No fixed closing date.

Nectar

ARDC Nectar Research Cloud

Nectar is a cloud of virtual computers for Australian research. You sign in with your university account, ask for a project, then launch a machine. It is the usual first stop when your laptop is too small and you do not want to wait for a national supercomputer.

Free when your project is approved. You do not get a machine just by having a login.

Who it is for

Researchers and research students who can sign in through an Australian university or research organisation. A collaborator at one of those places can sometimes bring an independent researcher onto a project.

What you get

A virtual machine you control: pick a size, install Python or R, and leave a job running. Approved national projects can also book shared GPUs. Storage and the exact sizes depend on the allocation you are given.

How to get it

Open the eligibility checker and answer it honestly. A grant, a government project, or a Nectar member university makes a yes more likely.
Sign in with your university account. That login is provided through the Australian Access Federation.
Create a project and ask for a small allocation first. Describe the research in a sentence a non-specialist can follow.
Once it is approved, launch a virtual machine, copy your code, and shut the machine down when you are finished so the allocation is free for the next job.
If you need a GPU, check the Nectar GPU service after you have a national allocation. It is booked, and it is not available in every zone.

Deadlines

There is no published closing date. Apply when your one-page description is ready. An empty calendar file would only pretend otherwise, so this page does not invent a reminder.

Read this before you apply

A .edu.au address is not an automatic yes. The eligibility rules ask about your role, your organisation, and how the work is funded.
Nectar is a cloud, not the national supercomputer. Very large parallel jobs belong on Gadi or Setonix.
Some of the 42 universities are confirmed Nectar member organisations for a local allocation. Others may still be eligible for a national allocation. The pathway page for your university says which we could confirm.

Check before you rely on this

The member-organisation list was taken from the public eligibility checker. Universities missing from that list are marked unconfirmed, not ineligible.