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Graduate Research School will be launching the new º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ HDR Internship Scholarship on 1 April 2026.

A research internship is a valuable opportunity for HDR students to apply their research skills in real-world contexts, build professional networks and broaden their career pathways.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ recognises the value and benefit for HDR students to engage with industry.

The new º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ HDR Internship Scholarship provides funding to support eligible doctoral candidates while they undertake an unpaid research internship with an industry partner during their candidature.

To be eligible for a º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ HDR Internship Scholarship, you must:

• be currently enrolled in a doctoral degree at the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ
• have successfully completed Confirmation of Candidature
• not have previously received funding for participation in an internship
• not already be receiving payment from the industry partner related to their research
• not have an existing industry-funded PhD scholarship (internal or external) or PhD project with an embedded internship.

Domestic and international doctoral candidates (enrolled full-time or part-time) are eligible to engage in a research internship and apply for an internship scholarship.

To be eligible for a º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ HDR Internship Scholarship, the engagement must meet the requirements of an eligible research internship under the . The internship must:

• be agreed to in written form with an eligible  (industry partner) within the first 18 months Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of the candidate’s enrolment
• consist of research and experimental development (R&D) activities  related to your area of research
• be a minimum duration of three calendar months, with a total of at least 60 days FTE of engagement. This can be completed in a block period or regular days per week as agreed between the University, the partner and the candidate.

Internships can be completed remotely, online, on-site, in Australia or overseas.

The uses the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) definition of research and experimental development (R&D) set out in the which is ‘creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge.’

For an activity to be a R&D activity, it must satisfy all 5 of the core criteria. A R&D activity must be:

1. Novel: aimed at new findings
2. Creative: based on original, not obvious, concepts and hypotheses
3. Uncertain: uncertain about the final outcome(s)
4. Systemic: planned and budgeted
5. Transferable and/or Reproducible: lead to results that could be possibly reproduced.

Successful applicants will be paid an equivalent of 90 candidature days of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ RTP/HDR stipend scholarship rate or their existing stipend scholarship rate. This is a total of approximately $10,000.

The scholarship will be paid in two ways:

1. Stipend extension of 90 days to the end of your existing stipend scholarship (if applicable).

OR

2. Two scholarship payments: the first instalment (50% of the total amount) at the commencement of the internship, and the second instalment (remaining 50%) at the completion of the internship.

For detailed information on the entitlements and conditions of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ HDR Internship Scholarship see: º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ HDR Internship Scholarship Conditions of Award.

To apply for an º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ HDR Internship Scholarship, you will need to submit:

• An application form endorsed your primary supervisor
• A signed Letter of Intent between you, your primary supervisor and the industry partner with details of your research internship including proposed dates, duration and the R&D activities you will be undertaking during the period. To be eligible, this Letter of Intent needs to be signed within the first 18 months of your candidature.

Your internship arrangements will be formalised through an internship agreement signed by you, the University and the industry partner. You won’t need this for your scholarship application, but it will need to be executed before you start your internship.

More information including the application form will be made available on this webpage when the application round opens on 1 April.

Don’t wait for the application round to open to start planning your internship – there are things you can do to prepare now.