COMMISSIONED RESEARCH PROJECT

Improving transitions to careers for young people with disability

Applications have now closed for the NDRP's first Commissioned Research Project. This project focuses on improving the transition of young people with disability from education and training into careers that connect to their goals and interests.

We received strong interest and thoughtful applications from research teams across Australia.

Thank you to everyone who applied and to all who helped shape this opportunity. Funding decisions will be announced in early 2026.

On this page:

Key information

Applications closed: 21 November 2025, 5.00 PM AEDT
Funding decisions: Early February 2026
Total opportunities: 3 funding opportunities
Funding available: Up to $190,000 per opportunity
Project duration: 12 months

This activity received grant funding from the Australian Government as an initiative under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031.

The NDRP commissioned research model aims to involve people with disability from beginning to end of the process: from setting research priorities to actively participating in research.

The research focus

The Commissioned Research Project will fund three disability-led research projects (up to $190,000 each) to explore the systems and organisational factors that affect:

Young NDIS participants' ability to make genuine, informed choices about career support
Service providers' capacity to deliver best practice career transition support.

This research will focus on creating systemic change, not trialling specific interventions.

How this project was shaped

This research topic was developed through extensive community engagement, including:

Consultation with Disability Representative Organisations
Review of existing lived experience evidence
Roundtable discussions with government, researchers, and community representatives.

These conversations identified the need to understand how systems and organisations can work better together to help young people with disability move into employment.

Find out more about the consultation process.

Three opportunities

Each opportunity focuses on a different group of young NDIS participants (aged 15–25) who receive employment assistance supports:

OPPORTUNITY 1: Broad focus. Covers all population groups who receive support (noting that Autistic young people and young people with intellectual disability are two primary recipient groups).

OPPORTUNITY 2: First Nations focus. Specifically focuses on younger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS participants.

OPPORTUNITY 3: Complex support or communication needs focus. Focuses on participants with complex support or communication needs (for example, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users, Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing young people)

Opportunities 2 and 3 may also include NDIS participants aged 15–25 who don’t currently have employment assistance supports, but who are interested in employment.

Each project will receive $190,000 over a 12-month duration.

Find out more: Research Focus

Next steps and contact information

Funding decisions will be shared on this page and through NDRP’s newsletter and social media channels in early 2026.

We aim to make sure our funding process is transparent, ethical and accountable, so that all applicants are treated fairly, and funding decisions are based on merit.

Phone: 03 9000 3813

SMS only: 0485 931 168

email: research@ndrp.org.au

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