A Research Exchange Placement is a visit to a laboratory or research group — either within Australia or internationally — where you will undertake a genuine research collaboration. This could include developing new methodologies, accessing specialist equipment, conducting joint experiments, receiving training in a new technique, or advancing a collaborative research project. The visit must have a clear research purpose that directly benefits your own research program in women's health. A general lab tour or informal visit would not qualify.

We welcome applications from researchers working in any area of women’s health, including but not limited to: maternal mental health, pregnancy complications, birth and labour, postpartum care, perinatal nutrition, breastfeeding, reproductive health, fertility, midwifery, obstetrics, gynaecology, and women’s cardiovascular health during pregnancy. We particularly value research with translational potential — work that can directly improve outcomes for women, birthing people, and families.

The grant is open to Honours students, Masters students, PhD candidates, and Postdoctoral researchers (within 2 years of PhD conferral) currently enrolled at or employed by an Australian institution. We particularly encourage applications from emerging and early-career researchers who may have limited access to travel funding through their institution.

No. You can apply if your abstract has been accepted, if you have submitted and are awaiting an outcome, or if the submission deadline is upcoming. However, grant funds will only be released upon confirmation of abstract acceptance. If your abstract is not accepted, we will work with you to identify an alternative conference where possible.

Yes. The grant supports two pathways: Conference Travel Funding (to present your research at a conference) and Research Exchange Placement (to visit a national or international laboratory or research group for a confirmed research collaboration). When applying, simply indicate which pathway you are applying for. For the Research Exchange Placement pathway, you will need to provide evidence of a confirmed or planned research collaboration with the host lab, including a letter of invitation or support from the host Principal Investigator and a description of the collaborative research objectives.

Grant amounts will be AUD$500 per successful applicant.

Applications are independently reviewed by our Scientific Advisory Committee against a scoring matrix. Each application is scored out of 30 across six criteria: relevance to women’s and maternal health, research need and significance, scientific quality, translational impact, career development value, and application quality. The two highest-scoring applications will be awarded grants in each round.

Yes! The grant supports travel to both national and international conferences. Whether you’re presenting a poster at a conference in Brisbane or delivering an oral presentation at a conference overseas, we want to help you get there.

Grant recipients are asked to: acknowledge Fill Your Cup in their conference presentation and any related publications; provide a brief written summary or social media post about their conference experience for our community; and be available for a short feature on The Science of Motherhood podcast or Fill Your Cup social media to share their research journey.

Absolutely. If you’re unsure whether your research falls within scope, or if you have any questions about the application process, please reach out to us at hello@ifillyourcup.com We’re happy to help and encourage anyone working in or adjacent to women’s and maternal health to apply.