National Intelligence Explore Award 2027

Submissions are now being accepted. Submissions close at midnight (end of day) 10 December 2026 (AEDT).

IMPORTANT: Please read the information below to assist you in completing your submission.

Before you begin

Welcome to the Australian Office of National Intelligence online grant application service, powered by SmartyGrants. If this is the first time you are applying using SmartyGrants, click ‘Start a Submission’, then ‘Register here’.

Click here to view the guidelines and click here for the FAQ.

For queries about the guidelines, deadlines, or questions in the form, please contact the team via email: NICRP@oni.gov.au

Email NICRP@oni.gov.au and quote your submission number.

If you need help using this form, download the Help Guide for Applicants or check out Applicant FAQ's.

About the grant

The National Intelligence Community (NIC) Research Program enables the Australian academic community to undertake competitive, unclassified research into NIC research priorities. The program supports peer-reviewed research that deepens understanding of emerging science, social science, engineering and technology. NIC innovation is facilitated through the creation of sovereign expertise, discovery of new insights and development of an R&D ecosystem to underpin emerging technological capability.

A National Intelligence Explore Award (NIEA) (up to 12 available) provides up to $750k over three years to enable research into NIC research priorities and challenges. The NIEA will be awarded to early-mid career researchers partnering with experienced researchers and emerging PhD candidates. The NIEA will also enable the possibility for extension research. 

Research proposals are invited to address an Intelligence Science and Technology Challenge or a NIC-defined Research Topic.

Two-stage Application Process 

1. Expression of Interest (EOIs) applications

open: 2 November 2026

close: 10 December 2026

2. Full applications by invitation only

open: 21 December 2026

close: 3 March 2027

It is strongly recommended that you read the Grant Guidelines carefully to ensure your eligibility before applying.

EOI applications are to be submitted by the Lead Chief Investigator certified by the Research Office of an Eligible Sponsoring Organisation listed in the grant guidelines.

Individuals named in an EOI application must satisfy the eligibility criteria for the role they are to perform as at the Commencement Date and for the duration of the Project.

EOI applications under this grant opportunity must have:

  • one Lead Chief Investigator (CI) who is an Early-Mid Career Researcher (EMCR); and

  • one Eligible Organisation (that is the Sponsoring Organisation).

To be eligible, the Lead Chief Investigator must:

  • Be an early-mid career researcher with a PhD in a relevant field within ten years of the EOI application closing date (career interruptions considered).

  • Be an Australian citizen or New Zealand Special Category Visa Holder.

  • Be sponsored by an accredited Australian University.

You can also find a draft agreement here which you will be required to enter into if you are successful in you funding application.

Privacy Statement

ONI treats your identifiable information according to the Office of National Intelligence Rules to Protect the Privacy of Australians made under the Office of National Intelligence Act 2018 (Cth) and applicable to ONI.

Navigating through the form

On every page of the form you will see a Form Navigation panel. This links directly to each page of the form, so you can click a page name to jump directly to the page you want.

You can also click 'Next Page' or 'Previous Page' on the top or bottom of each page to move forward or backward through the form.

Please ensure you save your form as you go.

Saving a draft

Your form will save each time you click ‘Next Page’, ‘Previous Page’, or any page name on the Form Navigation panel.

If you wish to leave a partially completed form, click 'Save and Close' and log out.

You can reopen your draft form and continue where you left off. When you log back in and click on the My Submissions link at the top of the screen, you will find a list of any submissions you have started or submitted. Click the submission number or the arrow icon to expand the list of associated forms, and click on the form name to continue filling it out.

You can also download any form, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. In the ‘My Submissions’ area of your account click on the submission number, then click the red PDF icon beside the form you want to download or, while filling out the form, click on the ‘Download PDF' button located at the top and bottom of the last page (’Review and Submit').

Submitting your form

You will find a Review and Submit page listed at the bottom of the Form Navigation panel. You need to review your form before you can submit it. You will not be able to submit your form until all the required fields are completed and there are no validation errors.

Once you have reviewed your form and corrected any errors you can submit it by clicking on the Submit button at the top or bottom of the screen.

Once you have submitted your form no further editing or uploading of supporting documents is possible.

When you have successfully submitted your form you will see a confirmation page, and you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your submitted form attached. This will be sent to the email address you use to login, or the owner of the submission if you are collaborating on the form.

If you don't see a confirmation page or receive a confirmation email then you should presume that your form has NOT been submitted.

Hint: also check the email hasn't landed in your spam or junk email folder.

You can return to the My Submissions page of your account to view the submission status of the form.

Attachments

You may need to upload/submit attachments to support your application. This is very simple but requires you to have the documents saved on your computer, or on a storage device.

You need to allow enough time for each file to upload before trying to attach another file. Files can be up to 25MB each; however, we do recommend trying to keep files to a maximum of 5MB – the larger the file, the longer the upload time.

Collaborating on your submission

A number of people can collaborate on a submission as long as

  1. you have created a SmartyFile Organisation and

  2. only one person is working on the form at a time.

Ensure you save as you go.

Session time-out warning

For security reasons, your login session will expire after 20 minutes of inactivity. Saving your form or navigating to another page resets the timer.

You’ll be prompted 90 seconds before your session expires, with the option to extend your session or log out. If you don’t respond to the prompt in time, your form will be automatically saved before your session ends.

Even so, we recommend saving your form regularly – especially when working on longer responses – to avoid losing any work.