| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Call for applications | April 2025 |
| General requirements | Citizenship : you must be an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident. Age: You must be over the age of 18 years. Registered entity: You employer must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and Australian Company Number (ACN). |
| Citizens Overseas | An applicant who is an Australian Citizen and is temporarily overseas will be considered for a scholarship. |
| Activities | You must be involved in activities relating to the field of critical minerals research based on the Australian Critical Minerals List (Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List | Department of Industry Science and Resources) and on benefit of the Australian Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 (Critical Minerals Strategy 2023–2030 | Department of Industry Science and Resources). This may include being either:
|
| Australian Strategic Interest | Applications topics must respond to Australia strategic interests defined in the Australian Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 and other relevant documents. |
| Scholarship limit | You may only receive one scholarship. If you have received a scholarship, you will not be eligible, and must not apply for, another scholarship. |
| Tertiary Qualifications | Scholarships will not be awarded to enable you to obtain or complete tertiary qualifications, for example, a Masters or PhD qualification. |
| Nature of Activity | Your proposed use of the scholarship must be for the purpose of pursuing research collaboration with the following countries:
|
| Research Areas for Funding | See What research is supported? in Frequently Asked Questions for detail. |
| Funding |
|
| Support From Other Sources | The scholarship is separate to any other support that might be received by you and may be held concurrently with other support that you receive. If you are receiving further financial support, the Hub may require you to disclose its source. |
| Duration of Scholarship | A scholarship may be awarded for a maximum period of 6 months. If a scholar requires more time to fulfil the plans submitted in their application and meet the obligations of their scholarship agreement, this will be at their own expense. All travel and reporting must be completed 15 May 2026. |
| Continuous Travel | Travel must be taken as one continuous journey from Australia. |
| Scholarships Period | Scholarships may be approved until all funding is exhausted or 27 February 2026 (closing date), whichever is earlier. |
| Notification of application outcome | The Australian Critical Minerals R&D Hub will notify you of the outcome of your application in writing. If you are successful, the CSIRO will invite your organisation to enter into a Contract. |
| All Decisions are Final | The decision to award a scholarship is at the sole discretion of the Hub, and all decisions on allocation of scholarships by the Hub are final. There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve an application. |
| Contract | If your application is successful, the CSIRO will invite your organisation to enter into a Contract. Payment of the scholarship is subject to the scholar agreeing to be bound by the conditions contained in the Contract, and which must be properly executed by you and your organisation and the CSIRO. No changes can be made to the Agreement. Travel cannot commence, and no scholarship payments can be made, until the Contract is fully executed by the scholar and CSIRO. |
| Australian Defence Export Controls | Scholars must ensure that they are compliant at all times with Australian Export Controls relating to critical minerals. Scholars must also be compliant with all export controls enforced by the host country. If you are unsure whether your activity may require an export licence, you should review the self-assessment guide for ‘controlled items’ and/or contact Defence Export Controls (DEC). More information can be found at Australian Defence Export Office |
| Use of Images | If your application is successful and subject to you entering into the contract with the CSIRO, you will need to consent and provide permission to the CSIRO to using your image and story to promote the scholarship program and related activities. |
| Acknowledgement of Scholarship | If scholars make a public statement about work completed because of this scholarship, whether orally or in writing, this must be acknowledged by using the following statement, or another statement as reasonably advised by the CSIRO in writing to the scholar: ‘This project received funding from the Australian Government.’ |
| Intellectual Property | It is the scholar’s responsibility to ensure appropriate intellectual property arrangements are in place as part of the activities they undertake All IP arrangements must reflect the purpose of the Hub to build Australian intellectual property in critical minerals research, targeting technical bottlenecks in supply chains of strategic significance, and driving breakthrough collaborative research with universities, researchers and industry by disseminating relevant scientific knowledge freely and openly as a public good and/or protecting and commercialising it to deliver impact. CSIRO/ Hub does not need to be named in these agreements but may request evidence that this has been completed as required. Scholars must ensure they have enough time to enter into these arrangements prior to travelling. |
| Reporting | Scholars must provide a Final Report, using a template provided by the Hub, including an executive summary and image for communicating outcomes of the scholarship, and sign the declaration on the first page. This report must be provided to the Hub within 4 weeks of arrival in Australia. The Final Report must not contain any confidential information in relation to the research project or collaboration arrangements. |
| Personal Information | By submitting an application, you acknowledge and agree that you read and understand the Privacy Notice and CSIRO Privacy Policy. |
| Initial Payment | Subject to entering into a Contract with the CSIRO, 100% of the scholarship amount will be paid to the scholar organisation on full execution of that Contract. |
| Direct Transfer | Subject to the scholar organisation, providing the CSIRO with an acceptable tax invoice, the scholarship funds will be paid electronically into the scholar organisation’s nominated bank account in Australian dollars. |
| Return of Funds | If the scholar does not, or later ceases to, satisfy the criteria set out in these Terms and Conditions and Contract, the CSIRO may decline to pay the funding, or require the scholar organisation to repay the funding to the CSIRO. |
| Travel | Scholarship funds may only be used for the sole purpose of travelling to the country of destination selected by the scholar. It cannot be used for domestic travel or travel to other countries. |
| International Travel Insurance | We recommend that all scholars maintain an appropriate level of Travel Insurance suitable for the host country. CSIRO will not be responsible for any loss or injury incurred by the scholar e as a result of their travel. All scholars’ travel is at their own risk. |
| Visa and Immigration | CSIRO is not responsible for the scholar being eligible to travel to the country of choice. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are able to be granted an appropriate visa to travel prior to submitting your application or entering into the Contract. |
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Call for applications | April 2025 |
| General requirements | Citizenship : you must be an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident. Age: You must be over the age of 18 years. Registered entity: You employer must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) and Australian Company Number (ACN). |
| Citizens Overseas | An applicant who is an Australian Citizen and is temporarily overseas will be considered for a scholarship. |
| Activities | You must be involved in activities relating to the field of critical minerals research based on the Australian Critical Minerals List (Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List | Department of Industry Science and Resources) and on benefit of the Australian Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 (Critical Minerals Strategy 2023–2030 | Department of Industry Science and Resources). This may include being either:
|
| Australian Strategic Interest | Applications topics must respond to Australia strategic interests defined in the Australian Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 and other relevant documents. |
| Scholarship limit | You may only receive one scholarship. If you have received a scholarship, you will not be eligible, and must not apply for, another scholarship. |
| Tertiary Qualifications | Scholarships will not be awarded to enable you to obtain or complete tertiary qualifications, for example, a Masters or PhD qualification. |
| Nature of Activity | Your proposed use of the scholarship must be for the purpose of pursuing research collaboration with the following countries:
|
| Research Areas for Funding | See What research is supported? in Frequently Asked Questions for detail. |
| Funding |
|
| Support From Other Sources | The scholarship is separate to any other support that might be received by you and may be held concurrently with other support that you receive. If you are receiving further financial support, the Hub may require you to disclose its source. |
| Duration of Scholarship | A scholarship may be awarded for a maximum period of 6 months. If a scholar requires more time to fulfil the plans submitted in their application and meet the obligations of their scholarship agreement, this will be at their own expense. All travel and reporting must be completed 15 May 2026. |
| Continuous Travel | Travel must be taken as one continuous journey from Australia. |
| Scholarships Period | Scholarships may be approved until all funding is exhausted or 27 February 2026 (closing date), whichever is earlier. |
| Notification of application outcome | The Australian Critical Minerals R&D Hub will notify you of the outcome of your application in writing. If you are successful, the CSIRO will invite your organisation to enter into a Contract. |
| All Decisions are Final | The decision to award a scholarship is at the sole discretion of the Hub, and all decisions on allocation of scholarships by the Hub are final. There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve an application. |
| Contract | If your application is successful, the CSIRO will invite your organisation to enter into a Contract. Payment of the scholarship is subject to the scholar agreeing to be bound by the conditions contained in the Contract, and which must be properly executed by you and your organisation and the CSIRO. No changes can be made to the Agreement. Travel cannot commence, and no scholarship payments can be made, until the Contract is fully executed by the scholar and CSIRO. |
| Australian Defence Export Controls | Scholars must ensure that they are compliant at all times with Australian Export Controls relating to critical minerals. Scholars must also be compliant with all export controls enforced by the host country. If you are unsure whether your activity may require an export licence, you should review the self-assessment guide for ‘controlled items’ and/or contact Defence Export Controls (DEC). More information can be found at Australian Defence Export Office |
| Use of Images | If your application is successful and subject to you entering into the contract with the CSIRO, you will need to consent and provide permission to the CSIRO to using your image and story to promote the scholarship program and related activities. |
| Acknowledgement of Scholarship | If scholars make a public statement about work completed because of this scholarship, whether orally or in writing, this must be acknowledged by using the following statement, or another statement as reasonably advised by the CSIRO in writing to the scholar: ‘This project received funding from the Australian Government.’ |
| Intellectual Property | It is the scholar’s responsibility to ensure appropriate intellectual property arrangements are in place as part of the activities they undertake All IP arrangements must reflect the purpose of the Hub to build Australian intellectual property in critical minerals research, targeting technical bottlenecks in supply chains of strategic significance, and driving breakthrough collaborative research with universities, researchers and industry by disseminating relevant scientific knowledge freely and openly as a public good and/or protecting and commercialising it to deliver impact. CSIRO/ Hub does not need to be named in these agreements but may request evidence that this has been completed as required. Scholars must ensure they have enough time to enter into these arrangements prior to travelling. |
| Reporting | Scholars must provide a Final Report, using a template provided by the Hub, including an executive summary and image for communicating outcomes of the scholarship, and sign the declaration on the first page. This report must be provided to the Hub within 4 weeks of arrival in Australia. The Final Report must not contain any confidential information in relation to the research project or collaboration arrangements. |
| Personal Information | By submitting an application, you acknowledge and agree that you read and understand the Privacy Notice and CSIRO Privacy Policy. |
| Initial Payment | Subject to entering into a Contract with the CSIRO, 100% of the scholarship amount will be paid to the scholar organisation on full execution of that Contract. |
| Direct Transfer | Subject to the scholar organisation, providing the CSIRO with an acceptable tax invoice, the scholarship funds will be paid electronically into the scholar organisation’s nominated bank account in Australian dollars. |
| Return of Funds | If the scholar does not, or later ceases to, satisfy the criteria set out in these Terms and Conditions and Contract, the CSIRO may decline to pay the funding, or require the scholar organisation to repay the funding to the CSIRO. |
| Travel | Scholarship funds may only be used for the sole purpose of travelling to the country of destination selected by the scholar. It cannot be used for domestic travel or travel to other countries. |
| International Travel Insurance | We recommend that all scholars maintain an appropriate level of Travel Insurance suitable for the host country. CSIRO will not be responsible for any loss or injury incurred by the scholar e as a result of their travel. All scholars’ travel is at their own risk. |
| Visa and Immigration | CSIRO is not responsible for the scholar being eligible to travel to the country of choice. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are able to be granted an appropriate visa to travel prior to submitting your application or entering into the Contract. |