AUSTRALIAN SKA REGIONAL CENTRE

AusSRC Science Enabling Projects Expressions of Interest Now Open

Submit an Expression of Interest for the next round of AusSRC Science Enabling Projects

AusSRC now invites the Australian SKA science community to submit Expressions of Interest for projects that could benefit from AusSRC science, software, infrastructure, or operational support. 

About AusSRC and the AusSRC Science Enabling Projects

The Australian SKA Regional Centre (AusSRC) is an un-incorporated joint venture between CSIRO – Australia’s national science agency, Curtin University, the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre and the University of Western Australia (UWA).

Funded by the Australian Government, AusSRC is Australia’s contribution to the international SKA Regional Centre Network (SRCNet). The SRCNet will support the global flow of data and processing needed for the SKA Observatory (SKAO) telescopes – the two most advanced radio telescopes in the world, currently under construction in Australia and South Africa.

The AusSRC Science Enabling Projects

As part of a commitment to enabling the scientific output of the Australian SKA science community, AusSRC supports a number of projects to build capabilities that will enable SKA science, known as the AusSRC Science Enabling Projects (ASEPs).

The ASEPs will help drive the expansion of scientific workflows and creation of new data-handling pipelines for processing and analysing large astronomical datasets.

Following the successful delivery of 8 projects in the inaugural round, the second round of ASEPs will support projects that:

  • Advance Australian SKA precursor science
  • Contribute to SKA-readiness and SRCNet capabilities
  • Develop sustainable workflows, software, or services
  • Expand Australia’s capability in radio astronomy
  • Deliver impact beyond a single project or user

As the community moves closer to SKA Science Verification and SKA-era science, this round will continue to support projects connected to SKA science, SKA precursor data, and broader SRCNet priorities.

ASEP Expressions of Interest (EoIs) open Wednesday 19 August 2026 and close 5pm AWST Wednesday 16 September 2026.
Ready to apply? Submit an EoI here.

EoI Overview

The EoI is a brief, first-stage submission intended to help AusSRC understand your project idea, assess its eligibility and feasibility, and identify where AusSRC support could provide the greatest benefit.

The submission form will ask for:

  1. Project and proposing-team details;
  2. A brief description of the science goal or problem;
  3. The proposed AusSRC support; and
  4. Existing resources, tools, data, or workflows.

Detailed technical plans are not required at this stage. Early or exploratory project ideas are welcome.

Proposal Topics

Project ideas may include support for one or more of the following:

  • Workflow or pipeline development;
  • Adapting, improving, or scaling existing tools;
  • Software development or optimisation;
  • Post-processing, analysis, or visualisation workflows;
  • Science support for using tools, services, or infrastructure; and
  • Operational support, including deployment, hosting, and improved implementation of tools or workflows.

Projects may use data from CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope, the Curtin University-led Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (SARAO’s) MeerKAT telescope, other SKA precursors, SKA-related multi-wavelength datasets, or contribute to community resources and broader SRCNet capabilities.

Assessment and Next Steps

EoIs will be considered based on the eligibility criteria defined here.

Eligible teams will be invited to consult with AusSRC to refine their project’s scope, technical approach, required resources, and expected outcomes.

Following consultation, teams will be invited to submit a full proposal, which will be evaluated by an external Time Allocation Committee (TAC). You can find the detailed scoring information used by the TAC to judge the proposal here.

ASEP Timeline

  • Expressions of Interest open: Wednesday 19 August 2026
  • EoI submission deadline: Wednesday 16 September 2026
  • Consultation with selected teams: October 2026
  • Full proposals due: Friday 30 October 2026
  • Successful ASEPs announced: January 2027

Submit your EoI

Complete and submit the EoI submission form here by 5pm AWST Wednesday 16 September 2026.

For questions about the EoI process or the suitability of a project idea, please contact [email protected].