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Become a program partner and support a PhD student undertake a research project that tackles your business problem. Students are jointly supervised by the industry partner, the student's university, and CSIRO.

Expressions of interest

If you work in industry and have a project idea, and would like to commence the EOI process, please contact us. Round one expression of interest opens from February 2025 for new projects to commence late 2025, early 2026.

Program benefits

  • Develop new, or strengthen relationships with universities and CSIRO
  • Gain new knowledge and research solutions for challenges facing your organisation
  • Enhance innovation and build R&D pipelines through university and CSIRO knowledge transfer
  • Gain access to university and CSIRO facilities and expertise
  • Develop highly skilled and customised talent to assist with future recruitment.
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Program funding and support

The iPhD program is funded by the Australian Government and the industry partner for up to four years. Funding for each year consists of three components:

  1. Student Scholarship of $47,020 p.a. (2025 rate) comprising of $35,020 p.a. provided by the Government and $12,000 p.a. provided by the industry partner.
  2. Project Expense and Development package of up to $13,000 p.a. provided by the Government for research operating costs and research skill development.
  3. Student career and professional development training funding provided by the Government and developed/delivered by CSIRO.

Program funding amounts increase annually. Please refer to our Program Rules for yearly rates.

Program requirements

iPhD projects must:

  • align with CSIRO and Government priorities
  • address an industry problem while complying with the university PhD requirements
  • be up to four years duration
  • include at least 60 workdays of project related activities under the guidance of the industry partner, which is referred to as the Industry Engagement component.

Industry Partners must:

  • have a registered ABN or ACN
  • have a substantial presence in Australian presence
  • commit to fund a top-up scholarship for the student. For projects commencing in 2025, the total cost over four years is $49,091 (excluding GST)
  • provide a suitably experienced staff member to co-supervise the student
  • provide the student with a 60-day Industry Engagement component
  • be a Research End User
  • provide access to facilities and infrastructure, if required for the project

Project development stages

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are accepted from 1 February each year. The round will be divided into two phases, a primary phase with EOIs due on 19 April, and a secondary phase with EOIs due on 23 August. EOIs must meet program eligibility requirements and will be evaluated against assessment criterion. Please refer to our Program Rules for further information. If successful, a Collaboration Agreement will be executed between the involved parties and the project is then advertised via the participating university for a student. For EOI’s submitted in 2024, projects are expected to start late 2024/early 2025.

iPhD project development stages and approximate timeframes

Program resources

Key documents

Promotional materials

Become a program partner and support a PhD student undertake a research project that tackles your business problem. Students are jointly supervised by the industry partner, the student's university, and CSIRO.

Expressions of interest

If you work in industry and have a project idea, and would like to commence the EOI process, please contact us. Round one expression of interest opens from February 2025 for new projects to commence late 2025, early 2026.

Program benefits

  • Develop new, or strengthen relationships with universities and CSIRO
  • Gain new knowledge and research solutions for challenges facing your organisation
  • Enhance innovation and build R&D pipelines through university and CSIRO knowledge transfer
  • Gain access to university and CSIRO facilities and expertise
  • Develop highly skilled and customised talent to assist with future recruitment.

Associate Professor Wayne Leifert, CSIRO Principal Research Scientist.

The industry PhD brings people together to really focus on translating knowledge into something that's valuable for the community worldwide.

Kym McNicholas, CSIRO iPhD Candidate.

My name is Kim McNicholas and I'm an Industry PhD student here at Biosensis. The aim of my project was to try and increase the sensitivity of these assays using gold nanoparticles. So it is a procedure or a technique that's used in the lab to measure concentrations of a particular protein in the sample.

Professor Robert Rush, Biosensis Managing Director and Chair

The research program with Adelaide University and CSIRO allows us to identify new biomarkers in a cohort of patients who have been screened and shown to either have cognitive impairment or dementia.

Associate Professor Tara Pukala, University of Adelaide.

And then with our CSIRO and industry partners, we can translate that to what might ultimately be a diagnostic test for early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

Kym McNicholas, CSIRO iPhD Candidate.

They've all been able to address different needs that I’ve needed over the time of the PhD. Biosensis, being able to work in a laboratory with access to quality materials, CSIRO to access statisticians and IT professionals, as well as a very good valuable patient cohort, and the University has this amazing, structured program which helps all PhD students just get through.

Professor Robert Rush, Biosensis Managing Director and Chair

The iPhD program is ideal for us to build on the innovation that this company thrives on.

Professor Tara Pukala, University of Adelaide.

One of the key advantages that I've found in this program is our ability to translate key fundamental research.

Kym McNicholas, CSIRO iPhD Candidate.

I really feel like I'm solving real world problems here. It's been a very good collaboration between the three teams.

Partnering with CSIRO, University of Adelaide and Biosensis.

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Program funding and support

The iPhD program is funded by the Australian Government and the industry partner for up to four years. Funding for each year consists of three components:

  1. Student Scholarship of $47,020 p.a. (2025 rate) comprising of $35,020 p.a. provided by the Government and $12,000 p.a. provided by the industry partner.
  2. Project Expense and Development package of up to $13,000 p.a. provided by the Government for research operating costs and research skill development.
  3. Student career and professional development training funding provided by the Government and developed/delivered by CSIRO.

Program funding amounts increase annually. Please refer to our Program Rules for yearly rates.

Program requirements

iPhD projects must:

  • align with CSIRO and Government priorities
  • address an industry problem while complying with the university PhD requirements
  • be up to four years duration
  • include at least 60 workdays of project related activities under the guidance of the industry partner, which is referred to as the Industry Engagement component.

Industry Partners must:

  • have a registered ABN or ACN
  • have a substantial presence in Australian presence
  • commit to fund a top-up scholarship for the student. For projects commencing in 2025, the total cost over four years is $49,091 (excluding GST)
  • provide a suitably experienced staff member to co-supervise the student
  • provide the student with a 60-day Industry Engagement component
  • be a Research End User
  • provide access to facilities and infrastructure, if required for the project

Project development stages

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are accepted from 1 February each year. The round will be divided into two phases, a primary phase with EOIs due on 19 April, and a secondary phase with EOIs due on 23 August. EOIs must meet program eligibility requirements and will be evaluated against assessment criterion. Please refer to our Program Rules for further information. If successful, a Collaboration Agreement will be executed between the involved parties and the project is then advertised via the participating university for a student. For EOI’s submitted in 2024, projects are expected to start late 2024/early 2025.

Infographic explaining the project development stages and approximate timeframes of the CSIRO Industry PhD Program. 

 

PhD project development

  • Primary EOI round: 1 Feb - 19 Apr (approx. 35 projects)
  • Secondary EOI round: 20 Apr - 23 Aug (approx. 15 projects)

Collaboration agreement 

  • A contract is executed three months after application approval

Student recruitment

  • The project is advertised, and a student is selected, enrolled and onboarded

iPhD commencement 

  • Student supervision is shared between university, industry and CSIRO partners
iPhD project development stages and approximate timeframes

Program resources

Key documents

Promotional materials

Contact us

For further information and to submit an expression of interest.

Email the iPhD team

Contact us

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