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NHMRC Synergy Grants

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Key dates for NHMRC Synergy Grants 2025 (for funding from 2026)

  • Release of Funding Rules: 5 February 2025
  • Proposals open in Sapphire: 5 February 2025
  • UQ Research and Innovation (UQ R&I) NOI close: 5 March 2025
  • Minimum data requirements in Sapphire: 5 March 2025
  • Applications due to UQ R&I: 12 March 2025
  • Applications close with NHMRC: 2 April 2025
  • Proposed peer review Stage 1: mid-May to early June 2025
  • Proposed peer review Stage 2: July 2025
  • Anticipated notification of outcomes: late October 2025

Overview

Synergy Grants support outstanding multidisciplinary teams of investigators to work together to answer major questions that cannot be answered by a single investigator.

The intended outcomes of the Synergy Grant scheme are:

  • multidisciplinary research that addresses major problems in all areas of human health and medical research, from discovery to translation, and
  • highly collaborative teams of diverse researchers including by gender, career stage and cultural background, working together to address major problems in human health.

How to apply

Early discussions

Researchers contemplating an application into the 2025 Synergy round are welcome to contact the Major Initiatives Team (majorinitiatives@research.uq.edu.au) for early discussions about competitiveness and strategy.

Step 1. Submit an internal notice of intent (NOI)

All researchers intending to submit a 2025 NHMRC Synergy Grant must also submit an internal NOI. These will be collated centrally and distributed to Faculties and Institutes in order to provide maximum support to the UQ research community.

Submit NOI

Step 2. Register for Sapphire, update your profile, create an application

  • Applications are submitted via Sapphire. All team members (Chief Investigators and Associate Investigators) must therefore have a Sapphire account with an up-to-date profile:
    • If you already have a Sapphire account, log into Sapphire and review / update your profile.
    • If you do not have a Sapphire account, please register for Sapphire. Note that requests for Sapphire accounts / activations are not instantaneous, so we recommend you register as soon as possible.
  • Create an application in Sapphire. Invite collaborating investigators to be participants by adding them to the Research Team on Sapphire.

Step 3. Complete the application

  • Log into Sapphire and complete the application sections.
  • Upload all relevant attachments and ensure all investigators have accepted their invitations.

Step 4. Notify UQ R&I that your application is ready for internal review

  • Review your application and ensure all sections are complete.
  • Certify your application to RAO in Sapphire. TO do this, select 'Certification' from the left-hand menu within the application and follow the steps to submit the application to the Research Office. Application errors will be signalled and can be corrected at this stage.
  • To initiate internal review, email your completed UQ Certification Form (see UQ Resources below) to UQ R&I at nhmrc@research.uq.edu.au.
  • UQ R&I will review your application in accordance with your NOI (eligibility and compliance +/- grantscraft) and provide feedback.

Step 5. Certify your application to RAO for submission

  • Certify your application to RAO in Sapphire.
  • With your approval, UQ R&I will submit your application to the NHMRC.

    Readership and researcher support

    Before applying, we recommend you:

    Key documents

    NHMRC

    The NHMRC documentation will be available from GrantConnect, the Australian Government grants information system. You need to be a GrantConnect registered user to download the NHMRC Synergy Grants documentation prior to starting your application in Sapphire.

    To register, you will need to complete the New User Registration on the GrantConnect website. Additional information on the NHMRC Synergy Grants scheme can be found on the NHMRC’s website.

    Australian Standard Research Classifications Guide including Broad Research Areas, Fields of Research and NHMRC Keywords/Phrases

    UQ


    A range of resources and workshops from the UQ library is also available to assist researchers applying for this scheme

     

    Contact UQ R&I

    Scheme and Sapphire queries

    Round coordinators
    Pre-Award Health team

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