Archived Grant Opportunity View - GO896

The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme is a separate element of the Discovery Program. The DECRA scheme will provide more focused support for researchers and create more opportunities for early-career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions.

The objectives of the DECRA scheme are to:

• support excellent basic and applied research by early career researchers
• advance promising early career researchers and promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways 
• enable research and research training in high quality and supportive environments
• expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability
• enhance the scale and focus of research in the Science and Research Priorities

It is anticipated that up to 200 three-year Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards, including up to $40 000 per annum in project funds, may be awarded each year. 

A Proposal may only be submitted through the Research Office of an Eligible Organisation listed in the relevant Funding Rules.

Researchers may be eligible to apply if they have been awarded a PhD within five years, or longer if combined with periods of significant career interruption (see the relevant Funding Rules and FAQs for detailed information).

A Project may be applied for and awarded funding for up to three consecutive years on a full-time basis.

The Proposal must be submitted as a mature research plan presenting the proposed Project ready for implementation and must contain all the information necessary for its assessment without the need for further written or oral explanation, or reference to additional documentation, unless requested by the ARC.

Administering Organisations must submit Proposals through RMS (http://rms.arc.gov.au) unless otherwise advised by the ARC.

All Proposals must meet the format and content requirements, including certification, as set out in the RMS online form and the relevant scheme Instructions to Applicants. 

The Research Management System (RMS) is a web-based system used to prepare and submit research proposals, assessments and rejoinders for the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP).

Registered users can login using your email address and password at https://rms.arc.gov.au. To request a new account, go to https://rms.arc.gov.au and click on the Request New Account link.

The completed Proposal form, including the PDF attachments, must comply with the Funding Rules for schemes under the Discovery Program (2017 edition) (the Funding Rules). Review the Funding Rules before preparing the Proposal.