NHMRC e-ASIA Joint Research Program Grants

Overview

NEW: NHMRC has updated the Direct Research Cost (DRC) Guidelines and the 2024 Personnel and Salary Support Package rates for funding commencing in 2025.

The NHMRC e-ASIA Joint Research Program supports Australian participation and collaboration in leading international research through the e-ASIA Joint Research Program (e-ASIA JRP). The e-ASIA JRP supports international joint research projects in the East Asia region.

The e-ASIA JRP selects research projects through an open call for proposals. Fields of cooperation are decided among the e-ASIA participating member organisations and funding is for up to three years.

Consistent with the objectives of the e-Asia JRP, the objectives of this grant program are to:

• develop a vibrant and collaborative research community in science and technology
• promote innovation in the East Asia region
• contribute to the region’s economic development

Eligible Topics

The NHMRC e-ASIA 2024 grant opportunity will support Australian participation and partnership in international collaborative research through the e-ASIA JRP 13th call for proposals under two streams – Health Research and Food and Health.

Further information about the streams is available on the e-ASIA website.

Health Research

The aim of the e-ASIA JRP 13th Call in the field of Health Research is to invite applications that will address health and medical issues in East Asia and neighboring regions and contribute to enhancing regional research capacity through multilateral collaboration. The topics identified for the Health Research stream pose a considerable health threat to East Asian countries and are more broadly considered global health issues.

The Health Research stream focuses on Infectious Diseases and Immunology (including Antimicrobial Resistance).

Projects can be submitted from the full spectrum of health research from basic science, clinical, to applied public health research, that directly relate to human health.

Food and Health

The Food and Health stream focuses on the topics of 1) Personalised Nutrition, and 2) Functional and Future Foods*. This stream emphasises the pursuit of research excellence in the advancement of food and food processes research to achieve specific health benefits.

*NHMRC only funds research relating to human health. For the purposes of this stream, only applications to Topic 1 (Personalised Nutrition) will be considered for funding support. Researchers who wish to join a consortium for Topic 2 (Functional and Future Foods) cannot apply for funding from NHMRC.

Grant value and duration

The provisional funding allocation for the NHMRC e-ASIA 2024 grant opportunity is $5 million split
across the two funding streams. NHMRC’s Research Committee annually reviews and recommends
indicative budget amounts to be awarded across individual funding schemes.

NHMRC e-ASIA 2024 – Health Research stream

Provisional allocation is $3 million. NHMRC will support up to 4 grants up to a capped maximum value of $750,000 per grant. There is no minimum value an applicant can request, per grant.

NHMRC e-ASIA 2024 – Food and Health stream
Provisional allocation is $2 million. NHMRC will support up to 4 grants up to a capped maximum
value of $500,000 per grant. There is no minimum value an applicant can request, per grant.

An NHMRC e-ASIA 2024 grant can be requested for between one and three years depending on the proposal.

Support can be provided in the form of New, In-Kind or Re-budgeting funding modalities from a
minimum of two other partnering e-ASIA member organisations for the project. Applicants should
note that NHMRC only offers New support for NHMRC e-ASIA 2024 grants.

Participating Member Organisations

Health Research stream

• Australia: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) New
• Indonesia: National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) New, In-kind
• Japan: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) New
• Lao PDR: Ministry of Health (MOH) In-kind
• Philippines: Department of Science and Technology (DOSTPCHRD) New
• Singapore: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) In-kind
• USA: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) New, Re-budgeting and In-kind

Food and Health stream

• Australia: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) New
• Cambodia: Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MISTI) In-kind
• Indonesia: National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) New, In-kind
• Lao PDR: Ministry of Health (MOH) In-kind
• Myanmar: Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) In-kind
• Philippines: Department of Science and Technology (DOSTPCHRD) New
• Thailand: Program Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research, and Innovation (PMU-B) New

Note

• Please read the guidelines carefully and in full before commencing an application as this is quite a complicated grant process.
• A Lead Principal Investigator (PI) is to be nominated to represent the participating joint collaboration team. The lead PI is not necessarily the Australian CIA in the application submitted to NHMRC. The lead PI will be required to submit a common application form to the e-ASIA Program Secretariat. A copy of the submitted e-ASIA Common Application must be attached to the NHMRC application. Please refer the e-ASIA JRP webpage for guidelines and proposal template.
• In addition to the NHMRC and general e-ASIA JRP application, there must be partner proposals submitted by applicants from at least two other e-ASIA countries to other participating member organisations will be subject to a peer review and ranking process to be conducted by those participating member organisations.
• Other member organisations may have different submission deadline.  Please ensure that you contact your collaborators and their respective member organisations directly for application requirements and deadline details.
• NHMRC requires that collaborations must include a Principal Investigator (PI) from at least one member organisation from the following countries:
  • Cambodia
  • Indonesia
  • Lao PDR
  • Thailand

University of Melbourne application requirements

• Applicants must submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) through the university’s NOI submission portal before entering their application in Sapphire. Submitting an NOI ensures that applicants will receive updates about this scheme if and when updates become available.
• Applicants must submit a completed Authority to Submit form (DOCX 129.9 KB) to nhmrc-project@unimelb.edu.au before the final application is due to Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (RIC) (Wednesday 27 March 2024).

NHMRC Open Access Policy

From 1 January 2024, all NHMRC grant holders must comply with NHMRC’s Open Access Policy. The policy requires full and immediate open access for NHMRC-funded research outputs.

For more information on how to comply refer to the UoM webpage on funder open policies.

NHMRC Policy on Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Grant Applications

NHMRC has released some key advice regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in grant application and peer review. Please refer to the NHMRC policy page and note the following:

• Application drafting Information provided to generative artificial intelligence (such as natural language processing models and artificial intelligence technology tools) becomes part of a public database and may be accessed by unspecified third parties. If you use generative artificial intelligence to assist with the drafting of your application, you must ensure you are aware of the potential risks involved, such as those related to security, confidentiality, intellectual property, privacy, the accuracy of information generated and possible plagiarism.
• Peer review Use of generative artificial intelligence in peer review Information provided to generative artificial intelligence (such as natural language processing models and artificial intelligence technology tools) becomes part of a public database and may be accessed by third parties. Peer reviewers must not input any part of a grant application, or any information from a grant application, into a natural language processing and/or artificial intelligence technology system to assist them in the assessment of applications. Use of generative artificial intelligence may compromise the integrity of NHMRC’s peer review process and be in breach of its Principles of Peer Review, the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the confidentiality undertaking of peer reviewers.

Supporting documents

NHMRC Guidelines and grant proposal template are available via GrantConnect (GO6683). To access these documents, click on the "GO Documents" button at the provided link.

e-ASIA JRP Food and Health stream

• Application guidelines
• Application form

e-ASIA JRP Health Research stream

• Application guidelines
• Application form

Contacts