Research News & Funding Opportunities

  1. auDA Community Grant program – EOI close 12 August
  2. Faculty of Education Research Conference – Abstracts close 14 August
  3. Miegunyah Distinguished Visiting Fellows Program – close – 15 August
  4. Facilitating and empowering writing for GRs Workshop – 15 August
  5. The Gordon Darling Foundation Grants – close 30 September
  6. Mazda Foundation Australia Grants – close 30 September
  7. University GenAI decision-making tool
  8. Building up your big research ideas and getting grant ready – for Mid-Career Researchers
  9. Calling All Researchers interested in submitting an ARC Discovery EOI or ARC DECRA applications

1. auDA Community Grant Program – EOI to Advancement closes 12 August

If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please complete this form by COB Tuesday 12 August.

Funding available: $50,000 for one year

Description
The Community Grant program provides funding for community-led education, research activities and projects that enhance the benefits of the internet for under-served communities.
Eligible projects
Applications are invited to address digital inclusion and/or digital innovation for priority population groups. auDA encourage proposals that address community-led issues and are highly collaborative including multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder activities.   Priorty Groups: To be eligible a project must benefit one or more of the following five priority groups:  Rural, regional, and remote Australians Australians Living with disability  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Older Australians (65 years +) Young Australians (12-24 years).   Criteria: The auDA Foundation panel will assess all eligible proposals against the following criteria:  Improves Digital Inclusion for under-served communities Improves trust in using the internet for members of under-served communities Supports under-served communities to establish an online presence, Addresses an evidenced need in the Australian community in at least one of the Priority Focus Group (see above). Demonstrates support from stakeholders impacted by the Project. Letters of support clearly demonstrate financial/in-kind support from partners. Creates social or economic value for one or more of the community groups in the defined Priority Focus Groups. The applicant has the digital capability to successfully implement the Project. Project outcomes will be shared and implemented beyond the Project Period The Project’s broader positive impact on Sustainability.

Grant Guidelines

  • The auDA grant may not account for 100 per cent of the cost of the project. Applications need to demonstrate an in-kind or financial contribution from the applicant of at least 10 per cent of the total project cost. 
  • Grant activity period is from 1 Jan 2026 – 31 Dec 2026. Activities should be delivered in 12 months or less.
  • Full applications to auDA will require Letters of Support from partners/stakeholders .
  • Subject to the terms of the Grant Agreement, the Grantee must acknowledge receipt of auDA funding in any published Project materials, and you will make those Project materials available to the public under a creative commons licence.
  • All of the auDA grant money must be spent on activities within Australia for the benefit of the Australian community, and must prioritise the purchase of Australian goods and services where available and equivalent in the market.
  • auDA will not support the follow projects or budgetary items: basic digital skills training or development; ongoing service delivery (but will consider applications for strategy expansions of existing programs or new/innovative additions to an existing program); project where the primary focus is outside of Australia, general digital capability for your organisation, generic IT training (such as introduction to social networking or trading websites); website design (such as development of a new website or redesign of existing website) rather than focusing specifically on delivery of the project using the website; requests for IT equipment or the provision of IT equipment; marketing or market research activities, even where that research is about website/internet usage; Projects which will not deliver material benefit by way of public rights of access to the Project materials.
  • Further information is attached and can be accessed here.

2. Research Conference – Abstracts NOW OPEN

Abstract Submission & Conference Registration for the 2025 Faculty of Education Research Conference

The Changing World of Education: Opportunities and Challenges

Date: Wednesday 29th October 2025

Location: Arts West

Conference Registration

Please register to attend the faculty conference by 5pm, Thursday 16th October here:

https://go.unimelb.edu.au/sr4p

Abstracts should be submitted by 5pm, Thursday 14th August here:

https://go.unimelb.edu.au/8r4p

Information about abstract submissions

All academics across all career stages and GRs (who are confirmed in their candidature) are invited to submit a 200 word (max) abstract for a presentation (15 + 5mins) to be considered for the conference program.

Due to the high number of submissions for the faculty conference each year, the following criteria are used to assist in selecting presentations for the conference.

  • Presentations will be chosen to ensure that there is appropriate representation of GRs and academics from across groups and centres and across all career stages.
  • Priority will be given to Graduate Researchers in their final 12 months prior to submission.
  • Graduate Researchers need to have been successfully confirmed in order to be considered for a presentation.
  • Any individual can only be lead presenter on one paper. Where one person is listed on multiple papers they may be asked to prioritise or consider a group presentation. This is to ensure we have a good representation of people from across the faculty.

3. Miegunyah Distinguished Visiting Fellows Program – due 15 August

Nominations must have approval by Heads of Department, and include information about the nominee, their proposed activities, details of the public lecture they will present and a detailed budget.

Nominations for 2026 Miegunyah Distinguished Visiting Fellowships are open from Monday 7 July to 5pm Friday 15 August 2025.

Submit your nomination

4. Facilitating and empowering writing for GRs Workshop

Date: 15 Augsut

Time: 10-12pm

Venue:  Room 910, Level 9, Building 168, Parkville

This workshop offers strategies for supervisors to set GRs on a path to success, and keep them motivated when the going gets tough. Writing habits and routines can be difficult to maintain, and this is often due to factors like thesis overwhelm, imposter syndrome or feeling isolated. Writing habits can also be interrupted by complex life circumstances which pose unique challenges for graduate researchers, like balancing teaching commitments with research, or finding time to focus on the dissertation amid caring responsibilities and paid work. We will offer strategies for supervisors to support individuals and for the forming and flourishing of writing groups. We invite supervisors to reflect on their own thesis journeys, and to share ideas about how best to overcome the common hurdles all graduate researchers face on the path to completion.

5. The Gordon Darling Foundation Grants – closes 30 September Advancement coordinating

The Gordon Darling Foundation was established to fund Visual Arts activities Australia-wide. Prefers innovative projects increasing access and public exposure. Project examples include catalogues and publications, exhibition development, professional education, purchase or commission of nationally or locally important artworks, research projects, symposia.

Details at: https://www.gordondarlingfoundation.org.au/guidelines.php

6. Mazda Foundation Australia Grants – closes 30 September Advancement coordinating

The Foundation currently has two priority areas of focus: community based organisations with projects to strengthen and build resilience in primary producer communities; programs addressing literacy and numeracy issues amongst primary school aged children, especially remedial programs for children from disadvantaged areas.

Details at: https://mazdafoundation.org.au/obtaining-funding/

7. University GenAI decision-making tool

    University GenAI decision-making tool

    OREI have shared the following tool with all RIAs, as part of the general effort to publicise it: https://www.unimelb.edu.au/ai/home/staff/genai-decision-making-tool. I noticed it has been publicised in faculty learning and teaching communication channels. Might we also publicise it within the faculty’s research communications—to academic staff and graduate researchers? There’s a risk that GenAI discussions related to research get confined to questions about authorship. However, there are also significant issues related to intellectual property and privacy legislation, among other things, that researchers must consider and that need to be part of our educational and support efforts. This tool might be helpful in this regard.

    8. Building up your big research ideas and getting grant ready

    MERI is offering a new research support program designed to support academics at the early phase of developing their ideas for new programs of work and research grants.

    There’s lots of really good ideas out there but sometimes they need some extra attention and ‘slow cooking’ to become really great knock-out ideas that form the basis of strong and compelling programs of work and funding applications.  These ideas also need to be matched up with the right funding scheme or opportunity, including how the scheme fits with the researcher’s profile and interests.

    This series of four workshops is designed for those thinking of submitting research funding applications over the next 2-3 years, with a focus on mid-career researchers.

    Workshops will be interactive and require participants to do some ‘homework’ in between so that they are ready to contribute; these will be held in person from August 27th through to November 18th and participants are expected to attend all sessions.    In the first instance, numbers will be capped at 15, with the aim to run the series again in subsequent years, subject to interest.

    The dates and focus of each workshop are below, and a brief EoI to register your interest is https://q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_3PlA3eBrRDOW1X8

    Workshop 1: Wednesday August 27, 12.00-2.00pm

    Mapping out current thinking and early ideas

    Workshop 2: Wednesday October 1, 1.00-3.00pm

    Crafting your researcher profile and identifying the right funding opportunity

    Workshop 3: Wednesday November 5, 12.00-2.00

    Getting into the details: starting to turn ideas into feasible projects 

    Workshop 4: Wednesday November 18, 12.00- 4.00

    Practising the pitch: Presentations on project and feedback

    Lunch provided

    The series is convened by Prof Julie McLeod (Research Capability Director) with Prof Kate Reynolds (Associate Dean Research) and the MERI team. Workshops will also be supported by invited presenters (e.g. Library Research Services, RIC, experienced researchers within FoE and other areas).

    Please contact MERI – foe-research@unimelb.edu.au if you have any questions.

    9. Calling All Researchers interested in submitting an ARC Discovery EOI or ARC DECRA Application

    Please contact foe-research@unimelb.edu.au if you are contemplating to submit an ARC Discovery EOI or and ARC DECRA application. Dates for these schemes have not been finalised yet.