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Education Strategic Research Fund

Based on feedback from university and department stakeholders, we have changed the approach to inviting project submissions to this round of the Strategic Research Fund.

We have developed statements of opportunity that highlight some of the policy areas that we believe will benefit from innovative new research. Research teams led by academics at NSW universities are invited to respond to these statements. Eligibility and assessment criteria remain consistent with the 2020 funding round.

Application forms have been amended in line with these changes.

We are excited to launch this round of funding for strategic research that will benefit students, teachers, schools, and communities across NSW.

Projects awarded grant funding in 2020 can be found here.

This new initiative aims to improve research collaboration and translation of innovative research between universities and government. The Department is seeking research project proposals that support its strategic goals and research priorities, and which support improvements in outcomes for people in NSW.

Research proposals are sought from research teams at NSW public universities. Project applications that engage research expertise from more than one university are strongly encouraged.

Applications will be competitively assessed against criteria including:

  • alignment with our 'Statements of Opportunity'
  • clear articulation of benefit against the Department of Education's strategic goals
  • demonstrated benefits to other NSW agency priorities and Premier's Priorities*
  • utilisation of multi-disciplinary research expertise.
Comprehensive information is included in the Application Guides.

* For an overview of NSW department strategic plans and priorities, visit the Waratah Research Network page.


Statements of Opportunity

Statement 1: Effective curriculum differentiation for students with different learning needs

Statement 2: Building the evidence connecting physical and digital learning environments to student outcomes and wellbeing

Statement 3: Better understanding the factors behind mathematics subject selection in stage 5 and how these affect the ability of students to study stage 6 mathematics

More information


Eligible Universities

The following universities are eligible to be administering organisations. Partnerships with universities not on this list is high encouraged.

  • Australian Catholic University
  • Charles Sturt University
  • Macquarie University
  • Southern Cross University
  • The University of Newcastle
  • The University of Notre Dame
  • The University of Sydney
  • University of New England
  • University of New South Wales
  • University of Technology Sydney
  • University of Wollongong
  • Western Sydney University

Grant descriptions

Researchers are invited to apply for the following grant opportunities.

Extending national research grants

Through this funding stream, we will co-contribute funding to Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage or Discovery projects to increase the applicability of project outcomes/outputs to the NSW context.

In Round 2, we will identify eligible, existing ARC Linkage or Discovery Projects and invite the administering organisations to express interest. Projects will be able to apply for up to 20% of their total ARC funding, or $150,000 (whichever is lower) per year, for up to 2 years.

NSW Priority projects

NSW Priority projects will support ambitious, multi-disciplinary research aligned with the Department's research priorities. Successful projects will support the translation of research into policy improvements and new policy initiatives.

Successful projects will be eligible for up to $200,000 a year, for up to 2 years.

Building the Evidence Base

Building the Evidence Base will support projects that identify innovative ways to link existing data sets or create new data sets to provide policy and reform insights.

Successful projects will be eligible for up to $175,000 a year, for up to 2 years and must be aligned with identified research priorities and address data gaps.

Key Dates

Timeline
Applications open September 2021
Applications close 6pm 11 October 2021
Successful applicants notified Late 2021
Projects to commence by February 2022

Timeline
Applications open September 2020
Applications close 6pm 11 October 2020
Successful applicants notified Late 2021
Projects to commence by February 2022

Further information

For any questions about the Fund, please contact higher.education@det.nsw.edu.au.

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