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Status:Open

Find out information about the aims, funding, key dates, resources and contacts for the FightMND Grants and Fellowships.

Research Services Let us know you're applying for a grant. Workshops and online resources about funding applications Macquarie Research Management System Pivot Research Professional (Pivot-RP)

Researchers working in areas relevant to improving the translation or progressing the development of potential therapies for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) are invited to apply for funding to support research projects commencing in 2026.

FightMND Fellowships aim to support researchers with outstanding ability to choose or continue to focus on MND as their selected field of endeavour. The essential purpose of the fellowships is to provide the opportunity for MND researchers with relevant experience and demonstrated expertise and ability, to apply for funding in their own name, build collaborations and further establish themselves as a MND researcher.

Clinical Trial Grants support Phase II/III clinical trials of novel, high-potential treatments for MND/ALS within the Australian Clinical Trials Consortium(Letter of Intent required, submit by Friday 12 December 2025).

Drug Development Grants support preclinical research, development and assessment of therapeutics for MND/ALS through to (and including) completion of Phase I clinical trials. (Letter of Intent required, submit by Friday 12 December 2025).

IMPACT Grants seek to support projects focused on overcoming one or more of the key challenges hindering the translation of promising discoveries into effective therapeutics, with the goal of improving the likelihood of positive clinical trial outcomes.

Discovery Grants support projects focused on defining the underlying cause(s) of MND, and/or understanding the fundamental disease mechanisms contributing to the progression of MND.

Early Career Fellowship: a 4-year full-time Fellowship up to a total of AUD $545,000.

Bill Guest Mid-Career Fellowship: a 4-year full-time Fellowship offering a total of AUD $180,000 per annum, with an overall maximum budget of AUD $720,000 over 4 years.

Clinical Trial Grants: up to AUD $1,800,000 (Phase II/III trial), with project performance of up to 3 years.

Drug Development Grants:

  • Stage 1: awarded with an offer of up to $550,000 in support for 3-year projects to identify and validate a lead candidate for further development for MND.
  • Stage 2: awarded with an offer of up to $1,200,000 in support for 3-year projects where a lead candidate with strong preclinical evidence is in hand.

NEW for 2026 applications: Drug Development Grants must include at least one Partner Organisation (see p. 6 of the DDG guidelines for more information about Partner Organisation requirements).

IMPACT Grants: support 2-year projects up to the value of $300,000 AUD. Proposals must reflect translational stage research.

Discovery Research Grants: offered to a value of between AUD $250,000 and $1,000,000, with a project period of up to 3 years.

ELIGIBILITY: Applicants are limited to THREE (3) applications per person in total as an investigator (Primary or Co-Investigator) across all research schemes (excluding Fellowships). There is no restriction on grants as a collaborator.

FightMND will only accept applications submitted via the Fluxx Grant  Management System, which can be accessed at the following link https://fightmnd.fluxx.io.

For the 2026 round, FightMND have introduced a minimum data deadline 1 month before the submission deadline for Fellowships, IMPACT and Discovery application (see Key Dates).
Minimum Data must be submitted in Fluxx by the deadline. After this time, the full Fluxx application will open for all eligible applicants.

The core minimum data are:

  • Primary Investigator Name
  • Primary Investigator Affiliation
  • Project title
  • 4 Keywords

Additional Minimum Data:

  • ECR Fellowships - Names of Laboratory Heads for Year 1-2 and 3-4
  • MCR Fellowships – Name of Laboratory/Department Head
  • IMPACT – IMPACT Priority Area, and Co-Investigators names (optional)
  • Discovery – Co-Investigators names (optional)

The Grant Development Team will check your Minimum Data to ensure that it is compliant. See Key Dates below for the GDT Minimum Data Deadline.

The key dates for FightMND applications are as follows:

  • Application Open: 03 November 2025
  • Letter of Intent due: 12 December 2025 at 17:00 AEDT via Fluxx (For Clinical Trials and Drug Development Grants only)
  • Invitation to submit full application: 18 December 2025 via Fluxx (For Clinical Trials and Drug Development Grants only)
  • MND Centre Disciplinary Review deadline: 28 January 2026
  • GDT Impact and PLEX Statement Writing Workshop: 11 February 2026, Register here
  • GDT Drop-In Clinic (February): 16 February 2026, Book a time here
  • GDT Minimum Data Check: 23 February 2026 at 9:00 AEDT in Fluxx (For IMPACT, Discovery and Fellowship applications only)
  • FightMND Minimum Data Deadline: 23 February 2026 at 17:00 AEDT in Fluxx(For IMPACT, Discovery and Fellowship applications only)
  • GDT Strategic Review: 23 – 25 February 2026, Booking link (optional)
  • GDT Drop-In Clinic (March): 4 March 2026, Book a time here
  • GDT Compliance & Eligibility Check: 9 – 11 March 2026 (mandatory), Booking Link
  • Full applications due (all schemes): 23 March 2026 at 17:00 AEDT via Fluxx
  • Recipients notified: August 2026

FightMND Webpages

Fellowships:

Projects:

Macquarie University Resources

For all grants and fellowships:

Scheme specific resources:

Webinar and Workshops:

Contact us for more information about research services and advice.

Dr. Gillian Hulst
Grant Development Manager
Research Services
T: +61 (2) 9850 2751
E: grant.development@mq.edu.au

Dr. Elizabeth Brice
Grant Development Advisor
Research Services
T: +61 (2) 9850 4147
E: grant.development@mq.edu.au