2027 Grant Round
Applications for our main 2027 grant round have now closed. Applications for the 2027 PhD Scholarship Top-Up grants will open in December 2026.
Applicants for the 2027 round will be notified of outcomes in December 2026. In 2027, MND Australia will offer funding through both our Innovator Grant and Postdoctoral Fellowship schemes. The David Deguara MND Research Fellowship, funded by the MND&Me Foundation, will also be available to researchers based in Queensland. General information is below but please note that these funding streams have closed and may be different for the next grant round.
For projects commencing in 2027, applications were invited across the full spectrum of MND research, including translational, clinical, health services, implementation science, discovery, and biomedical research, as well as projects focused on improving care and quality of life for people living with MND.
To better reflect the breadth of research supported by MND Australia, we expanded and refined our research categories. In addition to basic and biomedical research, applications were encouraged across areas, including:
Clinical measurement and biomarkers
Health care and models of care
Health services and systems research
Bridging health equity gaps
Research translation and implementation science
Psychosocial and cognitive care
Symptom management and supportive technologies
Researchers were encouraged to review the full list of research categories in the application guidelines.
We have also introduced greater flexibility within our funding schemes. From 2027, Innovator Grants may be undertaken at 0.5 FTE and project timelines may extend beyond 12 months where appropriate. Postdoctoral Fellowships may be undertaken at 0.8 FTE.
The deadline for application submission for Innovator grant and Fellowship funding streams was Monday, 21 September at 5pm AEST.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellowships are offered for a period of three years to postdoctoral researchers with a track record in MND or areas related to MND, or who can bring new skills and knowledge into Australian MND research. MND Australia Postdoctoral Fellowships provide a contribution of $125,000 p.a. towards a full-time salary for three years plus a one-off research expense payment of $50,000.
Applicants must have no more than five years research experience from the date their doctoral thesis was passed (as at 21st September 2026).
David Deguara Fellowship
David Deguara Fellowship is offered for a period of three years to Queensland based postdoctoral researchers with a track record in MND or areas related to MND, or who can bring new skills and knowledge into Australian MND research. David Degaura Fellowship provide a contribution of $125,000 p.a towards a full-time salary for three years plus a one-off research expense payment of $50,000.
Applicants must Queensland based with no more than five years research experience from the date their doctoral thesis was passed (as at 21st September 2026).
Innovator Grants
MND Australia funds Innovator Grants to seed innovative projects. These grants are one-year grants to support research that aims to answer new research questions or new aspects of research. MND Australia Innovator Grants are offered to a maximum value of $100,000 for a twelve-month project. Projects can be for shorter time periods and smaller budgets but must be feasible in the proposed time period with the requested resources.
The highest-scoring Care Research Innovator grant application will receive the MND South Australia Care Research Grant. This is the second time we’ve offered a dedicated Care Research grant, and we are very grateful to MND South Australia for their generous support of this important initiative.
Grant review criteria
The MND Australia Grant Review Criteria and Relative to Opportunity Guidelines are aligned with those used by the NHMRC, with appropriate adaptation for MND-specific research.
These guidelines provide detail and clarity around eligibility and reviewing considerations for career disruptions, different career paths and availability of resources.
Please note the scoring criteria are currently being refined and an update guidance document will be provided soon.
Additional information
Although applicants at all levels are permitted to apply, the programs are intended to provide particular opportunities for early and mid-career researchers. It is strongly preferred that senior researchers (Level E) encourage more junior researchers from their research teams to apply.
The potential benefit and relevance of the research to the MND community should be very clearly delineated in the application.
Grants are not intended to fund the incremental progression of a research project that has already been performed or to validate or undertake minor variations of findings already established in other models or disease areas.
If the applicant has received previous funding from MND Australia in the past five years, outcome reports (no more than 1 page each) for each of the previously funded projects must be sent with the current application. These reports should consist of a brief synopsis of the project or fellowship funded. Please detail the outcomes and impacts of the project and the relevance of these to the MND community. This summary will be considered in the review of the application.
There are limits on grant applications in place for individual applicants. A maximum of two Innovator Grants can be held during any five year period. In order to encourage developing researchers, fellowship holders can hold two Innovator Grants in any five year period in addition to the Fellowship.
Grant reporting requirements
MND Australia requires all funded researchers to submit six monthly progress reports and a final report and financial acquittal at the completion of a research project.
Progress and final reports need to be submitted at regular intervals. Please contact us at [email protected] if you require login details to submit a report.
If you need to request an extension or variation to your project, please complete this form and email it to [email protected]