The ANZCA pilot grant scheme is made possible by the ANZCA Foundation through the generosity of donors and fellows. This scheme along with the ANZCA project grants scheme have been instrumental in providing seed funding for exploratory studies that have led to investigators securing competitive grants to run large multi-centre clinical trials to answer important clinical questions.
Applicants wishing to apply for a pilot grant are strongly encouraged to present their research proposal at the CTN annual strategic research workshop in August. Here investigators will receive feedback from statisticians, fellows, trainees and research coordinators as well as be provided with a spokesperson report summarising critical feedback from the delegates. The deadline of the pilot grant scheme is set to ensure there is adequate time for investigators to consider the feedback received at the workshop.
The deadline for the 2026 pilot grant round is 5pm (AEDT) Monday 8 December 2025.
| Dr Belinda Phillips (Vic) | A pilot randomised controlled trial for a digitally-driven, home-based Prehabilitation program in Frail, elderly patients undergoing lower limb joint arthroplasty (Prehab-Fit). Presented at the CTN workshop 2023 | $10000 |
| Professor Victoria Eley (QLD) | International multicentre study: Inadequate neuraxial anaesthesia and post-natal mental health. | $10000 |
2023 pilot grant awards
| Dr Tim Coulson (Vic) | Vasopressin vs placebo to reduce postoperative complications in cardiac surgery (V-PACE): a feasibility study for a randomised trial. Presented at the CTN workshop 2022 by A/Prof Lachlan Miles | $10000 |
| Dr Jonathan Fanning (QLD) | A feasibility study in preparation of the “Platform-factorial Evaluation of Prospective Randomised Myocardial Injury in Non-Cardiac Surgery Therapies (PEPPERMINT)" trial | $10000 |
| Dr Stuart Blain (QLD) | Physician versus viscoelastic assay-guided transfusion strategy for massive haemorrhage in elective cranial vault surgery: ‘HUMPTY DUMPTY' Feasibility Trial. Presented at the CTN workshop 2022 by Dr Shannon Morrison | $10000 |
2022 pilot grant awards
| Dr Katrina Pirie (Vic) | Opioid neuraxial analgesia for major open abdominal surgery: A feasibility study using a combination of intrathecal and epidural morphine. Presented at the CTN workshop 2022 | $15000 |
| Dr Fiona Taverner (SA) | Baby CHiX: Caudal, High flow oxygen and DeXmedetomidine sedation for inguinal hernia surgery in neonates and infants- a feasibility study. Presented at the CTN workshop 2022 | $15000 |
2021 pilot grant awards
| Professor Rob Sanders (NSW) | DeFluNCS: Prevent delirium with Fluvoxamine treatment for Non-Cardiac Surgery. Presented at the virtual CTN workshop 2022 - Part 1 | $10000 |
| Dr Yi-Ching Lee (NSW) | Technology Adjunct for Opioid Tapering in Patients with Chronic Pain, Part 1 – a Qualitative Study. Presented at the virtual CTN workshop 2022 - Part 1 | $10000 |
| Dr Usha Gurunathan (QLD) | Preoperative inspiratory muscle training to improve pulmonary outcomes following urgent cardiac surgery: a feasibility study. Presented at the virtual CTN workshop 2021 and 2022 - Part 1 | $10000 |
2020 pilot grant awards
| Dr Raymond Hu (Vic) | GIRAF: General vs Regional Anaesthesia on arteriovenous Fistula patency: a randomised controlled pilot and feasibility trial. Presented at the CTN workshop 2020 | $10000 |
| Dr Tim Coulson (Vic) | Angiotensin-two for Reduction of Acute Kidney Injury after cardiac surgery - a pilot to determine feasibility of a definitive double blind randomised controlled trial: A-TRAK. 2022 Gilbert Brown prize winner at the ANZCA ASM Coulson TG, Miles LF, Serpa Neto A, Pilcher D, Weinberg L, Landoni G, Zarbock A, Bellomo R. A double-blind randomised feasibility trial of angiotensin-2 in cardiac surgery. Anaesthesia. 2022 Sep;77(9):999-1009. doi: 10.1111/anae.15802. PMID: 35915923; PMCID: PMC9543254. | $10000 |
| Dr Justin Nazareth (Vic) | METERORITE: Midodrine for the prevention of perioperative hypotension – A pilot open-label parallel-group randomised controlled trial of the effect of perioperative midodrine on the incidence of perioperative hypotension. Presented at the CTN workshop 2021 | $10000 |
| Professor Kate Leslie AO (Vic) | The SNAPP Pilot Study: Suggamedex, Neostigimine and Postoperative Pulmonary Complications. Presented at the CTN workshop in 2020 and 2021 Leslie K, Chan MTV, Darvall JN, De Silva AP, Braat S, Devlin NJ, Peyton PJ, Radnor J, Lam CKM, Sidiropoulos S, Story DA. Sugammadex, neostigmine and postoperative pulmonary complications: an international randomised feasibility and pilot trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2021 Nov 9;7(1):200. | $10000 |
| Dr Yi-Ching Lee (NSW) | Sublingual ketamine as a breakthrough analgesia in patients with advanced cancer – a feasibility study. Presented at the CTN workshop 2020 | $10000 |
| Dr Ashley Webb (Vic) | Effectiveness of Cash incentives on Abstinence of elective surgery smokers at hospitilisation: a randomised feasibility trial (The E-CASSH Study). Webb A, Coward L, Yousef M, Karamesinis A, Leong S. Does offering small financial incentives to smokers at the time of being wait-listed for surgery increase smoking cessation by the day of surgery? A randomised feasibility trial. BMJ Open. 2023 Dec 28;13(12):e080693. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080693. PMID: 38154905; PMCID: PMC10759110. | $10000 |
2019 pilot grant awards
| Dr Jennifer Reilly (Vic) | ANZCA Perioperative Clinical Outcomes Registry (PCORE) pilot | $20000 |
2018 pilot grant awards
| Dr Daniel Frei (NZ) | The Hospital Operating Theatre Randomised Oxygen Study: HOT-ROX. Presented at the CTN workshop 2018 Main study endorsed by the CTN in October 2022. | $10000 |
| Dr Jennifer Reilly (Vic) | The clinical outcomes measurement in perioperative medicine, anaesthesia and surgery study: COMPASS Reilly JR, Brown WA, Gabbe BJ, Hodgson CL, Myles PS. A national perioperative outcomes registry will facilitate quality assurance and research in Australia. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. 2020; 48(4):328-329. | $10000 |
| Dr Kerry McLaughlin (Vic) | The lignocaine infusion on donor site pain in patients with burns pilot study: the LIDO pilot study. | $10000 |
2017 pilot grant awards
| Dr Doug Campbell (NZ) | A pilot study of the MAnagement of Systolic blood pressure during Thrombectomy by Endovascular Route for acute ischaemic STROKE (MASTERSTROKE Trial). Presented at the CTN workshop 2017 MASTERSROKE trial | $10000 |
2016 pilot grant awards
| Clinical Professor Nolan McDonnell | Optimization of Epidural Analgesia in Labour: A platform trial utilizing response adaptive randomization - The EPITOMISE study. | $10000 |
2015 pilot grant awards
Prof David Scott (Vic) | Cognitive and Lifestyle interventions to Understand the impact on the Elderly of anaesthesia and Surgery: A multi-centre cluster randomised controlled trial - The CLUES Trial. | $10000 |
| Dr Chris Bain (Vic) | Preliminary analysis of changes in peripheral white blood cell inflammatory gene expression and function over 24 hours following intravenous (8mg) dexamethasone – PADDI Genomics Pilot Study. | $10000 |
| Professor David Story (Vic) | Colorectal cancer, anaemia and iron management: a large multicentre, stepped wedge, cluster randomized controlled trial. | $10000 |
2014 pilot grant awards
| Dr Joreline van der Westhuizen (NZ) | The effect of Upfront Administration of Fibrinogen concentrate in Obstetric Haemorrhage – A Pilot study. Presented at the CTN workshop 2014 | $10000 |
2013 pilot grant awards
| Dr Tom Painter (SA) | The TALLIS Study: The Tranexamic Acid in Lower Limb arthroplaSty Study. Presented at the CTN workshop 2012 | $5000 |
| Professor Philip Peyton (Vic) | Pilot grant application: Reduction Of Chronic Post-surgical Pain with Ketamine – A Pilot Study Presented at the CTN workshop 2012 Peyton P, Wu C, Jacobson T, Hogg M, Zia F, Leslie K. The effect of a perioperative ketamine infusion on the incidence of chronic post-surgical pain – a pilot study. Anaesth Intens Care, 2017; 45(4): 459-65. Main study funded by the NHMRC | $5000 |
| Professor David Story (Vic) | Pilot grant application: Association between maternal size and outcomes for caesarean section; a multicentre prospective observational study (The MUM SIZE Study) – A Pilot Study Presented at the CTN workshop 2013 | $5000 |
| Dr Usha Gurunathan (QLD) | Waist circumference as a predictor of major postoperative adverse outcomes following elective non-cardiac surgeries: A feasibility study. Presented at the CTN workshop 2013 | $5000 |
2012 pilot grant awards
Dr Dean Cowie (Vic) | Cerebral oximetry to reduce peri-operative morbidity | $5000 |
Dr Ben Olesnicky (NSW) | Effect of Analgesic Regime on Outcomes Following Major Hepatobiliary Surgery – A Comparison of Epidural Analgesia and Intrathecal Morphine | $5000 |
2011 pilot grant awards
Professor Julia Fleming (Vic) | Intra-brachial arterial guanethidine for the management of Raynaud’s phenomenon | $5000 |
| Professor Paul Myles (Vic) | RELIEF Trial: pilot study REstrictive versus LIbEral Fluid Therapy in Major Abdominal Surgery Main funded clinical trial: RELIEF | $5000 |
| Professor Matthew Chan (Hong Kong) | Neurological impact of Vascular events In noncardiac Surgery patIents cOhort evaluation Study: NeuroVISION Pilot Study | $5000 |
| Professor Steve Bolsin (Vic) | Geelong Rosuvastatin and Incidence of Myocardial Infarction Pilot Study (GRIMIP Study) | $5000 |
2010 pilot grant awards
| Professor Tim Short (NZ) | Balanced pilot study A pilot study for a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial of the influence of anesthetic depth on long term outcome | $5000 |
2008 pilot grant awards
Dr Hilmy Ismail (Vic) | The Effect of Neuraxial Anaesthesia on Tumour Progression on Cervical Cancer Patients Treated with Brachytherapy.” | $5000 |
2007 pilot grant awards
Professor Tomás Corcoran (WA) | Does general anaesthesia modulate oxidative stress and toll-like receptor activation in human reperfusion injury Mas E, Barden AE, Corcoran TB, Phillips M, Roberts LJ 2nd, Mori TA. Effects of spinal or general anesthesia on F₂-isoprostanes and isofurans during ischemia/reperfusion of the leg in patients undergoing knee replacement surgery. Free Radic Biol Med. 2011 May 1;50(9):1171-6. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2011.01.021. Epub 2011 Jan 22. PMID: 21262345. | $5000 |
2006 pilot grant awards
Anatomical and volunteer study to investigate the accuracy of ultrasound detection of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. | $5000 | |
Dr Alex Konstantatos (Vic) | Intravenous lignocaine for pain relief in burns | $5000 |
2005 pilot grant awards
Prof Michael Paech (WA) | Obstetric General Anaesthesia for Caesarean Section Survey | $5000 |
Dr Paul Wrigley (NSW) | Development of an Australian Spinal Cord Injury Pain (ASCIP) research database. 1. Wrigley PJ, Gustin SM, McIndoe LN, Chakiath RJ, Henderson LA, Siddall PJ. Longstanding neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury is refractory to transcranial direct current stimulation: A randomized controlled trial. Pain 2013;154(10):2178-2184. [Citations = 0, Impact factor JCR 2012 = 5.644] 2. Henderson LA, Gustin SM, Macey PM, Wrigley PJ, Siddall PJ. Functional reorganization of the brain in humans following spinal cord injury: evidence for underlying changes in cortical anatomy. Journal of Neuroscience. 2011;31(7):2630-2637. [Citations = 20, Impact factor JCR 2012 = 6.908] 3. Gustin SM, Wrigley PJ, Henderson LA, Siddall PJ. Brain circuitry underlying pain in response to imagined movement in people with spinal cord injury. Pain 2010;148(3):438-445. [Citations = 13, Impact factor JCR 2012 = 5.644] 4. Gustin SM, Wrigley PJ, Siddall PJ, Henderson LA. Brain anatomy changes associated with persistent neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury. Cerebral Cortex 2010;20(6):1409-19. [Citations = 12, Impact factor JCR 2012 = 6.828] 5. Wrigley PJ, Press SR, Gustin SM, Macefield VG, Gandevia SC, Cousins MJ, Middleton JW, Henderson LA, Siddall PJ. Neuropathic pain and primary somatosensory cortex reorganization following spinal cord injury. Pain. 2009;141(1-2):52-9. [Citations = 47, Impact factor JCR 2012 = 5.644] 6. Wrigley PJ, Gustin SM, Macey PM, Nash PG, Gandevia SC, Macefield VG, Siddall PJ, Henderson LA. Anatomical changes in human motor cortex and motor pathways following complete thoracic spinal cord injury. Cerebral Cortex 2009;19(1):224-232. [Citations = 42, Impact factor JCR 2012 = 6.828] 7. Gustin S, Wrigley PJ, Nash PG, Macefield VG, Gandevia SC, Cousins MJ, Henderson LA, Siddall PJ. Movement imagery evokes pain in spinal cord injured patients. Pain. 2008;137:237–244. [Citations = 22, Impact factor JCR 2012 = 5.644]” | $5000 |
