A career in science rarely follows a straight line. The Women in Science Support Grants exist to help talented researchers navigate the moments when life and work intersect — so that a career break never has to become a career setback.
About the grants
The Women in Science Support Grants provide practical financial support to female researchers at the Baker Institute at critical points in their careers. Grants can be used to maintain research momentum during parental leave — covering costs such as conference attendance, research assistance, equipment or publication support — at a time when staying visible and productive in the scientific community is both important and genuinely difficult.
The program reflects our belief that removing practical barriers is just as important as changing culture. Small, well-timed grants can make an outsized difference to a researcher's trajectory, confidence and sense of belonging in science.
A story from one of our recipients
Dr Kate Weeks
Heart Foundation Fellow Dr Kate Weeks had already built an impressive early career in cardiac research — including an overseas training fellowship at King's College London — when she made the decision to start a family. Returning to the Baker Institute and continuing to advance her research on heart failure while on maternity leave presented real logistical and professional challenges.
A $10,000 Women in Science Support Grant changed that. It allowed Kate to attend an interstate conference with her baby and carer, and to employ a casual research assistant to help maintain her publication record during her leave — two things that are critical to staying competitive in science.
"Maternity leave can be a time when you fall behind your peers in the scientific arena," Kate said. "This grant helped me to continue with some of my projects and make that period a little less daunting."
Kate returned to work four days a week, supported by her supervisor and family, and continued her research into new treatments for heart failure — already a leading cause of hospitalisation in Australia, and an area of growing urgency as the population ages.
