Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia): FAQ and application tips

All proposals must include at least one EMCR (Early- and Mid-Career Researcher) Forum member on the organising committee. Becoming a member of the EMCR Forum is free and can be done online. The Academy defines EMCRs as researchers up to 15 years post-PhD excluding career breaks, irrespective of their type of appointment or type of employer. If you are not an EMCR but wish to submit a proposal, please find an EMCR to work with you.

The committee needs to be a group of people (minimum of three members) committed to contributing to your activity's success, and all members should fit your activity's needs. For example, if you want to run an interdisciplinary conference bringing together engineers with biologists, then your committee should include both engineers and biologists. The committee should maintain a ratio of at least 3 EMCRs to 1 senior scientist, ensuring that the senior scientists do not outnumber EMCRs.

EMCR involvement is strongly encouraged with at least one member on the committee registered with the Academy’s EMCR Forum. Other committee members can be researchers at any part of their career and the committee can include non-researchers where relevant. Please consider the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the composition of your committee.

It is expected that the activity’s organising committee will work closely with the Academy’s Secretariat during the project delivery. Typically, the organising committee leads the planning, execution and reporting, including providing scientific expertise and knowledge.

All committee members must agree to seek additional funding to support the activity and provide their time as in-kind support.

Yes. If you are a member of the EMCR group at your university or your scientific society or another group, you are welcome to propose an activity using this group as part or all your organising committee. Please note that the reach of the activity is part of the selection criteria, and activities which are restricted to EMCRs at a single university or organisation will not be funded. For Flagship and Amplify streams, you are not eligible to apply if you have received funding from either of these streams in the last three years. Similarly, you are not eligible for current Participation Support If you have received a TMIA participation grant in the last twelve months.

No. While you may have an exceptional idea, the Academy encourages you to craft a full-fledged proposal by responding to all the mandatory questions in the application portal. The proposal will then be assessed on the relevancy, benefit to EMCR and greater scientific community, innovation, and other aspects as mentioned in proposal guidelines.

While the Academy, as the grantor, provides oversight and support, it may also offer further assistance such as event registration, event website hosting and publicity. A minimal fee will apply if the engagement involves the design, editing and publication of visibility materials and knowledge products. However, the Academy will provide support in highlighting the activity on relevant platforms and social media as part of the Secretariat’s overall assistance to maximise impact. The Secretariat will work with the organising committee, connecting them where appropriate to other Academy staff, to deliver the best possible activity based on the proposal.

For ‘Flagship’ and ‘Amplify’ activities, the Academy’s Secretariat will also provide guidance and advice to the committee regarding scope, deliverability, and project management.

Applicants are encouraged to read the description and examples of the activity formats that are eligible to receive support from the Theo Murphy Initiative Australia in the 2026 round. This information has been designed to help applicants select the type of proposal they should submit on the application page.

The activity format and objectives will help the Secretariat and EMCR Committee of Council determine the feasibility and capacity to deliver the proposed activity within the budget.

The eligible areas of funding through different streams of Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) funding are outlined in the proposal guidelines available on the website.

While an excel sheet is not required while submitting the proposal, you must complete the budget template (mandatory questions) when you submit the proposal through the Good Grants portal. The application portal allows you to submit a detailed income and expenditure forecast of your project/activity with a provision to indicate support from other partners.

Please try to include all the costs associated with your activity to provide the most accurate representation of the budget.

The following are examples of eligible direct costs associated with activities that can be supported:

• venue hire
• event catering
• audio visual services, including online streaming services
• design, printing, and production of activity material and, if applicable, event output such as editing of online streamed events or production of a video asset of event activities that can be accessed online
• travel arrangements for invited event speakers, subject matter experts or other event delegates as approved by the Academy
• fees for invited speakers or registered training providers, and
• other direct event expenses as approved by the Academy.

The TMIA will not cover the following costs:

• purchase of infrastructure or equipment
• membership fees
• registration fees for existing events
• sponsorship of existing events
• salaries.

The funding eligibility for all three streams will be different. Please check the website for guidance.

The proposal gets higher preference if:

• the proposed activity has the capacity to provide tangible benefits to Australian EMCRs from more than one institution
• the proposed activity demonstrates higher relevance and benefit to EMCRs and the greater scientific community
• the proposal is well designed with clear objectives including use of innovative approaches, promotes inclusivity/diversity, has a knowledge management strategy, and is time relevant
• it has secured commitment of sponsors and additional event partners to the proposed activity by way of cash or in-kind contributions
• it demonstrates effective use of grant funds in the activity budget, including attaching relevant supporting material for each requested budget item.