The Supporting Young Scientists Equity and Access Program (Program) supports a diverse sector of NSW high school students who wish to further their education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
The Program is the primary mechanism by which the OCSE provides financial support to NSW high school students, either as individuals or in groups, who seek to further their education in STEM through participation in STEM-related Activities, held either domestically or internationally, including:
competitions
events
prestigious academic course.
The Program aims to maximise STEM education opportunities for NSW high school students who are:
experiencing financial hardship
from a low socio-economic background
from regional or remote locations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
living with a disability
from any other backgrounds that might need support.
The intended outcomes of the Program are to:
provide opportunities for a diverse sector of students to develop essential skills such as teamwork, collaboration, creativity, communication, and technical science and engineering knowledge
help students to explore their potential, expand their perspectives and future ambitions
build participation from students under-represented in STEM education and related industries.
Align with policies and initiatives to advance a resilient and diverse STEM workforce in NSW that meets future innovation needs and broader global technological change.
This program is funded and administered by Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Grant funding will be considered for students who identify with at least one of the following groups. For student teams, composition must reflect diversity, equity and inclusion which includes participants who identify with at least one of the following groups:
experiencing financial hardship
from remote or regional areas
from a low socio-economic background
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
living with a disability
from any other background that might need support.
A student can only be included in one application per funding round/per year.
You can only apply for one round within the same financial year unless you were unsuccessful in the first round.
Applicants must be:
a relevant teacher or Principal at a NSW high school applying on behalf of a secondary school student or group of secondary school students
or
a relevant teacher, Principal or agent of a NSW high school or other NSW educational institution or association, in their capacity as organiser of a student team or group, which involves secondary school student entries from more than one NSW high school.
The applicant must:
have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or
be one of the following entities:
a secondary school that is registered with the relevant authority
a registered charity or incorporated not-for-profit organisation
an entity incorporated in Australia
be able to enter into a grant agreement in your own right or through an affiliated entity.
Types of projects funded under this grant
For a grant Activity to be eligible it must be a:
STEM-related competition
STEM-related event
STEM-related academic course.
The intended eligible Activity must fall into at least one of the following STEM-related areas:
mathematical, information and computing sciences
physical, chemical and earth sciences
engineering, environmental sciences and energy innovation
biological and biotechnological sciences.
When the project can start and end
The project should be started by 1 December 2024 and the project must be completed by 30 June 2025.
Who can’t apply
You are not eligible to apply for the Program if you are:
insolvent
an individual
a partnership
an unincorporated association
a trust (however, an unincorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust).
coordinating the Activity for which you are applying, except when it is for a school excursion where the school itself is the applicant
You cannot apply for Round 2 if you are successful in Round 1 of the same financial year.
Most recent recipients
Rutherford Technology High School
$10,000
The OrbiSpace Initiative Women in STEM Competition
keyboard_arrow_down
What was approved
Approved for Rutherford Technology High School
$10,000
For 20 students to participate in The Orbispace Initiative (TOI), a twenty-week STEM Innovation program for Year 8 female high school students.
$10,000 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer
Date approved
May 2024
Location of the project
Sydney
Location of the recipient
Maitland
About the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer
Program term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement execution
Embers Robotics Incorporated
$4,739
Embers Robotics attendance at FIRST Robotics Competition Regional
keyboard_arrow_down
What was approved
Approved for Embers Robotics Incorporated
$4,739
For the Embers Robotics team of 17 students to participate in a 3-day FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) event in Windsor, NSW.
$4,739 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer
Date approved
April 2024
Location of the project
Hawkesbury
Location of the recipient
Wollongong
About the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer
Program term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement execution
Bomaderry High School
$10,000
The Orbispace Initiative - sponsorship
keyboard_arrow_down
What was approved
Approved for Bomaderry High School
$10,000
For ten students to participate in The Orbispace Initiative (TOI), a twenty-week STEM Innovation program for Year 8 female high school students. TOI students apply STEM skills critically, creatively and collaboratively to solve real world problems.
$10,000 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer
Date approved
April 2024
Location of the project
Sydney
Location of the recipient
Shoalhaven
About the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer
Program term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement execution
Ulladulla High School
$5,000
Students to compete at Robotics World Championships
keyboard_arrow_down
What was approved
Approved for Ulladulla High School
$5,000
For one nominated team member to travel to Houston, Texas
USA to participate in the Robotics World Championships. The FIRST World Championships run in the USA and represent the ultimate test for FRC teams. Students interact with the best robotics teams in the world and engage with major Educational Institutions and STEM companies. Students experience other cultures in an atmosphere of encouragement and camaraderie.
$5,000 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer
Date approved
April 2024
Location of the project
Out of NSW
Location of the recipient
Shoalhaven
About the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer
Program term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement execution
Willyama High School
$10,000
Biology Fieldwork Depth Study – mandatory component of the NSW Yr11 Biology syllabus
keyboard_arrow_down
What was approved
Approved for Willyama High School
$10,000
To fulfill the fieldwork requirement outlined in the NSW Year 11 Biology syllabus while providing students with a hands-on learning experience. This excursion aims to cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation of biological concepts spanning from molecular to systemic levels and the intricate interplay between organisms and their environments.
$10,000 was approved by
Director, Policy - Science and Research, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer
Date approved
March 2024
Location of the project
Out of NSW
Location of the recipient
Broken Hill
About the grant
Applications approved
11
Applications received
11
Supporting Young Scientists Equity & Access Program 2024-25
Agency funding this grant
Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer
Program term
Invoices must be submitted within 12 months of agreement execution
address the assessment criteria set out in Section 2.2 of the Program Guidelines (Assessment criteria)
Provide a Letter of Support for each student who identifies with an equity or access circumstance that is included in the eligibility criteria. For teams with greater than 10 students, you must provide a Letter of Support for at least 50% of the students that identify with the equity and access criteria.
Provide evidence of competition, event or course registration. If you cannot provide evidence, please include proof of written approval received from the OCSE to proceed with your application.
submit your application by the timelines outlined in Section 3.2 of the Program Guidelines (Key dates).
2
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: The Director, Policy - Science and Research, Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer or their delegate
The assessment of applications will be led by the Department. Your application will be considered based on a two-stage process. Where the Department considers an application unsuitable or unsatisfactory against any criteria, we may exclude that application from further evaluation. Only eligible applications will move to the next stage. We consider eligible applications through an open competitive grant process.
Stage 1: Eligibility Assessment
The OCSE Secretariat will conduct an initial eligibility screening for all applications according to the published eligibility criteria in the Program Guidelines that are set out Section 2.1: Eligibility Criteria.
Only applications which meet all eligibility criteria will progress to assessment against the assessment criteria.
Stage 2: Assessment by the Assessment Panel
The membership of the Assessment Panel (Panel) will be determined by the Department in its sole discretion and may include independent assessors from the broader NSW public sector.
The Panel will assess each application on its merits against the assessment criteria and compare it to other eligible applications before recommending which applications are to be awarded a grant.
On behalf of the Panel, the Department may seek additional information about you or your application.
The Panel has the discretion to recommend that an applicant receive a smaller amount of funding than indicated in their application.
The Panel members are expected to assess all eligible applications unless they have a declared conflict of interest for a certain application(s).
Panel members will individually assess all eligible applications against each criterion set out Section 2.2 of the Program Guidelines (Assessment Criteria). All criteria have equal weighting.
When making their recommendations, the Assessment Panel may take the following into consideration:
The total funding available for the Supporting Young Scientists Equity and Access Program 2023-24 round 1
The assessment criteria outlined in the Supporting Young Scientists Equity and Access Program Guidelines for Applicants
The requested amount against the scope of the Activity i.e., could the applicant effectively deliver the Activity with less funding? Advice may be sought from applicants to understand the potential impact if a decision was made to award less funding than requested.
Whether the requested funding amount is too large compared to the Activity.
Whether a reduction could pose significant risks to the success of the Activity.
Whether the applicant has sufficient or additional resources or avenues available to raise capital other than this grant that could assist with the success of their Activity.
Whether a decrease of funding will impact achieving the overall aim of the Supporting Young Scientists Equity and Access Program.
The Assessment Panel may seek advice from an external probity advisor if required.
Anticipated assessment outcome date is November 2024
Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is December 2024
