Fwd: Australian Fish Species Genomics initiative - Request for Partnership 2026
Tiffanie Nelson
Dear collaborator,
The Australian Fish Genomics Initiative is now seeking project proposals as part of its 2026 Request for Partnership round.
Details of the call, including project submission instructions, are below.
THE AUSTRALIAN FISH GENOMICS INITIATIVE
Bioplatforms Australia and Minderoo Foundation are investing in the generation of referential molecular data to advance knowledge of Australia’s fish species and support critical research and management strategies.
The Australian Fish Genomics Initiative, in collaboration with the marine and freshwater research communities, aims to generate essential data for researchers and practitioners to accelerate the knowledge about Australia's fishes and to enhance our understanding of evolutionary relationships, adaptive potential, population structure and dynamics, and best conservation management strategies.
The Australian Fish Genomics Initiative will operate across two parallel themes:
- Freshwater Fish Genomics Theme
- Marine Fish Genomics Theme
ACTIVITIES AND PRIORITY SETTING
The initiative will support projects seeking to generate:
- Reference genomes - long read sequencing (PacBio HiFi or ONT), Hi-C, transcriptomics (Illumina)
- Population genomics – whole genome sequencing (Illumina short read sequencing)
Species Prioritisation:
The Initiative will support question-driven projects on Australian marine and freshwater fish species, where data serves immediate and future research needs.
The initiative aims to provide coordination to ensure critical gaps are filled with reduced data duplication. The main priority is to fill the gap for Australian fish families with no genomic referential data for both marine and freshwater habitats.There are 7 freshwater families identified: Retropinnidae, Percichthyidae, Ehiravidae, Geotriidae, Lepidogalaxiidae, Pseudaphritidae, and Tetrarogidae.
In addition, the initiative Advisory committee will look favourably to projects on species with:
- No existing data for species
- Low-quality or insufficient data
- Existing data, but not from Australian specimen
The initiative will not support work on introduced and invasive species. For these species, please refer to our Invasive Plants and Animals Initiative.
Please read through all information provided in the RFP Guidelines before completing your application, for details on the support provided and expected co-contribution.
Data and Collaboration Policy
Data generated from the Australian Fish Genomics Initiative will be made accessible to project teams in the Bioplatforms Australia Data Portal with an initial 12-month embargo on the data to allow first access to project teams. During this time, access will only be given to you and your project collaborators. After the 12-month period, the data will be scheduled for public release in the “Open-access” phase, as outlined in Australian Fish Genomics Initiative Data and Collaboration Policy.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING IN THIS FORM
- Please ensure you have read all information provided in the RFP Guidelines before completing your application, as well as the details of the initiative’s Data Use and Collaboration policy.
- Complete the online form here and submit one document per species or activity (multiple species can be submitted in one form if part of a single research aim). For preparation purposes, you can find a downloadable template here.
- Address all criteria/questions listed.
*Please note that you are able to edit this form after its submission and until the deadline if logged in with a gmail account. Non-gmail account unfortunately cannot access this feature.
Deadline: COB Friday 13 November, 2026
It should be noted that this is not a competitive grant opportunity and the Australian Fish Genomics Initiative will endeavour to support projects that aim to enhance Australia’s knowledge and application of fish species. Project assessment will be guided by Bioplatforms Australia facilities and the Australian Fish Genomics Advisory Committees.
Contact information:
Dr Sophie Mazard, Program Manager sma...@bioplatforms.com – 0403 562 230
We welcome collaborations and parties interested in participating in the Australian Fish Genomics Initiative, including this RFP, are welcome to get in contact with the Program Manager (Sophie Mazard).
Best wishes
Sophie
Genomics Research Community Engagement Lead
Australian BioCommons
The University of Melbourne
I work flexibly. If I am sending this message outside of normal business hours it is because it suits me. There is no expectation on my part that you will respond outside of your working hours.
My position is funded by Bioplatforms Australia and hosted by The University of Melbourne.
I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which I work and pay my respects to their Elders, both past and present.
