Plan your research with clarity. This 36‑month planner maps every DECRA milestone from pre‑call groundwork to post‑award tasks, giving your career a clear runway. Use the drag‑and‑drop grid to place internal checks, ARC system steps and application drafts where they matter most.
Anchor dates are crucial: round opening 28 January 2026; ARC due 11 March 2026; rejoinder window 12–25 May 2026; and anticipated announcement 19–30 October 2026. UQ internal milestones — NOI, eligibility exemptions, UQ applications and RNTA — slot straight into the planner to prevent last‑minute rushes.
The tool becomes a single source of truth that links applications, funding windows and grants hygiene. It surfaces early industry engagement, centres and linkage projects touchpoints, and time for equipment quotes or infrastructure access. For early career researchers, the result is less stress and stronger strategic positioning across arc grants, industrial transformation and related schemes.
Key Takeaways
- Use the planner to align applications with ARC and UQ dates.
- Drag‑and‑drop steps make internal checks and eoi items visible.
- Build lead time for equipment, letters and infrastructure access.
- Early industry and centres engagement strengthens grant narratives.
- Anchoring to dates reduces surprises and boosts confidence.
Why plan DECRA with a 36‑month drag‑and‑drop Gantt
Mapping months ahead reveals where methods, pilots and engagement must land to support a strong application. A three‑year view turns scattered tasks into a clear plan that shows feasibility, sequencing and risk points.
From idea to outcomes: seeing the whole ARC journey
Connect concept to outputs. The planner links early literature, pilot work, methods validation and data collection so your research produces timely, assessable milestones.
With roughly 200 fellowships awarded each year and up to $50,000 per annum in project funds, a structured plan shows assessors your readiness and value to ARC.
UQ resources — scheme overviews, past round insights and Q&A sessions — sit naturally in the timeline so you know when to attend and act.
Benefits for early career researchers in Australia
Early planning improves resourcing talks with supervisors, mentors, labs and industry and keeps funding expectations grounded.
Visualising the work protects writing time, sequences reviews and helps you manage career outputs alongside engagement activities.
Use the planner as a living map. It de‑risks bottlenecks, speeds team decisions across grants and keeps your discovery early trajectory responsive when dates or workloads shift.
DECRA timeline gantt chart: how this guide works
Build a living plan that ties UQ templates, RMS steps and review gates to specific months and responsibilities. Start by entering the mandatory Notice of Intent (NOI) and scheduling a Person Profile update in RMS.
Next, create the application record with UQ as the Administering Organisation. Attach key documents: ROPE, Project Description and Budget Justification. Generate a whole‑application PDF for internal checks.
Convert official information into actions. Read ARC and UQ guidance, then break each requirement into phased tasks with owners, dates and review buffers.
- Place templates and letters on the plan so each draft triggers a review gate.
- Map internal forms (Application Certification; Pending/Newly Funded ARC grants) to email submission dates for the Research Office.
- Flag the ‘Submit to Research Office’ checkpoint and allocate turnaround time for compliance checks.
Book reviewers and mock panels early and align their availability with drafting sprints. Use comments and versioning in the planner so changes, risks and mitigations remain visible.
Keep scope in check. Link any scope change to resource shifts on the plan and track impacts against feasibility and discovery early career expectations.
Map the DECRA lifecycle to months: a future‑ready view
Map months to actions so every research step has a clear owner and deadline. Start pre‑call with scoping, pilot data, advisory board meetings and facility bookings so the project is ready before the round opens.
Work backwards from hard dates. With the round opening 28 January 2026 and applications due to ARC on 11 March 2026, allocate drafting, internal review and compliance checks with contingency time.
Pre‑call groundwork to anticipated announcement window
- Turn rejoinder into a short sprint: prepare evidence and rehearse concise responses before the 12–25 May 2026 period.
- Include the announcement window (19–30 October 2026) and post‑award steps — onboarding, ethics and contracts — so momentum continues after outcomes.
Pending outcomes and overlapping rounds
Outcomes for 2026 are pending and expected between 14–27 November 2025. While waiting, refine the next iteration without repeating work.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Round opens | 28 Jan 2026 |
| ARC due | 11 Mar 2026 |
| Rejoinder | 12–25 May 2026 |
Protect writing weeks by aligning teaching and travel calendars. Run regular risk reviews after assessment to keep the scheme posture future‑ready and visible to faculty approvers.
Key dates to anchor your chart (indicative, ARC/UQ)
Pin the key dates to a single plan so every application task has a clear owner and deadline. These anchors let you reverse‑plan drafting sprints, internal reviews and compliance checks without last‑minute pressure.
Round opening and ARC applications due
Hard public dates drive everything else. Lock 28 Jan 2026 (round opening) and 11 Mar 2026 (applications due to ARC) as immovable milestones. Work backwards to schedule writing, approvals and the final validation steps.
Internal milestones: NOI, exemptions and RNTA
Record UQ submission (11 Feb 2026), NOI and Eligibility Exemption Requests (13 Feb 2026) and RNTA (20 Feb 2026). Add form and certification tasks so internal throughput is visible and auditable.
Rejoinder windows and information sessions
Plan a rejoinder sprint for 12–25 May 2026. Include the UQ info cadence and mock panels so your responses to assessor questions are sharp and evidence‑led.
Announcement periods and post‑award prep
Tag the anticipated announcement 19–30 Oct 2026 and note prior outcomes (14–27 Nov 2025) to sequence decisions. Reserve time for onboarding, ethics, infrastructure access and letters of support.
- Schedule at least two scheme compliance checks against australian research council instructions.
- Block procurement and budget quote deadlines to protect infrastructure and industry engagement.
- Keep a clear audit trail so each application milestone is time‑stamped and briefable to your Research Office.
| Milestone | Date | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Round opens | 28 Jan 2026 | Start drafts & owner allocation |
| UQ submission | 11 Feb 2026 | Internal upload & checks |
| Applications to ARC | 11 Mar 2026 | Final validation & submit |
| Rejoinder period | 12–25 May 2026 | Rehearse and submit replies |
Set up your Gantt: phases, tasks, dependencies
Start by breaking the project into four clear phases so every task has an owner and a finish condition.
Discovery Early Career phases
Strategy and scoping sets aims, pilot data and ethics windows with named owners.
Intensive drafting runs time‑boxed sprints for ROPE, Project Description and Budget with locked reviewer slots.
Internal submission and compliance includes generating a whole‑application PDF, selecting ‘Submit to Research Office’ in RMS and emailing Application Certification and Pending/Newly Funded ARC grants forms for review.
Rejoinder is a short sprint with pre‑drafted responses and rehearsal slots aligned to placeholder dates.
Task lists, dependencies and buffers
- List RMS steps: update Person Profile, create application with UQ as Administering Organisation, attach documents, export PDF.
- Define dependencies so a missing letter or ethics approval blocks only one path.
- Use risk registers and change windows to set approval triggers and stop‑points.
- Colour‑code critical path items and add contingency buffers for late letters, budget edits or figures.
Define “done” for each item — compliance pass, reviewer sign‑off, or PDF validation — to protect the grant submission and build your career profile alongside the research application.
Eligibility and exemptions: place them early in the plan
Confirm eligibility early so your application pathway stays clear and unblocked. Check your PhD award date against the closing requirement: awarded on or after 1 March 2021, or earlier only when allowable career interruptions apply.
Use the DE27 process if your PhD falls outside the window. Run the DE27 Eligibility Exemption Calculator, complete and certify the UQ DE27 Eligibility Exemption Request form, and collate evidence for each interruption.
| Item | Requirement | Action |
|---|---|---|
| PhD date | On/after 1 Mar 2021 | Confirm and record |
| Interruptions | Match allowable categories | Use calculator; gather proof |
| Submission | UQ Research Office | Send certified form and evidence to ARC-Discovery@research.uq.edu.au |
Practical checkpoints
- Add an early eligibility checkpoint to your plan and link it to a go/no‑go decision for the round.
- Schedule time to use the calculator, prepare certified documents, and allow the Research Office to review and revise.
- For external applicants, arrange school or centre support early and document approvals to keep your application audit‑ready.
- Keep eligibility visible to the whole team — it underpins your career, strengthens research planning and protects later grants work.
RMS build and documents: create time‑boxed sprints
Kick off an RMS readiness sprint to clear administrative blockers and let drafting proceed without surprises. Start by updating your Person Profile so identifiers, appointments and track record entries match institutional records.
Person Profile, application creation and UQ as Administering Organisation
Create the application early with UQ as the Administering Organisation. This unlocks the official templates and validation rules. Test fields and run a quick validation to catch missing affiliations or ORCID links.
Templates and mandatory forms: certification, pending grants, ROPE
Draft in phases: ROPE (DE26) first, then Project Description (C1), Budget Justification (D2) and Non‑ARC Contributions (D3). Assign reviewers for each document and set short, time‑boxed sprints.
Set a firm date to ‘Submit to Research Office’ in RMS. In parallel, email the Application Certification Form and the Pending/Newly Funded ARC grants form to arc-discovery@research.uq.edu.au. RMS does not alert the Research Office automatically; confirm receipt by follow‑up.
Whole‑application PDF checks before submission
Add whole‑application PDF generation at each major draft. Use a final document‑hygiene day for references, figure labels and template formatting.
Treat each validation error as a task with a named owner and due date. Insert equipment and facility quote tasks early and tag dependencies where budget lines need external confirmation.
- Schedule RMS readiness: Person Profile, ORCID, affiliations.
- Sequence document sprints with dedicated reviewers.
- Generate whole‑application PDFs at draft milestones.
- Email certification forms and confirm Research Office receipt.
- Reserve final hygiene day and assign owners for validation fixes.
| Step | Action | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| RMS readiness | Update Person Profile, ORCID, track record | Applicant |
| Application creation | Create with UQ as Administering Organisation; test templates | Applicant + Admin Office |
| Document sprints | ROPE → Project Description → Budget → Non‑ARC Contributions | Applicant + Reviewers |
| Submission steps | Generate PDF; ‘Submit to Research Office’; email certification forms | Applicant + Research Office |
Write a compelling methodology and align it to the Gantt
Lay out your methods so each data step links to a month, a resource and a clear deliverable. That connection makes feasibility visible and shows assessors exactly when and how you will produce evidence against the central question.
Quantitative and qualitative detail matters. State participant numbers, sample sizes and dataset counts (for example: n=120 survey respondents; 30 interview transcripts; 10 experimental runs per condition). Give realistic collection and analysis windows and show where pilot work reduces risk.
Quant/qual detail, sample sizes, and analysis flow mapped to months
- Map recruitment, data collection, cleaning and analysis to specific months and owners.
- Explain mixed‑methods integration: when quantitative results guide purposive qualitative sampling and when joint analysis occurs.
- Link each step to a budget line and named resource so the project reads as funded and deliverable.
Tying methods, budget, and timeline to convince assessors
Include ethics clearance before recruitment, training weeks before complex procedures, and replication phases in Years 2–3 for validation. Add data management and QA checkpoints to streamline reporting to the australian research council.
| Stage | Months | Outputs | Budget/resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot & ethics | Months 1–3 | Pilot report; ethics approval | Small equipment, admin time |
| Full data collection | Months 4–12 | Datasets, transcripts | Field costs; participant incentives |
| Analysis & integration | Months 13–24 | Analytical reports; codebook | Software licences; analyst time |
| Replication & dissemination | Months 25–36 | Replicated datasets; papers | Travel; open data curation |
Budget, equipment and non‑ARC contributions: schedule the build
Treat your budget as a living build that grows with methods, quotes and partner commitments. Start financial planning at the same time as methods so cost lines reflect real tasks, timing and resource needs.
Budget justification, tools and timing
Use the DE26 Budget Tool and the D2/D3 templates in focused sprints. Pair each line item to a month and an owner so every cost is traceable in your plan.
Schedule equipment quotes early and allow time for procurement approvals. Factor in consumables, maintenance and likely replacement cycles for heavy‑use phases.
Infrastructure and non‑ARC support
Book infrastructure access windows and training weeks before data collection. Confirm facility inductions and calendar clashes to avoid bottlenecks.
Secure written agreements for non‑ARC contributions. Add lead time for institutional sign‑off and industry partner approvals so commitments appear in your application evidence.
- Stage internal reviews to test value for money and sequencing across arc grants.
- Reference relevant policies (for example, medical research limits) to keep requests compliant.
- Insert checkpoints to reconcile budget with scope after peer feedback and before final submission.
| Item | Action | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Obtain quotes; schedule delivery | Months 1–6 |
| Infrastructure | Book access; complete training | Before collection |
| Non‑ARC support | Confirm in writing; attach letters | Allow institutional lead time |
Note: the scheme provides up to $50,000 per annum in project funds. Build realistic margins and document assumptions so assessors see that funding, equipment and training align with the planned research and deliverables.
Rejoinder readiness: rehearse in your timeline
Treat the rejoinder period as a planned event: schedule roles, rehearsals and rest to sustain clarity under pressure.
Assessment report access, drafting windows, and internal reviews
When assessor reports arrive, move fast. For the DE26 round the period opens 25 June 2025; UQ runs a Rejoinder Information Session at 1pm AEST on 26 June 2025. UQ deadlines fall on 2 July 2025 and ARC expects rejoinders by 8 July 2025.
Reserve calendar holds for the whole period and pre‑work. Build a same‑day workflow: triage, draft, review and sign‑off with named owners and short turnaround times.
Information sessions and Q&A with the ARC College of Experts
Attend sessions and prepare focused questions that sharpen your replies. Recordings are often posted on UQ webpages — bookmark them for rapid reference.
Use the Q&A to map likely assessor themes and to link answers directly to methods, budget and time lines in your application.
“Prepare concise, evidence‑led rejoinders that respect assessors’ time and the scheme rules.”
- Reserve calendar holds for rejoinder period and rapid evidence checks.
- Run a short, intense drafting sprint with internal peer review and version tracking.
- Keep a library of likely assessor themes mapped to concise, verifiable answers.
- Organise a same‑day response workflow with triage, draft and review roles.
- Rehearse with a mock panel; lock final edits before institutional submission.
- Schedule rest breaks to maintain clear tone and avoid errors under time pressure.
- Add a post‑rejoinder reflection to refine process for the next round and update public summaries.
| Item | Date / Action | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Rejoinder period (DE26) | Open 25 Jun 2025 — prepare; UQ session 26 Jun 2025 | Applicant + Reviewers |
| UQ submission | 2 Jul 2025 — internal sign‑off | Research Office |
| ARC submission | 8 Jul 2025 — final rejoinder to ARC | Applicant |
Use momentum well: rehearse, respond swiftly, document decisions and carry lessons into future rounds. For anticipated 12–25 May 2026 rejoinder windows, pre‑position templates and roles so your early career research response is both timely and decisive.
Beyond DECRA: coordinating with ARC schemes and industry links
Use momentum from a fellowship application to seed larger partnerships, infrastructure proposals and industry co‑design work. Plan post‑award pathways so early outputs feed directly into industrial transformation research and centre opportunities.
Industrial Transformation Research and Training synergies
Link training to industry needs. Map industrial transformation training activities to supervision, HDR pipelines and partner internships so talent flow and skills development are visible in later bids.
Schedule workshops and co‑supervision slots early to prove capability lift and workforce outcomes for transformation research proposals.
Linkage Projects, LIEF, and centres touchpoints
Identify likely industry partners and book discovery meetings to test fit for linkage projects and linkage infrastructure proposals like LIEF.
Time infrastructure submissions to match data‑driven needs and shared facility roadmaps so facilities and centre-scale schemes act as force multipliers.
“Industry co‑creation and shared infrastructure accelerate translation and amplify research impact.”
- Map post‑award options into your plan to leverage momentum across schemes.
- Use a schemes matrix to sequence applications and preserve evidence flow.
- Assign ownership for grant scouting and partner engagement.
- Track MoUs, workshops and letters to strengthen impact narratives.
| Pathway | Key action | Timing | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial transformation research | Co‑design with industry; embed HDRs | Months 6–18 | Stronger industry alignment; training outputs |
| Linkage projects | Confirm partners; draft budgets | Months 12–24 | Collaborative grants; shared deliverables |
| LIEF / linkage infrastructure | Coordinate facility roadmaps; gather quotes | Months 18–30 | Access to shared equipment; capacity lift |
| Centres & australian laureate routes | Explore mentorship; map capability gaps | Months 24–36 | Centre bids; capability and reputation growth |
Conclusion
A clear, month-by-month plan makes the application process manageable and keeps research moving toward tangible results.
Use the 36‑month plan to convert ambition into outcomes: confirm eligibility, lodge required forms (NOI, Eligibility Exemption/DE27 if needed, Application Certification, Pending/Newly Funded ARC grants), and place the anchor dates—round opens 28 Jan 2026; ARC due 11 Mar 2026; rejoinder 12–25 May 2026; announcement 19–30 Oct 2026—into your planner now.
Detail wins trust: align methodology, budget, equipment and infrastructure with named owners and clear deadlines. Lean on information sessions, mentors and your Research Office to sharpen compliance and boost confidence.
Think beyond the round. The same structure seeds industrial transformation research, linkage projects and centres activity so your career and funding prospects grow together.
Action: open your planner, add the key dates, run a final checklist (eligibility, forms, evidence, buffers) and book the first sprint. Each completed milestone builds a credible arc grants profile for the next challenge.