About the Fund
The Australian Property Research and Education Fund (APREF) is a charitable arm of the Australian Property Institute Ltd (API), created to empower research, and advance education, in the property sector.
Launched in 2020, the APREF Education Scholarships and Research Grants secure the future of the valuation profession and provide a course of action for APREF to lead the industry into the future.
Donations propel the future of the property industry and property profession.
Donating to the Fund
Your donation to APREF will ensure the continuation of the important work APREF is doing in supporting Australian students in undertaking property studies, propelling women back into a property career or donating to facilitate much-needed scientific research in the property field.
For any enquiries, please contact [email protected] or check out our APREF FAQs page.
Scholarships
Robert Hecek Scholarship
Applications are now closed.
Advancing Women in Property
Applications are now closed.
Educational Scholarship – Regional/Rural
Applications are now closed.
Educational Scholarship – Tasmania
Applications are now closed.
API Accredited Courses
We work closely with the education sector to ensure the courses accredited for API membership meet the highest standard of education, furthering the ongoing quality and knowledge of API Members. Get started on your journey in the property industry today!
Research Grants
APREF is pleased to support academic research exploring topics critical to The Australian Property Industry. Each year APREF releases defined call topics open to Australian researchers to apply for research grants. The current defined call Research topics are:
- Topic 1: The property industry workforce – a workforce for the future. This may include data and technology, inspectionless valuations, skills of the future valuer, property education or How prop-tech could change the property profession.
- Topic 2: Affordable Housing and Valuation – This may include metro or regional housing affordability or pathways to increasing affordable housing availability or build to rent model and valuation guidance.
- Topic 3: Impacts of pandemic and post-pandemic shifts in consumer behaviour on retailing and retail property.
- Topics 4: Is the profession accurately valuing sustainability? This may include factors that play a role in valuation in accordance with ESG principles.
Applications close on 31 August 2022
For any enquiries please contact [email protected].
Deakin University Housing market resilience in Australia: 2000 – 2021
RMIT Towards more inclusive equality and diversity for the Australian valuation industry
UNSW and UniSA Towards understanding the dynamics of the regional property markets of Australia: Spatio-temporal analysis, predictive modelling, and visualising of sales in regional SA and NSW
QUT Big Visual Data Analysis using Artificial Intelligence for Mass Valuation of Residential Properties in Australia
QUT and Uni of Melb Valuation @ Risk
Uni of Melb Urban densification through private land assembling in inner and middle suburbs for decentralised mixed/single-use build to rent development
RMIT Black Swan Events, Quantitative Easing and the Australian Residential Property Market
Peter Barrington Gold Medal Award
The Peter Barrington Gold Medal Award was established in 1985 as an endowment by the Hammerson Group of Companies in recognition of contributions to the property profession by Peter Barrington. The purpose of the award is to encourage research and excellence in the study of land economy through the presentation of a major work in support of an approved academic program. The Award is open to all Australian students undertaking a course of study at the Masters or PHD level in a property professional field at an Australian academic institution.
Applications close 30 September 2022.
Winner of the 2021 award
Congratulations to Dr Christopher Phelps from Curtin University awarded last year’s APREF 2021 Peter Barrington Award for his thesis “Essays Connecting Australian Dwelling Price Growth and Subjective Wellbeing to Within-City income and Wealth Differentials”.
The Peter Barrington Award, established in 1985, is designed to encourage research excellence in the study of land economy. The award is open to students undertaking a Property Masters or PHD at an Australian academic institution.
As the winner/awardee, Dr Phelps will present his research as part of the APREF Research Seminar Series in 2022, open to API Members.
Award was established in 1985 as an endowment by the Hammerson Group of Companies in recognition of the contribution to the property profession by Peter Barrington. The purpose of the award is to encourage research and excellence in the study of land economy through the presentation of a major work in support of an approved academic
Jyoti Rao for her thesis Fundamental Functionings of Landowners: Understanding the relationship between land ownership and wellbeing through the lens of ‘capability’. In 2020 the Peter Barrington Award was awarded to Dr Tiffany Hutcheson for her thesis Investment in Property by Australian Superannuation schemes.
To ensure the longevity of this prestigious award, it will now be managed under the umbrella of APREF.
The Award is open to all Australian students undertaking a course of study at the Masters or PHD level in a property professional field at an Australian academic institution.
Submissions from other academic faculties (eg. accounting, law, business administration) shall also be accepted for consideration where the subject matter of the research is considered to be relevant to the advancement of land economy.
Judging of entries for the Peter Barrington Gold Medal Award shall be completed by a Panel constituted from the APREF Research Committee. The Panel shall review entries, giving due consideration to the contribution of the work to the advancement in the knowledge or practice of land economy.
An assessment rubric will be used by the appointed Panel judges in ranking the submissions. Papers graded a Pass will not be eligible for the Award. Marks for individual papers will not be provided to applicants and will be used for internal review and assessment purposes only.
The entry shall be a thesis or paper which has been prepared as a component part of the Masters or PhD course of study undertaken by the student. Whilst there is no word limit, the written submission should reflect the level of research and analysis expected of a Master or PhD thesis.
All submissions are to be accompanied by an endorsement from the student’s Master’s or PhD supervisor.
Submissions must be lodged via email (with the paper attached as a PDF document). Completion with a cover sheet recording the details of the author, a brief summary of the thesis, and a supporting statement from the supervisor from the educational institution at which the study is being undertaken.
The winner shall be awarded a framed certificate of merit, complimentary API membership for one year, and a cheque to the value of $A1000. The winner will also be expected to present their research to the API membership, most likely via the APREF Research Seminar Series.
This award shall be presented at an API function. The date of presentation shall be at the discretion of the Chairperson of the APREF Board.
APREF Administration
The APREF Board oversees the work of the Fund. To support the achievement of Fund objectives, two Committees – Research and Education, were established. Committee members were selected based on the desired mix of current skills in academic research, education and practitioner skills.
Research Committee
Facilitates the undertaking of scientific research in the property industry, specifically in the fields of valuation and land economy.
Education Committee
Guides the award of scholarships, bursaries and prizes for the purpose of advancing education, training and development activities that relate to valuation and land economy.
For any enquiries, please contact [email protected].
