DP25 Selection Report for funding commencing in 2025

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Overview

The Discovery Projects scheme reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to excellence in research by supporting grant funding to support research projects that may be undertaken by individual researchers or research teams.

The objectives of the Discovery Projects scheme are to:

• support excellent pure basic, strategic basic and applied research, and research training, across all disciplines excluding clinical and other medical research, that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge and represents value for money;
• expand research capacity in Australia by supporting excellent researchers and teams;
• foster national and international research collaboration; 
• create new knowledge with economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and 
• enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas.

Selection process

Applications for funding commencing in 2025 opened on 11 April 2024 and closed on 4 June 2024. Only shortlisted applicants from the Discovery Projects Expression of Interest (EOI) for funding commencing in 2025 round were invited to submit their full application in the Discovery Projects 2025 round. All Discovery Projects 2025 data provided below relates to the full application round only. A separate selection outcomes report has been produced for the EOI stage. Applications were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines outcomes from the selection process for that round. 

These recommendations are based on advice from the ARC Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) which:

• assigned independent assessors to review the applications
• assessed applications and reviewed assessments made by independent assessors
• reviewed candidates’ comments on assessors’ reports
• ranked each application relative to the others on the basis of the application, the assessors’ reports and candidates’ responses to those assessments
• assessed and recommended budgets; 

and, advice from the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP) Eligibility Committee which:

• considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the members of the ARC College of Experts or independent assessors
• where required, sought advice from the ARC’s Medical Research Advisory Group
• made recommendations to the CEO in respect of ineligible applications.

This report reflects the outcomes approved by the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, data represented in this report exclude withdrawn applications.

Assessment criteria

All applications that meet the eligibility criteria for the Discovery Projects 2025 applications were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:

1. Investigator(s)/Capability (30%)

• Taking into account research opportunity,
• Record of high-quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline(s) 
• evidence of excellence in research training, mentoring and supervision (where appropriate); and 
• the capability of the investigator or team to build collaborations both within Australia and internationally.

2. Project quality and innovation (45%)

• contribution to an important gap in knowledge or significant problem;
• novelty/originality and innovation of the proposed research (including any new methods, technologies, theories or ideas that will be developed); 
• clarity of the hypothesis, theories and research questions; 
• cohesiveness of the project design and implementation plan (including the appropriateness of the aim, conceptual framework, method, data and/or analyses); and
• extent to which the research has the potential to enhance international collaboration.

If the project involves Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander research additional criteria include: 

• the project’s level of collaboration, engagement, relationship building and benefit sharing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and First Nations Organisations and Communities; 
• the project’s strategy and mechanisms for Indigenous research capacity building within the project; 
• the project’s level of internal leadership of Indigenous research;
• The project’s adherence to the Australian Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles; and 
• The project’s understanding of, and proposed strategies to adhere to, the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research and NHMRC’s guidelines on Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities.

3. Benefit (15%)

Describe the potential benefits including the:

• new or advanced knowledge resulting from outcomes of the research;
• economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia and international communities; and
• potential contribution to capacity in the Australian Government priority areas. 

4. Feasibility (10%)

Describe the:

• cost-effectiveness of the research and its value for money;
• time and capacity of investigator or team to undertake the research;
• suitability of the environment for the research team and their project, and for HDR students where appropriate;
• availability of the necessary facilities to complete the project; and
• extent to which the project’s design, participants and requested budget create confidence in the timely and successful completion of the project.

Assessment process

The ARC assessment process for Discovery Projects 2025 involved 70 College of Experts members across five discipline panels and was managed in RMS. A total of 3260 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC.

Funding levels and duration

Funding of between $30,000 and $500,000 per annum for up to 5 consecutive years may be awarded for each Discovery Project application.

Summary of outcomes

The ARC received a total of 1133 applications for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2025, of which one application was withdrawn.

A total of 536 projects are approved for funding commencing in 2025, shown in Table 1. The overall success rate for Discovery Projects for funding commencing in 2025 is 47.3 per cent. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts with the previous round is shown in Table 1.

Of the unsuccessful applications in 2025, eight were found not to meet eligibility requirements.

Table 1. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Projects applications from 2024 to 2025

Funding year	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)	Requested funds over project life for approved applications ($)	Funds allocated over project life for approved applications ($)	Return rate for approved applications (%)
2024	2590	421	16.3	$1,651,322,807	$275,707,441	$220,182,441	79.9
2025	1132	536	47.3	$855,492,724	$396,059,920	$342,168,489	86.4

Outcomes by project discipline

A summary of outcomes by project discipline is shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Projects 2025 applications by discipline

Discipline*	Applications considered	Applications  approved	Success rate (%)	Requested funds over project life for all applications considered ($)	Requested funds over project life for  approved applications ($)	Funds over project  life for  approved  applications ($)	Return  Rate for  approved applications (%)
BSB	290	136	46.9	$251,393,182	$116,838,526	$102,177,130	87.5
EIC	274	128	46.7	$197,412,204	$91,909,141	$78,003,373	84.9
HCA	137	70	51.1	$86,377,285	$42,216,896	$36,869,599	87.3
MPCE	204	106	52	$152,430,032	$78,354,138	$64,861,187	82.8
SBE	227	96	42.3	$167,880,021	$66,741,219	$60,257,200	90.3
Total	1132	536	47.3	$855,492,724	$396,059,920	$342,168,489	86.4

* BSB – Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC – Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences, HCA – Humanities and Creative Arts; MPCE – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE – Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences

Note - Project Discipline is determined by the primary FoR codes provided in the application.

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

A summary of outcomes by Administering Organisation is shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Numbers of applications and success rates for approved Discovery Projects 2025 applications by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation	Applications Considered	Applications  approved	Success rate (%)	Funds over project life for  approved applications ($)
Australian Capital Territory	71	35	49.3	$22,236,550
The Australian National University	68	33	48.5	$19,744,798
University of Canberra	3	2	66.7	$2,491,752
New South Wales	362	180	49.7	$113,968,308
Australian Catholic University	10	5	50.0	$2,528,350
Charles Sturt University	5	3	60.0	$1,346,148
Macquarie University	28	11	39.3	$7,023,736
Southern Cross University	1	1	100.0	$597,196
The University of New England	2	0	0	$0
The University of New South Wales	118	64	54.2	$41,014,942
The University of Newcastle	16	5	31.3	$3,173,596
The University of Sydney	116	57	49.1	$36,850,123
University of Technology Sydney	37	18	48.6	$9,822,487
University of Wollongong	15	6	40.0	$3,439,986
Western Sydney University	14	10	71.4	$8,171,744
Northern Territory	3	3	100	$3,046,359
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education	1	1	100.0	$999,608
Charles Darwin University	2	2	100.0	$2,046,751
Queensland	193	96	49.7	$60,141,538
Central Queensland University	4	1	25.0	$877,410
Griffith University	27	12	44.4	$7,218,149
James Cook University	7	5	71.4	$2,704,730
Queensland University of Technology	34	16	47.1	$9,873,318
The University of Queensland	110	56	50.9	$35,498,959
University of Southern Queensland	6	3	50.0	$1,771,452
University of the Sunshine Coast	5	3	60.0	$2,197,520
South Australia	82	34	41.5	$21,845,163
Flinders University	23	10	43.5	$6,761,547
The University of Adelaide	42	17	40.5	$10,782,897
Torrens University Australia	1	1	100.0	$767,899
University of South Australia	16	6	37.5	$3,532,820
Tasmania	12	6	50.0	$4,019,860
University of Tasmania	12	6	50.0	$4,019,860
Victoria	354	158	44.6	$101,485,743
Deakin University	27	8	29.6	$4,756,429
La Trobe University	23	9	39.1	$5,734,175
Monash University	150	72	48.0	$49,370,062
RMIT University	22	13	59.1	$7,189,703
Swinburne University of Technology	11	5	45.5	$2,690,390
The University of Melbourne	116	51	44.0	$31,744,984
Victoria University	5	0	0	$0
Western Australia	55	24	43.6	$15,424,968
Curtin University	16	6	37.5	$3,456,227
Edith Cowan University	2	2	100.0	$823,208
Murdoch University	1	0	0	$0
The University of Notre Dame Australia	1	0	0	$0
The University of Western Australia	35	16	45.7	$11,145,533
Total	1132	536	47.3	$342,168,489

Career age and gender

Of the 2922 Chief Investigators (CIs) considered in this round, 1120 (38.33%) were female, 1782 (60.99%) were male, 0 (0.00%) were indeterminate/intersex, and 20 (0.68%) were unspecified. The success rate for female, male, and unspecified CIs is 46.61 per cent, 47.03 per cent, and 45.00 per cent respectively.

Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in Discovery Projects 2025 round are presented in Figure 1. CIs who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or equivalent or who do not hold a PhD are not represented in the figure below.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of CIs in Discovery Project 2025 by gender and career age*^

* Career age is calculated as years since PhD based on the relevant qualification as selected in the application.

^ Calculated career age does not take career interruptions into consideration.

Gender by Project Discipline

Table 4. Discovery Projects 2025: Gender by Project Discipline– submission numbers, applications approved and success rates

Project Discipline	Female considered	Female approved	Female success rate	Male considered	Male  approved	Male success rate	Unsp*  considered	Unsp*  approved	Unsp*  success rate
BSB	232	112	48.28%	414	187	45.17%	5	2	40.00%
EIC	149	64	42.95%	549	258	46.99%	6	2	33.33%
HCA	248	129	52.02%	171	97	56.73%	3	2	66.67%
MPCE	129	66	51.16%	372	189	50.81%	3	1	33.33%
SBE	381	155	40.68%	319	129	40.44%	3	2	66.67%
Grand  Total	1139	526	46.18%	1825	860	47.12%	20	9	45.00%

Note – The data provided in the above table is a representation of all Chief Investigators listed on applications considered in DP25. Project Discipline is determined by the primary FoR codes provided in the application. 

*Unsp - Unspecified

Table 5. Discovery Projects 2025: Lead Chief Investigator Gender by Project Discipline– submission numbers, applications approved and success rates

Project Discipline	Female considered	Female approved	Female success rate	Male considered	Male approved	Male success rate	Unsp*   considered	Unsp*  approved	Unsp*  success rate
BSB	86	45	52.33%	203	91	44.83%	1	0	0.00%
EIC	53	26	49.06%	220	102	46.36%	1	0	0.00%
HCA	83	39	46.99%	53	30	56.60%	1	1	100.00%
MPCE	41	22	53.66%	160	83	51.88%	3	1	33.33%
SBE	100	43	43.00%	127	53	41.73%	0	0	N/A
Grand  Total	363	175	48.21%	763	359	47.05%	6	2	33.33%

Note – The data provided in the above table is a representation of the Lead Chief Investigators listed on applications considered in DP25. Project Discipline is determined by the primary FoR codes provided in the application. 

*Unsp - Unspecified

Figure 2. Participation and success rates of Discovery Projects 2025 Chief Investigators by gender and project discipline 

International Collaboration

Among 1132 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 1947 instances of collaboration with researchers in 90 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, 416 foreshadowed 958 instances of collaboration with researchers in 65 overseas locations (Figure 3).

Figure 3. International collaborations by location in approved Discovery Projects 2025 applications*

*The top 10 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 3 and the remaining locations are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.