DECRA Fellowships

A scheme for early career researchers (ECRs), which forms a part of the ARC's Discovery program.  The objectives of the DECRA grant opportunity are to:

1. support excellent basic and applied research by early career researchers;
2. support national and international research collaboration;
3. enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas;
4. advance promising early career researchers and promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways; and
5. enable research and research training in high quality and supportive environments.

The intended outcomes of the DECRA scheme are:

1. expanded knowledge base and research capacity in Australia; and
2. economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia.

DECRAs will be awarded funding in 2022 for a period of up to 3 years on a full time-basis. A researcher may only apply for up to 2 DECRAs over the period in which they are eligible.

DE22 is open to applicants who have been awarded a PhD on or after 1 March 2016, 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 2016. The allowable career interruptions set out and the period allowed for each are in Table 9 of the Grant Guidelines for the Discovery Program (2019 edition).

The ARC acknowledge that this is a particularly difficult time for our early career researchers, who have specific eligibility timeframes to apply for the DECRA scheme. The ARC is therefore introducing a one year, automatic eligibility extension, for all researchers currently in their final year of eligibility for a DECRA submission.

Researchers in their final year of eligibility for DECRA may choose to apply in 2020 (i.e. a DE22 application) within the existing eligibility timeframes or in 2021 (i.e. a  DE23 application) utilising the automatic one-year extension.  Final year applicants cannot apply in both DE22 and DE23 rounds.

ARC funding:

Up to a maximum of $154,316 per year of funding. Per annum salary contribution from the ARC is fixed at $104,316 (inc. 30% on costs) and up to a maximum of $50,000 for project costs per year.

PhD stipend rates:

• ARC - $27,609 pa
• Deakin - $28,092 pa

1. Read the Grant Guidelines, Instructions to Applicants and FAQs
2. Liaise with your mentor and complete the Nomination Form
3. Forward the Nomination Form to your Host Head of School or Department / SRC or Institute Director AND your Host Faculty Associate Dean (Research) or Director of IFM / IISRI / A²I²

4. Faculty / IFM / IISRI/ A²I² to send supported nomination forms to DR Grants by 9am Tuesday 1st September 2020

5. Applicants will receive further information on the next steps in the process from DR Grants
6. Applicants to commence application in the ARC Research Management System – RMS. DE22 will open in RMS on Wednesday 16th September 2020
7. Use the Deakin University templates provided below and liaise with the DR-Grants ARC team as necessary
8. Organise certification form
9. Complete submission of your application via RMS to the Research Office for compliance checking and forward your Organisational Statement and completed Certification Form to Deakin Research Grants

The ARC will no longer publish scheme specific documents on its website, but will make these available through GrantConnect. Links to scheme specific documents can be found below.

Policies and Strategies can still be found on the ARC website.

Templates, certification forms and other resources are available below.

Templates:

• Template D1 - Project Description
• Template D2 - Statement by the Administering Organisation
• Template E2 - Justification of non-salary funding from the ARC
• Template E3 - Non-ARC Contributions
• Template F6 - Research Load
• Template F17 - ROPE Academic Career

Certification Forms:

• Certification Form

Other resources:

• Compliance Checklist
• Guidance sheet for D2 Statement by the Administering Organisation
• Budget and Justification Guide
• Request not to Assess form
• Eligibility Exemption Request Form
• Deakin University Salary Calculator
• Form to access library of successful DECRA applications