Expression of Interest Guidelines
Call for Expression of Interest – April 2026
Australian Chiropractors Education & Research Foundation (ACERF) is now calling for Expressions of Interest for research grants for projects that demonstrate a strong relevance to chiropractic practice and the profession.
The Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA) established the ACERF, a public ancillary fund, to oversee the commissioning and funding of research activities. The Foundation was established to support scientific research activity relating to chiropractic.
Objective of the Scheme
The objectives of the ACERF Grant Scheme are to:
- Develop academic capacity in researchers, chiropractors, and other healthcare professionals, and encourage collaboration across disciplines and sectors.
- Support and fund research relevant to chiropractic science and
- Support the implementation of health promotion programs in the Australian
- Strengthen partnerships between researchers, chiropractors, other healthcare professionals, governments, and the community.
Special Interest for this Grant Round
The priority themes for the 2027 ACERF grant round are paediatrics, healthy ageing, health system integration, and health economics and system sustainability as related to chiropractic clinical practice. Applications in research areas outside the priority themes will be considered, but relevance to chiropractic clinical practice must be clearly demonstrated.
Available funds for the 2027 grant round:
The total pool of funds available for the 2027 grant round is $125,000.
Eligibility Criteria
As specified by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), to be eligible for a grant under this Scheme the applicant’s institution must be registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Item 1 organisation in Australia:
- DGR Item 1: Most organisations endorsed as DGRs fall into this The category includes public benevolent institutions, universities, health promotion charities, environmental organisations and cultural organisations holding DGR status in Australia.
Joint applications are acceptable, provided the lead organisation is clearly identified in the application. The lead organisation must hold DGR status and will be primarily responsible for the project. Evidence of support from the lead organisation is a requirement in the EOI.
An applicant is ineligible to apply in this round if they currently hold an ACERF grant as Chief Investigator that will continue into 2027.
An application will only be accepted where there is evidence that:
- There is support from the Board (or equivalent) of the lead organisation
- In the case of a joint application, evidence of how project costs will be shared
- At least one member of the team is a current ACA member
Assessment Criteria
All proposals submitted to ACERF under this scheme will be assessed against the following criteria:
- Reach and Impact: the importance and/or anticipated benefit of the proposed research to clinical practice and/or health promotion
- Project design and implementation: the scientific quality of the proposed project
- Relevance to chiropractic practice: the likelihood of informing clinical practice
- Feasibility: the feasibility of the proposed project
- Innovation: the potential of the project to test a promising and/or novel idea
- Sustainability: the potential of the project to lead to significant future research
- Track record: the track record of the applicants (e.g. skills, capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project)
- Financial justifiability
- Overall quality of the application
EOI applications will be ranked and shortlisted by the ACERF Committee (who may use external reviewers as appropriate). Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to submit a full grant application.
Research Team
The relevant research skills and capacities of the research team will be considered in each application.
Duration of Grant
Grants awarded under this scheme are for up to a maximum of 2 years.
How is the Application Assessed?
EOI applications are assessed against both the eligibility and assessment criteria. Only applications that meet the eligibility criteria will proceed to the full application stage.
The amount of detail and supporting evidence provided in an application should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested.
The ACERF committee may consult with other research experts in assessing each application.
The decisions of the ACERF Committee regarding EOI’s are final. There will be no further review of an EOI application once a final decision has been made.
If an EOI is successful, the applicant will be invited to submit a full application. Submission of a full application does not guarantee the application will be funded.
If an EOI is unsuccessful, the applicant will be notified in writing and given an opportunity to receive written feedback.
Successful applicants being awarded a grant under this scheme will then enter into a grant agreement with ACERF. The grant agreement will specify the reporting requirements, payment schedule and project milestones.
ACERF will make payments as specified in the grant agreement.
ACERF Committee members are eligible to submit an application, however any such member will be excluded from the assessment process, both at EOI and full application stages.
Confidentiality
This application, any information provided to the Applicant by ACERF or ACA and any information submitted by the Applicant as part of this grant application process will be treated as, and remain, confidential between ACERF and the Applicant.
Budget
A detailed budget should be provided along with justification for each item included in the proposed budget.
Eligible:
- Equipment
- Project materials and consumables
- Research assistant remuneration
- Participant incentives
- Travel for research activities
Ineligible:
- Institutional overhead costs directly and indirectly associated with this project will not be funded as part of the grant.
- Salaries of investigators named in the application
- Conference travel and attendance
- Journal publication fees
How to Apply
This call is for expressions of interest (EOI) only.
ACERF requires the completion of an online Expression of Interest application form.
Late applications will not be accepted. Receipt of your application will be acknowledged by return email.
An EOI should be emailed to Kim Tompkin at acerf@chiropractors.org.au
by 5:00 pm (AEST) on Thursday 18 June 2026.
If you have any questions, please contact Kim Tompkin at acerf@chiropractors.org.au
Key Dates
Expression of Interest (EOI) Key Dates:
Opening Date: 24 April 2026
Closing Date: 5:00pm 18 June 2026
Outcomes Expected: 24 July 2026
Full Application (by invitation only) Key Dates:
Opening Date: 3 August 2026
Closing Date: 3 September 2026
Outcomes Expected: 4 December 2026
*Funding will be available from 1 January 2027