Date: 30 September 2026 The Australian Research Council (ARC) is providing additional information about Explore, the first scheme to be introduced under the revitalised National Competitive Grants Program (NCGP). Overview of Scheme Explore will support short-term, high-risk, high-reward research that tests bold ideas and has the potential to transform knowledge or practice. Projects may: create new knowledge address a significant problem trial an innovative method or interdisciplinary collaboration, or explore a radically new approach or area of inquiry. The Explore scheme will be open to researchers and research teams at any career stage. Project funding of $50,000 to $400,000 per year will be available for up to 3 years. Eligible early-career researchers will also be able to seek salary funding through the new Salaried Chief Investigator (SCI) role. Salary funding must be included within the maximum project funding amount. SCIs must meet the Chief Investigator eligibility requirements and, as at the grant opportunity closing date, be within 5 years of the award of their PhD, taking account of allowable career interruptions. Assessment process Applications will be assessed through peer review against 3 overarching criteria. The criteria focus on the identification of high risk, high reward projects: Why: the research idea, innovation and potential benefits, weighted at 60% How: the research plan, methods, risk management, collaborations and value for money, weighted at 20% Who: the expertise, experience and capacity of the individual or team, weighted at 20%. Following peer review, applications will be placed into competitiveness categories (highly competitive, competitive or not competitive) based on their ranking and peer review assessment scores. Highly competitive applications will be prioritised for funding. If funding remains available, competitive applications may be selected through weighted randomisation, overseen by an independent probity adviser. Adopting this approach has been informed by experience overseas, which has shown that randomisation can result in fairer outcomes by reducing bias. The ARC will carefully monitor and evaluate the outcomes to ensure the rigour and integrity of the peer review process is maintained. ARC Research Points ARC Research Points are being introduced as a new eligibility mechanism under the revitalised NCGP to support broader participation and collaboration. For Explore, points will apply based on participant role and will manage participation across relevant grant applications and projects. Further guidance will be published ahead of Explore 2028. New NCGP scheme landing pages with indicative information have also been provided to assist researchers and research offices to identify that most appropriate funding scheme for potential projects. Timeframes Explore 2028 is expected to open in March 2027 and will run annually. The Forecast Opportunity for Explore is expected to be published in Q4 2026 on GrantConnect, subject to the Explore Grant Opportunity Guidelines passing the disallowance period in Parliament. The ARC will provide further advice to Research Offices on the scheme following the disallowance period, or if the Guidelines are disallowed, as well as any additional changes and/or updates. In addition, further scheme-specific information and resources, including webinars for Explore and new grant program settings, are expected to be provided from Q4 2026. Further details will be provided as releases and engagement arrangements are confirmed. Further updates will be made available on the Explore page and on the NCGP Scheme Calendar.