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Funding for discovering, naming and classifying Australia’s living organisms
National Taxonomy Research Grant Program 2026-27
Closing date: Tuesday 17 March 2026 5:00pm AEDT Tue 17 Mar 2026 5:00pm AEDT
What do you get?
Grants up to:
- $10,000 for Non-salaried Researcher, Honours and Masters Scholarship Grants
- $20,000 for PhD Scholarship Support Grants.
Required 50% co-funding for grants up to:
- $20,000 for Early Career Research Grants
- $300,000 for Research Grants
- $375,000 for Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants.
Who is this for?
Australian Honours and Masters and PhD students, researchers, Non-salaried researchers, Postdoctoral fellowship researchers and early career researchers.
Host institutions include Australian museums, herbaria, universities and other government agencies that have some focus on the science of taxonomy and systematics.
About the program
The National Taxonomy Research Grant Program 2026-27 grant opportunity provides grants for taxonomy and systematics research, training and recruitment of taxonomists.
Grants will support projects with the primary aim of undertaking research into the taxonomy of the Australian biota. The Australian Biological Resources Study has three Priority Areas for Research:
- Biodiversity, Conservation and Vulnerable and Endangered Species
- Public, Plant, Animal and Environmental Health
- Building Taxonomic Capacity.
Seven grant streams are available to applicants to support research projects of differing levels of complexity and at different stages of their career. Four of these seven grant streams do not require co-funding (i.e. the projects can be fully paid for by the grant). The four grant streams that do not require co-funding are:
- Honours Scholarship
- Masters Scholarship
- PhD Scholarship Support Grant
- Non-salaried Researcher Grant.
The three grant streams that require co-funding of a minimum of 50% of the total amount of grant funding sought are:
- Research Grant
- Early Career Research Grant
- Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant.
The objectives of the grant opportunity are:
- to support research into taxonomy
- to increase funding for taxonomy through enhanced co-funding opportunities.
The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are:
- to support and improve knowledge of the Australian biota through targeted taxonomic research grants aligned to the ABRS’s three Priority Areas for Research (listed in Appendix A)
- to build Australia’s taxonomic capacity by supporting tertiary research training, early career researchers and facilitating knowledge transfer
- to contribute to enhancing the ABRS information products and resources, including the Australian National Species List, Australian Faunal Directory, Flora of Australia, publications, identification keys and any other taxonomic communication tools
- to positively contribute to the fields of taxonomy and systematics.
Check if you can apply
You can apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria are a set of rules that describe who we can consider for this grant. You can apply if you:
- are an eligible entity
- have an eligible project
- have eligible expenditure.
The rules are in the grant opportunity guidelines.
You must complete your project by 30 June 2029.
Your project must be aimed at undertaking research into at least one of the three Priority Areas for Research listed in the Australian Biological Resources Study. See Appendix A of the grant opportunity guidelines for more information.
How to apply
Check if you’re ready to apply for a grant
Finding a suitable grant opportunity is just the start of the process to get funding. The application process can take time and effort. Understanding the entire process will help you be grant ready and may improve your chances of getting funding.
Use our checklist to find out what it takes to apply for a grant.
When you're ready to apply
Apply using our online portal:
- When the online form is available you'll need to apply using our online portal: Create or log into your portal account.
- Follow the instructions to complete your application.
- Submit your application before the close date.
Make sure you include enough detail and supporting evidence in your application to help us decide whether to award you the grant.
Don’t submit the application until it’s complete.
First we check that you meet the eligibility criteria. Then we assess your application against the assessment criteria.
The assessment criteria are a set of rules that describe how we must assess each application.
We give each criterion a certain number of points.
We’ll decide whether to award you the grant based on the total number of points we give your application.
- Assessment criterion 1: Relevance of the project to ABRS and taxonomic science (50 points)
- Assessment criterion 2: Feasibility of proposed research project (30 points)
- Assessment criterion 3: Capacity of researchers and/or institutions to deliver the project (20 points)
The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested.
The Minister makes the final decision.
Apply now
Apply for the National Taxonomy Research Grant Program 2026-27 now
Before you apply, make sure you:
- read and understand the grant opportunity guidelines.
Sample applications
The best way to understand what information you need to provide is to start an application. We have also provided a version to download at the bottom of this page.
Technical help
See our customer portal's frequently asked questions to help with your queries. If you can't find your answer, contact us for assistance.
If you submit your application before the close date you can retrieve it any time to make changes. But you must submit it again before the close date.
We may accept a late application where an applicant has experienced exceptional circumstances that prevent the submission of the application. You must submit a written request to lodge a late application within 3 calendar days of the grant opportunity close date. See section 7.2 of the grant opportunity guidelines for more information.
Past rounds
Contact
Need help?
Let us answer your question over the phone, email or live chat.
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Open Hours:
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Key documents
Budget Template
xlsx · 0.02 MB