be awarded annually up to and including 2028.

The goals of the Travelling Fellowships are: 

  • To provide career development opportunities to early and mid-career ANS Members based in Australia or New Zealand by supporting a “mini-sabbatical” style of Travelling Fellowship to a host laboratory with world-leading expertise relevant to development of brain-computer interfaces or related areas of innovative neurotechnology.  
  • To enhance Australian and New Zealand neuroscience and development of innovative solutions to neurological conditions by seeding new collaborations with world experts in brain-computer interfaces or related areas of innovative neurotechnology to facilitate establishment or application of these technologies or approaches in Australia and New Zealand. 


Conditions of the Fellowships: 

  • A fellowship is provided to support the Awardee to participate in research in the host laboratory, e.g. their travel, accommodation, reasonable subsistence costs or other appropriate costs related to the period based in their host laboratory.
  • Fellowship funds cannot be used to support the salary of the Awardee. 
  • Fellowship funds cannot be used for institutional overheads.
  • It is strongly preferred that the funds are administered by the Awardee’s home institution. 
  • The Fellowship is to be completed within 12 months of the award. 
  • Following the fellowship, an awardee will be required to:
    • submit a brief written report to ANS and the Finkel Foundation;
    • present the outcomes of their Fellowship at an ANS Annual Scientific Meeting within 12 months of their return;
    • provide documentation confirming how the award was spent. 

 Eligibility:

  • Fellowships are open to early and mid-career ANS members who have the capacity and institutional approval to take up this Travelling Fellowship within their current role. Mid-career is defined here as no more than 15 years post-PhD (or equivalent) and not holding the title of full Professor. All applicants must hold a PhD (or equivalent) degree and all applications will be considered relative to opportunity.
  • The application must be focused on acquiring new or building existing expertise in research relevant to brain-computer interfaces or related areas of neurotechnology, which could be pursued individually or as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Examples of relevant areas of expertise include but are not restricted to bioengineering, computer science, and brain biocompatibility of medical devices.
  • It is expected that the sabbatical will be for 3-6 months, providing time to develop skills in the new technology or approach and to build collaborations. 
  • It is expected that most of the Awards will be undertaken overseas, although applications for domestic Awards will be considered if the host laboratory is a world leader in the relevant technology or approach.
  • Awards are only available to members of ANS. Membership of ANS is open to anyone with an interest in neuroscience.
  • Awards are only available to ANS Members based in an institution in Australia or New Zealand.
  • Awards are limited to citizens or permanent residents of Australia or New Zealand. 

Download the 2024 ANS Finkel Foundation Travelling Fellowship Conditions of Eligibility

Download the 2024 ANS Finkel Foundation Travelling Fellowship Application Form

Closing Date: COB Friday 2nd August 2024