Ideas Grants

Ideas Grants is sponsored by NHMRC. Ideas Grants support innovative research projects addressing specific questions across any area of health and medical research, from discovery to implementation. This scheme funds researchers at all career stages.

NHMRC Ideas Grants - Research support - University of Queensland National Health and Medical Research Council The 2026 Ideas Grant round is now closed.

Key dates for NHMRC Ideas Grants 2026 (for funding in 2027) Release of Guidelines: 11 March 2026 Applications open in Sapphire: 11 March 2026 UQ Research and Innovation (UQ R&I) information session: 2:30 PM Friday 13 March 2026 UQ R&I Notice of Intent (NOI) close: 1 April 2026 Minimum data requirements in Sapphire: 8 April 2026 Applications due to UQ R&I: 8 April 2026* Applications close with NHMRC: 6 May 2026 Anticipated notification of outcomes: November 2026 * Applications must be submitted by this date to receive full content review from UQ R&I.

You will still receive a refininement and compliance check if requested. Ideas grants are the main project grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The objective of the Ideas Grant scheme is to support focused, innovative research projects.

The expected outcomes are: innovative and creative research funding of researchers at all career stages funding any area of health and medical research from discovery to implementation.

The scheme fosters creative research for teams of 1-10 Chief Investigators at all career stages to address specific question/s in any area of health and medical research, from discovery to implementation (except where an NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies is the primary objective). Applications - CIs may only submit two applications across the 2026 Investigators and 2026 Ideas rounds.

CIs who applied in the 2026 Investigators round (which closed in July 2025) may be eligible to submit a maximum of one Ideas application (subject to the limit on grants held). Grants held – CIs may hold a maximum of two Ideas grants, subject to limits applicable to the Ideas and Investigator schemes. Please see the NHMRC Eligibility Tool and Eligibility for Investigator and Ideas Grant schemes document for details.

UQ R&I Information Session To assist applicants in preparing their applications, the Research Office held an Information Session. A recording of this session is now available on the UQ R&I presentations and slides webpage for those who were unable to attend. The session featured a scheme overview, key findings from past rounds, the application and submission process, and a Q&A session with an expert panel.

Date: Friday 13 March 2026 Zoom: https://uqz. zoom. us/j/86591270921 Recording and slides: https://research-support.

uq. edu. au/research-support/research-management/applying-and-submitting-proposal/presentations-and-slides Step 1.

Internal Notice of Intent (NOI) All researchers intending to submit an NHMRC Ideas Grant application are required to submit an internal Notice of Intent. NOIs will be collated centrally and distributed to Faculties and Institutes in order to provide maximum support to the UQ research community. Step 2.

Sapphire updates and scheme reading Familiarise yourself with the key National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), External Funding Organisations and UQ documentation (see Key Documents below). Applications are submitted via Sapphire. If you do not have a Sapphire account, register for Sapphire and complete your profile.

Ensure all investigators have registered for Sapphire and have completed their profile. NOTE: Submission of a registration form and activation of a Sapphire account must occur at least 72 hours before application close. Requests for Sapphire accounts/activations after this time cannot be guaranteed.

Step 3. Completing the application Upload all relevant attachments and ensure all investigators have accepted their invitations. Step 4.

UQR&I internal review and feedback Sapphire application completion: Ahead of internal review, ensure all online components are complete and valid in Sapphire and supporting documents have been uploaded. Sapphire Certification/Submit to RAO : Select 'Certification' from the left-hand menu within your Ideas Grant application and follow the instructions to submit the application to the RAO.

UQR&I Review Request: Email your completed UQ Application Certification Form (with signatures) along with the completed Pending and Newly Funded Grants Form to UQ R&I at nhmrc@research. uq. edu.

au to initiate your review. UQ R&I will review your application and feedback provided as selected in your NOI (content/refinement/eligibilty and compliance). Please note that applications must meet the UQ R&I internal deadline to receive content review.

Review cycles will continue until the application is compliant with NHMRC and UQ requirements. Certify your application to RAO in Sapphire. This can only be completed by the CIA.

With your approval, UQ R&I will submit your application to the NHMRC. Readership and researcher support Before applying, we recommend you: Familiarise yourself with the framework for Applying for Competitive Research Grants at UQ. Contact your faculty or institute research manager for advice on peer readership programs.

Access the UQ R&I Grants Library , a helpful resource of past successful proposals. Read the UQ R&I Grant writing advice and strategy website for tips on preparing your application A range of resources from the UQ library are also available to assist researchers applying for this scheme.

Ensure your Researcher identifiers and profiles are up to date Visit Metrics for grant applications and promotions for instructions on how to find metrics for your publication track record. Browse Metrics example statements (UQ staff login required) in UQ eSpace for a list of statements that you can use to help contextualise your metrics data.

The NHMRC documentation are available from GrantConnect (GO8295) , the Australian Government grants information system. You need to be a GrantConnect registered user to download the NHMRC Ideas Grants documentation prior to starting your application in Sapphire. To register, you will need to complete the New User Registration on the GrantConnect website.

Ideas Grants Guidelines 2026 (PDF, 622. 3 KB) Ideas Grant Proposal Template (DOCX, 29. 4 KB) Key characteristics of Ideas Grant applications 2026 (DOCX, 106.

9 KB) Additional information on the NHMRC Ideas Grants scheme can be found on the NHMRC Ideas Grants website . The following organisations are expected to partner with NHMRC in funding grants under the Ideas Grants scheme: Before considering applying for Cancer Council funding, please review their guidelines from their website . CCNSW applications will close at 5pm AEST on 22 May 2026.

Please contact NHMRC@research. uq. edu.

au if you are intending to apply for Cancer Council funding. McCusker Charitable Foundations The McCusker Charitable Foundation will consider applications for research funding in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, Colitis, Tourette syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue.

Before considering applying for funding from the McCusker Charitable Foundation, please review their guidelines from their website . Please contact NHMRC@research. uq.

edu. au if you are intending to apply for funding from the McCusker Charitable Foundation. UQ 2026 NHMRC Ideas Grants Certification Form (DOCX, 71.

2 KB) UQ 2026 NHMRC Ideas Pending and Newly Funded Grants Form (DOCX, 39. 4 KB) UQ Guide to Sex and Gender-related Variables considerations (PDF, 187 KB) UQ 2026 NHMRC Ideas Grants Guide to Addressing Assessment Criteria (PDF, 206 KB) UQ 2026 NHMRC Ideas Grants Budget Tip Sheet (PDF, 770. 8 KB) UQ 2026 NHMRC Ideas Grants Minimum Data Tip Sheet (PDF, 1.

1 MB) UQ 2026 NHMRC Ideas Grant Sapphire Tip Sheet (PDF, 468.

3 KB) (updated 1/4/26) NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies NHMRC Investigator Grants NHMRC Partnership Projects NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships NHMRC Targeted Calls for Research If you are applying through UQ but you are not a current UQ staff member, please contact the round coordinator so that you can be added to a mailing list for update s.