Research News & Funding Opportunities

  1. 2026 Climate Research Accelerator (CRX) Funding – closes 20 October 2025
  2. Ansvar Community Education Program Grants – closes 24 October 2025
  3. Maitri Grant Program & Fellowships – closes 4 November 2025
  4. Insignia Community Grants Program – opens 1 December & closes 31 December 2025
  5. Research Development Unit – Upcoming Programs for GRs
  6. GR Supervision Registration Training

1. 2026 Climate Research Accelerator (CRX) Funding – closes 20 October 2025

Applications are now open for the fourth round of CRX funding from Melbourne Climate Futures. Established projects with strong potential for immediate climate impact are eligible for funding up to $50,000.

More info here: https://www.unimelb.edu.au/climate/expertise/crx-projects

2. Ansvar Community Education Program Grants – closes 24 October 2025

Ansvar’s Community Education Program provides grants up to $50,000 for programs supporting Australian youth which fall under two categories:\

Empowerment and Education:
– Programs within this category must provide opportunities to develop positive values that lead to healthy lifestyle choices and a positive contribution to our community.

Outreach Programs:
– Programs within this category must support youths who are at risk or are already experiencing difficulties (such as drug and/or alcohol abuse) through rehabilitation and/or skills training.

Does my organisation qualify?
– Applicant must be a not-for-profit organisation with DGR status
– Grant request must not exceed $50,000
– Grant request must be for the purpose of funding a specific program
– Program must target Australian youth under the age of 25 and fit into either of these categories.

Click here to view full funding guidelines on the provider’s website.

3. Maitri Grant Program & Fellowships – closes 4 November 2025

The 2025-26 Maitri Grant Program has been expanded with over $5 million available to support projects that will strengthen the Australia-India relationship in new and innovative ways across a number of sectors. 

The Maitri Grant Program supports projects across the Centre’s four key pillars:  

  • Building India business literacy and links
  • Promoting policy dialogue
  • Engaging Indian Australian communities in support of the Australia-India relationship
  • Deepening cultural connections and mutual understanding

Focus Areas

  • drive new areas of business engagement between Australia and India in sectors outlined in A New Roadmap for Australia’s Economic Engagement with India, including the four superhighways of growth and other key priorities:
    • clean energy to further advance and deliver supply chain resilience
    • utilising education and skills to support research into new avenues for industry collaboration and opportunities to commercialise Australia’s technical capability with India
    • identify and provide education and opportunities for businesses without mature existing channels for market access, including SMEs and First Nations businesses
    • agri-tech to further leverage the benefits of our economic cooperation under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA)
    • initiatives that will enhance uptake of tourism
    • activities that support sports collaboration to generate economic engagement, including leveraging Australia’s experience in delivering Commonwealth and Olympic Games. 
  • and further deliver high impact cultural, and people to people projects, activities and exchanges that may:
    • build India capability at major Australian cultural institutions to improve mainstream understanding of India
    • leverage/raise awareness of the Audiovisual Co-production agreement
    • harness diaspora influence to promote the Australian Indian relationship, including the Indian economic opportunity 

The 2025-26 Maitri Fellowships Program will fund Australian organisations with experience in the Australia-India bilateral relationship to engage a Fellow to work on geostrategic or geoeconomic policy issues under the following streams: 

  • Inward Fellowships up to 12 months for Indian Research Fellows, Senior Research Fellows, Associate Professors or Principal Research Fellows to come to Australia.
  • Outward Fellowships up to 12 months for Australian Research Fellows, Senior Research Fellows, Associate Professors or Principal Research Fellows to go to India.
  • Two-way Fellowships up to 2 years for an Australian and Indian Fellow to collaborate in a research exchange through their respective Australian and Indian organisations. 

Click here to view full funding guidelines on the provider’s website.

4. Insignia Community Grants Program – opens 1 December & closes 31 December 2025

The Foundation supports the community across five impact areas:

1. Financial wellbeing
Improving skills, confidence and know-how of people so they can achieve greater financial wellbeing now and into the future. Programs being supported may include those that help people understand their finances better, training that leads to employment or initiatives that keep students in school.

2. Basic needs
The Foundation supports initiatives that provide vital and basic items to people so they can go about their daily life, such as items to make people feel more included, healthier, happier, or enable people to be more financially secure.

3. Reconciliation
Aligning with Insignia Financial’s Reconciliation Action Plan, they aim to further the endeavours of First Nations people through employment, business ownership, education and financial training.

4. Diversity and inclusion
The Foundation supports inclusion, diversity and wellbeing in the community through programs that enable social participation for all.

5. Mental health
The Foundation aims to address mental health challenges for people of all ages with access to quality care, support and resources.

Click here to view full funding guidelines on the provider’s website.

5. Research Development Unit – Upcoming Programs for GRs

Public Speaking  
  Wednesday, 1 October 9:00am – 11:00am and Wednesday, 15 October 10:00am – 12:00pm   Online    Public speaking about research is a challenge that GRs are increasingly expected to address. The introduction of a Viva as part of the Doctoral Degree examination at UoM is one type of public speaking, since the candidate has an opportunity to succinctly present their research to their examiners and Chair. Conferences, lecturing and speaking on radio, podcasts and webinars are also all common examples of where GRS are expected to present their research.   Each public speaking opportunity requires careful consideration of what to talk about and how to present.
More information and to register:https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/researcherdevelopment/rdu-development-programs/introduction-to-public-speaking  
Project Management  
  2:00pm – 4:00pm Wednesday, 8, 22 October & 5 November   Online    This program will enable GRs to develop organisational, technical, and problem-solving skills and project management competencies that enhance abilities to respond to emerging challenges and possibilities during candidature and beyond.   Across 3 sessions, learn about project definition, risk assessment, project scoping, developing project schedules as well as strategies to be an effective project manager, management of stakeholders, resources, and monitoring project progress and accomplishment of goals.  
More information and to register:https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/researcherdevelopment/rdu-development-programs/project-management  
Personal Effectiveness at Work and Study: How to submit your thesis on time  
  10:00am – 11:00am Thursday, 9 October   Online  In this workshop, Dr Angela Nicholas will share strategies, hacks and tips for getting your thesis in on time. She has learned these through her experience as a professional thesis proofreader, a former graduate researcher, and a graduate research supervisor and mentor. Strategies will focus on making the most of your thesis-writing time, including planning out your thesis tasks, setting up your thesis well, and finding useful resources. Angela will also talk about the most common mistakes graduate researchers make in writing their thesis. Throughout the session, you will also have time to share your own hacks with fellow graduate researchers at different points in their thesis journey.  
More information and to register:https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/researcherdevelopment/rdu-development-programs/personal-effectiveness-for-GRs  

6. GR Supervision Registration Training

Academics new to supervision are required to undertake training before registering and commencing as supervisors.

Registrations for the last two sessions of the year are as follow:

  • 7 October 2025 (in-person)
  • 24 November 2025

As spaces fill up quickly, please inform academics who still require training, so that they can register for their preferred dates. https://gateway.research.unimelb.edu.au/researcherdevelopment/rdu-development-programs/GR-supervisor-registration-training