Discovery Projects

The Discovery Projects scheme reflects the Australian Government's commitment to excellence in research by providing grant funding to support research projects undertaken by individual researchers or research teams.

Back to Find research funding

The objectives of the Discovery Projects scheme are to:

support excellent basic and applied research and research training by individuals and teams that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge and represents value for money
support national and international research collaboration
enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas
create new knowledge with benefits for Australia

Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2025 will be run in a two-stage application process, commencing with an Expression of Interest (EOI). Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

Discovery Projects Expression of Interest Applications for funding commencing in 2025

Funding and Grant Duration

Project Funding	Between $30,000 and $500,000 per year
Project Duration	Up to five consecutive years

EOI - Assessment Criteria

Investigator(s)/Capability - 30%
Project Quality and Innovation - 70%

Key Dates for Discovery Projects

Expression of Interest Applications for funding commencing in 2025

Draft Project Description and ROPE due to the Research Grants Team: 27 November 2023

EOI Applications open in the ARC RMS system: 22 January 2024

First Full EOI draft due to the Research Grants Team: 31 January 2024

Final EOI Applications due to the Research Grants Team: 12 February 2024

EOI Applications Close to the ARC: 26 February 2024

EOI Outcomes Announcement: 8 - 10 April 2024

Full proposals open: 11 April 2024

Peer Review

Contact your Faculty ADR/Institute Director or Faculty/Institute Research Manager for advice on peer review programs.

ACU Library

Support for grant applications

ACU Library's Impact Service can provide evidence of research performance which can be used in grant applications. They can also advise on Research Data Management Plans and Open Access requirements.

Researchers can request a consultation with a Senior Librarian by emailing the following:

Education and Arts - LibraryFEA@acu.edu.au

Health Sciences - LibrarySoAH@acu.edu.au

Law and Business - LibraryFLB@acu.edu.au

Theology and Philosophy - LibraryFTP@acu.edu.au

ACU eResearch

Support for grant applications

The ACU eResearch team can assist with:

Development of research data management plans
Development of estimates for the IT components of grant applications
Calculation of in-kind contributions based on Intersect services, such as high performance computing (HPC) and consultation/advice
Advice on research data storage
Advice on research computing platforms
Advice on research tools and applications

The eResearch team can be contacted via email e.Research@acu.edu.au