Undertake research in a wide range of fields
Offering scholarship and grant opportunities funded by external organisations for graduate research students, both within Australia and overseas.
See the options below for external scholarship and grant funding opportunities.
Refer to the funding body website for each opportunity’s:
- tenure
- current value
- closing date.
Prizes, awards and scholarships
The program presents students with a unique opportunity to undertake a PhD in partnership with government. It is open to students from the following disciplines:
- the social sciences
- psychology
- law
- business (including human resources and industrial relations).
Research projects should:
- align with the goals of the Gender Equality Act 2020
- be relevant to the Victorian context
- ideally make use of data collected by the Commission.
Successful applicants will work closely with the Commission throughout their PhD candidature. They will also have the opportunity to build connections with the existing network of government and community sector organisations working on workplace gender equality and violence against women.
Learn more about the Commission's PhD program, including program guidelines and application form.
Australian Rotary Health (ARH) offers PhD and top up scholarships in health areas. Refer to ARH website for the list of available scholarships.
Areas of study: engineering, science
CSIRO’s scholarship program provides full award and/or top up scholarship opportunities in science and engineering for outstanding graduates enrolled in Australian tertiary institutions.
See more information about CSIRO’s postgraduate studentships, selection criteria and how to apply.
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds awards:
- PhD fellowships to outstanding junior scientists who wish to pursue an ambitious PhD project in basic biomedical research in an internationally leading laboratory
- travel grants to junior researchers who are currently conducting an experimental project in basic biomedical research and wish to pursue a short-term research stay or attend a practical course of up to three months.
See more information about Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds scholarships and grants, selection criteria and how to apply.
Area of study: all disciplines
The Australia-Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme is a joint initiative of Universities Australia and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Germany’s national agency for the support of international academic cooperation.
Scholarship applications are open to all faculties, with researchers from the Humanities and Social Sciences encouraged to apply. Interested MRes, MPhil and PhD candidates are encouraged to speak to their supervisors about submitting an expression of interest.
Learn more about the Australia-Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme, including selection criteria and how to apply.
Note: applications may only be submitted through Macquarie University Research Services.
Other DAAD-funded scholarship opportunities:
- the DAAD’s extensive scholarship database for students, graduates and academics offers applicants a wide range of tips and information to help them successfully apply for a scholarship for a course of study, a research assignment or a teaching assignment in Germany.
- the DAAD Sydney information centre provides contact details for Australians looking for information and also lists the funding and scholarship opportunities.
Area of study: all disciplines
The Indigenous Scholarships Portal showcases scholarship funding available for Indigenous Australians in higher degree research, including various scholarships available to undertake research in a wide range of fields, both within Australia and overseas.
Applications for the Australian General Practice Research Foundation's PhD top-up scholarships will close on 5 October 2026.
The scholarships provide additional financial support for GPs and GPs in training undertaking PhD research that is relevant to Australian general practice. They offer up to $30,000 per year and are designed to help emerging GP-researchers continue their research while maintaining a connection to clinical practice.
Eligible applicants must:
- be undertaking their PhD at an Australian university
- have commenced or be commencing their PhD between 1 January 2026 and 31 March 2027
- have applied for, or received, a primary PhD scholarship or other salary support.
Applications are now open until 4 December 2026.
The scholarship provides funding support for successful applicants to pursue research in fields related to:
- ESG issues and responsible investment
- public sector employees and their retirement, pensions or superannuation.
The scholarship will support those seeking to complete research at a postgraduate level, either:
- Honours/Master of Research
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Research grants
Applications close 31 December 2026, 11.59pm (UTC).
AskSia is an AI study assistant for university students. Our dedication is to help students learn more and learn more easily, not to do the learning for them, so we fund this scholarship to support educators and to help students understand where those boundaries fall.
We offer two awards of USD $1500 each, annually.
Eligible applicants must:
- be enrolled at, or holding a confirmed offer from, an accredited institution
- be 17 or older
- have a cumulative average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or recognised equivalent.
Area of study: various
Each year the Australian Coral Reef Society (ACRS) supports the research of up to five students by the provision of Student Awards. Awards may not be used to fund conference attendance or travel not related to field studies.
Applications open each year between January and mid-February.
See more information about Australian Coral Reef Society Grants, selection criteria and how to apply.
The Heart Foundation research funding programs support and develop excellence in cardiovascular research (including stroke research), from bench to bedside and beyond.
The Heart Foundation funds innovative and world-class research programs, exploring issues related to cardiovascular disease in the areas of biomedical, clinical, public health and health services.
There are opportunities for individual researchers and projects that support their goal to prevent heart disease, improve heart health and enhance the quality of life of all people in Australia. Learn more about available research funding.
Area of study: archaeology
Applications close 30 October 2026.
NEAF is offering four grants for 2027:
- The NEAF 40th Anniversary Grant-in-Aid
- The Leone Crawford Travel Grant
- The Alison Salter Grant-in-Aid
- The Kevin Hayes Grant-in-Aid.
All grants are for research, travel, conferences etc to be undertaken in 2027.
Applicants must be:
- an honours or higher degree research student, or a post-doctoral early career researcher
- part of an Australian or New Zealand University as a student, researcher, tutor, research assistant or affiliate, or have held such a position within the last ten years.
Applications for Quarter 4 2026 open 2 October and close 23 October.
This fund provides travel bursaries of up to $1500 for eligible students to enable access to international conferences, programs and experiential learning opportunities that develop their skills and expertise in relation to semiconductor technologies.
The fund is open to S3B members who:
- are undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD students currently enrolled at Australian institutions
- have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in semiconductor related fields.
Others
Area of study: all disciplines
*Research Professional is an online database of research funding opportunities and a source of international research policy and practice news. As a member of a subscribing institution, you are free to browse the content of the site, create customised searches of its content, and share this information with colleagues.
If you are new to *Research Professional, you can view information on:
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- a searchable database of open research funding opportunities. The content you have access to will be clearly visible in the navigation bar located at the top of the page.
- Funding Insight: is a collection of additional news and data aimed at helping researchers decide which opportunities to apply for, and to help them make stronger applications. You can also search for information on previous award winners.
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