Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: No grantee will be awarded the full amount of the available funding pool of $1,200,000.
- Application opened: 23 February 2026
- Application closed: 16 March 2026, 2:00 pm
Program objective
The objectives of the Program are to:
- leverage Commonwealth funding to improve outcomes for NSW
- focus innovative and potentially transformational research towards addressing challenges in NSW’s Innovation ecosystem
- develop relationships and build new networks with major national and international centres and research programs
- build NSW’s human capacity in priority research areas and industries
- provide high-quality postgraduate and postdoctoral training environments within NSW to retain talent
- strengthen NSW-based Centres that have an impact on the wider community through interaction with higher education institutions, governments, industry and the private and non-profit sectors.
This program is administered by Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer.
Eligibility
Who can apply
To be eligible to apply for the Program applicants must:
- be a NSW led bid awarded funding from the Commonwealth’s Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence 2025 Selection Round.
- be headquartered in NSW. For the purposes of this grant, headquarters is defined as the main administrative office of the Centre; and location of the CEO. Headquarters must remain in NSW for the period of the RAAP Agreement.
- Be undertaking at least 40 per cent of overall CoE operational spend in NSW.
Types of projects funded under this grant
The grant must only be used on activities undertaken within NSW, and on staff, students or equipment located in NSW. For example, grant funds might be used to:
- fund employment of technical staff at the NSW nodes
- support or top-up scholarships or fellowships of students or post-doctoral researchers to be located within NSW
- support the Centre-related travel or exchanges of researchers who are based in NSW, or to support visits or exchanges of people to NSW
- support commercialisation or research translation support programs in NSW
- cover expenses related to rent or fit out of offices and laboratories located in NSW
- purchase or lease instrumentation or plant equipment located in NSW
You must demonstrate value for money by ensuring project costs are reasonable and reflective of market rates. We may use industry cost benchmarks to assess whether costs are reasonable.
Who can’t apply
You are not eligible to apply for the Program if you are:
- an unsuccessful applicant under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence 2025 Selection Round.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
Not Applicable
Address the eligibility criteria
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
Start the application
Before applying, you must read and understand the Program Guidelines.
To apply you must:
- complete the SmartyGrants online application
- provide all the information requested
- address all the eligibility criteria
- address all the assessment criteria
- include all necessary attachments
- submit your application by the timelines outlined in the Program Guidelines.
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Apply now
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology or delegate
The assessment of applications will be led by the Department. Your application will be considered based on a two-stage process, as outlined below. Only eligible applications will move to the next stage. We consider eligible applications through a targeted competitive grant process.
Applicants’ suitability for RAAP co-investment funding will be based on the proposed research to be undertaken, the benefits to NSW, and proportion of expenditure/activities to occur in NSW, as reflected in their application form.
Stage 1: Eligibility Assessment
The OCSE Secretariat will conduct an initial eligibility screening for all applications according to the published eligibility criteria in the Program Guidelines that are set out Section 2.1: Eligibility Criteria.
Only applications which meet all eligibility criteria will progress to assessment against the assessment criteria.
Stage 2: Assessment by the Assessment Panel
The Panel will assess each application on its merits and compare it to other eligible applications before recommending which applications are to be awarded a grant.
On behalf of the Panel, the Department may seek additional information about you or your application.
The Panel has the discretion to recommend that an applicant receive a smaller amount of funding than indicated in their application.
The Panel members are expected to assess all eligible applications unless they have a declared conflict of interest for a certain application(s).
Panel members will individually assess all eligible applications against each criterion
Anticipated assessment outcome date is 042026
Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is 052026
Support and contact
raap.grants@chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au