The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) grant opportunity provides focused research support for early career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions.

The DECRA scheme objectives are to:

• support outstanding early-career researchers with demonstrated capacity for high-quality research and emerging capability for leadership and supervision;
• foster collaboration, with national or international researchers
• support excellent and innovative research that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge and represents value for money;
• create new or advanced knowledge resulting from the outcomes of the research with economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and
• advance promising early career researchers and promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways in high-quality and supportive environments.

The intended outcome of the Discovery Program is to contribute to the growth of Australia’s research and innovation capacity. Increasing Australia’s research and innovation capacity generates new knowledge and results in the development of new technologies, products and ideas, the creation of jobs, economic growth and an enhanced quality of life in Australia.

What grant funds can be used for

Project funding may be used for:

• personnel, postdoctoral research associates and research assistants, technicians and laboratory attendants
• access to research and infrastructure facilities and technical workshop services
• essential field research
• expert third party services
• equipment and consumables
• publication and dissemination of project research outputs and outreach activities
• specialised computer equipment and software
• travel costs essential to the project for up to $50,000 over the project activity period
• web hosting and development
• workshops, focus groups and conferences, and
• reasonable essential costs for researchers who are carers or who themselves require care.

Eligibility

A DECRA candidate must satisfy the eligibility criteria for the role they are to perform as listed in the relevant Grant Guidelines.

A previous recipient, or an individual who has been nominated for a DECRA on two previous occasions, is not eligible to apply for another DECRA. This includes withdrawn and ineligible applications.

To be eligible, the candidate must, as at the grant opportunity closing date:

• not be nominated for more than one DECRA in a grant opportunity;
• have met their obligations regarding previously funded projects, including submission of satisfactory final reports to the ARC at the grant opportunity closing date;
• have an award of PhD date on, or after 1 March 2019; or
• have an award of PhD date together with an allowable period of career interruptions that would be commensurate with an award of PhD date on, or after 1 March 2019. The allowable career interruptions set out and the period allowed for each are in Table 8 of the Discovery Program Grant Guidelines – Fellowships (2023 edition).

If a DECRA candidate has more than one PhD, the earliest awarded PhD must fall within this timeframe.

A DECRA candidate can be concurrently funded through the Discovery Program for a maximum of: one ARC Fellowship and one project as a CI; or one ARC Fellowship or project if the individual is also a Director on an active ARC Centre of Excellence and/or a Special Research Initiative project.

While the Grant Guidelines are available to view, you will need to sign in or create a User Registration account in GrantConnect to access all relevant documentation for Grant Opportunities.

• Phone: (02) 6287 6600
• Email: arc-ncgp@arc.gov.au