Targeted Calls for Research
A Targeted Call for Research (TCR) is a one-time solicitation for grant applications to address a specific health issue. A TCR specifies the scope and objectives of the research to be proposed, application requirements and procedures, and the review criteria to be applied in the evaluation of applications submitted in response to the TCR.
Click on the following headings to view key dates and call specific documentation for current rounds.
How to apply
Step 1. Sapphire updates and scheme reading
Register for Sapphire and review/update your Profile.
Familiarise yourself with the key National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and The University of Queensland (UQ) documentation.
Step 2. Completing the application
- Log into Sapphire and complete the application.
Step 3. UQ R&I internal review and feedback
- Sapphire application completion: Ahead of internal review, ensure all online components are complete and valid in Sapphire and supporting documents have been uploaded.
- Sapphire Certification/Submit to RAO: Select 'Certification' from the left-hand menu within your TCR Grant application and follow the instructions to submit the application to the RAO.
- UQR&I Review Request: Email your completed Call Specific UQ Application Certification Form (with Head of School/Institute Signature) to UQ R&I at nhmrc@research.uq.edu.au
- Internal review is undertaken by UQ R&I and feedback provided (compliance/eligibility/grantsmanship).
Step 4. Final submission
- Final submission by UQ R&I to NHMRC.
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.
2025 Early Onset Cancer
Key Dates
- UQR&I Notice of Intent (NOI) due to UQ R&I: 25 August 2025
- Minimum data requirement in Sapphire: 5 PM ACT time, 27 August 2025
- Applications due to UQ R&I: 27 August 2025
- Applications close with NHMRC: 5PM ACT time, 10 September 2025
Notice of Intent
All researchers intending to submit an NHMRC Targeted Call application are required to submit a UQR&I Notice of Intent NOIs will be collated centrally and distributed to Faculties and Institutes in order to provide maximum support to the UQ research community.
Overview
Cancer Australia has established the Cancer Australia Research Initiative (CARI), a new initiative designed to reflect the contemporary cancer research landscape and ensure alignment with the Australian Cancer Plan to fund cancer research in areas of unmet and emerging need. CARI is directed by Cancer Australia, jointly funded by NHMRC and designed in accordance with the NHMRC’s Targeted Calls for Research (TCR) model.
Cancer Australia identified early-onset cancer (EOC) as a strategic priority due to its global rise and diverse tumour sub-types, requiring further research on environmental and genetic interactions.
The first CARI TCR grant opportunity aims to:
- Enhance understanding of EOC and develop novel clinical approaches for earlier diagnosis and innovative models of care to ensure effective management for those affected by EOC
- Support programs that leverage existing, multidisciplinary, collaborative activities, and that are designed to link to enduring broader research initiatives, to inform policy and large scale, novel research for EOC in future.
The first CARI TCR grant opportunity will be guided by strategic, long-term approaches to address the possible causes, pathogenesis, early recognition and diagnosis, as well as complexities of management and survivorship associated with EOC.
Applications may focus on a single tumour sub-type or multiple tumour types. Proposals addressing cancers that have a greater burden of disease are encouraged.
Eligibility
Investigator and project eligibility details are outlined in the NHMRC TCR grant opportunity guidelines. Some important items are summarised below:
- Applicant team is expected to consist of a minimum of 30% early to mid-career researchers (EMCRs). These are defined as:
- ECR: within 5 years of their PhD award date, excluding career disruptions.
- MCR: within 5-10 years of their PhD award date, excluding career disruptions.
- NHMRC requires consumer and community participation, including patients, family and carers, in the planning, conduct and reporting of the research in applications for this TCR. Applicants are therefore required to include in their application details on how they expect to achieve their objectives and outcomes by involving consumers and community in the co-design, delivery and development of the research.
- Applicants can only apply as CIA on one application and may not be a CI on more than two applications.
- At the time of acceptance and for the duration of a grant the CIA must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident of Australia, or have an appropriate work visa in place. The CIA must also be based in Australia for at least 80% of the funding period.
Key documents
NHMRC
Before applying, please review the full suite of documents available from GrantConnect the Australian Government grants information system. (Login required).
UQ
A range of resources and workshops from the UQ library are also available to assist researchers applying for this scheme.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health - Addressing Violence for Safer Families and Communities 2025
The round is currently open.
Key Dates
- UQR&I Notice of Intent (NOI) due to UQ R&I: 31 July 2025
- Minimum data requirement in Sapphire: 5PM ACT time, 6 August 2025
- Applications due to UQ R&I: 6 August 2025
- Applications close with NHMRC: 5PM ACT time, 20 August 2025
Notice of Intent
All researchers intending to submit an NHMRC Targeted Call application are required to submit an internal Notice of Intent. NOIs will be collated centrally and distributed to Faculties and Institutes in order to provide maximum support to the UQ research community.
Overview
This TCR aims to address the health and wellbeing needs of families and communities to be safe through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led, and multidisciplinary approach. A multidisciplinary approach may include embedding culturally safe, trauma-informed, and community-driven approaches across all areas of health and associated support systems. It may also include a holistic understanding of health and wellbeing and include broad issues such as social justice, equity and rights as well as traditional knowledge, traditional healing and connection to country.
The objectives of this grant opportunity are to facilitate research that:
- Values community led partnerships. Ensure that governance, research processes and health outcomes are culturally responsive, meaningful, and ethical from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.
- Applies a multidisciplinary, trauma-informed approach. Build a strong evidence base for targeted interventions addressing current and future risks to family and community health systems.
- Expands research capacity. Strengthen the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and the research team to partner with community and organisations to deliver meaningful positive impact on communities. The focus should be on transformative exchange of skills and knowledge to create safer family and community health service delivery programs in relation to family and community violence in Australia.
- Cultivates strength and resilience. Empower individuals, families, and communities to address violence to foster safer and flourishing families and communities.
- Understands challenges. Gain in-depth understanding into the violence-related health and wellbeing challenges faced by families, communities and clinicians and meeting the needs of at-risk populations.
- Generates community-driven data. Focus on achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data sovereignty at all stages of the health project from research design to research translation and implementation while building the capacity to support this objective.
- Investigates the effectiveness of existing services. Provide evidence to support the widespread adoption of effective models of care that are proven to improve outcomes and healthcare journeys in relation to family and community violence.
Eligibility
The Chief Investigator A (CIA) must be of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent.
Applicants can only apply as CIA on one application and may not be a CI on more than two applications.
At the time of acceptance and for the duration of a grant the CIA must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a permanent resident of Australia, or have an appropriate work visa in place. The CIA must also be based in Australia for at least 80% of the funding period.
Key documents
NHMRC
Before applying, please review the full suite of documents available from GrantConnect the Australian Government grants information system. (Login required).
UQ
A range of resources and workshops from the UQ library are also available to assist researchers applying for this scheme.
2024 High Health Service Utilisation
The round is currently awating outcomes.
Key Dates
- NOI due to UQ R&I: 26 February 2025
- Minimum data requirements in Sapphire: 5PM ACT time (4pm QLD time) 26 February 2025
- Applications due to UQ R&I: 26 February 2025
- Applications close with NHMRC: 5PM ACT time (4pm QLD time) 26 March 2025
Overview
This Targeted Call for Research will facilitate research that will improve understanding of the patient journey, where the critical issues are for people to access timely and appropriate care in diverse geographic locations and in different sectors of the healthcare services (primary care, hospitals and allied health services). In addition, this TCR will also support research that examines current healthcare delivery approaches/models of care (e.g. wraparound care, enhanced integrated health care), explore potential improvements and/or development of new models and/or ways to better implement them, particularly for people with complex health needs. Applications that consider workforce issues and high healthcare service utilisation such as capacity, expertise and sustainability in the delivery of care will also be considered.
The objectives of this grant opportunity are to facilitate research that:
- examines high healthcare service utilisation from the points of view of people with lived experience and relevant stakeholders (i.e acute and primary care clinicians, funders, policy makers, service providers)
- gains in-depth understanding of the challenges facing people with different types of high healthcare service utilisation when managing their health, and the challenges facing clinicians and health systems in trying to meet the needs of these vulnerable patients
- investigates the effectiveness of existing services and programs by providing an evidence-base to support widespread uptake of services and models of care that are proven to improve patient outcomes and patient journeys
Eligibility
Applicants can only apply as CIA on one application to the TCR: 2024 2024 High Health Service Utilisation grant opportunity
Notice of Intent
All researchers intending to submit an NHMRC Targeted Call application are required to submit an internal Notice of Intent. NOIs will be collated centrally and distributed to Faculties and Institutes in order to provide maximum support to the UQ research community.
Key documents
NHMRC
Before applying, please review the full suite of documents available GrantConnect the Australian Government grants information system. (Login required).
Additional information on the TCR is available on the NHMRC website .
UQ
A range of resources and workshops from the UQ library are also available to assist researchers applying for this scheme.
Contact UQ R&I
Scheme and Sapphire queries
nhmrc@research.uq.edu.au
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 so that you can be added to a mailing list for updates.