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NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships

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The 2025 NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships round for funding commencing 2026 will open on 9 April 2025.

Students intending to apply in the upcoming round are asked to notify the Research Office and Graduate School by completing a mandatory Notification of Intent.

Key dates for 2025 NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships (for funding commencing in 2026)

  • NHMRC round opening: 9 April 2025
  • UQ R&I Notice of Intent close: 14 May 2025
  • Minimum data requirements in Sapphire*: 5PM AEST, 14 May 2025
  • Applications due to UQ R&I for review: 14 May 2025
  • Applications close with NHMRC: 5PM AEST, 4 June 2025
  • Anticipated notification of outcomes: September 2025 (date is indicative and subject to change)

Overview

NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships aim to increase research capacity in Australia by supporting outstanding health and medical graduates early in their career so they can be trained to conduct research that is internationally competitive and develop a capacity for original independent research within Australia.

Postgraduate Scholarships are available on both a full- and part-time basis and provide a salary support stipend and allowance.

Eligibility

To apply for an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship, the chief investigator (CI) must:

  • be undertaking a higher degree by research (i.e. a PhD or a Research Masters)
  • not have previously received an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship
  • not be a recipient of an Australian Government funded stipend such as a Research Training Program (RTP) stipend at the time of application, during peer review, or for the duration of the grant, if accepted
  • not exceed 12 calendar months of full-time equivalent enrolment for a PhD degree, or six calendar months for a Research Masters degree, up to 31 December in the year of application.

To accept and hold an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship, the CI must:

  • be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident of Australia
  • be based in Australia for at least 80% of the funding period
  • not hold a full-time academic position, or other full-time positions, in conjunction with their NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship.

How to apply

Internal notice of intent process

All candidates intending to submit an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship application are required to submit an internal Notification of Intent. This information will ensure timely confirmation of applicant eligibility by the Research Office and Graduate School.

Step 1. Sapphire set up and scheme reading

  • Applications must be submitted via the NHMRC's Sapphire portal.
  • If you do not already have a Sapphire account, register for one as soon as possible and ensure your profile is up to date.
  • Familiarise yourself with the key NHMRC documentation (scheme guidelines, templates).
  • Secure your supervisor’s support, noting that they are required to provide a supervisor report as part of your application.
  • Complete the UQ Funding Application Certification Form (see below) to confirm your obligations and formalise school/institute support for your application.

Step 2. Completing the application

  • Log into Sapphire and complete the application form.
  • Complete the grant proposal document and upload to Sapphire.
  • Work with your supervisor to complete the supervisor statement, then upload it to Sapphire.

Step 3. UQR&I internal review and feedback

  • The UQ Research Office reviews all applications for eligibility and compliance with the NHMRC’s requirements.
  • Applications must be submitted to the Research Office for review at the UQ R&I due date noted above.
  • Ahead of this internal review, ensure all online components are complete and generate your proposal snapshot pdfs in Sapphire by clicking the ‘Preview’ button in the top-right of the application window.
  • To initiate internal review, email your completed Funding Application Certification Form and copies of your grant proposal and supervisor statement in Word format to the Research Office at nhmrc@research.uq.edu.au.
  • A member of the Pre-Award grants team will review your application and provide feedback on eligibility to apply and compliance with scheme guidelines.
  • An iterative review process may occur if necessary to ensure application compliance.

Step 4. Final submission

  • When the application is finalised, please certify in Sapphire (see ‘Certification’ tab in the application window).
  • The application will flow to the Research Office Dashboard in Sapphire for institutional certification and submission to NHMRC.

 

Key documents

This section will be updated once the Grant Guidelines are released on 9 April 2025.

NHMRC

    The NHMRC grant guidelines and the full suite of NHMRC documents will be published on GrantConnect, the Australian Government grants information system (login required).

    UQ

    The UQ Funding Application Certification form will be available here shortly.

    Contact UQ R&I

    Scheme and Sapphire queries

    Round coordinators
    Pre-Award Health team

    If you are applying through UQ but are not a current UQ staff member, please contact the round team above so that you can be added to a mailing list for updates.