NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence (CRE) 2026

NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence (CRE) 2026 is sponsored by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The CRE scheme provides support for teams of researchers to pursue collaborative research and develop capacity in basic science, clinical, health services, and public health research.

NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence - Research support - University of Queensland NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence National Health and Medical Research Council The 2026 round is now closed.

Key dates for NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence 2026 Register Interest for Major Initiatives support closes: 15 August 2025 DETSI Science into Industry Co-Investment Program applications close: 22 August 2025 Release of NHMRC Guidelines: 1 October 2025 UQ R&I Notice of Intent (NOI) due: 22 October 2025 Minimum data requirements in Sapphire: 29 October 2025 Applications due to UQ R&I: 5 November 2025 Applications close with NHMRC: 19 November 2025 Anticipated notification of outcomes: May - June 2026 UQ R&I Information Session To assist applicants in preparing their applications, the Research Office held an Information Session on Friday 10 October 2025.

The session covered major changes to the application, UQ contributions, support from the UQ Library and insight for completing your application. A recording of this session is available on the UQ R&I presentations and slides webpage for those who were unable to attend.

The objective of the Centres of Research Excellence (CRE) scheme is to improve health outcomes, promote or improve translation of research outcomes and support capacity building. The intended outcomes of the CRE scheme are to: support the conduct and development of innovative, high quality, collaborative research. promote effective translation of research into knowledge gain, health policy and/or practice.

foster and build capacity and capability in the health and medical research workforce. provide opportunities to expand and improve collaborations between research teams. Grants are available for $3,000,000 over 5 years.

2026 CRE grant opportunity is expected to fund research across four application streams: Additional funding is available for one Early-Onset Bowel Cancer Centre of Research Excellence through the Basic Science Research application stream. Additional funding is also available for one CRE for Infection Prevention and Control Research in Aged Care through the Health Services Research application stream.

Key Changes for 2026 CRE grant opportunity The NHMRC has indicated the following changes are anticipated in the upcoming round: Applicants will be required to describe in their grant proposal the proposed distribution and governance arrangements for the requested CRE funding, and how the CRE funding will complement already secured funding, data and resources. The response will be considered in the assessment of the application.

CRE score descriptors have been updated for assessment criterion 4. Step 1. UQ strategic review and development To help researchers best position their CRE application, the UQ R&I Major Initiatives Team will be supporting early conversations with potential UQ-led CRE applicants.

Researchers considering applying to the CRE scheme should complete the Register Interest form. If you have questions about strategic review and development, please contact majorinitiatives@research. uq.

edu. au . Step 2.

Pre-award Notice of Intent Researchers intending to apply to the CRE scheme must complete the UQ R&I NOI. NOIs are vital to the UQ R&I Pre-award team and will be collated centrally and distributed to Faculties and Institutes in order to provide maximum support to the UQ research community. If you have questions about proposal review and development, please contact nhmrc@research.

uq. edu. au .

Step 3. Creating an application in Sapphire Create an application in Sapphire. Invite collaborating investigators to be participants by adding them to the Research Team on Sapphire; aim to do this early to avoid delays if new researcher accounts need to be created Step 4.

Completing the application Step 5. UQ R&I internal review and feedback Once the application is complete, the CIA should initiate the Certification process in Sapphire. To do this, select 'Certification' from the left-hand menu within the application and follow the steps to submit the application to the Research Office.

Application errors will be signalled and can be corrected at this stage. To initiate internal review, email your completed UQ Application Certification Form (see UQ Resources below) to UQ R&I at nhmrc@research. uq.

edu. au . An internal review will be completed by UQ R&I at the level requested in the NOI and feedback will be provided.

Final submission by UQ R&I to 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 Centres of Research Excellence 2026 Guidelines (PDF, 635. 2 KB) NHMRC Fact Sheet - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Question (PDF, 126.

3 KB) UQ 2026 CRE Application Certification form (DOCX, 68. 7 KB) UQ 2025 NHMRC Participating organisations certification form (DOCX, 39. 5 KB) UQ CRE2026 Annotated Grant Proposal template (DOCX, 57.

7 KB) UQ CRE2026 CI 1-page CV template (DOCX, 37. 7 KB) 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 Scheme queries: nhmrc@research. uq.

edu. au If you are applying through UQ but you are not a current UQ staff member, please contact the round coordinator to be added to the UQ R&I mailing list.