NHMRC Ideas Grants

NHMRC Ideas Grants

Funds innovative health and medical research projects in Australia to advance clinical and community impact.

NHMRC Ideas Grants fund innovative project-based research that addresses specific scientific questions across any area of health and medical research — from discovery science through to implementation research. The scheme is distinct from the Investigator Grants program in that funding is attached to a defined research project and team rather than to an individual researcher's salary and support. Grant duration is one to five years. The 2026 round (GrantConnect GO8295) closed before May 2026; the 2027 round was anticipated but had not been posted as of the May 2026 data capture date. Applications are submitted through Sapphire, NHMRC's online portal, and are listed on GrantConnect.

Eligibility is limited to Australian universities and eligible research organisations; industry applicants may not apply directly. A named Chief Investigator A (CIA) must lead each application. Projects for which a clinical trial or cohort study is the primary objective are not eligible under this scheme and should instead be submitted to the Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Grants program. The 2026 round included a co-funded stream with the Cure4 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; applicants to any co-funded stream in the 2027 round should email ideas.grants@nhmrc.gov.au to confirm intent before submission. Budget requests are assessed against the proposed research scope with no publicly published per-project cap.

The Ideas Grants scheme is the primary NHMRC mechanism for investigator-initiated project funding and operates annually. Specific award amounts, page limits, and scoring criteria are contained in the Ideas Grants 2027 Guidelines PDF on GrantConnect, which applicants must review once the round opens. Researchers should monitor GrantConnect and the NHMRC website for the 2027 round announcement, as the scheme typically opens applications several months before the closing date. Contact for scheme-specific queries is ideas.grants@nhmrc.gov.au.