National Library of Australia Fellowships are open to individuals for research at any stage of development, as well as those undertaking research which forms part of a larger project. When an individual is contributing to a collaborative project, they must demonstrate their own research component.

National Library of Australia Fellowships are open to:

• Australian residents, noting that salaried academics from the Canberra region may be offered Honorary Fellowships.
• International residents providing they are eligible to apply for a visa. International residents will be responsible for securing their own visas.

You may apply for either a funded or an Honorary Fellowship, or both. Ticking the 'both' option means you are willing to accept an Honorary Fellowship if offered.

You cannot apply if:

• you are currently undertaking a PhD thesis or Masters project. Your PhD must be conferred before 6 May 2024 to be eligible to apply.
• you have received a Fellowship, Scholarship or Grant at the National Library within the last five years, i.e. funding was received in one of the Library’s 2020-2024 program rounds.
• your research supports writing a literary work or creating an artistic work. These projects are supported through the National Library’s Creative Arts Fellowships.

If your research falls within one of the subject-specific Fellowship categories, please indicate this on the application form by ticking both the type of Fellowship (funded or honorary) and the research field (e.g. Japan Studies, Australian Literature). You may nominate for more than one category.

At its discretion, the Fellowships Advisory Committee may decide not to award a Fellowship in any given category or year.

Please note: Fellowships are awarded to an individual. Funding will be paid directly to the individual only for the purposes of supporting their Fellowship. Payments are made in two instalments in week 1 and week 7 of the Fellowship. Any other arrangements between the individual and their employer are the individual’s responsibility. As Fellowship support may have tax implications, it is recommended Fellows seek professional financial advice.

Yes. The Fellowships, Scholarships and Grants are provided to enable you to have the time to undertake deep research into the Library’s collections.

Your application should demonstrate knowledge of the National Library’s collections that are relevant to your project. Before you begin your application, research the Library's collections to identify the primary collections and supplementary collections that you will access at the Library. This can be done using the Library catalogue. The Library’s Ask a Librarian service may also provide some guidance to finding material on the catalogue if required. While your list is unlikely to be definitive at this point in the project, applicants who do not show how the Library’s collections will support their proposed research will not be successful.

Your application should focus on how the Library's unique collections, accessible only on-site, can contribute to your project outcomes. Applications listing collection items that are published works and held by multiple libraries across the country, or collection items that are digitised and readily available online, are not likely to be successful.

Applicants should also demonstrate awareness of any access or rights issues that may apply to the selected special collection items. Information about access conditions can be found in the catalogue record, and the Ask a Librarian service can be used if further assistance is required.

Your application should address the following criteria:

• an excellent research concept and an innovative approach.
• a demonstrated capacity for high quality research or scholarship, including a relevant record of publication or professional outcomes.
• the relevance and value of the National Library’s unique, rare or comprehensive collections to support the research outcomes.
• the project’s potential for increasing public knowledge of the National Library’s collections.
• In assessing against the criteria above, the Fellowships Advisory Committee will consider the:
• quality of the applicant’s research record, relative to opportunity.
• strength of the research project.
• demonstrated need to make extensive use of, and requiring onsite access to, the National Library’s collections. Please note that collection items that have been digitised and are available online will generally not meet this criteria.
• feasibility of access to collections based on rights in, and condition of, materials.
• protocols surrounding the use of Indigenous cultural material.
• clear explanation of research goals and expected progress during the Fellowship.
• potential benefit to wider scholarship and/or professional practice.
• capacity of the applicant to communicate research goals and outcomes to a wider public audience.

Your application will need to include:

• a short, biographical statement.
• a CV (maximum two A4 pages)
• proposed start and end dates for your research at the National Library. Residencies may be scheduled between 13 January 2025 and 12 December 2025. Dates are indicative only and will be negotiated and confirmed with successful applicants.
• a project proposal and expected outcomes
• a list of the collection materials you wish to access, provided in the format requested.
• contact details of referees preferably those that can speak to your area of research or creative practice and put the proposed project into context. Applicants are responsible for providing a copy of their application to their referees. These can be downloaded or printed from SmartyGrants. Referees will be contacted by the Library after applications have been shortlisted.

If you are planning to use collection material by or about Australian First Nations people, you should be familiar with the Library's ICIP Protocol. The AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research may also be useful. If relevant to your project, a letter of support providing evidence of appropriate permissions and support from First Nations organisations, communities and Elders would strengthen your application.

In your application, you should demonstrate awareness of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property and protocols. Information about access conditions can be found in the catalogue record, and the Ask a Librarian service can be used if further assistance is required.

You should only provide supporting material if it’s requested in the application form and is relevant to your project.

• If the project is in an early development or conceptual stage, examples of previous work that shows your ability to achieve your outcomes can be used.
• The application form limits individual file attachments to 25MB. Label attachments clearly, for example, ‘CV’ not ‘Document 1’.
• Upload audio and/or video files to a file streaming site such as Vimeo or YouTube. Do not use Dropbox.
• If you have a website or material online, provide the link to the material you want viewed. The relevant page/s must remain static until the assessment process is complete.
• Support material must be accessible to the assessors. We recommend you prepare and attach it in advance of the closing date.

• You must apply through SmartyGrants, via the ‘Apply now’ buttons on this page. We don’t accept hardcopy or offline applications.
• You can preview the form before starting an application. Once started, please save your form regularly. You can save and edit the application, but you can’t make changes after you’ve submitted.
• If you have difficult with SmartyGrants, contact us.

We handle your application and personal information as described in our privacy policy.

We don’t accept late applications or support material. Make sure you check the open and close dates for applications. You should allow for any time difference, and internet connection or submission issues.

National Library staff read and shortlist applications against the eligibility criterion. An independent assessment committee for each program is provided with the shortlisted applications as well as a complete list of all applications. Committee members can call into consideration applications that are not on the shortlist. Honorary Fellows are selected equally on merit.

Applications are assessed by separate sub-committees, each chaired by a member of the Library’s Fellowships Advisory Committee (FAC) and comprised of representatives from relevant academic or cultural organisations as well as a senior Library staff member. The FAC is comprised of the Library’s Director-General (or their delegate) and a representative from each of the:

• Academy of the Humanities
• Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
• Asian Studies Association of Australia
• Australian Academy of Science
• Australian Society of Authors
• Independent Scholars Association of Australia
• National Library of Australia Council
• National Library of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research and Education Reference Group

Priority will be given to applicants with a demonstrated need to access the Library's unique, rare or comprehensive collections and who do not have such collections in their own region.

We will advise applicants to the NLA Fellowships, Creative Arts Fellowships and National Folk Fellowship of the outcome of their application by early October 2024.

Successful applicants receive a Letter of Offer and have their names published on the National Library’s website. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email and can seek feedback by contacting us.

Managing intellectual property rights

You are responsible for clearing copyright of collection materials used if applicable and acknowledge and cite source materials appropriately.

All intellectual property rights (including Indigenous cultural intellectual property and copyright) in any work you during a residency will vest in you on its creation.

At the start of a residency, successful applicants will meet with the Library’s Rights Management team who can provide advice on many of these matters.

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property

Applicants planning to use collection material by or about First Nations people will be expected to follow the Library’s Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property protocol. Advice will be provided as part of the Fellows/Scholars Library induction.