Research News & Funding Opportunities

Research Development Funding Scheme 2026 – closes 5pm 28 November
Disability and Inclusive Seed Funding Project 2026 – closes 5pm 28 November
ARC Grant Schemes: Information to Date webinar – 4 December, 12:00 PM
Hokkaido-Melbourne Joint Research Workshops – now open, closes 3 February 2026
Gordon Darling Foundation – closes 9 January, 29 May & 30 September 2026
Congratulations to Katey Coleman & SWISP Lab -awarded Climate Research Accelerator (CRX) grant
Congratulation to Katey Coleman & SWISP Lab – awarded 2025 CHASS Prize for Distinctive Work in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Congratulations to Leanne Higham – awarded the AARE Ray Debus Award for Doctoral Research in Education

1. Research Development Funding Scheme 2026 – closes 5pm 28 November

https://ricunimelb.smartygrants.com.au/FoERDS2_DEC_2025

The Scheme’s primary objectives are to:

Align with Advancing Melbourne 2030 and the Faculty Strategic

Support FoE researchers to progress their research capabilities and outputs
Seed new areas of discovery
Expand established programs of research
Build new or existing collaborations into a competitive larger-scale proposition for major external research sources
Enhance research impact through new partnerships and applied outcomes
Foster a diverse and inclusive academic community with a strong research culture

2. Disability and Inclusive Seed Funding Project 2026 – closes 5pm 28 November

https://ricunimelb.smartygrants.com.au/FoE-DI-2026

The Disability and Inclusive Seed Funding Projects must:

Be driven by the priorities of people with disability
Have a practical outcome
Be interdisciplinary
Involve strong partnerships with people with disability and/or disability advocacy organisations
Have a pathway to further research and funding

3. ARC Grant Schemes: Information to Date webinar – 4 December, 12:00 PM

Join the RIC Team for a 30-minute information session to hear about what the University is doing to prepare for possible changes to the ARC’s grant schemes.

What You’ll Learn

Recap of consultation steps undertaken by the ARC to explore better alignment of their National Competitive Grants Program with the revised Australian Research Council Act
How RIC will share information about new schemes when information becomes available from the ARC
How to submit questions you might have now, and, once we know more about the ARC’s plans, how to learn more about proposed scheme changes and requirements.

4. Hokkaido-Melbourne Joint Research Workshops – now open, closes 3 February 2026

The University of Melbourne and the University of Hokkaido aim to support the development of new collaborations through joint research workshops. Up to four joint workshops will receive funding, with two to be held at Hokkaido and two at Melbourne. It is expected that these initial projects will lead to long-term research collaborations, and where applicable, generate publications, exhibitions, and/or applications to external funding for ongoing collaboration.
Project proposals are open to all research areas.

More information: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/7sne
Contact: res-devschemes@unimelb.edu.au 

5. Gordon Darling Foundation – closes 9 January, 29 May & 30 September 2026

This will be coordinated by Advancement

The Gordon Darling Foundation is a perpetual public charitable trust, established in 1991 to “support Australia-wide, activities of importance in the Visual Arts.”

It will give priority to exhibitions of Australian art, and will also consider exhibitions of Asian, Pacific or other international art.

It will assist with the costs of research, travel, publication, to promote knowledge and enjoyment of all aspects of the visual arts to the widest possible audience.

6. Congratulation to Katey Coleman & SWISP Lab – awarded Climate Research Accelerator (CRX) grant

Awarded funding $20,000 from the Melbourne Climate Futures Climate Research Accelerator funds for From Distraction to Action

7. Congratulation to Katey Coleman & SWISP Lab – awarded 2025 CHASS Prize for Distinctive Work in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Katey Coleman, Sacha Healy, Angela Molloy Murphy, Cassandra Truong, Kriti Aggarwal Jagath V, Eri Saikawa were awarded the 2025 CHASS Prize for Distinctive Work in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences – $2000 prize. For their work on:

Tipping Point Stories is an international youth-led project that confronts the educational and cultural implications of the Anthropocene. In 2024, SWISP Lab worked with young people across Australia, India and the US to collect hundreds of 100-word “tipping point stories” capturing the exact moments they felt climate change altering their lives: floods, vanishing species, gradual disappearance of things, oppressive heatwaves, and realising a need to take action for a better future. Framed as both data and art, the stories became zines, collages, badges, emoji stories, and performances, culminating in a public exhibition and side event at COP29 in Baku. Spoken into a global climate decision-making space, these youth voices reframed how storytelling can mobilise justice-oriented climate pedagogies and reimagined the role of education in shaping collective futures in the Anthropocene.

8. Congratulations to Leanne Higham – awarded the AARE Ray Debus Award for Doctoral Research in Education

Leanne who completed her PhD in 2024 was nominated by the faculty and was awarded the AARE Ray Debus Award for Doctoral Research in Education. She will be attending the award ceremony at the annual AARE conference in November. Leanne is also the Chancellor’s Prize winner.