The Australian Academy of Science invites applications from Australia's early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) for Flagship grants valued up to $50,000 each, funded by the Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) (TMIA).
Flagship grants support ambitious, EMCR-led activities that deliver tangible benefits to Australia's STEM early- and mid-career research community. Activities may include conferences, workshops, training programs, collaborative initiatives, knowledge-sharing activities, or other activity formats that create lasting value for EMCRs and the broader scientific community.
Applicants are encouraged to consider how their activity will create meaningful outcomes beyond the delivery of the event itself, such as new collaborations, resources, networks, publications, training opportunities, or other benefits for Australian EMCRs.
Please note: For ‘Flagship’ and ‘Amplify’ activities, the Academy’s secretariat will provide guidance and advice to the organising committee regarding scope, deliverability, and project management.
Academy fees may apply where additional Academy support is requested or required, such as event website hosting, event registration and publicity support.
Below are the key dates for the application process. While we aim to keep to this schedule, some dates may change depending on circumstances.
The following guidelines provide important information about eligibility, submission requirements, and assessment processes. Please review them carefully before submitting an application.
To be eligible to receive a Flagship activity grant:
*Researchers who are more than 15 years post-award of their first PhD and have experienced a career interruption may be eligible to apply.
To be considered an eligible career interruption, the period must be:
Periods in non-active research roles, or periods where research activity has been reduced or paused as part of normal employment arrangements, are not considered eligible career interruptions and should not be claimed as such.
Where an applicant has experienced an eligible career interruption, the period of interruption may be taken into account when assessing eligibility. Eligible career interruptions will be considered based on the total duration of the interruption, provided the criteria outlined above have been met.
Applicants must be employed by an eligible Australian research organisation on an ongoing basis. Eligible organisations include:
*For this program, employed on an ongoing basis means the Project Lead has a current appointment with their organisation that is expected to continue for the duration of the project. Fixed-term appointments are eligible, where they meet these requirements. Honorary or adjunct positions are not eligible.
Eligible applications
Applications are welcome from EMCRs in all fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The terms of the award are outlined below, and acceptance of these conditions is required at the time of application submission.
If required, the Academy may be able to provide additional support to successful applicants, including the development of case studies, web stories, impact reporting, and promotion through the Academy’s official communication channels.
The availability of these services is subject to Academy and Council approval and may incur fees in accordance with the Academy’s pricing framework. Applicants interested in accessing these services should contact the Programs Team for further information.
For further information on eligible expenses please refer to the 'Templates and supporting documentation' tab and the Flagship Eligible and Ineligible Expenses Fact Sheet.
For further information on eligible expenses please refer to the 'Templates and supporting documentation' tab and the Flagship Eligible and Ineligible Expenses Fact Sheet.
Applications must be submitted via the Academy’s Good Grants online portal. Applications must be completed in full and include the following attachments as supporting evidence:
Applicants should ensure all budget requests represent reasonable costs and demonstrate value for money.
Proposals will be assessed based on:
Further information: Applications will be carefully considered against the selection criteria by a committee of scientists with diverse expertise and recommended for final approval by the Royal Society (Australia) Board.
The decisions of the Board will be based on the merit and impact of the proposals. The Academy will not enter into discussion or correspondence regarding the reasons an application is unsuccessful.
Successful applicants will be required to submit an interim progress report halfway through the activity and a final report within two months of the activity completion date, or by the due date outlined in the funding agreement, whichever occurs first. The Academy will provide the reporting templates to successful applicants upon execution of the funding agreement.
The narrative reports should summarise key outputs, outcomes, achievements, and highlights, including relevant media links demonstrating that the activity met its objectives. Financial reporting requirements will be outlined in the funding agreement and associated reporting templates.
Any unspent funds must be returned to the Academy, and the Academy must be notified immediately once unspent funds have been identified.
It is a requirement that any publication or media release resulting from the activities funded by this program duly acknowledges the support of the Australian Academy of Science and the Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia).
Applications are to be completed through an online form found by clicking on the Apply button on the top right of this web page when the round is open.
For Flagship and Amplify grants, the organising committee must include at least three members and be EMCR-led. EMCRs must make up most of the committee.
Senior scientists may be included, but they must not outnumber EMCRs.
No. Senior researchers may be included on the organising committee but are not required.
If senior researchers are included, EMCRs must still make up most of the committee, and senior researchers must not outnumber EMCRs.
Yes. Applicants must provide evidence of confirmed or well-developed sponsorship or partner support, including the expected cash and/or in-kind contributions.
Confirmed or well-developed sponsorship or partner support is an eligibility requirement. Applications that do not provide supporting evidence of this support will be deemed ineligible.
No, Flagship and Amplify funding cannot be paid to individuals.
Successful projects must be administered through an eligible administering organisation. A funding agreement must be executed between the Academy and the administering organisation before any grant funds are released.
Each sponsor, partner or supporting organisation should complete a support letter that outlines:
Applications that do not provide supporting evidence of confirmed or well-developed sponsorship or partner support will be deemed ineligible.
Applicants are not eligible to apply if they have received a TMIA Flagship or Amplify grant within the past three years.
The Academy may provide guidance and advice to successful Flagship and Amplify organising committees about scope, deliverability and project management. Additional support, such as event website hosting, event registration or publicity support, is not automatically included and may incur fees. Applicants should not assume these services will be provided as part of the grant.
The administering organisation support letter must be signed by an authorised representative of the administering organisation.
Applicants should use the Administering Organisation Letter of Support Template, available on the ‘Templates and supporting documentation’ tab.
The letter must not be signed by the Project Lead or any member of the organising committee.
Yes. Fixed-term appointments are eligible where the applicant has a current appointment with an eligible Australian research organisation that is expected to continue for the duration of the project.
No. Applicants must hold a current employment appointment with an eligible Australian research organisation that is expected to continue for the duration of the project. Honorary or adjunct type positions are not eligible.
Researchers who are more than 15 years post-award of their first PhD may still be eligible if they have experienced an eligible career interruption.
Eligible career interruptions are a formal leave of absence, such as parental, carer’s, or personal leave, or a period without employment. Periods in non-active research roles, or periods where research activity has been reduced or paused as part of normal employment arrangements, are not considered eligible career interruptions.
Significant changes to the approved activity, including scope, delivery arrangements, budget, timing or key personnel, must be approved in writing by the Academy before they are implemented.
Where sponsorship or partner contributions form part of the approved activity budget, funding recipients must notify the Academy of any material changes to those contributions.
Flagship grants support ambitious, EMCR-led activities that deliver tangible benefits to Australia’s STEM early- and mid-career research community.
Activities should create value beyond the delivery of the event itself, such as new collaborations, resources, networks, publications, training opportunities or other benefits for Australian EMCRs.
Flagship grants may support conferences, workshops, training programs, collaborative initiatives, knowledge-sharing activities or other activity formats that create lasting value for EMCRs and the broader scientific community.
The proposed activity must be EMCR-led and designed to deliver tangible benefits to Australian STEM EMCRs.
Yes. Flagship activities must provide tangible benefits to Australian STEM EMCRs from more than one Australian organisation. Applicants should clearly explain how the proposed activity will benefit EMCRs beyond their own institution or immediate organising group.
Flagship funding may only be used for expenses that are directly related to delivering the approved Flagship activity and achieving the outcomes described in the application.
Eligible costs may include venue hire, catering, audio visual services, activity materials, invited speakers or specialist contributors, participant support, accessibility support, direct event costs, approved travel and accommodation, and publication or output costs connected to the approved activity.
Applicants should refer to the Flagship Eligible and Ineligible Expenses Fact Sheet for detailed guidance before preparing their budget.
Yes. Flagship funding may support bursaries, travel grants, registration support, childcare support or other approved financial assistance where this support enables participation in the approved Flagship activity.
Where funding is requested for bursaries, grants, scholarships or other participant support, applicants must provide a short outline describing the purpose of the support, the intended recipients, the expenses to be covered and the proposed allocation process.
Travel and accommodation for the Project Lead or organising committee members is not automatically eligible. It may be considered where institutional funding is not available, attendance is essential to delivery, the cost is reasonable and the Academy approves the expense.
Applicants should not assume these costs will be supported unless they are clearly justified in the application and approved by the Academy.
Read more about the TMIA program and past activities on the related TMIA project page.
The Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) program is supported by the Royal Society.
