Selection Report: Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2025

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Overview

The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme provides focused research support for early career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions.

The objectives of the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award scheme are to:

• support outstanding early-career researchers with demonstrated capacity for high-quality research and emerging capability for leadership and supervision;
• foster collaboration, with national or international researchers;
• support excellent and innovative research that addresses a significant problem or gap in knowledge and represents value for money;
• create new or advanced knowledge resulting from the outcomes of the research with economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia; and
• advance promising early career researchers and promote enhanced opportunities for diverse career pathways in high-quality and supportive environments.

Selection process

Applications for funding commencing in 2025 opened on 12 October 2023 and closed on 7 December 2023. 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 outcomes 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 Unless otherwise specified, data represented in this report excludes withdrawn applications.

Assessment criteria

All applications that met the eligibility criteria for the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2025 were assessed and merit ranked using the following assessment criteria:

1. Investigator/Capability (35%)

Describe the:

• Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) including record of high-quality research outputs appropriate to the discipline/s.
• capability of candidate to build collaborations both within Australia and internationally.

2. Project quality and innovation (35%)

Describe the:

• contribution to an important gap in knowledge or significant problem;
• innovation of the research in the context of recent international advances in research in this area);
• clarity of the major 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 research pertaining to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities describe:

• the strategies for enabling collaboration with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities (for example, dialogue/collaboration with an Indigenous cultural mentor); 
• any existing or developing, supportive and high-quality relationships with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities; and
• any personal affiliations with local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities that can facilitate the proposed research.

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 (15%)

Describe the:

• cost effectiveness of the research and its value for money;
• feasibility of the research (including contribution of the project’s design and participants and resources to the timely completion of the project);
• supportive environment for the DECRA candidate and their project including resources and development opportunities the organisation will provide for the candidate; and
• availability of the necessary facilities to complete the project.

Assessment process

The ARC assessment process for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2025 involved 69 Selection Advisory Committee members across five discipline panels and was managed in RMS. A total of 2,273 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC.

Funding levels and duration

Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards are funded for three consecutive years on a full-time basis. The annual salary contribution is fixed at $112,897 (2023$) including 30 per cent on-costs. In addition, the ARC may provide up to $50,000 in project costs per annum.

Summary of outcomes

The ARC received a total of 1124 applications for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2025, of which four applications were withdrawn.

Two hundred Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards are approved for funding commencing in 2025, shown in Table 1. The overall success rate for Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards for funding commencing in 2025 is 17.9 per cent. A comparison of success rates and funding amounts is shown in Table 1.

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

Table 1. Comparison of application numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 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 ($)
2024	1023	200	19.6	465,277,167	91,787,520	86,296,282
2025	1120	200	17.9	526,216,969	94,552,531	92,996,128

 

Outcomes by discipline

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

Table 2. Application numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 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	230	41	17.8	109,497,306	19,475,675	19,360,907	99.4
EIC	347	62	17.9	163,771,871	29,354,270	28,444,608	96.9
HCA	125	22	17.6	57,545,969	10,354,822	10,334,409	99.8
MPCE	198	36	18.2	92,214,443	17,037,818	16,735,417	98.2
SBE	220	39	17.7	103,187,380	18,329,946	18,120,787	98.9
Total	1120	200	17.9	526,216,969	94,552,531	92,996,128	98.4

*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 

Outcomes by Administering Organisation

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

Table 3. Number of applications and success rates for approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2025 applications by Administering Organisation

Administering Organisation	Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)	Funds over project life for approved applications ($)
Australian Capital Territory	78	17	21.8	$8,049,055
The Australian National University	75	17	22.7	$8,049,055
University of Canberra	3	0	0.0	$0
New South Wales	325	55	16.9	$25,662,753
Australian Catholic University	10	1	10.0	$453,981
Charles Sturt University	1	0	0.0	$0
Macquarie University	25	4	16.0	$1,812,786
Southern Cross University	2	0	0.0	$0
The University of New England	4	0	0.0	$0
The University of New South Wales	93	15	16.1	$6,996,999
The University of Newcastle	22	0	0.0	$0
The University of Sydney	102	19	18.6	$8,971,756
University of Technology Sydney	39	9	23.1	$4,141,269
University of Wollongong	19	4	21.1	$1,869,185
Western Sydney University	8	3	37.5	$1,416,777
Northern Territory	6	0	0.0	$0
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education	1	0	0.0	$0
Charles Darwin University	5	0	0.0	$0
Queensland	205	39	19.0	$17,775,125
Bond University	2	0	0.0	$0
Central Queensland University	6	1	16.7	$488,579
Griffith University	37	10	27.0	$4,579,244
James Cook University	5	1	20.0	$387,590
Queensland University of Technology	39	8	20.5	$3,713,606
The University of Queensland	99	16	16.2	$7,246,121
University of Southern Queensland	14	2	14.3	$939,422
University of the Sunshine Coast	3	1	33.3	$420,563
South Australia	83	17	20.5	$7,912,466
Flinders University	20	5	25.0	$2,406,285
The University of Adelaide	53	10	18.9	$4,561,359
Torrens University	1	0	0.0	$0
University of South Australia	9	2	22.2	$944,822
Tasmania	20	6	30.0	$2,866,305
University of Tasmania	20	6	30.0	$2,866,305
Victoria	337	55	16.3	$25,714,161
Deakin University	36	9	25.0	$4,110,935
Federation University Australia	1	0	0.0	$0
La Trobe University	22	2	9.1	$878,394
Monash University	110	20	18.2	$9,433,962
RMIT University	41	7	17.1	$3,305,411
Swinburne University of Technology	13	2	15.4	$960,022
The University of Melbourne	109	14	12.8	$6,547,106
University of Divinity	1	0	0.0	$0
Victoria University	4	1	25.0	$478,331
Western Australia	66	11	16.7	$5,016,263
Curtin University	34	8	23.5	$3,574,656
Edith Cowan University	5	0	0.0	$0
Murdoch University	2	0	0.0	$0
The University of Notre Dame Australia	1	0	0.0	$0
The University of Western Australia	24	3	12.5	$1,441,607
Total	1120	200	17.9	$92,996,128

 

Career age and gender

Of the 1120 Discovery Early Career Researcher Award candidates in this round, 443 were female, 659 were male, and 18 chose not to specify their gender. The success rate for female, male, and unspecified candidates in this round is 18.5 per cent, 17.5 per cent and 16.7 per cent respectively. 

Success rates of Discovery Early Career Researcher Award candidates by career age and gender in the current Discovery Early Career Researcher Award round are presented in Figure 1. 

At the closing time of submission of applications, of the 1120 candidates, 841 were within five years of the award of their PhD and 279 were beyond 5 years of the award of their PhD. One applicant did not hold a PhD but did hold an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) equivalent qualification. This applicant is represented in the 0-1 Year category in Figure 1. Of the approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards, 154 candidates were within five years of the award of their PhD and 46 were beyond five years of the award of their PhD. To be eligible to apply for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, the latter group of researchers had their significant career interruptions certified by their Administering Organisation.

Figure 1. Participation and success rate of candidates in Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2025 by gender and career age*^

* Career age is calculated as years since PhD based on the earliest qualification held by the participant.
^ Calculated career age does not take career interruptions into consideration.

Gender by Panel

Table 4. Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2025: Gender by Discipline Panel - submission and award numbers, and success rates

Panel#	Female submitted	Female funded	Female Success rate (%)	Male submitted	Male funded	Male success rate (%)	Unspecified submitted	Unspecified funded	Unspecified success rate (%)
BSB	91	14	15.4	136	26	19.1	3	1	33.3
EIC	88	13	14.8	253	49	19.4	6	0	0.0
HCA	75	12	16.0	49	10	20.4	1	0	0.0
MPCE	66	16	24.2	126	18	14.3	6	2	33.3
SBE	123	27	22.0	95	12	12.6	2	0	0.0
Grand Total	443	82	18.5	659	115	17.5	18	3	16.7

#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

Figure 2. Participation and success rate of Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2025 candidates by gender and panel#

#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

Attracting and retaining outstanding researchers

Applications were open to Eligible Organisations to nominate candidates who are promising early career researchers, resident either within Australia or overseas (Table 5).

Table 5. Citizenship/residency status of Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2025 candidates and approved Awardees

Citizenship/residency status	Applications considered	% of Applications considered	Applications approved	Success rate (%)
Foreign Nationals	227	20.3	43	18.9
Resident Australians	819	73.1	141	17.2
Returning Australians	74	6.6	16	21.6
Total	1120	100	200	17.9

Note: All totals and percentages are shown using rounded figures, and as such may not sum.

International collaboration

Among 1120 of the applications considered, applicants foreshadowed 2,191 instances of collaboration with researchers in 106 overseas locations. Of the applications approved for funding, applicants foreshadowed 495 instances of collaboration with researchers in 61 overseas locations (Figure 3). 

Figure 3. International collaborations by location in approved Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards 2025 applications*

*The top 11 international collaboration locations are listed in Figure 3 and the remaining are grouped in the ‘Other’ category.