Melbourne ResearchResearch Grants and Contracts

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) schemes

Click title links to access further details about the scheme, including application requirements.

Scheme and link
 Aim
Australia Fellowships
 Designed for outstanding senior health and medical researchers. NHMRC encourages researchers with an outstanding track record relative to their field and opportunity, especially in innovative research that is transformative and with high impact potential.
Capacity Building Grants for Population Health & Health Services Research
 Support and builds groups of population health and/or health services researchers. The scheme strengthens established teams by enabling them to (a) bring in new expertise and (b) develop less experienced researchers to become research leaders (new independent researchers).
Career Development  Awards
 Build Australian health research skills by offering awards to early career researchers in the following categories: Biomedical, Clinical, Population Health, Industry, and Partnerships. There are two levels of support:
  • CDA Level 1: 2-7 years post-doctoral experience (applicants who do not hold a PhD but can demonstrate an equivalent research qualification (e.g. a professional doctorate) may also be eligible to apply).
  • CDA Level 2: 7-12 years post-doctoral experience (applicants must demonstrate that they will have access to the facilities needed and must have a mentor who can guide their research).
Centres of Research Excellence

The Centres of Research Excellence (CRE) Scheme replaces the Centres for Clinical Research Excellence Scheme and the Capacity Building Grants in Population Health and Health Services Research.   

The CRE Scheme seeks applications from teams of researchers to pursue innovative, high quality collaborative research activities in the following priority areas:

  • Clinical Research
  • Research into Asbestos Related Diseases
  • Population Health Research
  • Electromagnetic Energy Research
  • Health Services Research

The CRE will build capacity, support research that will lead to improved community health outcomes, and ensure effective translation of research outcomes primarily into practice. 

Funding will be awarded for a period of five years and is expected to commence in 2010.
Development Grants
 Development Grants provide funding support to undertake research at the early proof-of-principle or pre-seed stage. The Scheme supports the commercial development of a product, process, procedure or service that if applied, would result in improved health care, disease prevention or provide health cost savings. Development Grants focus on medical research that has the potential to be commercialised.
Enabling Grants
 Underpin aspects of the national health and medical research effort where there is a demonstrated need for research facilities and/or activities. Facilities and/or activities remain the property of the Administering Institution supporting the application, but must be open to all researchers from all institutions. The ongoing financial viability of the facilities and/or activities will be the responsibility of the Administering Institution and the applicants.
Partnership Projects
 Support new and existing partnerships in conducting research that influences the design and evaluation of health and health care policy and practice. The scheme does not include the evaluation of clinical interventions on individual patients (e.g. new treatments, diagnostic techniques, pharmaceuticals or surgical procedures) as such research is supported through Project Grants and Program Grants.
Postdoctoral Training Fellowships
 Provide a vehicle for training in basic research either in Australia or overseas (where appropriate), to enable Fellows to work on research projects with nominated advisers. Awards are offered to a limited number of persons of outstanding ability who wish to make research a significant component of their career.
Postgraduate Scholarships
 Support outstanding Australian health and medical graduates early in their career so that they can be trained to conduct internationally competitive research. This is usually achieved by funding scholars to attain a PhD by full-time research.
Program Grants
 Support teams of researchers in pursuing broadly based collaborative research activity. There is a high level of competition for this funding, and successful applicant teams must have a record of achievement. Support is for the research team’s broad research theme, rather than for individual researchers. The team will be expected to:
  • contribute new knowledge at a leading international level in important areas of health and medical research;
  • tackle problems for which longer term stable funding is essential;
  • facilitate collaborative use of specialised facilities or expertise.
Project Grants
 Provide the main avenue of NHMRC 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. On average 25% of applicants each year are successful in obtaining a grant through this scheme.
Research & Practitioner Fellowships Supports two types of fellowship:
  • Practitioner Fellowships assist experienced clinical and public health researchers who wish to maintain both a research and professional career, and who have undertaken a successful research program and wish to continue at a competitive level. The scheme does not support well established scientists who happen also to be clinicians or public health practitioners (Research Fellowships are more appropriate in these circumstances), and is intended for active clinicians and practitioners to undertake research linked to their practice or policy.
  • Research Fellowships are full time research appointments that enable high calibre biomedical and health researchers with a proven track record in research to undertake research of significant benefit to the health of Australians. Opportunities exist in biomedical, clinical and population health research.
Travelling Award for Research Training
 Funds current holders of NHMRC Australian-based Fellowships and Scholarships to train for limited periods (between 3 and 6 months) at a temporary host (domestic or international) institution.


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