ARC Discovery Indigenous

Key dates for ARC Discovery Indigenous 2027

Applications open in RMS: 2 June 2026
Funding Application Certification available in MyResearch: 3 June 2026
UQ Notice of Intent due to UQ Research Office: 4 August 2026
Applications due to UQ Research Office: 4 August 2026
Requests Not to Assess due to UQ Research Office: 6 August 2026
Applications close with ARC: 25 August 2026
Anticipated Rejoinder period: 18 November to 1 December 2026
Anticipated announcement: 23 June to 7 July 2027

Overview

The Discovery Indigenous scheme supports excellent, investigator-driven research led by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researchers, delivering social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits for Australia.

Eigibility

The ARC has made changes to the upcoming Discovery Indigenous 2027 (IN27) round to reinforce Indigenous leadership and strengthen Australia's Indigenous researcher workforce. To be eligible:

Chief Investigator roles must be held by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander researchers, reflecting the scheme's focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led research across all disciplines.
Researchers who are not Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander may continue to participate as Partner Investigators, or may be eligible to apply for funding under other ARC schemes, where appropriate.

How to apply

Step 1. UQ Notice of Intent (NOI)

All researchers intending to submit an ARC Discovery Indigenous application for funding in 2027 are required to submit a mandatory internal Notice of Intent. NOIs will be collated centrally and distributed to Faculties and Institutes to maximise support to the UQ research community. If you would like to discuss your intention to apply with your local area, please contact your Faculty/Institute Research Manager.

Submit UQ Notice of Intent

Step 2. RMS updates and scheme reading

Update your full profile in RMS ‘Person Profile’. If any team members are new to RMS and need a login/password, we strongly recommend starting this process early.
Familiarise yourself with the key Australian Research Council (ARC) and UQ documentation. It is especially important to familiarise yourself with ARC's Grant Guidelines and Instructions to Applicants documents.

Step 3. Completing the application

Log into RMS, create an application and make sure UQ is listed as the Administering Organisation.
Use the UQ templates available below to draft your documents to be uploaded to your application in RMS.
Complete the application in RMS.
When ready for review, ensure all online components are complete and valid, generate a whole application PDF for your records and select 'Submit to Research Office' in RMS.

Step 4. Research Office internal review and feedback

Please ensure you have completed your Funding Application Certification in MyResearch. You can commence and submit this in MyResearch at any stage prior to submission for internal review.
To initiate internal review, email the UQ Research Office at ARC@research.uq.edu.au. Please include your completed UQ Pending and Newly Funded ARC grants form in your email.
Please note that RMS does not alert the Research Office when you create or submit an application in RMS.
If you are lodging a 'Request Not to Assess' (RNTA), please complete the 'Request Not to Assess' form in RMS and then submit to the Research Office for review by the date stated in key dates above. Instructions for creating a RNTA will be made available on GrantConnect.
The Research Office will review your application and provide you with feedback.

MyResearch instructions, guides and videos for all participants are available on the MyResearch website at MyResearch Latest Updates. Email my-research-help@uq.edu.au for system troubleshooting.

Step 5. Final submission

When your application is complete and fully compliant, the UQ Research Office will submit the application to the ARC through RMS.

Readership and researcher support

Before applying, we recommend you:

Familiarise yourself with the framework for Applying for Competitive Research Grants at UQ.
Contact your faculty or institute research manager for advice on peer readership programs.
Subscribe to the UQ R&I Mailer to stay up to date with round developments.
Access the UQ R&I Grants Library, a helpful resource of past successful proposals.
Read the UQ R&I Grant writing advice and strategy website for tips on preparing your application

Key documents

ARC

Before applying, please review the full suite of documents available via GrantConnect, the Australian Government grants information system (login required).

UQ

Mandatory Forms

IN27 Pending and newly awarded ARC grants form (DOCX, 37.6 KB)

Templates

Additional resources

UQ library resources and support

Metrics, Impact and Engagement
Researcher identifiers and profiles
Metrics for grant writing: listen to recorded workshop
How is your research performing: listen to recorded workshop

Rejoinders and rebuttal

In the ARC assessment and rejoinder process, comments from external assessors may be made available to applicants, and applicants given the opportunity to submit a rejoinder. Detailed information on the rejoinder process (including instructions for accessing assessment reports and submitting rejoinders) is available from the ARC website.

The Research Office has developed a Rejoinder Tip Sheet and FAQ document (PDF, 390.3 KB) to assist you in crafting your rejoinder.