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National Competitive Grants Program

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Discovery Projects

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

A variety of fellowships are offered under the scheme to nurture the talents of Australia's most promising early-career researchers and support established researchers. The fellowships take into account the professional standing of individual researchers, as described below.

• Australian Postdoctoral Fellowships are available for early-career researchers (who have been awarded a PhD within the three years immediately preceding the closing date for applications) to undertake research of national and international significance and to broaden their research experience.
• Australian Research Fellowships and Queen Elizabeth II Fellowships are available for postdoctoral researchers of exceptional promise to undertake research in Australia of national and international significance.
• Australian Professorial Fellowships are available for outstanding researchers with proven international reputations to undertake research that is of major importance in its field and of significant benefit to Australia.

Applications for funding under the Discovery Projects scheme are processed once a year.

Discovery Projects aims to:

• support excellent fundamental research by individuals and teams
• enhance the scale and focus of research in the National Research Priorities
• assist researchers to undertake their research in conditions most conducive to achieving best results
• expand Australia's knowledge base and research capability
• foster the international competitiveness of Australian research
• encourage research training in high-quality research environments

Participants should familiarise themselves with the Funding Rules and Funding Agreements. Grants from the ARC are made to organisations, not individual researchers or research teams.

• Funding Rules
• Eligibility Exemption and Ruling
• Funding Agreement
• Instructions to applicants
• Sample Application Form
• Certification Proforma
• Funding Outcomes
• Application closing dates
• GAMS Information
• Reporting requirements
• Request not to assess
• Classification Codes – FOR, RFCD, SEO and ANZSIC

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