The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) are proud to administer the ASSA-CASS Joint Action Program.

Find details on the 2024 recipients here.

Applications for 2025 are open 15 May to 30 June.

1. Program Objective

This research funding program is intended to provide Australian and CASS researchers the opportunity to collaborate in areas of shared interest. It is suited to early-career researchers who wish to pursue research opportunities with an international colleague, with the intention that this may lead to larger research projects. To apply, researchers must submit a proposal to conduct research with an overseas partner having similar interests. Each application must contain at least one researcher from Australia and one from CASS. As the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia encourages the participation of early-career researchers, one researcher involved in the project must be fewer than eight years beyond the completion of their PhD. The work undertaken on the project may involve online or in-person meetings. Proposals with an interdisciplinary character are encouraged.

The following topics have been identified as priorities for the 2025 program:

• Urban Development
• Population and/or Migration
• Environmental Protection
• Regional Security and Cooperation
• National Development Measures and Evaluation
• New Developments in IT Communication and Commerce
• The Social and Linguistic Study of Human Settlement in Asia

2. Funding

In 2025, four grants will be awarded to teams of social scientists from Australia and CASS.

With approval from ASSA and CASS, each successful project application will be awarded $7,000 AUD to be shared by the Australian scholars and ¥35,000 RMB to be shared by the CASS scholars. The grant can be expended throughout the duration of the project (up to 12 months) on the costs associated with the project which may include, but are not limited to, air travel, accommodation, data collection, and conference-related costs.

An acquittal of funding expenditure, as well as a ~2,000 word article summarising the context of the research question, the outcomes of the research, and directions for future research, is due by 30 November 2026.

3. Applications

Download the 2025 Guidelines here.

Download the 2025 Application form here. 

For an application to be valid, applicants from both ASSA and CASS must communicate and agree to apply together ahead of submitting their applications. A letter of confirmation in support of an applicant is also required as part of a valid application. The letter should be from the applicant’s current supervisor or university/institution and confirm that they support the applicant to undertake the specified project.

Signed application forms must be submitted separately to both ASSA and to the Bureau of International Cooperation of CASS.

Please note that CASS will have a separate application form and application procedures. Applicants are advised to contact the Bureau of International Co-operation of CASS to obtain the relevant CASS application form and application procedures (including their closing date for applications). The assessment of applications is carried out by ASSA and CASS separately, with grants awarded to applications ranking highly in the assessment of both.

Application forms should be submitted to ASSA via email to international@socialsciences.org.au by the closing date.

4. Contact for Enquiries

Anna Devenport
Email: international@socialsciences.org.au