Types of Grants

MS Australia offers a range of grants, including Incubators, Project, Fellowships and Scholarships to support and accelerate research into finding better treatments and a cure for MS. Whilst eligibility requirements and conditions differ between awards, all applications must have a direct link to advancing our knowledge of MS.

Please note application rules

  • All grant applications to MS Australia must be submitted through our online Grant Portal system. A unique grant application number will be automatically generated upon commencing the application process.

  • Applicants may only be named on three applications within any one grant year and only once as the CIA (the only exception to this rule is the Targeted Call Grant).
  • Maximum funding limits have been set for grants and stipends, see specific award conditions.
  • Each award eligibility requirements and conditions are different, see specific award conditions.

Note: Please consider also applying to the NHMRC separately for funding. For Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships, in the case that you applied to both NHMRC and MS Australia separately, and were awarded Scholarships or Fellowships from both organisations, MS Australia will not award the full amount in addition to the NHMRC award. However, we will consider awarding a portion of the MS Australia award as top-up funding of the NHMRC award.   

MS Australia Project Grants

Aim: These projects require fully developed proposals for research in the MS field.

Funding Details: Grants-in-aid are awarded for up to three years, with a range of $50,000-$130,000 per year and an overall budget of $250,000. This grant may cover salaries and/or project costs and consumables.

Eligibility: Applicants must be Australian or New Zealand citizens or permanent residents undertaking research at an Australian research institution (permanent residency status to be confirmed by January of the year the grant is to start).

Funding limit: Maximum request $250,000.

Application Dates: Applications open 1 April 2024 and close 10 May 2024.

Important Note: Please also consider applying to NHMRC and NMSS. You must submit separate applications to other funding bodies, there is no automatic routing of applications between funding bodies.

MS Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship

Aim: The MS Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship provides salary support for early career researchers working in the field of MS.

Funding Details: The duration of the MS Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship is typically three years.

Eligibility: Applicants must be Australian or New Zealand citizens or permanent residents undertaking research at an Australian research institution (permanent residency status to be confirmed by January of the year the grant is to start). MS Australia will accept applicants up to 10 years post-PhD (dated from receiving the letter of acceptance and relative to opportunity). Consideration will also be given to final year PhD students.

Funding limit: Stipend $40,000 – $75,000 p.a. for up to three years.

Application Dates: Applications open 29 April 2024 and close 7 June 2024.

Important Note: In order to increase your chances of funding please also consider applying for a NHMRC Emerging Leadership Investigator Grants. (There is no automatic routing of applications between funding bodies).

 

MS Australia Senior Fellowship

Aim: This prestigious award is available to established researchers who are potential leaders in the MS research community. The goal is to provide the security and funding support for these individuals to lead a team in MS research. Candidates are expected to have an established and verifiable track record in MS at a national and international level.

Funding Details: This grant provides a full-time salary for a senior research fellow at an overall maximum total of $130,000 p.a. for five years.

Eligibility: This scheme is open to Australian or New Zealand citizens or permanent residents who have completed a PhD or MPhil. Research must be undertaken at an Australian research institution.

Application Dates: Applications not offered in 2024.

Important Note: In order to increase your chances of funding please also consider applying for a NHMRC Early Career or Career Development award (there is no automatic routing of applications between funding bodies).

 

 

MS Australia Paired Fellowship

Aim: To facilitate cutting-edge clinical research by funding a Senior Research Fellow and research time for a Clinical Fellow to collaborate on a shared program of research that will accelerate translation of research outcomes into clinical practice. Within the three year period of the grant, identify or validate at least one intervention that will significantly improve the lives of people with MS and demonstrate significant progress towards clinical translation and/or implementation of an intervention.
 
Funding details: This grant provides a salary for a senior research fellow and salary for a clinician researcher.
 
Eligibility: This scheme is open to Australian or New Zealand citizens or permanent residents who have completed a PhD or MPhil. Research must be undertaken at an Australian research institution. See full details in the online grant portal.
 
Funding limit: Overall maximum total of pro-rated $250,000 p.a. for three years. For example, this can be apportioned as $150,000 p.a. for the Senior Research Fellow full-time, and $100,000 p.a. for the Clinical Fellow part-time. 
 

Application Dates: Applications not offered in 2024.

MS Australia Postgraduate Scholarships

Aim: These scholarships are granted to students who plan to undertake a PhD or are currently undertaking a PhD at an Australian university, working in the field of MS.

Funding Details: The scholarship stipend is up to $35,000 per annum for up to three years. Successful Postgraduate Scholarships for both rounds will commence in January 2025.

Eligibility: Applicants must be planning to undertake a PhD or are currently enrolled in a PhD program at an Australian higher education provider. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of Australia or New Zealand. Residency criteria must be satisfied. Refer to application form for details.

Funding limit: Stipend $20,000 – $35,000 p.a. for up to three years.

Application Dates:

  • Postgraduate Scholarship Round 1: Applications open 5 February 2024 and close 15 March 2024.
  • Postgraduate Scholarship Round 2: Applications open 10 June 2024 and close 19 July 2024.

Incubator Grant application

Aim: Incubator grants provide seed funding for the early stages of innovative new research efforts, with the aim of generating preliminary data needed to support future grant applications.

Funding Details: The research is expected to be completed within a year from the date that the grant is awarded. There are two rounds of Incubator applications. Assessment of incubator applications is an expedited process with a shorter turn around than major grant applications. Successful grants from Round 1 will commence funding in the second half of the same year.

Eligibility: Applicants must have research experience. Applicants must be Australian or New Zealand citizens or permanent residents undertaking research at an Australian research institution (permanent residency status to be confirmed by January of the year the grant is to start).

Funding limit: Less than $25,000.

Application Dates:

  • Incubator Grant Round 1: Applications open 5 February 2024 and close 15 March 2024.
  • Incubator Grant Round 2: Applications open 10 June 2024 and close 19 July 2024.

Aim: Ian Ballard Travel Awards are intended to enable recipients to undertake an international travel tour with the aim of extending and collaborating on their MS research specialty. This award cannot be used to fund attendance at conferences.

Funding Details: Award is up to $25,000 and travel is expected to be completed within one year of award. Duration of travel is typically 8 weeks or less.

Eligibility: This award is specifically for MS researchers. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of Australia or New Zealand.

Application Dates: Applications open 10 June 2024 and close 19 July 2024.

About Ian Ballard
Ian Ballard was an inspirational person with MS who valued the importance of research into multiple sclerosis. He encouraged a group of like-minded people to start fundraising via various means. In November 2005, Foundation 5 Million (F5M) was launched in Sydney, with the idea that if 2,500 people with MS and their families and friends could raise $2,000 each, we could rapidly raise $5 million to fund MS research.

Unfortunately, Ian passed away from a heart attack in 2008 before he could see F5M achieve its goal of raising $5 million in 2011. This award is in his memory.

Before applying for any of the Grant funding awards listed above, please read the MS Australia funding process document, the conditions of award document and the sample peer review document below.

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Types of grants