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Research & project external funding

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Funds to support activities, research and exchanges with a number different countries

The APEC Education Foundation

The APEC Foundation generally awards grants within the following three broad areas:

  • Educational Cooperation
    Initiatives that advance cooperation and exchange of experiences and know-how among educational institutions in APEC economies on areas such as teacher professional development, distance learning and educational management training
  • Research and Scholarship
    Joint research and the preparation of reports that promote the advancement of education among the highly diverse APEC economies
  • Community Building
    Educational exchanges and other activities that enhance education throughout the APEC region

AusAID

The Commonwealth Foundation

The Commonwealth Foundation's civil society responsive grants enable people from developing Commonwealth countries to participate in activities such as short training courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, cultural festivals, exchanges and study visits in other Commonwealth countries.

The Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation is a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide. Their goals for more than half a century have been to:

  • Strengthen democratic values
  • Reduce poverty and injustice
  • Promote international cooperation
  • Advance human achievement

Organisations Seeking Grants
The Ford Foundation’s overall mission is to reduce poverty and injustice and to promote democratic values, international cooperation and human achievement. If your project complies with these goals, you may consider submitting a grant inquiry using their online form.

Individuals Seeking Fellowships
The Ford Foundation make a very limited number of grants to individuals, generally restricted to fellowships for advanced study. The Foundation does not award undergraduate scholarships or make grants for purely personal needs.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty.

Grantmaking Areas:

  • Global Development Program
  • Global Health Program
  • United States Program
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International Science Linkages (DIISR)

The International Science Linkages (ISL) program aims to assist Australian researchers to increase their participation in international leading edge scientific research, to leverage access to international research funds, to raise the profile of Australian research, and to support the development of strategic alliances between Australian researchers and international researchers and industry. The ISL program will increase Australia's capacity to attract overseas research and development (R&D) investment, promote innovation, and increase the economic and social impact of Australian research.

The McKnight Foundation

McKnight's Southeast Asia Grants Program seeks to increase the capacity of isolated communities and families to achieve self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life. The program supports projects that increase economic opportunities and protect and improve the livelihoods of especially vulnerable people and communities; that protect and better manage existing natural resources as a community development strategy; and that address war legacy issues, by helping build the capacity of landmine/Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) survivors and their families to achieve economic independence and long-term self-sufficiency. Efforts that recognize the specific challenges facing indigenous ethnic minority populations are a high priority.

The first step for funding is to submit a 2-4 page letter that describes the organization, experience in the types of project activities proposed, a clear description of the proposed project, projected outcomes and the amount of funding requested.

The Rockefeller Foundation

Initiatives funded by the Rockefeller Foundation are largely focused in a small group of areas in which the Foundation may play a special role: global health, agricultural productivity, innovation for development, economic resilience and urban life.

Initiatives take many forms and use many methods, but nearly all draw on creating opportunities for the world’s poor or vulnerable people by spurring entrepreneurship, promoting innovation, building human and institutional capital, catalysing the creation of new fields and expanding access to and distribution of resources.

If you have an initiative that falls in their areas on interest you can submit an online form outlining the idea.

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Funds for activities with specific countries

ARAB REGION

The Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) is inviting grant funding applications for projects that will enhance Australia's economic, cultural and social-relations with the Arab Region.

CAAR’s areas of priority for funding are:

  1. Business
  2. Education
  3. Culture
  4. Public Policy (inc media) and society
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BRAZIL

Brazilian Academy of Sciences

The Brazilian Academy of Sciences has an international scientific cooperation program designed to stimulate the production of joint research projects between Brazilian scientists and members of the international scientific community.

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT)

The MCT of Brazil manages the major sector funding for programs in Brazil (FNDCT) and announces funding sources and new national programs such as the Global Fund for the Environment (GEF) and pilot projects such as the forest protection under the Amazon subprogram. Major sector programs include: aeronautics, agribusiness, Amazon conservation, fisheries, biotechnology, energy, space, water, IT, infrastructure minerals, petroleum, health and transport. The webpage also provides a link to the major agencies and research organisations in Brazil.

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CANADA

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada – Science and Technology Program

  • Funding Guide for International Science and Technology Cooperation: This online database provides a list of international funding opportunities in science and technology.
  • Going Global Program: This program provides funding for face-to face meetings toinititate and solidify international collaboration between Canadian researchers and key players in other countries.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

  • Discovery Grants: Funds ongoing programs of research with long-term goals. Non-Canadian researchers may apply as collaborators with a Canadian-based research team.
  • Special Research Opportunities: Funds unique, emerging, timely or urgent opportunities. Non-Canadian researchers may apply as collaborators with a Canadian-based research team.
  • Collaborative Health Research Projects: Funds collaborative research projects in any field of the natural sciences/ engineering and the health sciences. Non-Canadian researchers may apply as collaborators with a Canadian-based research team.
  • Visiting Fellowships in Canadian Government Laboratories: Postdoctoral opportunities for recent graduates of any nationality to work with research groups in Canadian government departments and agencies.

Canadian Institutes of Health

  • Operating grants: Funding for all areas of health research. Non-Canadian researchers may apply as co-applicants in a group project.
  • Team Grants: Funding for health research that is best approached through a collaborative team. Non-Canadian researchers must apply as co-applicants in a group project.
  • Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grants: Funding for meetings and or/knowledge translation for health researchers and or users of health research.
  • CIHR Fellowships: Three to five year research fellowships for recent graduates of a PhD or a professional health degree.

For more information on all of the above Canadian research funding email:
Academic Relations – Canadian High Commission

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CHINA

Australia China Council

Australia-China Council grants are intended to provide seed funds for innovative proposals relevant to the mission and goals of the Council. This includes proposals which demonstrate the potential for the development of long-term links between individuals and institutions in Australia and counterparts in China.

Australia-China Special Fund for S&T Cooperation (part of the International Science Linkages program)

The Australian Government in conjunction with the Government of the People's Republic of China has established the Australia-China Special Fund for S&T Cooperation (Australia-China Special Fund). The Australia-China Special Fund is jointly managed by the Australian Government Department Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) and its Chinese counterpart, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

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FRANCE

French-Australian S&T (FAST) Program (part of the International Science Linkages program)

The Australian Government in conjunction with the Government of the Republic of France has established the French-Australian S&T (FAST) Program. FAST is jointly managed by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) and its French counterparts, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR) and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE).

The objective of FAST is to promote and support scientific and technological cooperation between Australian and French researchers in both public and private sectors.

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INDIA

Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (part of the International Science Linkages program)

The Indo-Australian S&T Fund and the Indo-Australian Biotechnology Fund provide support, assessed on a competitive basis, to promote and support scientific and technological cooperation between Australian and Indian researchers in both the public and private sectors, drawing on complementary strengths in both countries. The Indo-Australian S&T Fund and the Indo-Australian Biotechnology Fund provide funding support for collaborative research activities and workshops.Targeted Allocations promotes effective research collaboration by providing a vehicle for the Australian Government to establish strategic links and relationships with Indian counterparts.

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JAPAN

A number of grants for Japan/Asia-Pacific related projects have been announced by the Japan Foundation, a non-profit organisation under the umbrella of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Japan Foundation aims to promote cultural and intellectual exchange between Japan and other countries. They offer a number of grant programmes on an annual basis, in the areas of Arts and Culture, Japanese Language Education Overseas, and Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange. The University has successfully applied for these programmes in the past.

This year's intake, for projects taking place between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010, is now open. Applications close at 5.00 pm sharp on 1 December 2008. Applications must be sent to the Japan Foundation's office in Sydney, by post or courier - applications sent by fax or email are not accepted.

For university applicants, the following programmes may be of interest:

  1. Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship
    Short- and long-term fellowships for specialists (scholars, doctoral candidates, short-term researchers) in the fields of humanities and social sciences to conduct research in Japan. Applicants can be from any humanities or social science area - this is not limited to Japanese Studies.
  2. Grant Programme for Intellectual Exchange Conferences
    Partial funding for academic and research institutions to hold collaborative intellectual projects, such as international conferences, seminars, workshops and training, that address common problems and foster mutual understanding in the Asia and Oceania region. This grant is also open to projects in the field of Japanese Studies. (As a general rule, projects with a strong regional focus - ie. involving the wider Asia-Pacific region, not just Japan and Australia - tend to have a greater chance of success when applying for this programme.)

Application guidelines and further information on these and other programmes can be obtained from the Japan Foundation, Sydney:
Tel: (02) 8239 0055 (Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange Department)
www.jpf.org.au/grants

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KOREA


The Australia - Korea Foundation (AKF) was established by the Australian Government in 1992 to develop contacts and exchanges between the peoples of Australia and Korea. The Foundation promotes people-to-people and institutional links covering the spectrum of Australia's relations with Korea. This includes education, science and technology, commerce and industry, arts, the media and sport. It administers and funds projects and programs which will assist in achieving its purposes and aims.

AKF grants are intended to provide seed funds for innovative proposals relevant to the objectives of the Foundation.

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MALAYSIA

Australia Malaysia Institute

The Australia Malaysia Institute provides funds in a broad range of categories all with the aim of deepening understanding between the two countries. These include fellowships for the exchange of postgraduate students and academic staff, as well as small grants for project funding.

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THAILAND

Australia Thailand Institute

Through a competitive selection process, the Australia Thailand Institute provides financial support to selected projects which aim to build community links between Australia and Thailand, particularly with regard to:

  • public policy (including legal issues and education)
  • health and science
  • culture and the arts.
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USA

The Australian Academy of Science and National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The Australian Academy of Science invites expressions of interest from junior scientists who are no more than 30 years of age to visit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States of America. Proposals in any health-related field of natural science will be considered.

Applicants should be either:

  • in the first two years of a PhD degree or equivalent, or
  • have completed a Masters or a Bachelors with Honours degree, or
  • be in the final semester of a Masters or a Bachelor degree with Honours degree.

The duration of the visit is expected to be between six and thirteen weeks.

This scheme is funded by the Adam J Berry Memorial Fund and is operated in collaboration with the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. See the National Institutes of Health website for a list of institutes.

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