We bring science and Aboriginal cultural knowledge together to study Kimberley and other rock art provinces of Australia. We study them to understand the history of Aboriginal Australia and its significance in the global narrative of human origins and to ensure its protection.

We initiate and support integrated, multi-disciplinary scientific research. We look for collaborative programs that are a priority for the Aboriginal people of the region and we actively foster engagement with country and culture. Read Research Themes and Priorities.

If you are applying for research funding it is expected you already have the support of your university/tertiary institution and you are familiar with Indigenous research protocols. Research involving the permission and support of Aboriginal Corporations and Prescribed Body Corporates must be able to demonstrate that research protocols are understood and that the requisite consent to research is in place / forthcoming.

We will consider applications for research that effectively address relevant aspects of our published priority research themes. For more information on research funding please contact grants@rockartaustralia.org.au

The RAA’s Science Advisory Council (SAC) assesses project proposals in the context of RAA’s long-term research interests and with consideration of the interests and participation of Indigenous communities, sustainable research outcomes and the wider academic discourse.

RAA provides seed funding for approved ‘first stage’ projects particularly if the research has potential to become an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project with academic partners. RAA will then consider funding ‘stage two’ to support an ARC grant application. Selected projects are anticipated to deliver results that will inform both policies and practical measures, leading to better protection of Kimberley rock art. Findings also contribute to measures to find an optimum balance between access and conservation, which is increasingly becoming an issue in the management of rock art sites.

Research findings are communicated via professional journals, media channels, a series of public lectures as well gatherings to share the information with Aboriginal partner organisations.

RAA is the major funder of three current ARC projects Rock Art Dating, Kimberley Visions and Unlocking the environmental archives of the Kimberley.