ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

Status	EOIs open
Aim	The objectives of the DECRA scheme are to: support outstanding early-career researchers with demonstrated capacity for high-quality research and emerging capability for leadership and supervision; foster collaboration, with national or international researchers; support excellent and innovative research that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge and represents value for money; create new or advanced knowledge resulting from the outcomes of the research with economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and advance promising early career researchers and promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways in high-quality and supportive environments.
Funding	A DECRA recipient may be awarded ARC funding of up to $162,897 per year of funding. The per annum salary contribution from the ARC is fixed at $112,897 (2023$), including 30% on-costs, and up to a maximum of $50,000 project costs. Salary and/or project costs will not be awarded separately. Funding for a 2026 DECRA project will commence effective 1 January 2026, unless other arrangements are approved by the ARC.
Eligibility	Eligibility criteria for the 2026 DECRA scheme: By the grant opportunity closing date, candidates must have been awarded a PhD. The PhD award date (i.e. the date on the testamur) must be on or after 1 March 2020. If a candidate's PhD was awarded earlier than this, they must complete an Eligibility exemption request form to check their eligibility. Candidates can only apply twice in the period in which they are eligible. An individual must not be nominated for more than one DECRA in a grant opportunity. A previous recipient of a DECRA is not eligible to apply for another DECRA. At least 80% of your time must be dedicated to the DECRA research. You must spend at least 50% of your time during the completion of the DECRA in Australia. Candidates must adhere to the ARC project limits. Your project must be eligible according to the ARC Medical Research Policy. Eligibility for DVCR Co-Funding Eligibility for the DVCR Co-Funding Scheme is contingent upon on-time submission of grant applications by the date you select for your compliance and eligibility check in the booking calendar. Many applications for external funding require cash and in-kind contributions from the host institution in order to be considered for funding. In most cases, researchers request cash contributions, such as project support funds, funding for research associates, scholarships and major equipment, from the DVCR via the DVCR Co-Funding Scheme to support their external funding applications. To be eligible to request this DVCR Co-Funding, grant applications must be submitted internally, via Pure, by your compliance and eligibility check date. Applications must be submitted to the Research Services Grant Development Team by your compliance and eligibility check date. View further information on deadlines, processes and FAQs. Applications that do not have a Pure record and/or do not have all the appropriate approvals in Pure (Head of Department [HoD] and Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation [DDRI]) will not be submitted to the external funding body.
Key Dates	*For funding commencing in 2026:* Macquarie University EOI open: Monday 22 April 2024 Macquarie University EOI deadline: 12 pm (AEST) Thursday 12 September 2024 ARC dates: Yet to be announced *For funding commencing in 2025:* Anticipated announcement: 2 to 13 September 2024 ARC dates are indicative and are subject to change
Resources	DECRA EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR FUNDING COMMENCING IN 2026 DECRA EOI form for funding commencing in 2026 Due by 12 pm (AEST) Thursday 12 September 2024 Submit your EOI via email to grant.development@mq.edu.au EOIs will be assessed within faculties and those deemed competitive will advance to the full application stage WEBINARS FOR FUNDING COMMENCING IN 2026 TBA DECRA INFORMATION FOR FUNDING COMMENCING IN 2025 (previous round) ARC INFORMATION GrantConnect Grant Opportunity Information Grant Opportunity Documents (e.g. Instructions to Applicants; GrantConnect login required) RMS Information Request Not To Assess ARC Medical Research Policy MACQUARIE RESOURCES MQ DE25 Advice Toolkit MQ DE25 Budget Calculator MQ DE Budget Calculator Online Demonstration MQ DE25 Grant Development and Submission Process MQ DE25 Strategic Review Booking Calendar MQ DE25 Compliance and Eligibility Booking Calendar MQ Career Interruption Eligibility Exemption Request Template MQ ERA 2018 Outcomes MQ Engagement and Impact 2018 Outcomes Guide to Determining Journal Impact Factor, Quartile and Publication Percentile MQ Salary Rates (Academic, Professional, PhD Scholarships) MQ Guide to Appropriate Salary Levels and Steps ATO Allowances (Per Diems) Successful Grants Library Pure Research Management System Open Access and Funding Compliance MQ Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research MQ Conflict of Interest Policy Application Checklist Advice on Writing your Rejoinder If you are an external applicant applying for a DECRA through Macquarie University, please email ross.hill@mq.edu.au for access to any of these resources.
Contacts	Information, Strategic Advice, Compliance and Eligibility: Grant Development Team Research Services grant.development@mq.edu.au Ph: +61 2 9850 4737 Faculty Contacts: Faculty of Arts artsro@mq.edu.au Ph 9850 9663 (x9663), Faculty Research Manager, Dr Christine Boman Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences fmhhs.researchsupport@mq.edu.au Ph 9850 2788 (x2788), Faculty Research Manager, Dr Kyle Ratinac Faculty of Science and Engineering sci.research@mq.edu.au Ph 9850 8912 (x8912), Faculty Research Manager, Ms Irina Zakoshanski Macquarie Business School mqbs-ro@mq.edu.au Ph 9850 4496 (x4496), Faculty Research Manager, Dr Jan Zwar

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