The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) grant opportunity provides focused research support for early career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions.

The DECRA scheme objectives are to:

• support outstanding early-career researchers with demonstrated capacity for high-quality research and emerging capability for leadership and supervision;
• foster collaboration, with national or international researchers
• support excellent and innovative research that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge and represents value for money;
• create new or advanced knowledge resulting from the outcomes of the research with economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and
• advance promising early career researchers and promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways in high-quality and supportive environments.

The DECRA scheme provides funding for three-year DECRAs, providing a researcher with salary and on-costs, and up to $50,000 per year in project costs.

A DECRA candidate must satisfy the eligibility criteria for the role they are to perform as listed in the relevant Grant Guidelines.

A previous recipient, or an individual who has been nominated for a DECRA on two previous occasions, is not eligible to apply for another DECRA. This includes withdrawn and ineligible applications.

To be eligible, the candidate must, as at the grant opportunity closing date:

• not be nominated for more than one DECRA in a grant opportunity;
• have met their obligations regarding previously funded projects, including submission of satisfactory final reports to the ARC at the grant opportunity closing date;
• have an award of PhD date on, or after 1 March 2019; or
• have an award of PhD date together with an allowable period of career interruptions that would be commensurate with an award of PhD date on, or after 1 March 2019. The allowable career interruptions set out and the period allowed for each are in Table 8 of the Discovery Program Grant Guidelines – Fellowships (2023 edition).

If a DECRA candidate has more than one PhD, the earliest awarded PhD must fall within this timeframe.

A DECRA candidate can be concurrently funded through the Discovery Program for a maximum of: one ARC Fellowship and one project as a CI; or one ARC Fellowship or project if the individual is also a Director on an active ARC Centre of Excellence and/or a Special Research Initiative project.

• Phone: (02) 6287 6600
• Email: arc-ncgp@arc.gov.au