Current Grant Opportunity View - GO7338

The Discovery Indigenous scheme provides grant funding to support research projects led by an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researcher.

The Discovery Indigenous scheme objectives are to: 

• support the retention of excellent Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researchers in higher education institutions to expand research capacity in Australia; 

• support excellent pure basic, strategic basic and applied research and research training, across all disciplines excluding clinical and other medical research, by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researchers as individuals and as teams;

• enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas and create economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and

• support national and international research collaboration.

The intended outcomes of the Discovery Indigenous scheme are:

• an expanded knowledge base and research capacity in Australia; and

• economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia

An application may only be submitted through the Research Office of an Eligible Organisation listed in the Grant Guidelines. The application must nominate at least one Chief Investigator (CI) or Discovery Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Award (DAATSIA) candidate. The first-named CI must be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researcher and will be the Project Leader.

To be eligible to apply as a DAATSIA candidate, the individual nominated must be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researcher; and must not be nominated for more than one DAATSIA in any grant opportunity.

To be eligible to apply as a CI, DAATSIA candidate or Partner Investigator (PI), the individual nominated must as at the grant opportunity closing date: have met their obligations regarding previously funded projects, including submission to the ARC of satisfactory final reports.

At the grant commencement date a CI or DAATSIA candidate must be an employee for at least 20 per cent of full time equivalent (0.2 FTE) at an Eligible Organisation; or be a holder of an honorary academic appointment at an Eligible Organisation and not employed at an other organisation for more than 0.2 FTE.

A CI or DAATSIA candidate can be concurrently funded through the Discovery Program for a maximum of: two projects as a CI; or one ARC Fellowship and one project as a CI; or one ARC Fellowship or project if the individual is also a Director on an active ARC Centre of Excellence or a Special Research Initiative project. Limits will be calculated at the closing time for submission of applications, and may be re-calculated as other grant opportunity announcements are made. A DAATSIA recipient cannot begin another ARC Fellowship until the DAATSIA is complete.

To be eligible to apply as a PI the individual nominated must not meet the eligibility criteria for a CI as at the grant commencement date or during the project activity period.

For other eligibility requirements refer to the Grant Guidelines.

A project may be applied for and awarded funding for up to five consecutive years.

From $30,000.00 to $2,500,000.00

The application must be submitted as a mature research plan presenting the proposed project ready for implementation and must contain all the information necessary for its assessment without the need for further written or oral explanation, or reference to additional documentation, unless requested by the ARC.

Applicants should note the eligibility criteria for access to other funding schemes, as expressed in the Grant Guidelines for those schemes. The ARC reserves the right to change these criteria in future funding rounds. Grant Guidelines for all ARC schemes may be found attached to the relevant Grant Opportunity.

Administering Organisations must submit applications through Research Management System (RMS) unless otherwise advised by the ARC.

All applications must meet the format and content requirements, including certification, as set out in the RMS online form and the Instructions to Applicants for Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2026.

The RMS is a web-based system used to prepare and submit research applications, assessments and rejoinders for the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP).

Registered users can login using your email address and password at https://rms.arc.gov.au.

To request a new account, please go to https://rms.arc.gov.au and click on the Request New Account link.

All queries by researchers should be directed to the administering organisation of the application.