Purpose

To encourage scholarly inquiry in sport management and enhance the application of management theory to the sport industry, the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand is pleased to announce the SMAANZ Industry Engagement Grant. The grant has evolved from a strategic need to strengthen relationships between the academic community and the sport industry to a focus on collaborating to achieve mutual outcomes. A sport industry partner may include the government or the private sector that incorporates sport into its program to address community, diversity, or development initiatives. The purpose of the grant is to support engagement with the sport industry to advance evidence-based inquiry in teaching and/or research in sport management. As such, collaborations, projects or research partnerships between academics and industry bodies are encouraged.

Eligibility

• At least one applicant must be a member of SMAANZ for at least 2 years. The SMAANZ Industry Engagement Grant Committee encourages academics from diverse backgrounds to apply.  
• A sports industry partner may include the government or the private sector that incorporates sport into their programs to address community, diversity, or development initiatives.  
• Applicants are encouraged to provide a statement from the industry partner as part of their application. 
• The money must be spent by the end of the calendar year following the awarding of the grant (i.e., the 2026 SMAANZ Industry Engagement Grant must be spent by the end of 2027) 
• The recipient(s) shall be formally awarded at the annual SMAANZ Conference. One (1) grant to the total of $AUD 5,000 shall be provided along with a Plaque.  
• The grant recipient shall receive one individual registration to the conference the following year, where the individual will present the results during a non-concurrent session. 

Conditions of Grant

As part of the process, applicants are encouraged to describe in detail the industry partner's relationship and integration into the proposed project. Here, the role and contribution of the industry partner in the research process could be elaborated on, along with the proposed benefit. Applicants are encouraged to provide a statement from the industry partner as part of this section. At the conclusion of the 12 months allocated to delivery of the grant, the successful team will be required to reconcile their grant funding expenditure with SMAANZ

Submissions for the project must address the following aspects:

1. The purpose
2. Expected timeline to complete the project (must be within one year of receiving the grant)
3. Innovative engagement
4. Proposed integration of industry partner (including role/contribution of any partner and proposed benefit to partner)
5. Proposed budget
6. Feasibility of the project
7. Anticipated outcomes
8. Potential contribution to the academic and sport industry communities

Application Procedure

1. All applications must be submitted via the "Apply Now" button above.
2. Applications are due on the SMAANZ Abstract due date.
3. A submission detailing the above criteria is to be no longer than 3000 words.
4. Queries should be sent directly to the Awards & Grants Coordinator. You can do so via the contact us page here 
5. The Award Committee, Chaired by the Awards Coordinator, will recommend a grant recipient to the SMAANZ Board.
6. The conferral of the grant is dependent on the quality of the applicant in relation to the criteria and thus the Grant Committee/Board reserves the right not to confer the award in any given year.

Deliverables

Upon accepting the grant, a number of deliverables are required:

• The following statement is to be noted in all written documents pertaining to the grant "This project has been supported by the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand Industry Engagement Grant."
• At least one investigator from the successful project to attend the SMAANZ conference and receive the grant and recognition
• The recipient/s presents the results of the project at the SMAANZ annual conference following completion of the project
• The recipient is to provide a 500-word summation of the innovative engagement to enable SMAANZ to promote successful recipients and projects.
• In addition to the presentation and summation, recipients must provide a one-page document acquitting the expenditure of the grant. The money must be spent by 30-September of the year after awarding. The acquittal documentation must be provided prior to the SMAANZ Conference of the year after awarding 

• In the year a winner is presenting, the team will be required to submit an Abstract to the Conference Chair for inclusion in the Book of Abstracts.

Grant Expenditure Specifications

Grant money CAN be spent on: 

• Data collection (panels, incentives, etc.) 
• Graphic design 
• Promotion and communication of the project and findings that are not conference attendance 
• Open Access fees  
• Exhibitions, forums or seminars outlined within the project plan 
• Community engagement 
• Research assistants 
• Market research 

Grant money CANNOT be spent on: 

• Travel 
• Conference registration 
• Capital expenditure 
• Purchase of equipment 

Announcement of Grant Recipient/s

• After the SMAANZ Board has confirmed the grant recipient/s, the awards coordinator will notify the recipient/s via email.
• All unsuccessful applicants will receive an email from the awards coordinator (including the feedback from the Grant Committee members' assessment)
• Following notifications to both successful and unsuccessful recipients. the SMAANZ community will be notified via an annoucement to all members. 
• The announcement of the Grant recipients will be made by 15th September.