Grants and scholarships - saving the Tasmanian Devil

The Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal (the Appeal) is an initiative of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (the Program) coordinated by the University of Tasmania (Advancement Office).

The Program is Australia’s official national response to Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD 1 and DFTD 2), two extremely unusual contagious cancers ravaging the population of Tasmanian devils. It involves a partnership between the Tasmanian State Government and the University of Tasmania and Australian Zoo and Aquarium Association, backed by the international conservation and wildlife management expert community. The Program is delivered through the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) as well as, wildlife parks and zoos in Australia and international collaborations with research institutions and universities in Australia and overseas.

To help fulfil this vision, the Appeal was created in 2003 to raise funds to support the primary objectives of the Program (as outlined in Section 2.1) and the University continues to manage the fundraising and disbursement for the Appeal.

The Appeal makes funds available through the University of Tasmania’s Advancement Office on receiving advice from the Tasmanian Devil Research Advisory Committee (TDRAC). TDRAC’s grant allocation priorities are established by agreement between the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program and the University of Tasmania. Grant applications will be assessed as to whether their purpose aligns closely with those priorities. The Program and the University of Tasmania have agreed on the following research priorities:

• Identify and develop a prophylactic therapy such as a vaccine or immunotherapy for devil facial tumour diseases.
• Quantify the impact of anthropogenic induced threats on the population viability of devils and identify effective methods to mitigate them.
• Identify factors, including new disease outbreaks and habitat continuity, which limit genetic and demographic connectivity across the island of Tasmania.
• Determine the distribution and impact of DFT2.
• Determine if releasing insurance devils into the wild is beneficial, neutral or detrimental to wild devil population dynamics, DFTD epidemiology and evolution of natural disease resistance.

For further information, please see:

• University of Tasmania Scholarships and Prizes Program
• Grant and Scholarship Guidelines
• Grant and Scholarship Application Form

Over $3.5 million has been awarded in grants and scholarships since 2005. See the full list of recipients:

• Grant and Scholarship Allocations (PDF 215.1 KB)