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NHMRC Development Grants

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The 2025 round (for funding in 2026) is now open for applications

Key dates for NHMRC Development Grants

  • Proposals open in Sapphire: 16 April 2025
  • UQ Notice of Intent (NOI) close: 07 May 2025
  • Minimum data requirements in Sapphire: 14 May 2025
  • Applications due to UQ R&I: 20 May 2025
  • Applications close with NHMRC: 11 June 2025
  • Anticipated announcement: December 2025

Overview

Development Grants support individual researchers and/or research 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.

Research supported by this scheme must have detailed, feasible strategies for commercialisation and commercial outcomes such as the development of a product, process, procedure or service that would result in improved health care, disease prevention, or health cost savings.

How to apply

Step 1. UQ Notice of Intent and commercialisation discussions

  • All researchers intending to submit a Development Grant application are required to submit an internal Notice of Intent. NOIs will be collated centrally and distributed to Faculties and Institutes  to provide maximum support to the UQ research community.
  • Applicants are advised to contact their relevant UniQuest representative or email enquiries@uniquest.com.au early in the process to discuss potential commercialisation strategies.

Step 2. Update Sapphire and begin your application

  • All researchers listed on a Development Grant application must have an active Sapphire account. If necessary, please register for Sapphire as soon as possible. Requests for Sapphire accounts/activations are often delayed.
  • Log in to Sapphire and review/update your profile, ensuring all sections are current. NHMRC requires sections indicated in the grant guidelines to be up to date; funding will not be awarded if this information is not complete.
  • Create an application in Sapphire. Invite collaborating investigators to be participants by adding them to the Research Team on Sapphire. Do this early to avoid delays if your team need to register for Sapphire accounts.
  • NHMRC provides Sapphire Tutorials, if needed.

Step 3. Completing the application

  • Log in to Sapphire and complete the application sections. Upload all relevant supporting documents and ensure all investigators have accepted their invitations.

Step 4. UQ R&I internal review and feedback

  • Ahead of internal review, ensure all online components in Sapphire are complete/valid and save your application.
  • To initiate internal review, email your completed UQ Application Certification Form (linked below) to UQ R&I at nhmrc@research.uq.edu.au.
  • Internal review at the level you selected in your NOI (eligibility & compliance/grantscraft) will be completed and feedback provided by UQ R&I.
  • The review cycle will iterate until the application is complete and compliant.

Step 5. Final submission

  • Only the CIA can certify the application for submission to NHMRC; this cannot be delegated to other CIs or the Research Office. Please ensure that the CIA is available and contactable on submission day.
  • Once the application is cleared by UQ R&I for submission, CIA will certify the application in Sapphire. The UQ R&I team will then confirm the application in Sapphire and submit it to NHMRC.

Readership and researcher support

Before applying, we recommend you:

Key documents

NHMRC

The NHMRC documentation (GO7567) is available below and from GrantConnect  the Australian Government grants information system. To register, you will need to complete the New User Registration on the GrantConnect website. Additional information on the NHMRC Development Grants scheme can be found on the NHMRC’s website.​​​

UQ

Templates

 

Contact UQ R&I

Scheme and RGMS queries

Round coordinator
Pre-Award Health Team

If you are applying through UQ but you are not a current UQ staff member, please contact the round coordinator to be added to the UQ R&I mailing list.