UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards

Key dates for UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards 2025

Round opens: Monday 7 April 2025
Nomination Forms due to School/Centre/Institute: Determined locally to support Recommendation Form preparation.
Nomination Forms due to UQ Research Office: 16 May 2025, 5:00 PM
Recommendation Forms due to Faculty & Institute Research Managers: 16 May 2025, 5:00 PM
Faculty & Institute Rankings and Recommendation forms due to UQ Research Office: 10 June 2025, 5:00 PM
Announcement: Research and Innovation Week, UQ Research and Innovation Awards for Excellence – held between 8-12 September 2025.

Overview

The University of Queensland Foundation Research Excellence Awards (UQ FREA) celebrates the exceptional research achievements and leadership potential of individual early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs). By recognising and supporting EMCRs this prestigious award aims to foster their development as research leaders, enabling them to make a sustained impact in their disciplines.

UQ FREA aims to accelerate the career development of the recipients, empowering researchers to enhance their research trajectory and leadership capabilities over a 12-month period.

The selection of awardees will be based on two primary criteria:

Track record: the nominee’s track record of excellence and impact in their field, relative to opportunity.
Proposal: The merit of the proposal to utilise UQ FREA funding to enhance their career development and establish themselves as emerging research leaders.

Awards of up to $50,000 are available. Funding will commence on 01 January 2026 and it is expected that funds will be fully expended within 12 months.

How to apply

Step 1: Familiarise yourself with the key UQ documentation.
Step 2: Complete the UQ FREA nomination form.
Step 3: Work with your School/Centre/Institute to prepare the 2025 UQ FREA Recommendation Form (To be completed by Head of School/Centre/Institute)

Readership and researcher support

Before applying, we recommend you:

Contact your faculty or institute research manager for advice on peer readership programs.
Join 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.
If offered, attend UQ R&I information sessions and access PowerPoint presentations from presentations and slides.

Key Resources

2025 UQ FREA Nomination Form
2025 UQ FREA Recommendation Form (To be completed by Head of School/Centre/Institute)
2025 UQ FREA Guidelines (PDF, 197.3 KB) (Updated 09 April)
2025 UQ FREA Conditions of Award (PDF, 265.1 KB)
2025 UQ FREA Career Disruption Calculator (XLSX, 17.6 KB)
2025 Faculty and Institute Ranking Spreadsheet (XLSX, 18.6 KB)

Additional resources

SAMPLE 2025 UQ FREA Nomination Form
Visit the UQ Library's website for assistance with bibliometrics including collating evidence of end-user impact.

Reporting

UQ FREA Final Report Proforma (post-award resource) (DOC, 2.3 MB)