Development Grants

Development Grants support individuals and/or teams to undertake health and medical research within Australia at the proof-of-concept stage that specifically drives towards a commercial outcome within a foreseeable timeframe.

Key scheme information:

The intended outcomes of the Development Grant scheme are increased rates of translation of health and medical research into commercial outcomes, resulting in improved health and medical knowledge.
Funding provided to support proof-of-concept research with a feasible commercialisation pathway and a high likelihood of producing protected IP.
Provides potential mechanism to progress research to a stage that will be competitive to receive industry investment.
Encourages collaboration between health research, the private sector and industry.
Funding duration is between one and three years and grant amount is dependent on requested budget.

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National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Grants and Tenders

Eligibility

At the time of acceptance and for the duration of a grant the Chief Investigator ‘A’ (CIA) must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident of Australia or have an appropriate work visa in place. The CIA must also be based in Australia for at least 80% of the funding period.
Up to 10 Chief Investigators (CIs) and up to 10 Associate Investigators (AIs) can be named on the application.
The number of NHMRC Development Grants that a Chief Investigator (CI) may concurrently hold and/or apply for is not limited and does not impact eligibility to apply for any other NHMRC grants.

Application timeline

Specific dates are published on ResearchLink or the NHMRC calendar.

	Milestone	What is required
8 weeks before deadline	Applications open in Sapphire	Applicant to start Sapphire application. Notify nhmrc@flinders.edu.au that they are applying. Engage College-based Research Development and Support (RDS) as needed.
4 weeks before deadline	Minimum Data in Sapphire	Applicant must have lodged minimum data in the Sapphire system to continue with their application.
4 weeks before deadline	Compliance review deadline for RDS	Submit your application to Sapphire and the NHMRC grants team in RDS will check your eligibility and review application components against the grant guidelines for compliance.
2 weeks before deadline	Completed application in Sapphire	A completed application must be lodged in Sapphire so that the NHMRC grants team can make final checks and submit.
2 days before deadline	Sapphire certification deadline	Applicant must certify the application in Sapphire to submit their application to NHMRC.
Deadline for submission 4:30pm	Applications close in Sapphire	All applications will be submitted in Sapphire by the NHMRC grants (RAOs) team before the NHMRC deadline.

Application process

Before applications open

Discuss your plans to apply for a Development Grant with your College Research Support team and notify the RDS NHMRC grants team to ensure that you receive information about upcoming rounds, grant development and review.
Attend Researcher Training and Development information sessions run throughout the year (see information about upcoming sessions and recordings of previous sessions here).
Register on GrantConnect to obtain all of the NHMRC documents and updates.
Create or update your NHMRC Sapphire account, including your "my profile" data for application submission.

When applications open

Review your eligibility to apply/hold a Development Grant using the most recent grant guidelines.
Begin your NHMRC Development Grant application in Sapphire and complete minimum data prior to the deadline.
Submit a ResearchNow application to obtain College approval for the submission of your application.
Discuss any support for internal or external quality or scientific review with your College Research Support team.
Meet the RDS internal review deadlines to ensure that your application satisfies the NHMRC eligibility requirements and to ensure that you have time to consider compliance reviews and incorporate feedback.
The RDS NHMRC grants team submits your application on behalf of the University to the NHMRC through Sapphire.