GUIDELINES
Purpose
In 2026 Perron Institute will offer three types of PhD scholarships:
Kakulas Prestige Awards – top-up awards for outstanding students who already hold a full RTP scholarship or will hold a scholarship by the time they commence their PhD. This stipend provides a top-up of $10,000 per annum for up to 3.5 years, as well as $5,000 (total) towards research-related travel support over the course of the student’s PhD.
Full scholarships –provide a full stipend of $40,000 per annum for 3.5 years.
Enid & Arthur Home Memorial Scholarship – one full scholarship stipend ($40,000 per annum for 3.5 years) may be offered to a student completing a project with a focus on neuromuscular conditions.
The Kakulas Prestige Scholarships are intended to acknowledge excellence, whereas the full scholarships are intended to support high quality students who have difficulty accessing conventional scholarship support through universities, in particular students with First Class Honours or an equivalent degree, or who have appropriate work experience.
Eligibility
Domestic and international students intending to commence their PhD under the primary supervision of a researcher(s) affiliated with or part of the Perron Institute are eligible to apply.
Current PhD students are also eligible to apply if they have not applied previously, or have been invited to reapply by the RSST.
For a Kakulas Prestige Award, applicants must hold an Australian Government RTP stipend scholarship or other scholarship support through a university at the time they commence their PhDs.
Conversely, the full and Enid & Arthur Home Memorial scholarships are intended for outstanding students who have not been able to obtain an Australian Government RTP stipend scholarship or equivalent scholarship.
Students completing an honours degree who have applied for a RTP stipend and expect to obtain First-Class honours are encouraged to apply for both the Kakulas Prestige Award and full scholarships.
For international students, the Perron Institute scholarships and awards do not include additional funding for tuition fees, visa, or travel-related expenses. The applicant may be eligible to receive a fee-offset scholarship through their enrolling university or may be required to cover these additional fees independently.
While multiple scholarships may be awarded each year, applicants should be aware that the scholarships are awarded competitively and only to students with an outstanding academic record and/or equivalent work experience. The review panel reserve the right to not offer a scholarship scheme should the applicants not meet the eligibility criteria or intended purpose of the scholarship.
Timeline
Applications are due Friday 6 November 2026, 5pm.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview (dates will be distributed at a later time.) Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the scholarship review process, no later than the end of January 2027.
Application requirements
Applications must be completed using this online form below.
Please note that a letter of support from your Perron Institute supervisor is required.
Assessment criteria and evaluation process
Applications will be assessed, and interviews conducted by a panel of researchers drawn from within Perron Institute. The panel will include Research Group Heads and Early Mid-Career Researchers. Panel members will be excluded from assessing and interviewing applicants with close links to avoid conflicts of interest.
Scholarships will be awarded to applicants after a competitive process on the basis of:
Academic achievement as evidenced by their academic record,
Research potential as evidenced by relevant research experience, research output, other research-related achievements and publications,
Interview performance,
Value of the project, and,
Capacity of the research group to supervise.
Special consideration will be given in the assessment process to applicants who have been the subject of study interruption and other special circumstances.
Scholarship Agreement
All successful applicants will be presented with an offer letter outlining the amount and conditions of their scholarship. Scholarship holders will be expected to sign and agree to comply with the Perron terms and conditions of their scholarship before the funding will be provided.
We look forward to receiving your application!
