Money, where it sits.

The University of Melbourne

? – $2.3M

Closes 2026-05-23

Young people shaping livelihoods across three generations. This proposal for a third cohort to the Life Patterns longitudinal study aims to investigate how in a context of technological and structural change a new generation of young Australians builds livelihood-resilience, keeping the focus on those elements that have proven to be enabling for previous generations. The project aims to generate new knowledge about the influences of education, work, housing, relationships, wellbeing on positive trajectories. Expected outcomes of this project include systematic evidence and a new holistic livelihood-resilience framework for analysing youth trajectories. This project should provide significant benefits to the national response supporting positive youth transitions through education and work.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 1608 - Sociology. Lead: Prof Johanna Wyn

University of Technology Sydney

? – $501K

Closes 2026-05-24

Modernise geotechnical investigation and analysis with machine learning. The project aims to address the ineffectiveness associated with risk analysis of geotechnical systems by reducing variabilities and by rigorously quantifying such variabilities. It is expected to generate new knowledge in machine-learning-aided risk analysis and in virtual modelling of multiphase-multiphysics-multiscale problems involving random variables. Expected outcomes are datasets and computer tools that are equipped with new functionalities including parameter optimisation, uncertainty quantification, machine-learning based surrogate models and risk analysis. These tools will help to bridge the increasing gap between academic research and engineering practice, transform geo-risk analysis and optimise complex construction processes.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4005 - Civil Engineering. Lead: Prof Daichao Sheng

RMIT University

? – $559K

Closes 2026-05-24

Plant-mediated arsenic-iron mineral transformations. The project goals are to advance our understanding of molecular-level iron-arsenic transformations induced at plant-mineral-atmosphere interfaces as influenced by remediation actions and future environmental change. The project aims for this to be achieved through an innovative experimental infrastructure combined with isotopic, spectroscopic and advanced synchrotron-based tools. Intended outcomes and benefits are the generation of new knowledge, which will improve current understanding of arsenic and iron fate impacted by remediation actions, plant growth and planetary changes induced via the atmosphere-plant-soil interface.. Scheme: Discovery Indigenous. Field: 4106 - Soil Sciences. Lead: A/Prof Dane Lamb

Monash University

? – $355K

Closes 2026-05-24

Scalable & Accountable Privacy-Preserving Blockchain with Enhanced Security. This project aims to address the scalability and accountability of privacy-preserving blockchain by advancing cryptographic techniques. This project expects to develop scalable protocols for privacy-preserving blockchain while also adding accountability for authority to trace cyber crime activities, which is a missing piece in any state-of-the-art public blockchain system. Expected outcomes of this project include not only practical solutions for protecting sensitive data recorded in blockchain but also crucial techniques to make the blockchain accountable for practical applications with enhanced security. This project provides significant benefits, such as building a trusted environment for sensitive transactions in the digital economy.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 0803 - Computer Software. Lead: Prof Joseph Liu

NSW Government

? – $75K

Closes 2026-05-25

The Creative Nations Program supports First Nations artists, cultural workers, organisations and communities through their artistic expressions that continue to sustain and strengthen First Nations arts and culture in NSW.

NSW Government

$50K – $800K

Closes 2026-05-25

Taking Expressions of Interest: ACCO-led ECEC Sector Growth Partnership Program Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO) who are approved Early Learning providers or are seeking to become approved Early Learning providers.

NSW Government — Aboriginal Languages Trust

? – $600K

Closes 2026-05-25

The Language Centres Partnership Program (LCPP) is a new initiative funded under NSW Closing the Gap to increase the number of Language Centres and sustainable investment in Aboriginal Language Centres in NSW.

Monash University

? – $299K

Closes 2026-05-25

Toward a Female Stoic Tradition: Women's Writings in England, 1600-1800. This project aims to investigate the neglected history of women’s engagement with Stoic ideas in early modern England. It expects to generate new knowledge of a distinctive strand of women’s Stoic thought by taking a novel interdisciplinary approach to different genres of early modern writing. The intended outcomes include a new understanding of women’s valuable contributions to philosophy, literature, and politics in the period, as well as a greater appreciation of the gender-inclusivity of Stoic philosophy. This should provide significant benefits, such as the development of Stoic therapeutic techniques informed by women’s experiences, and the promotion of gender equality through the recognition of women’s intellectual history.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 2202 - History and Philosophy of Specific Fields. Lead: Prof Jacqueline Broad

NSW Government — Create NSW

? – $100K

Closes 2026-05-25

This funding supports individuals, groups and organisations that are led by and/or support ACFP Strategic Priority Area communities to develop and deliver a diverse range of arts and cultural experiences

NSW Government

$10K – $75K

Closes 2026-05-25

This funding supports creative development and presentation of new work by individual artists and arts and cultural workers. Applicants are encouraged to drive and develop partnerships with arts and cultural organisations to support their new works.

NSW Government

? – $75K

Closes 2026-05-25

This grant round is open to individual artists, arts and cultural workers, and organisations who are touring arts and cultural work across regional NSW.

The University of Melbourne

? – $770K

Closes 2026-05-25

Data-led bioengineering to uncover hidden chemical wealth in bacteria. The soil bacteria Nocardia are an untapped source of industrially prized chemical compounds called natural products. This project aims to develop innovative bioprospecting genomics technologies built from the disciplines of microbiology, biochemistry and computational statistics to discover hundreds of new natural products in Nocardia. This project will unlock the diversity of potent new enzymes and molecules with high economic value that could include insecticides to protect crops, bioactives to fight diseases, or new enzymes for food and biofuel production. This research unlocks enormous hidden chemical potential in soil bacteria, to build sustainable national economic growth through innovative, high-value industrial chemical development.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3107 - Microbiology. Lead: Prof Timothy Stinear

RMIT University

? – $473K

Closes 2026-05-26

Superhydrophobic thermally rearranged membranes for low-energy separation. This project aims to develop thermally rearranged membranes with superhydrophobicity using novel polymer chemistry and nanofibre morphology. Both water flowrate in membrane distillation and gas flowrate in carbon dioxide stripping from solvents will be increased by minimising the water vapor condensation between the nanofibers; resolving shortcomings in current energy-intensive filtration systems. This project will provide significant benefits to Australian communities by advancing cost-effective and energy-efficient potable water production and carbon dioxide separation processes for sustainable development. The advanced materials developed can be manufactured locally and will enhance our national capability in modern manufacturing.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 0904 - Chemical Engineering. Lead: Dr Seungju Kim

The University of New South Wales

? – $366K

Closes 2026-05-27

Torsion in innovative timber composite floors. Application of lightweight sustainably sourced timber panels combined with steel beams or reinforced concrete slabs in composite floors has the potential to significantly improve the speed and efficiency and reduce the carbon and energy footprint of the construction industry. This project aims to produce world first benchmark experimental data and advanced numerical and simple analytical models required for efficient, yet safe and reliable analysis and design of timber-concrete and steel-timber composite floors subjected to complex 3-dimensional loading scenarios that involve combinations of torsion, bending and shear. The outcomes of this project are expected to promote innovation and advance knowledge in the field of structural mechanics.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 0905 - Civil Engineering. Lead: Prof Hamid Valipour

The University of New South Wales

? – $363K

Closes 2026-05-28

Nitride materials: In the “bond ionicity Goldilocks zone” for solar energy. Progress towards commercial devices for solar-driven hydrogen generation as well as in-situ electricity generation for vehicles is currently hampered by a lack of earth-abundant, stable, non-toxic semiconductor materials that can be fabricated by scalable methods. This project aims to develop the first scalable solution synthesis methods for a new class of earth-abundant Zn-based nitride semiconductor nanocrystals that have favourable bond ionicity and establish their optoelectronic properties for renewable energy devices for the first time. Flexible solution processing methods will be exploited to tune surface composition, remove defects and create devices to achieve optimised performance in these challenging new nitride material systems.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4018 - Nanotechnology. Lead: Prof Martin Green

NSW Government — Transport for NSW

? – $30.0M

Closes 2026-05-28

30 million to Bellingen Shire Council to upgrade Gordonville and Summervilles Roads.

NSW Government — Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

? – $1.2M

Closes 2026-05-29

Kick-start funding is designed for eligible businesses that are interested in piloting a few battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or for smaller fleets that want to start their electrification journey.

The University of Queensland

? – $501K

Closes 2026-05-29

Genetic architecture and evolution of complex traits across populations. Most human traits have a genetic component and display substantial diversity within and among populations. How natural selection changes and maintains genetic variation in human traits is a long-standing question in evolution that the proposed project aims to answer. Using innovative statistical methods and largest genomic “big” datasets ever across populations of different ancestral backgrounds, this project expects to generate new knowledge on the roles of natural selection in shaping the genetic variation in traits and identify key factors that drive the differentiation of human populations. These outcomes will significantly improve our understanding on the evolution of human traits and adaptation of populations to changing environments.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 0604 - Genetics. Lead: Dr Jian Zeng

University of Tasmania

? – $498K

Closes 2026-05-29

Governing during an ocean climate crisis: Building integrative capacity . This project aims to investigate how strengthening institutional integrative capacity will lead to more effective integrated oceans management (IOM). Integration across sectors and jurisdictions will enhance cooperation, coordination and policy coherence. This project expects to identify new and innovative approaches to implement IOM by identifying which components of integrative capacity can be improved. Expected outcomes of this project include practical new directions for IOM in Australia and Canada that will increase collaboration between governments, industry, Indigenous groups and communities. This study will improve oceans governance and benefit countries' efforts to mitigate climate change impacts on the marine environment. . Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 1605 - Policy and Administration. Lead: A/Prof Joanna Vince

NSW Government — NSW Fair Trading

? – $300K

Closes 2026-05-29

This grant provides funding to a not-for-profit organisation to deliver statewide retirement village-specific education, information resources and community engagement. It is part of the Aged Care Supported Accommodation Program (ACSAP).

NSW Government — Multicultural NSW

? – $100K

Closes 2026-05-29

The COMPACT Social Cohesion and Community Resilience Grants supports projects responding to the Bondi terrorist attack of 14 December 2025 and supports whole-of-community recovery over the next two years.

NSW Government — Create NSW

? – $650K

Closes 2026-05-29

Supports delivery of NSW Government-endorsed plans and sector strategies for the creative industries. Eligible applicants demonstrate a proven track record delivering programs and services that achieve sector outcomes.

NSW Government — Screen NSW

? – $50K

Closes 2026-05-29

The Strategic Opportunities Program supports innovative projects designed to strengthen the NSW screen and digital games industries.

Deakin University

? – $490K

Closes 2026-05-29

Striking voices: Australian school-aged students' climate justice activism. Mass student-led climate justice activism emerged as a transnational phenomenon in 2018.This project aims to foster understanding of this phenomenon, through exploring how Australian young people are taking action on climate change, the supports for their activism, and educational conditions of and responses to their climate concerns, using ethnographic and participatory methods. Expected outcomes include online student-curated accounts of social movement participation, and a co-produced teaching and learning framework for schools. Anticipated benefits include a greater understanding of emerging patterns of political engagement, and the development of educational capacity to engage young people and face urgent environmental challenges.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 1608 - Sociology. Lead: Dr Eve Mayes

La Trobe University

? – $640K

Closes 2026-05-29

Outfoxing the fox: new cost-effective ways to protect threatened species. This project aims to address the damage caused by invasive foxes by applying new methods of protection for threatened species. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of conservation biology and invasive species management by comparing the effectiveness of fox control strategies for improving the population viability of declining freshwater turtles. Expected outcomes of this project include a community-based conservation model that prevents turtle extinctions in south-eastern Australia at considerable cost savings. Significant benefits include improved management of the impacts of invasive species, and restoration of ecosystem services provided by the scavenging role of freshwater turtles for maintaining water quality.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 0502 - Environmental Science and Management. Lead: A/Prof James Van Dyke

Western Sydney University

? – $498K

Closes 2026-05-30

The dynamics of object representations in the human brain. The human brain's ability to effortlessly recognise and categorise objects enables effective behavioural responses in complex everyday environments. Despite the apparent efficiency of this process, it is still unknown how the brain solves object recognition. This project capitalises on cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence and neuroscience to resolve the spatiotemporal dynamics of object processing in the human brain. The outcomes will be a step change in our understanding of the nature and development of the multi-dimensional space underpinning neural object processing. This will ultimately facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders across the lifespan and accelerate the development of intelligent machines.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 5202 - Biological Psychology. Lead: Dr Tijl Grootswagers

Macquarie University

? – $441K

Closes 2026-05-30

Crisis as Opportunity: Societal Change in Early Middle Kingdom Egypt. The project aims to address political and social shifts in the ancient Egyptian early Middle Kingdom c. 4000 years ago. For the first time, and with exclusive study concessions from the government of Egypt, material data of the two most significant cemeteries of the period will be investigated. The project not only expects to generate new knowledge about human interaction during crisis but will utilise interdisciplinary research strategies to investigate the emerging opportunities, such as social mobility, for individuals from all strata of society. It will provide significant benefits such as understanding the mechanics of post-crisis political leadership and the cultural impact that enabled the classical period of ancient Egypt to emerge.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 2101 - Archaeology. Lead: Prof Naguib Kanawati

RMIT University

? – $236K

Closes 2026-05-30

Ageing in and through Data: What data can tell us about ageing. As the first generation to age in a data-rich world, this project asks: What insights can data (i.e. computational information) give us about ageing, ageing well and ageing in place (i.e. at home)? And what escapes data and why? By taking up the UN Healthy Ageing challenge, this project combines ethnography, data sensing and creative practice to provide insights—opportunities and limitations—into how we might age well and in place. Expected outcomes include data visualisation, ethnographic mobile storytelling, art exhibition, codesign workshops and symposium. These outcomes will activate public debate and provide alternative futures for ageing well in a data-saturated world.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies. Lead: Prof Larissa Hjorth

The University of New South Wales

? – $467K

Closes 2026-05-30

Towards Real-world Continual Learning on Unrestricted Task Steams. This project aims to enable machines to continually learn without forgetting and accumulate knowledge from the sequential data streams containing diverse tasks. This project expects to advance the continual learning to unrestricted real-world task steams that are long-term and complex and promote artificial intelligence toward the human-level intelligence that can automatically evolve during interaction with the world. Expected outcomes of this project include the paradigm-shifting continual learning framework and techniques for handling unrestricted task steams in real-world scenarios. They will benefit society and the economy nationally and internationally by enhancing the applicability of artificial intelligence.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4611 - Machine Learning. Lead: Dr Dong Gong

Monash University

? – $417K

Closes 2026-05-30

Tackling the computational bottleneck in precision particle physics. This project aims to deliver a breakthrough technique in theoretical-computational particle physics, with significant potential for high-precision applications. The project targets some of the most advanced and resource-intensive calculations in particle physics, which are widely used but currently limited by extremely high computational resource requirements. This project expects to develop a novel approach that will vastly reduce the computational complexity while at the same time improving their accuracy relative to the current global state of the art. Expected outcomes include the new methodology itself as well as a full-fledged and open-access simulation code based on it, which should be highly efficient.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 0202 - Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, Particle and Plasma Physics. Lead: Prof Peter Skands

University of Technology Sydney

? – $668K

Closes 2026-05-30

Seeing the Bio-Nano "Talk" in the brain via real-time multiplex tracking. This project aims to develop new knowledge and smart tools that have the potential to greatly improve brain research. The blood-brain-barrier is the major physiological barrier that protects the brain from environmental toxins, bacteria and viruses, but limits the effectiveness of nanoparticle-based brain imaging agents. Expected outcomes of this project include a better understanding of the mechanisms that allow nanoparticles to penetrate the blood-brain-barrier, as well as improving brain imaging. Benefits of the project include the commercialisation of technologies and smarl tools developed in this projetct, and establishment of a new Australian biotechnology company that exports brain-imaging technologies to the world.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4003 - Biomedical Engineering. Lead: Prof Bingyang SHI

The University of New South Wales

? – $514K

Closes 2026-05-30

Did ocean circulation changes build the Antarctic ice sheet? The evolution of the Antarctic ice sheet, from its beginning 34 million years ago (Ma) until today, is critical to our understanding of future climate change. This project aims to improve climate and ocean model simulations of the early Oligocene (30 Ma) and middle Miocene (15 Ma), using higher resolution and more accurate paleogeography than has previously been done. Expected outcomes include improvements to paleoclimate reconstructions, better constraints on future climate change, and a better understanding of the impact of ocean eddies on Antarctic climate. These outcomes should strengthen Australia’s long-term program of climate modelling, and enable more effective climate adaptation, mitigation and risk management.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 0406 - Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience. Lead: Dr David Hutchinson

The University of New South Wales

? – $402K

Closes 2026-05-30

Designing Single-atom catalysts for Renewable Waste Conversion to Urea. This DECRA aims to realise the direct electrochemical conversion of waste resources using renewable energy to generate urea at ambient conditions. By designing impurity-tolerant single atom catalysts and unearthing their structure-activity relationships, the utilisation of flue gas and wastewater will be materialised. This will advance our understanding in the field as current energy conversion reactions require pure feedstocks. Expected outcomes from the program is envisioned to lead to deployment of scalable decentralised modes of green urea production (substituting imports), and the knowledge transferrable to other areas of Australia’s emerging hydrogen economy, extending the scope of renewable Power-to-X to realise a circular economy.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Dr Rahman Daiyan

The University of New South Wales

? – $477K

Closes 2026-05-30

Understanding visual working memory: a cognitive strategy framework. This project will assess the role cognitive strategies play in visual working memory with the aim of unifying theories in the field. Specifically, this work will investigate whether variations in cognitive memory strategies result in the use of different sensory stores and neural regions to hold visual information in mind. This work aspires to use innovative perceptual psychophysics and modelling techniques along with brain imaging and non-invasive brain stimulation to elucidate the exact neural regions responsible for different memory strategies. This work has the potential to solve many of the current debates in the field and lead to a unified theory and model of visual working memory, opening the door to optimise human memory.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 1701 - Psychology. Lead: Prof Joel Pearson

Deakin University

? – $384K

Closes 2026-05-30

Student mobility, risk and changing geopolitics of international education. This project will investigate the impacts of changing geopolitics on student mobilities between Australia and China, India and Vietnam. The project uses a multi-method research design to generate new knowledge about how pre, during and post COVID-19 government policy responses and regional and global geopolitics affect inbound and outbound student mobilities. The expected outcomes include evidence-based recommendations for Australian government and university planning to build a resilient international education sector and co-designed resources to support international and domestic students and universities. Substantial benefits are expected as international education is vital to Australian higher education, society, culture, and economy.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 1301 - Education Systems. Lead: Prof Ly Tran

NSW Government — Sound NSW (Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport)

? – $1.0M

Closes 2026-05-31

Designed for institutions, organisations and music businesses demonstrating industry leadership and significant engagement with contemporary music in NSW. Applicants will have a track record of achieving outcomes for artists and music professionals.

The University of New South Wales

? – $304K

Closes 2026-05-31

China’s Belt and Road Initiative: A New Model of Economic Governance? China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) involves thousands of projects in the world, with a combined value over USD 1 trillion. Under the BRI, China is constructing new norms and legal institutions to govern international economic activity. But the opacity of the BRI means that little is known about the details of these arrangements or their operation in practice. This socio-legal project will examine how the BRI is changing the way that cross-border economic interactions are governed, and explore the implications of these changes for how power and authority are exercised in the global economy. The project’s findings will equip Australian policymakers, businesses and publics to navigate more astutely the changes that the BRI is advancing.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 1801 - Law. Lead: A/Prof Jonathan Bonnitcha

The University of New South Wales

? – $152K

Closes 2026-05-31

The Holocaust as an Australian Story, 1933-1954: An Intimate History. This project intends to explore the connections between Australian and the Holocaust between 1933 and 1954. In doing so, the project will generate new ways of understanding how Jewish families and the community responded to, and actively resisted, Nazi genocide in Europe. Through detailed and micro-historical archival analysis, it will argue that the Holocaust was an event that both touched and changed Australia during a period of immense local transformation. The expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of the personal connections that have existed between parts of Australia's society and victims of genocides worldwide, and a new migrant and family-centred Australian history of the Holocaust.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 2103 - Historical Studies. Lead: A/Prof Jan Lanicek

The Australian National University

? – $501K

Closes 2026-05-31

How will Pacific climate variability impact Australia in a warming world? Temperature variability in the Pacific Ocean is characterised by El Niño and La Niña (year-to-year variations) and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (decadal variations). These phenomena are primary drivers of Australian temperature and rainfall. Leveraging new tools and methods, including Single Model Initial-Condition Large Ensembles, this project will investigate drivers of these phenomena, and their impacts on Australia in a warming world. Outcomes include the quantification of how these climate phenomena modulate extreme weather events, and an understanding of how Indian and Atlantic Ocean warming affects the Pacific region. This will improve the prediction of extreme events, which is critical for preparation for their impacts.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 3702 - Climate Change Science. Lead: Dr Nicola Maher

The University of Queensland

? – $470K

Closes 2026-05-31

Advancing Human Perception: Countering Evolving Malicious Fake Visual Data. The aim of this project is to provide new effective and generalisable deepfake detection methods for automatically detecting maliciously manipulated visual data generated by misused artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. It will present innovative computer vision and image processing knowledge and techniques, enabling the developed methods to advance human perception in recognising fake data, enhance cybersecurity, and protect privacy in AI applications. The anticipated outcomes should provide significant benefits to a wide range of applications, such as providing timely alerts to the media, government organisations, and the industry about misleading fake visual data, and preventing financial crimes on synthetic identity fraud.. Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4603 - Computer Vision and Multimedia Computation. Lead: A/Prof Xin Yu

The University of Queensland

? – $1.1M

Closes 2026-05-31

The past, present and future of Indigenous ethnobotanical knowledge. This project aims to resolve the interrelated and compounding problems that Indigenous Australians face in relation to their ethnobotanical knowledge, such as biopiracy, loss of biodiversity, knowledge, and opportunity. This Indigenous-led project aims to build community-based databases to protect, preserve and facilitate community controlled use of ethnobotanical knowledge. This will support and promote Indigenous economic self-sufficiency and sustainability which will be of direct benefit to the partner communities. In addition to providing direct benefits to the communities involved in the research, the project is designed to be replicated across Australia, bringing benefits to Indigenous communities throughout the country.. Scheme: Discovery Indigenous. Field: 4503 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Environmental Knowledges and Management. Lead: Hon Prof Henrietta Marrie

The University of Western Australia

? – $1.0M

Closes 2026-05-31

Engineering safer pastures for livestock. This project aims to develop subterranean clover with elevated condensed tannins in leaves. This important pasture legume is currently a bloat risk for cattle and sheep due to low condensed tannins and high soluble proteins. Bloat is a health issue that costs the Australian and New Zealand livestock industries over $200 million per annum. Condensed tannins can reduce bloat, decrease methane production and improve efficiency of production. A novel approach using CRISPR and other innovative molecular techniques will generate breeding lines high in condensed tannins and deliver knowledge applicable to other pasture legumes. Expected outcomes for livestock producers include improved animal welfare, reduced carbon emissions and enhanced profits.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 1001 - Agricultural Biotechnology. Lead: Prof Jacqueline Batley

NSW Government — Department of Education

? – $3.0M

Closes 2026-05-31

The Closing the Gap (CTG) Innovation Fund is a targeted, competitive grant program established under the National Skills Agreement (NSA) Implementation Plan for Closing the Gap, agreed between the Australian Government and NSW in November 2025.

The University of Melbourne

? – $478K

Closes 2026-05-31

From data to fast insights: a database system for seamless data exploration. This project aims to develop a next-generation database platform for seamless data exploration, where users can interactively search for insights buried in the data, without a clear outcome in mind. Unlike today's database management systems, this platform does not require costly experts to tune the database for fast responses, and guides users towards finding insights. Using the latest advancements in machine learning to facilitate data exploration and reduce the time and effort to discover insights, this open-source database platform should provide significant benefits to Australian businesses and boost scientific discovery, increasing Australia’s competitiveness in the global data-driven market. . Scheme: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award. Field: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science. Lead: A/Prof Renata Borovica-Gajic

Monash University

? – $645K

Closes 2026-05-31

Beautiful strings. This project aims to carry out several key experimental measurements, in tandem with substantial theoretical work, to improve the understanding and physical modelling of processes involving b quarks, also called beauty quarks, which are of intense current interest for experiments across the globe. Key theoretical innovations include novel treatments of electromagnetic corrections, novel theoretical formulations of the dominant physical paradigm of string fragmentation, and optimisations of key associated algorithms to enable new applications of broad relevance. Experimental measurements will be carried out to validate the new theoretical developments and use them to minimise theoretical uncertainties.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 5107 - Particle and High Energy Physics. Lead: Prof Peter Skands

The University of Sydney

? – $471K

Closes 2026-05-31

Novel dopamine pathways underlying motivated behaviours. Rewards such as food, sex and social media are seeked on daily basis. Neurological and psychological basis of learning and memory of reward processing behaviour. This project maps real time neural activity during reward processing in two novel brain regions. It has the potential to revolutionize the understanding of the brain mechanisms in reward processing. The biological data obtained can be directly integrated into computational modelling approaches to benefit reward processing algorithms for learning behaviours in humans or artificial intelligence. This project will fuel the understanding of algorithms driving social media platforms and consumer consumption, hence driving economic and technological progress in Australia.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 1701 - Psychology. Lead: Dr Asheeta Prasad

The University of Queensland

? – $477K

Closes 2026-05-31

Making peptides orally bioavailable. Bioactive peptides are exceptionally useful molecules, however to fully realise their exciting applications key limitations need to be overcome: they can't be delivered orally and they do not last long in the body. This project aims to develop a molecular tag that can dramatically enhance both the oral absorption and time in the body of a peptide. This will include identifying the key elements of the tag required for function, the breadth of peptide cargoes it can be applied to and the mechanisms underlying this technology. The outcomes of this project will facilitate the future development of peptides for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and veterinary applications.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 0304 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry. Lead: A/Prof Richard Clark

The University of Newcastle

? – $534K

Closes 2026-05-31

Advanced multivariable nonlinear control methodology for matrix converters. The aim of this project is to explore a specific multivariable nonlinear control design problem. Motivation for the project arises from the control of Matrix Converters. Matrix Converters are considered one of the key enabling technologies for the electric transport of the future. However, their penetration into practice has fallen short of their promise. This is, in part, due to the associated control design problem which is extremely difficult involving coupled nonlinear dynamics and under-actuation. We plan to address these problems by using modern control system design methods. Our specific goal is to achieve a provably stable, closed loop control system whose performance is independent of unmeasured disturbances and model errors.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 0906 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Lead: Prof Graham Goodwin

University of Wollongong

? – $497K

Closes 2026-05-31

Reading the past to predict future biodiversity: a deep-time perspective. The extent of human-moderated impact on ecosystems is rapidly increasing. To date, most current research in this field is based on short-term observations or experiments. By examining the characteristics of species and ecosystem response to climate change from a major geological Ice Age ~320-265 million years ago in eastern Australia, this study will investigate how marine species and ecological communities evolved in response to repeated glacial/interglacial cycles and associated warming/cooling climate changes. Expected findings will help to better understand the long-term links between global warming/cooling climate regimes, sea levels, changing sea-water temperature and chemistry, and species and ecosystem responses to these drivers.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3705 - Geology. Lead: Prof Guang Shi

Macquarie University

? – $261K

Closes 2026-05-31

Mitonuclear incompatibility, speciation, and the Z sex chromosome. This project will characterise the interaction between the mitochondrial and nuclear genome in several species and its contribution to the divergence of species. This interaction is at the heart of energy transformation and storage in all animals and its importance to evolution is yet to be fully understood. The research will provide insight into speciation processes by focusing on recent divergence in Australian finch species. We will integrate genomics, bioenergetics, and whole organismal performance in growth, mobility and reproduction by studying birds in the wild and the laboratory. An overarching aim is to unite data from genomics, phenotype and physiology to understand the forces underlying the evolution of species, and biodiversity. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 3104 - Evolutionary Biology. Lead: Prof Simon Griffith