Cancer Research Fellowships Victoria

Cancer Research Fellowships Victoria is supported by the Victorian Government and Cancer Council Victoria. This collaboration builds on a shared history of funding cancer research and a continued commitment to future investment.

By combining resources, this program will strengthen Victoria’s cancer research landscape, foster innovation, and accelerate the translation of research into improved outcomes for people affected by cancer. 

Cancer Research Fellowships Victoria supports early-career and mid-career researchers to undertake high-quality translational cancer research that improves the prevention, detection, treatment, and care for people affected by cancer.

Fellowships are available to early-career researchers (maximum $450,000 over three years) and mid-career researchers (maximum $700,000 over four years). Both fellowships have two application streams: biomedical and non-biomedical. 

The funding is available to researchers who have not previously received significant research funding, to support researchers to establish themselves as future cancer leaders.

• Early career researchers – must have been awarded a PhD less than 5 years before the Expression of Interest closing date.
• Mid-career researchers – must have been awarded a PhD 5-15 years before the Expression of Interest closing date.

Further details on eligibility and selection criteria are available in the Grant Guidelines.

For laboratory-based research or projects requiring laboratory services (e.g.bioinformatics, imaging, radiotherapy).

For research not involving laboratory work but still relevant to cancer translational research. This stream welcomes applications from disciplines like nursing, allied health, cancer survivorship, health economics, behavioural science, and others. 

For the purposes of the Cancer Research Fellowships Victoria program, translational research focuses on taking discoveries and proof-of-concept research and turning them into practical applications that drive advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and supportive care. In effect, moving knowledge from the research setting into real-world use. The pathway to translation is clearly defined, with distinct timelines for short, medium, and long-term outcomes.   

Expressions of Interest must be submitted through the Cancer Council Victoria Grants Portal. The application form and other supporting documents are available under 'Key Documents' above.

The Victorian Government and Cancer Council Victoria have committed to a four-year partnership. During this four-year period, fellowship rounds will be offered annually.

Selection for both early-career and mid-career fellowships is an open, two-stage competitive process. Stage one is an Expression of Interest and shortlisted applicants will be invited to Stage Two, Full Application.

A standard fellowship is 0.8FTE to full time (1.0 FTE).

Fellows are expected to devote a minimum of 80% of this time to achieving the outcomes of the fellowship with the remaining 20% of this time spent on activities directly related to the fellowship such as mentoring, professional development, policy development or public health activities.

Part-time fellowship requests, between 0.4FT and less than 0.8FTE, will be considered only by exception and supported in two cases: professional and personal.

Fellows must conduct research at a minimum of 0.4 FTE, with the fellowship salary adjusted pro-rata.

1. Professional - Available to applicants who will hold clinical work, teaching or other academic responsibilities during the fellowship period that are directly relevant to their field of research. A suitable justification must be provided with your application with supportive endorsement from the employer.
2. Personal - Available to applicants where for personal reasons (e.g., family responsibilities) the applicant is unable to engage in full-time employment. A justification must be provided with your application.

The funding period is from 1 January 2026 for either 3 or 4 years, depending on the grant that you are applying for.

The functions of the Victorian Cancer Agency have been incorporated into a new team in the Department of Health called Research, Evidence, and Information.

The Cancer Research Fellowships Victorian program will replace the Victorian Cancer Agency fellowship scheme; however, the Research, Evidence and Information team will continue to support the administration of all past and existing fellowships that were funded through the Victorian Cancer Agency funding rounds.

Any queries regarding current grant opportunities available through the Research, Evidence, and Information team should be directed to [email protected].

The Cancer Research Fellowships Victoria are now replacing the Postdoctoral Research Fellowships that Cancer Council Victoria previously offered.

These new grants will continue to provide crucial funding to early-career researchers aiming to establish themselves as future cancer leaders.