Australia–Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme (UA–DAAD)

Overview

The Australia—Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme is a joint initiative of Universities Australia (UA) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The scheme supports collaborative research projects and exchanges for researchers to spend time at partner institutions in Germany and for collaborating German researchers to spend time at the University of Melbourne. Proposals must include an early career researcher.

Although UA coordinates the scheme in Australia, awards are funded by the participating universities with DAAD in Germany funding the corresponding German activity. This scheme is classified as an internal grant.

Universities Australia maintains a webpage on this scheme: Australia—Germany Joint Research Cooperation Scheme – Universities Australia

German applicants should consult the DAAD website.

Funding

The maximum funding available per Australian application is AUD$12,500 per annum for up to two years (AUD$25,000 across 2027 and 2028). This amount is for Australian applicants only and German researchers will receive a separate stream of funding from the DAAD.

Funding through the scheme will cover the cost of:

• return economy airfares; and
• living expenses.

Eligibility

The eligibility requirements for this scheme are as follows:

• The Lead applicant must hold an appointment at the University of Melbourne at Academic Level A (6) or higher and 0.5 FTE or higher at the time of application and for the duration of the award.
• Honorary employees whose primary academic affiliation is the University of Melbourne are eligible to lead the application if their primary employer has entered into an agreement with the University for the support of the Australian component of the collaborative activity; or may participate at their own expense if they are otherwise unaffiliated (for example, they hold an emeritus position).
• Previous recipients are eligible to apply.
• The relevant Heads of Department/Units must endorse applications.
• PhD candidates enrolled at the University are eligible to receive funding through this scheme but an eligible UoM staff member must be the Lead applicant.
• Lead applicants can lead only one application per round. However, they can be a named non-lead participant on other applications.
• All applications must involve an Early Career Researcher (ECR). ECRs are defined as PhD candidates enrolled at UoM, researchers with a PhD awarded within five years of the application or researchers who, due to career interruptions, have had less than the equivalent of five cumulative years of research experience.
• Project applications on the German side must involve the mobility of early career researchers.
• Projects applications on the German side must envisage two participants or more travelling to the partner institution as part of the project.
  
  The scheme is open to all academic fields of research.

How to apply

1. Read and complete the application package

   Visit the UA-DAAD scheme page and review the Eligibility, Terms and Conditions and Assessment Criteria, and download an Application Form. Complete the package as directed.

2. Prepare and submit your SmartyGrants application (Melbourne applicants only)

   • Complete the SmartyGrants application and attach your UA-DAAD Application Form and the Authority to Submit form.
   • If you are an eligible honorary employee, complete and attach the Honorary Declaration Form.

   All forms and documents can be found below under "Support Documents".

   Ensure you complete your SmartyGrants submission by 15:00 (3pm) on 12 June 2026 so RDS has your application for UA's official 17:00 (5pm) deadline.

   Technical Support: If you encounter any difficulties with the SmartyGrants application, please email res-devschemes@unimelb.edu.au and we will do our best to assist.

3. Ensure the German collaborating partner submits a corresponding application to DAAD

   The German collaborating partner must submit a corresponding application with the same project title to the DAAD. Important: the German partner also needs to commence their application on the DAAD portal to generate a project ID which is required for the Australian application.
   
   Please ensure the collaborating partner checks the DAAD's deadline,  which may differ to the UA/UoM deadline shown above.

Supporting documents

2026 UA Guidelines for Submission
2026 UA Terms and Conditions
2026 UA Application Form
UoM SmartyGrants Application Portal
UoM Authority to Submit form - please prioritise to obtain sign-off 
Honorary Declaration form

List of Previous Awardees
Post-Award: UA-DAAD Project Report Form (reference only)

Contacts

Manage Your Grant