Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: Up to $450,000
- Application opened: 17 August 2026
- Application closes: 5 November 2026, 5:00 pm
Program objective
Cardiovascular Women's Health Grants aim to:
- advance gender equity in cardiovascular research and leadership positions
- address evidence gaps in cardiovascular conditions or outcomes that disproportionately affect women and girls
- foster research excellence and increase the number of outstanding women and gender diverse cardiovascular researchers in NSW
- fund research that improves wellbeing and health outcomes for women and girls
- embed high-quality, innovative cardiovascular research in the NSW health system
- encourage collaboration, leadership, and capacity building of women and gender diverse researchers in the NSW research environment
- support NSW women and gender diverse researchers to leverage national funding opportunities to further research and its translation in NSW
- bridge the gap between research, policy and practice to increase research impact and translation
This program is administered by NSW Health.
Eligibility
Who can apply
- Female or gender diverse chief investigator
- Research area is cardiovascular conditions or outcomes that disproportionately affect women and or girls
- Based in NSW and employed by an eligible host organisation for the duration of the grant
- Submitted a complete application
- Australian citizen, permanent residency status or appropriate visa for the duration of the grant
- may be clinicians, including medical, nursing, and allied health professionals. Clinicians may use up to 50% of the grant to backfill their clinical role, with appropriate justification
- Is an early-mid career researcher who is within 15 years of the conferral of their PhD (or equivalent) on the date on which applications close and has not reached full professorial level. Associate Professors are eligible to apply if less than 15 years post doctorate. PhD students who expect to have their PhD conferred by 31 December 2026 are eligible to apply.
Types of projects funded under this grant
Funding will support female and gender diverse chief investigators researching cardiovascular conditions or outcomes that disproportionately affect women and or girls. The term cardiovascular is used to encompass all diseases and conditions of the heart and blood vessels, including but not limited to:
- coronary heart disease
- stroke
- heart failure
- vascular disease and vascular health
- cardiovascular complications of diabetes and obesity
- major independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease
- rheumatic heart disease
- congenital heart disease.
The program funds projects across the research spectrum including in basic science, biomedical, clinical medicine and health services research, data science, and population health research. Grants also support research towards the development of novel therapeutics.
Who can’t apply
Chief investigator who identifies themselves as a man or male
What costs you can't apply for
Funds awarded cannot be spent on:
- capital works
- general maintenance costs
- organisational infrastructure or overheads
- telephone/communication systems
- basic office equipment, such as desks and chairs
- rent and the cost of utilities.
Funds awarded cannot be used to support research conducted outside of NSW.
Additional eligibility requirements
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.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
- Review your application to ensure you are satisfied with it.
- Ensure you uploaded the research protocoland signed declaration form while working through the application in SmartyGrants
- Submit your application:
- Go to the 'Review and Submit' page of the application form.
- Click the ‘Submit’ button located at the top of the page.
- You will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your submitted application attached. This will be sent to the email you used to register your account.
- If you cannot locate the email in your inbox, please check your spam and junk email folders. If you do not receive an email, you should presume that your submission has NOT been submitted and click the ‘submit’ button again.
- Await the application outcome.
- Once your final application has been submitted, no further editing is possible.
- If you need any help with your application, please contact the Research Grants Team at the Office for Health and Medical Research: https://nswhealth.medicalresearch.nsw.gov.au/s/contact-us
Address the eligibility criteria
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.
Address the assessment criteria
Chief Investigator (40%)
Research project and team (40%)
Leadership and capacity building (20%)
Start the application
- Download and read the grant guidelines
- Create an account with SmartyGrants
- Draft your application, including research protocol on the template provided in SmartyGrants
- Provide your Host Organisation and Administering Organisation with a copy of your application and obtain their approval (via signature on the certification template)
- Submit your application (and any supporting documents) in SmartyGrants
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Apply now
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for Medical Research
Step 1: Eligibility check
NSW Health will determine if each application has satisfied the eligibility criteria.
Step 2: Review by expert panel
An independent expert review panel will assess each eligible application against the selection criteria.
Step 3: Funding recommendation
The expert review panel will agree on the final ranking of all eligible applications and will make recommendations regarding funding to NSW Health.
Step 4: Decision and notification
NSW Health will determine grant recipients and amounts. All host organisations will be informed as to whether they have been awarded funding.
Step 5: Grant agreements
NSW Health will contact host and administering organisations for successful projects to execute a funding agreement. A standard, non-negotiable funding agreement will be used.
Support and contact
Research Grants Team
Office for Health and Medical Research
Contact Us: https://nswhealth.medicalresearch.nsw.gov.au/s/