National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarships 2026

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarships are Australian research scholarships designed to build research capacity in health and medical research. They support outstanding graduates at an early stage of their research careers who wish to undertake a research higher degree and develop skills for original, independent research.

Based on the referenced opportunity, the programme supports students enrolled in a PhD or Master's by Research with a project based in Australia and aligned with an NHMRC research stream. The scholarship is typically offered as a stipend at the NHMRC postgraduate scholarship rate. In practice, specific projects may be hosted by Australian universities such as the University of Sydney, but the scheme itself is an NHMRC programme rather than a scholarship tied to one institution only.

The scholarship is intended for applicants in health-related research areas, which may include topics such as substance use, stress, cognitive impairment, violence, psychology, cognition, and other medical or public health fields where the research fits NHMRC priorities. It is generally aimed at students who have not previously held this NHMRC scholarship and who are eligible under the scheme's citizenship or residency rules.

From the reference posting, eligible applicants must be Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens, or permanent residents of Australia at the time of acceptance and for the duration of the award. Applications are usually made through the host university or research supervisor for a specific project or research stream, so students should check the relevant university process, confirm supervisor support, and prepare academic and research documents carefully.