Global Research Perspectives Program

Interest in studying accounting and accounting subject matter in Australian and New Zealand secondary school curricula is declining. Where accounting is taught, it often comprises only a small component of more general business subjects. The diminished awareness or perceptions of the accounting profession amongst high school students is one factor leading to declining enrolments in university and professional accounting programs. This is despite strong demand from business and employers for skilled accounting professionals.

Research has found that peers, friends, parents and school career advisers influence the choice to undertake accounting studies of up to 25 per cent of students. This grant is available for research that leads to:

• deeper understanding of perceptions of accounting as a career by high school students, parents, teachers and school career advisors
• identification of key factors and influences for high school students when deciding on career and tertiary study, and/or 
• recommendations for preferred and/or effective communication methods to raise awareness and influence high school students to choose accounting studies at tertiary and professional program level.

While the accounting profession is rapidly evolving through technology and new domains such as sustainability, these aspects are often not introduced in secondary school curricula. Proposed revisions to the International Federation of Accountants’ International Education Standards set new accounting competency requirements related to sustainability, assurance and professional skills.

This grant is available for research that leads to: 

• an evaluation of accounting subject matter in high school curricula including the relevance and attractiveness of existing requirements and potential curriculum changes to improve student interest and engagement 
• identification of the knowledge and skills required by teachers of accounting subject matter at high schools and an assessment of current teaching standards, and/or 
• recommended tools, resources and content targeted at high school students to attract interest and build knowledge in accounting.

Data used by the Australian Government suggests that only around a quarter of skilled accounting migrants are working in their nominated occupation or working at the same or higher skill level to their nominated occupation. In contrast, data collected by professional accounting organisations from graduates of the accounting Professional Year (PY) Program shows a very different result, with over three quarters working in accounting roles.

To inform policy discussions in Australia, this grant is available for research that leads to:

• a clearer understanding of the employment outcomes for skilled accounting migrants in Australia over an extended period
• insights into the current careers, job tasks and salaries of skilled accounting migrants in Australia with consideration of the various migration pathways, and/or
• the impact of factors such as changes in immigration policies, economic conditions, education courses, location and industry trends on the employment outcomes of skilled accounting migrants.

AI-powered platforms are transforming how accounting and audit professionals perform their roles. Businesses however may be embracing this technology before they fully understand the consequences.  Accounting students see the opportunities with AI, especially in audit, with over 85 per cent recognising that they will maintain their place as trusted advisors and be needed to oversight AI-generated outputs.

With the increasing access to and use of AI by professional accountants in everyday decision making, this grant is available for research that leads to: 

• an evaluation of the risks and opportunities for the accounting profession presented by AI 
• a deeper understanding of the ethical and technical issues faced by professional accountants using AI, such as the integrity of decision-making, data privacy and ethical use, and recommendations to guide the proper application of AI in accounting, and/or 
• the identification of key AI-related capabilities required for future accounting professionals and the current capability gaps in the profession.

As the world moves forward on sustainability reporting, financial statements need to properly connect with and reflect the impacts of climate and other sustainability commitments as reported under sustainability disclosures. Identified issues include:

• a lack of direct reconciliation between sustainability concepts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, and financial statement line items
• the consideration of different time horizons that feed into the information compiled for financial reporting versus sustainability reporting 
• building and clarifying the connection between evolving sustainability reporting standards and well-established financial reporting standards
• differences in market practice, terminology and data availability between sustainability and financial reporting.

To inform policy discussions by international standard setters, this grant is available for research that:

• identifies critical gaps in the connectivity between financial statements and sustainability statements and recommend improvements to IASB financial reporting and ISSB sustainability standards to achieve better connectivity in reporting
• develops a deeper understanding of current industry practices to identify potential risks to capital markets from mismatches in financial and sustainability reporting and the perspectives of standard setters, regulators and reporters in addressing such risks, and/or  
• explores the role of assurance in addressing connectivity in reporting, including recommended focus areas for assurance professionals and potential approaches to identifying areas for review. 

Stage one involves completing an expression of interest (EOI) form, where the proposed project will be reviewed against the selection criteria.

Applicants in this stage will be informed of their review outcome within six weeks of the submission deadline. Successful stage one applicants will then be invited to submit a more detailed stage two application.

When completing the EOI, please ensure that the following application requirements are met:

A brief, descriptive and engaging project title.

• Ensure that the title can be understood by an intelligent professional who is not a subject matter expert.

Project overview.

• Applicants need to identify the relevance of their proposed research to CPA Australia, its members, the profession or the public interest. The overview must be clearly and simply written and understandable to a review panel made up of both subject matter experts and accounting, finance and education professionals. The overview should include the key deliverables and/or outputs that will benefit CPA Australia, its members, the profession or the public interest.

Project timeframes must be realistic and achievable.

• Grant periods typically last one year although, in special circumstances, CPA Australia may agree to an extended grant period of up to a maximum of 18 months. The project commencement date will be adjusted where contract approval has exceeded proposed start date. Project progress will be monitored by CPA Australia.

GRPP grants are designed to fund new research of interest and significance to CPA Australia’s members.

• Funding will not normally be awarded to cover expenses related to the production of literature reviews or the development of software, digital platforms or similar ‘products’, or costs associated with the preparation or submission of research outputs to academic journals or presses.

Applications that clearly demonstrate the impact of anticipated research outcomes are encouraged.

• CPA Australia seeks to foster bold and innovative research that addresses pressing issues and drives innovation and the application of new knowledge for the benefit of members, the profession and the public interest.

At least one researcher on the project must be a CPA member.

Stage two application materials will be distributed to applicants when they are advised of their stage one outcome.

Stage two applications will need to include a full budget, proposed milestones and deliverables.

Those invited to submit stage two applications will typically have four weeks to complete and return all application materials.

Researchers will be notified of final GRPP funding decisions by the end of the calendar year. Research grant agreements and contracts are to be completed and signed by February of the following year.

All GRPP applications undergo objective consideration by a review panel. The review panel assesses the submitted information against the following criteria when making recommendations for funding:

• relevance to CPA Australia, its members and the profession
• timeliness, significance and potential impact of the proposed research
• alignment with CPA Australia’s nominated research topics
• experience and expertise of researchers
• likelihood that the project can be completed within the funding timeframe (normally no more than one year).

• GRPP grant periods typically last one year. In special circumstances, CPA Australia may agree to an extended grant period of up to a maximum of 18 months.
• The GRPP has a funding cap for research projects of $35,000 AUD (excluding GST). A proposed budget must be accounted for in the budget description of the Stage Two application.
• The funding amount requested must be expressed in Australian dollars and include any relevant taxes. For example, Australian GST.
• GRPP grants are designed to fund new research of interest and significance to CPA Australia’s members. Funding will not normally be awarded to cover expenses related to the production of literature reviews or the development of software or digital platforms or the preparation or submission of research outputs to academic journals or presses.
• CPA Australia must receive scheduled deliverables as stipulated in the signed GRPP funding agreement or contract.
• At least one researcher on the project must be a CPA member.
• Holders of GRPP grants must successfully deliver all agreed deliverables from one grant before applying for another. 
• Applicants may apply for and hold GRPP funding concurrently with another award or grant if all funding and details of the funding contract are disclosed to CPA Australia at the time of GRPP Stage two application.
• CPA Australia reserves the right to publish and otherwise disseminate the findings arising from GRPP grants.
• Any publication resulting from GRPP funded research must acknowledge CPA Australia’s funding support.
• Only complete applications will be considered. Incomplete applications and those of a quality deemed to be significantly below acceptable standards will be returned unassessed.
• CPA Australia reserves the right not to fund projects. The decision to fund or not resides exclusively with CPA Australia management, whose decision is final.
• For the purposes of the GRPP, track record considerations include the successful delivery of contract research projects and outputs outside of traditional academic publishing.
• Before submitting any manuscript for publication or otherwise publicly disseminating research outcomes from a GRPP funded project, researchers must obtain written approval from CPA Australia.
• CPA Australia undertakes not to withhold such approval unless it reasonably believes that publication or other dissemination of research outcomes would harm, prejudice, or in any other way injure its interests or the interests of its members.
• CPA Australia retains the sole right to determine whether to sponsor publication of GRPP funded research outcomes in any form via CPA Australia media channels (online or hard copy formats).
• Neither party will have editorial rights over the content of work that the other party wishes to publish in relation to the GRPP funded research project.
• Each party agrees to acknowledge the other's contribution in any publication or public disclosure made in respect of the GRPP funded research project.