Research News & Funding Opportunities

  1. For GRs – Visualise Your Thesis competition – information session Wednesday 14 May
  2. Gender Equity and Reproductive Justice Symposium – Friday 30 May
  3. Osaka – Melbourne Joint Workshops – Tuesday 3 June
  4. University of Toronto- University of Melbourne call for Joint PhD proposals – Friday 6 June

1. The Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) competition

VYT helps graduate researchers to develop essential digital communication skills to effectively convey their complex research to a general audience. ​

VYT involves condensing your thesis into a 1-minute eye-catching video or animation – it’s a great way to showcase your research impact, learn digital communication skills and be in the run to win juicy cash prizes!

Join the information session to learn more about the competition including how to enter.

Information Session 

Wednesday, 14 May

10:00am – 11:00am

Online To find out more and to register for the session head to https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/researcherdevelopment/events-and-competitions/visualise-your-thesis

2. Gender Equity and Reproductive Justice Symposium

2pm – 4:30pm, Friday 30 May 2025

The Linkway, Level 4, John Medley Building
The University of Melbourne
Parkville Campus

Melbourne Social Equity Institute is partnering with the Reproductive Justice Hallmark Research Initiative to host a half-day symposium focused on reproductive justice.

Reproductive justice seeks to ensure all people have rights to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children and parent children in safe and healthy environments.

The event will feature presentations by six graduate and early career researchers and be hosted by Dr Jaya Keaney, a Lecturer in Gender Studies in the School of Social and Political Sciences.

The symposium will end with reflections from Professor Kylie Smith, co-lead of Melbourne Social Equity Institute’s Gender Equity research priority area and a Professor in Early Childhood Studies, and Professor Louise Keogh, Chair of the Reproductive Justice Hallmark Research Initiative and a Professor of Health Sociology.

Bookings and details – https://socialequity.unimelb.edu.au/news/events/gender-equity-and-reproductive-justice-symposium

3. Osaka – Melbourne Joint Research Workshops

    Up to two joint workshops will be funded in 2025-26, with one to be held in Osaka and one in Melbourne. It is expected that these initial projects will lead to long-term research collaborations, and generate publications, exhibitions, and/or applications for external funding for ongoing collaboration, as applicable.   

    Up to AU$20,000 is available per workshop. Proposals from all research areas and disciplines are welcome. 

    Further information and Guideline documents are available on the scheme’s website: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/u5ep. Guidelines are also attached for reference. 

    Potential applicants may wish to note that this scheme has attracted a relatively small pool of submissions in previous rounds.

    Applications Close: 3 June 2025 at 5 PM (Melbourne time) / 4 PM (Japan time)  

    Outcomes Released: July 2025 

    If you have any queries regarding the scheme, please contact res-devschemes@unimelb.edu.au.   

    4. Call for Joint PhD Projects with the University of Toronto (U of T)

    In 2025, U of T and Melbourne are calling for project proposals from all research areas to establish up to 8 pairs of Principal Investigators (PIs), with each supervisory team supporting one joint PhD candidate.

    This call for joint PhD project proposals is open to applications from academic supervisors only. If you are a prospective candidate interested in applying for a joint PhD, please refer to the information available here.

    Applications Close: Friday 6 June 1pm AEST/ 11pm EST Toronto

    Outcomes Released: Late September 2025