External Research Grants

• Australian Research Council (ARC)
  
• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
  
• Other External Funding Opportunities and Resources
  

All external research grant applications should be lodged via the Office of Research Services at least five working days prior to the external closing date, and be accompanied by a completed and signed External Research Proposal Clearance form (Word, 94Kb).

Please note that a 15% infrastructure levy applies to all external research income other than grants income from schemes included in the Australian Competitive Grants Register (opens in a new window).

Australian Research Council (ARC)

ARC Discovery Program: Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2013 - Proposals are now open in RMS

Closing Date: 23 February 2012 (UWS Internal Deadline)

Proposals can now be drafted and submitted through the ARC Research Management System (RMS), accessible via the ARC website. The closing date for submission of proposals is 5:00pm (AEDT), Thursday, 1 March 2012.

The Instructions to Applicants and Frequently Asked Questions for this scheme are available on the ARC website.

The ARC Discovery Projects Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2013 are now available on the ARC website (opens in a new window).

If you are considering submitting an application in this round, please contact your relevant Research Development Officer to register your intention to apply.

The Discovery Projects scheme provides funding for research projects that can be undertaken by individual researchers or research teams.

The objectives of the Discovery Projects scheme are to:

• support excellent basic and applied research by individuals and teams
• enhance the scale and focus of research in the National Research Priorities
• expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability
• encourage research and research training in high-quality research environments
• enhance international collaboration in research
• foster the international competitiveness of Australian research.
  

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Grants

1. NHMRC Research and Practitioner Fellowships

Closing Date: 26 January 2012 (UWS Internal Deadline)

The NHMRC's Fellowship Awards provide support for experienced researchers to undertake research that is both of major importance in its field and of benefit to Australian health.

Research Fellowships

The purpose of the NHMRC Research Fellowships Scheme is to provide support for outstanding health and medical researchers to undertake research that is of major importance in its field and of significant benefit to Australian health and medical research.

Research Fellowships are open to all researchers in Australia who have a sustained track record of significant output as demonstrated in peer-reviewed literature, and a strong commitment to quality research outputs as judged relative to opportunity.

Research Fellowships offered by the NHMRC are prestigious, highly competitive, sought after awards for high performing mid-career researchers. Recipients of Research Fellowships are generally in the top 10% of their field and are viewed as ‘pushing the boundaries’ of research.

Practitioner Fellowships

The Practitioner Fellowships Scheme is intended for active clinicians and public health or health services professionals to undertake research that is linked to their practice or policy. The Scheme may support clinicians in developing a career that includes successful research.

Practitioner Fellowships are open to all active clinicians in Australia who have a sustained track record of significant research output as demonstrated in peer-reviewed literature, and a strong commitment to quality research outputs as judged relative to opportunity.

NHMRC expects applicants to plan to combine clinical/public health duties and research, and be able to demonstrate that the research associated with the Practitioner Fellowship is designed to maximise application or transfer of outputs into policy or practice. Practitioner Fellowships offered by NHMRC are prestigious, highly competitive, sought after awards for high performing mid-career researchers. Recipients of Practitioner Fellowships are generally in the top 10% of their field of research.

2. NHMRC Project Grants

Closing Date: 29 February 2012 (UWS Internal Deadline)

The Project Grants Scheme is the NHMRC’s main avenue of support for individuals and small teams of researchers undertaking biomedical, public health and health services research in Australian universities, medical schools, hospitals and other research institutions.

The Project Grant scheme aims to fund research leading to improved health of all Australians. To achieve this aim the scheme provides support for projects with the following attributes:

• Investigator-initiated research across all fields of research, from basic research through to research in clinical and community settings, relevant to health; and
• Single investigators or small teams of researchers (usually up to 6 investigators) and early career researchers (new investigators).
  

There is no specific limit to funding for each application under the NHMRC Project Grant scheme.

Applicants for NHMRC Project Grants may apply for funding of between one and five years duration.

If you are considering submitting a Research Fellowship, Practitioner Fellowship or Project Grant application in this round, please contact Sharon Holst to register your intention to apply.

3. NHMRC Career Development Fellowships

Closing Date: 14 March 2012 (UWS Internal Deadline)

The purpose of the Career Development Fellowships (CDF) scheme is to further develop Australian health and medical researchers early in their career. It will enable investigators to establish themselves as independent, self-directed researchers; expand capacity for biomedical, clinical, public health and health service delivery research, and for evidence-based policy development in Australian health systems; and encourage the translation of research outcomes into practice.

The NHMRC Career Development Fellowship scheme aims to:

• help build Australia’s health research skills, with a particular emphasis on clinical, public health and health service research;
• increase knowledge and support the development of evidence based health policies;
• encourage the growth of knowledge-based industries in Australia by helping to bridge the gap between research and industry and fostering an environment that values industry achievement; and
• provide a vehicle for Australian researchers working overseas to return to Australia to continue their career development.
  

The Fellowships are available to researchers in the early stages of their careers. The proposed research must:

• be internationally competitive;
• develop their capacity for original independent research;
• develop their research leadership skills; and
• help them to establish themselves as independent self-directed health and medical researchers in a research program or as part of a research team.
  

If you are considering submitting an application in this round, please contact Sharon Holst to register your intention to apply.

Further information: Career Development Fellowships.

4. NHMRC Mental Health Targeted Call for Research

Closing Date: 21 March 2012 (UWS Internal Deadline)

Applications for the 2012 funding round of the Mental Health Targeted Call for Research are now open.

Mental health is one of the major health issues identified in the 2010-2012 NHMRC Strategic Plan with the stated aim to “support the development of evidence needed for effective preventative strategies, management, and treatment of mental illness, and services for chronic and complex mental health conditions” (NHMRC Strategic Plan 2010-2012).

NHMRC has allocated $26.2 million over a five year period (a minimum of $5 million per year) to support research that delivers greater evidence-based policies and practices aiming to improve mental health care and provision of mental health services in Australia, and in particular, improvement of youth mental health in Australia. The NHMRC Research Committee has committed this budget to both building research capacity and to a Targeted Call for Research (TCR) focusing on “prevention of, and early intervention in, mental illness in children and young people”.

NHMRC wishes to call upon the expertise of the mental health research community in the area of child and youth mental health – an area of international significance. This TCR will provide up to $13 million of funding for the best researchers to build evidence and translate evidence into improved mental health practice.

This TCR does not preclude applications for mental health-related research projects through NHMRC’s normal competitive processes and schemes.

All Mental Health Targeted Call for Research applications must be commenced in RGMS by 5.00pm (AEDST) 8 February 2012.

If you are considering submitting an application, please contact Sharon Holst to register your intention to apply.

Further information: NHMRC Mental Health Targeted Call

NHMRC Research Grants Management System (RGMS)

To assist with understanding the new NHMRC Research Grants Management System (RGMS) NHMRC has recently introduced a training tool called CAPA. This training tool can be accessed from the welcome screen of RGMS - top right hand corner next to the button with an "X". The tool provides step by step instruction on how to use all sections of RGMS.

Any researcher intending to apply for an NHMRC grant should familiarise themselves with this system. More information can be obtained from the following NHMRC web site (opens in a new window).

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Other External Funding Opportunities and Resources

Research Bulletin

The Research Bulletin (PDF, 104Kb) is a fortnightly upcoming funding opportunities bulletin delivered direct by email. You can subscribe to this service by contacting the Research Development Assistant, Angela Theodorou. 

Grant Calendar

The 2011-2012 Research Funding Calendar (PDF, 283Kb) is an annual overview of major funding opportunities/grant schemes designed to assist researchers in planning their research workload.

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