Participation Support guidelines

The Australian Academy of Science invites applications from Australia's early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) to access participation support grants valued at up to $5,000 each, funded by the Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia) or TMIA. It is expected that 7-10 Participation Support grants will be awarded in this round.

The Participation Support grant is intended to assist Australian EMCRs who face additional barriers to attending a conference, symposium or workshop in their field of research due to caring responsibilities, accessibility needs, or mobility-related support.

Funding can be used to pay for travel costs to attend an event or to cover expenses associated with caring responsibilities, such as childcare. Funding can also be used to support travel costs for a carer to accompany the EMCR either to assist the EMCR directly or to care for their dependants. Applicants should only request support for carers or dependants where there is a clear and demonstrated need, as eligibility and alignment with the grant’s purpose will be carefully assessed as part of the selection process. The intent of this funding is to enable equitable access by removing practical obstacles that might otherwise prevent participation.

Applications should be for confirmed activities occurring within 12 months (January to December 2026). After the application submission deadline, the Academy will perform an eligibility check and use a computerised random draw generator to select application numbers based on available funding and proposed budget amounts.

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a Participation Support grant, applicants must:

be less than 15 years post PhD, excluding career disruption or barrier*
be a member of an Australian EMCR group, such as the Australian Academy of Science’s EMCR forum
be currently residing in Australia and be either an Australian citizen or hold a valid Australian visa
not have received a Participation Support grant in the 12 months prior to the application date
be employed at an eligible Australian research organisation as outlined below.

Eligible research organisations:

Australian tertiary education institutions (as per the Higher Education Support Act 2003)
Australian cooperative research centres
publicly funded research agencies
Australian state and territory funded research organisations
Australian public research companies
Australian private research companies
Australian not-for-profit research organisations
other Australian incorporated entities.

*Career disruption or barrier: A career disruption or barrier is an interruption that has caused prolonged impact on a researcher’s capacity to conduct high-level research in the period since the conferral of their first PhD.

It may be due to reduced opportunities for research which may be due one or more of the following: prolonged absences due to unemployment, childbirth, carers’ responsibilities, limited or no access to facilities and resources, disaster management and recovery, medical conditions, disability or accessibility needs, community obligations, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural practices and protocols.

An additional 6 months (pro rata) can be applied for each year of eligible career disruption to account for the time it takes to reestablish research after a period of extended leave.

Eligible applications must:

be able to outline the need for additional support to attend an event or activity
outline the funding requested in accordance with the funding limitations outlined in the ‘Terms of award’ section
provide supporting documentation outlining the confirmed event or activity as specified in the application form.

Fields of research

Applications are welcome from EMCRs in all fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Terms of award

Successful applications will receive an offer of funding from the Academy towards the cost of attending an event or activity that will support research advancement or provide professional training, where otherwise the EMCR would not have been able to engage in the event or activity.

Terms and conditions of the grant are below, and the acceptance of these conditions is required at time of application submission.

Funding can only be used to cover eligible expenses as approved in the application.
Awardees must notify the Academy immediately if there is a change in circumstances that will prevent them from attending and/or engaging in the event.
Wherever possible, steps should be taken to mitigate the risk of loss of funds through cancelled arrangements, and any unspent funds must be returned to the Academy.
Unless otherwise approved by the Academy, a limit of one (1) accompanying carer is permitted, per application.
The Academy will reimburse the cost of attending the conference or event upon receiving the expense documentation, not exceeding the approved amount.
Successful applicants will be required to accept a Participation Agreement prior to the grant award.

Eligible expenses	Ineligible expenses
Direct travel costs within the below limits per each expense type: Airfare for economy class flights up to $1,500 per person on domestic or international flights Accommodation expenses up to $250 per room, per night, for a maximum of five (5) nights Other direct travel costs approved by the Academy, such as train and bus fares, taxis, ride share or other local transport – up to $50 per adult, per day, for a maximum of six (6) days. Please note: this item limit does not apply to additional transport costs associated with accessibility needs. Childcare expenses, such as: child centre fees, out of school hours care fees, private childcare expenses, or other direct childcare costs. Please note: this item is only valid for expenses charged by a business or sole trader; funding from this expense type cannot be claimed for informal care providers. Accessibility expenses, such as: travel costs for an accompanying carer, costs associated with specific or additional transport needs, or other expenses to directly support accessibility needs approved by the Academy. Conference or event participation fees.	Food, medical and other personal expenses. Research expenses. Salaries. Institute overheads, managerial and administrative costs.

Eligible expenses

Ineligible expenses

Direct travel costs within the below limits per each expense type:
- Airfare for economy class flights up to $1,500 per person on domestic or international flights
- Accommodation expenses up to $250 per room, per night, for a maximum of five (5) nights
- Other direct travel costs approved by the Academy, such as train and bus fares, taxis, ride share or other local transport – up to $50 per adult, per day, for a maximum of six (6) days. Please note: this item limit does not apply to additional transport costs associated with accessibility needs.
Childcare expenses, such as: child centre fees, out of school hours care fees, private childcare expenses, or other direct childcare costs. Please note: this item is only valid for expenses charged by a business or sole trader; funding from this expense type cannot be claimed for informal care providers.
Accessibility expenses, such as: travel costs for an accompanying carer, costs associated with specific or additional transport needs, or other expenses to directly support accessibility needs approved by the Academy.
Conference or event participation fees.

Food, medical and other personal expenses.
Research expenses.
Salaries.
Institute overheads, managerial and administrative costs.

How to apply

Submit an online application on the Academy’s grant portal, and attach the following documents:

Applicant’s CV.
Confirmed activity supporting documentation (such as, an event brochure or registration website).

Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed for eligibility by the Academy. Eligible applications will be selected for funding by a computerised random selection generator based on proposed budget and available funding.

Reporting requirements

Successful applicants will be required to submit a report one month after attending the event or activity to provide feedback on how the grant enabled their engagement and participation. The Academy will provide reporting template to the awardees.

Acknowledgement and use of assets

It is a requirement that any publication or media release resulting from the activities funded by this program mention the support of the Australian Academy of Science and the Theo Murphy Initiative (Australia).

Notification of outcome

Applications close at 5 pm (AEST) on 1 October 2025 and the outcomes are expected towards the end of December 2025 along with the outcomes of Flagship and Amplify activities

Grant opening, selection, and award process

Call for applications: August 2025

Eligibility screening: October 2025

Selection of applications using random draw generator: November 2025

Notification of outcomes: December 2025

For further information contact

Australian Academy of Science
GPO Box 783
Canberra ACT 2601

Phone: +61 2 6201 9433
Email: theomurphyau@science.org.au

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