Ideas Grants
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Status: Open

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

Changes to Ideas Grant opportunity in 2025

Applicants need to note the following changes for the Ideas Grant opportunity:

  • Ideas Grants 2025 application form in Sapphire includes a new question: ‘Does the primary objective of your research proposal include a clinical trial or a cohort study?’ Applications that indicate ‘Yes’ to this question will not progress further (see Appendix E).
  • The score descriptor for the Research Quality assessment criterion includes an additional component. Peer reviewers will be asked to take into consideration the extent of alignment of the grant proposal to scheme objectives and expected outcomes (see Appendix B).

Aim

The objective of the Ideas Grant scheme is to support innovative research projects addressing a specific question(s). The expected outcomes are:

  • innovative and creative research
  • funding of researchers at all career stages, and
  • funding any area of health and medical research from discovery to implementation.

The scheme will provide particular opportunities for early and mid-career researchers. It is expected that the CIA will have the scientific leadership and skills to achieve the proposed project aims.

An Ideas Grant can be requested for between one and five years depending on the proposal.

The provisional funding allocation for the Ideas Grants 2020 up to $250 million. NHMRC’s Research Committee annually reviews and recommends indicative budget amounts to be awarded across individual funding schemes.

The amount of funding for an Ideas Grant will be based on assessment of the requested budget. Applications must clearly justify the requested duration and budget and how they will support the proposed outcomes of the research. Peer Reviewers will consider this information and may reduce the duration and/or budget to ensure the research aims and objectives can be achieved while ensuring value with money.

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 Ideas Grants are assessed by peers on the extent to which the application meets the scheme objectives. Applications will be assessed against the Assessment Criteria listed below.

  • Research Quality (35%)
  • Innovation and Creativity (25%)
  • Significance (20%), and
  • Capability (20%)

Research Quality: NHMRC defines ‘Research Quality’ for the Ideas Grant scheme as the quality of the project aims and the proposed research plan.

Innovation and Creativity: NHMRC defines ‘Innovation and Creativity’ for the Ideas Grant scheme as health and medical research that seeks to challenge and shift current paradigms and/or have a major impact on a health research area through one or more studies that creatively:

  • develop or use novel research concepts, approaches, methodologies, technologies or interventions
  • propose a reinterpretation, refinement, improvement or new application of existing theoretical concepts, approaches, methodologies, technologies or interventions, or
  • integrate and adapt concepts, approaches, methodologies, technologies or interventions from other research fields or disciplines for a new purpose or in a new way.

Significance: NHMRC defines ‘Significance’ for the Ideas Grant scheme as the extent to which the outcomes and outputs will result in advancements to the research or health area.

Capability: NHMRC defines ‘Capability’ for the Ideas Grant scheme as the appropriateness of the applicant team and their expertise, the resources and access to additional personnel necessary to achieve the project aims. Capability is not an assessment of traditional track record elements, such as number of publications, grants held, or conference invitations. The CIA must demonstrate their ability to lead the project, including managing the project’s resources, personnel, budget and administrative requirements, in order to execute the project. Associate Investigators (AIs) can be included to strengthen the overall technical capability of the team (e.g. specialists such as statisticians), but they must not be essential for the leadership of the project. Consideration should also be given to the gender balance and development of new researchers within the applicant team.
For applications submitted in 2025:

Please note that our grant review processes have changed. Strategic reviews are optional, while Compliance and Eligibility(C&E) checks are mandatory.

If you wish to receive a strategic review of your NHMRC application, you must book via the online booking calendar.

Compliance and Eligibility (C&E) checks for your NHMRC application is mandatory and you must book via the online booking calendar.

There are sufficient booking times available for all applicants, but we recommend booking early to ensure you have an ample choice of dates.

  • NHMRC opening date in Sapphire: Wednesday 12 March 2025
  • Strategic review (optional): 7 to 11 April 2025; select your date and time in the strategic booking calendar
  • NHMRC minimum data deadline: Wednesday 9 April 2025  5 pm (ACT Local Time)
  • Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory): 22 April to 29 April 2025; select your date and time in the compliance and eligibility booking calendar.
    By the date and time you select you must also have a penultimate draft of your application in Sapphire and DVCR Co-Funding requests must be submitted via Pure.
  • Applicant submits final application in Sapphire: 11:59 pm Sunday 4 May 2025
  • Research Services submission to NHMRC: Wednesday 7 May 2025  5:00 pm (ACT Local Time)
  • Outcomes expected: November 2025

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)

Note: Submit a new Notification of Intent form enabled by Service Now to inform University Research Services teams of your intention to submit an application for any upcoming Ideas grants. After completing the NOI form, you will be provided with updates about your funding scheme and sent valuable resources that will assist you in developing a highly competitive research grant application.

Complete a Notification of Intent to inform your Faculty and the 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
Cancer Funding Information

If you are applying for Cancer Council, your application forms will be reviewed at the same time as your NHMRC Ideas Grant. You must submit both at the same date and time of your booking calendar, however you MUST have a separate PURE record for NHMRC Ideas and Cancer Council NSW.

Certifications

These are built into Sapphire. No need to have separate certifications from CI's and AI's.

NHMRC Ideas Grants(ID26)- Developing your application

About: This workshop will provide advice on how to approach your NHMRC Ideas Grant as well as highlight the key changes from last round.

Date:  Wednesday 19 March 2025
Time: 1:00pm – 2:30pm AEST
Speaker: Dr Gillian Hulst

Webinar Slides