Status: Closed
Find out information about the aims, funding, key dates, resources and contacts for the NHMRC Synergy Grants.
Please note this application will be submitted via the NHMRC's new Grant Management System Sapphire. If you had an active RGMS account your CV and Profile email was migrated into Sapphire on 12 February 2020. To login to Sapphire:
- If you have an existing RGMS account, a Sapphire account has been created for you. Activate your account.
- If you did not have an RGMS account, you will need to register for a Sapphire account. Register for an account.
Tutorial and training modules for Sapphire can be found here.
Aim
The objective of the Synergy Grant scheme is to achieve collaborative gain through supporting highly collaborative, diverse and exceptional research teams, to address major multidisciplinary health and medical research questions.
The intended outcomes of the Synergy Grant scheme are:
- support ongoing highly collaborative and diverse teams (in terms of research discipline, career stage, gender and/or cultural background), to address questions not suitable for homogenous research teams
- generate transformative impacts only possible with the specific mix of skills and experience of research teams
- build capability in the health and medical research sector by supporting diverse teams that will demonstrate their leadership in mentoring and career development of team members, leading to the diversification of the research workforce.
A Synergy Grants are awarded for a fixed five-year term.
The provisional funding allocation for the Synergy Grant opportunity is estimated to be up to $50 million. NHMRC’s Research Committee annually reviews and recommends indicative budget amounts to be awarded across individual funding schemes.
A Synergy Grant provides a total and fixed budget of $5 million.
Changes to DVCR Co-Funding
For NHMRC grants applicants will now be required to submit a formal DVCR Co-funding request. The formal DVCR Co-funding request replaces the previous support of the Strategic Research Fund (SRF), which was managed directly between your Faculty Research Office and the DVCR Office and was not directly visible to academics as internal co-funding for their successful grants.
The DVCR Co-funding is to support MQ researchers to successfully complete their proposed NHMRC projects by providing up to 20% co-funding on funds to remain at Macquarie. The goal is for the DVCR Co-funding is to facilitate MQ applicants in providing a ‘top-up’ of NHMRC salary costs (PSP’s), which are lower than MQ equivalent salary rates.
These changes align the principles of DVCR Co-funding with other external funding schemes and assist the University in rationalising the allocation of internal funding used to leverage competitive, external funding opportunities. As Macquarie researchers continue to excel in the NHMRC funding scheme, we need to find a mechanism to ensure all successful NHMRC grants can be supported. As context, since 2015, our application volume for NHMRC funding has nearly doubled year on year. We know that health and medical researchers at Macquarie will be more active than ever in the coming years in applying for NHMRC funding to support their research, hence the need to make changes to meet the growing volume of awards.
Applications for Synergy Grants 2027 are assessed by peer reviewers on the extent to which they address the following assessment criteria:
- Research quality (30%)
- Synergy and team capability (60%)
- synergy (40%)
- team capability (20%)
- Consumer and community involvement (10%)
For applications submitted in 2027:
- Strategic review of your NHMRC application is optional but recommended, you must book via the online strategic booking calendar
- Compliance and eligibility reviews for your NHMRC application are mandatory, and you must book via the online compliance booking calendar.
Sufficient booking times are available for all applicants, but we recommend booking early to ensure you have ample choice of dates.
These are estimated dates from previous NHMRC rounds but are subject to change:
- NHMRC opening date in Sapphire: Wednesday 04 Feb 2026
- Strategic review (optional): 4 March 2026; select your date and time in the strategic booking calendar
- NHMRC minimum data deadline: Wednesday, 04 Mar 2026, 5:00 pm AEST
- Compliance and eligibility check (mandatory): 19 March 2026; select your date and time in the compliance and eligibility calendar.
By the time you select, you must also have a penultimate draft of your entire application in Sapphire, and DVCR Co-funding requests must be submitted via Pure. - Applicant submits final application in Sapphire: Sunday, 29 March 2026
- Research Services submission to NHMRC: Wednesday, 01 Apr 2026, 5:00 pm AEST
- Outcomes expected: Late 2026
Note: NHMRC locates all their Scheme documentation in GrantConnect. You will be required to set-up a username and password to access.
Notification Of Intent (NOI)
Complete a Notification of Intent to inform your University Research Services teams of your intention to submit an application. After completing this NOI, you will be provided with regular updates about your funding scheme and sent valuable resources that will assist you in developing a highly competitive research grant application.
NHMRC Information
MQ Resources
- Pure Research Management System
- MQ Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research
- NHMRC DVCR Co-Funding Request Form
Certifications
- These are built into Sapphire. No need to have separate certifications from CI's and AI's.
Workshops
Introduction to Synergy Grants