Registration closed
Registration is now CLOSED for the third cohort of the program.
The D4D Fellowships Program is currently underway. Selected Indonesian civil servants are undertaking a three-month fellowship with CSIRO’s data and digital specialist arm, Data61, to collaborate on high-value development challenges using advanced data and digital science tools.
About the D4D Fellowships Program
The D4D Fellowship Program focuses on building capacity in data and design and facilitating locally-led innovation and solutions.
Participants travel from Indonesia to Australia for three months, working with experts at Data61 to solve complex, high-value development, data-related problems.
Data61's capabilities range from cybersecurity, confidential computing, robotics, machine learning and analytics, software and programming, to behavioural sciences and more.
The program aims to:
- provide data specialists from Indonesia with access to high-end professional development opportunities in Australia, advancing their knowledge and skills
- provide technical skills training targeted at helping the fellows to solve complex, high-value development and data-related problems
- build data skills within the fellows’ originating agencies through their participation in the program and ongoing engagement with established networks
- develop long-term institutional links between Australian and Indonesian organisations
- contribute to cyber resilience and sustainable economic development in Indonesia
Fellows are hosted at Data61 locations in Canberra, Sydney, Perth, or Melbourne, with all travel, visa, insurance, and living expenses fully covered.
Priority Project Themes
In alignment with the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, the program prioritises project proposals that address one or more of the following 8 priority themes:
- Combatting the evolving challenges of cybercrime, including ransomware;
- Identifying vulnerabilities and protecting critical infrastructure and government systems from cyber threats;
- Responding to, and managing, cyber incidents;
- Promoting the safe use of emerging technology;
- Supporting the growth of a secure digital economy and/or electronic-based government system;
- Shaping, upholding, and defending international cyber rules, norms, and standards;
- Promoting cyber awareness, including cyber threat awareness training and education;
- Promoting and upholding an open, secure, accessible and peaceful cyberspace.
What you’ll get out of the program
Participating in the D4D Fellowships Program will provide you with:
- opportunities to be mentored by experts in your fields
- networking opportunities with Australian researchers and engineers, seeking and sharing advice and guidance
- the control to oversee the direction of your project in consultation with your agency supervisors
- access to, and participation in, the Australia Awards Indonesia (AAI) alumni network
- additional opportunities to benefit your career, increase your capability and confidence to tackle challenges with data, and to lead organisational change
The D4D Program is managed by CSIRO and funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Requirements to apply for the program
To participate in the program, you must:
- Be a civil servant from a targeted Government of Indonesia ministry or agency
- Have significant cybersecurity capability, preferably with skills in data analytics (AI/ML)
- Have a clearly defined problem and a viable proposal for how to address the issue
- Have full support from their ministry/agency, both during the fellowship and for implementation of outcomes upon their return
- Be in the appropriate position to implement the project upon return from Australia
- Be eligible to travel and stay in Australia for three months
- Be able to participate within the fellowship timetable, including post-fellowship activity
- Be fluent in English*
English language competency
* The applicant’s English language competency is part of the selection process; however, there will be no official language test. The assessment of language competency is based on a phone interview and any additional evidence provided by the applicant (for example: proof of studies or living in an English-speaking country or working in an English-speaking environment; completion of studies in English, or language course or language tests).
What our alumni thought about the D4D Program:
"The flexibility at CSIRO is key to achieving impact. The team at CSIRO also has strong technical and interpersonal skills. We engage in discussions and share information, because involving more people makes finding solutions easier. For my Indonesian colleagues interested in applying to this program, key things to prepare or have in mind is a project you wish to support, and a clear problem statement supported by your organisation. Additionally, you should be confident in your abilities, knowing that the great people in the Data61 team will assist you. Lastly, be prepared in terms of language proficiency."
— Fajar Wijitrisnanto, Cybersecurity Analyst at the National Agency of Cyber and Crypto of Indonesia (BSSN).
"I gained valuable new knowledge and broadened my horizons about data science from CSIRO through this program. They provided me with a lot of advice and insights, not only from the mentors but also from the teams in remote sensing and high-performance computing. What you traditionally can do in one week, you can do in one hour with CSIRO. Mentors, buddies, and project managers—everyone offers advice, guidance, and alternative solution which is a key component to the success of this program. We meet weekly but members of the team are available to talk at any time and always provide the highest degree of professionalism."
— Arif Handoyo, at Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Indonesia.
Examples of past projects
To date, four fellows have successfully completed their fellowship programs in Australia.
Among them are:
Fajar Wijitrisnanto from the National Cyber and Crypto Agency of Indonesia (BSSN) leveraged the program to improve the quality of cybersecurity threat intelligence sharing, with the aim of ensuring organisations part of the Information Sharing & Analysis Center (ISAC) program receive relevant and sector-based threat information with strong predictive capabilities, helping them better prepare for cyber-attacks.
Arif Handoyo from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Indonesia advanced a mixed-method approach (combining field data with satellite imagery) currently being used to estimate paddy production in Indonesia. The enhanced technical capabilities, including remote sensing, are intended to resolve challenges such as pre-processing satellite image and choosing the correct ground truth that affects the accuracy of machine learning models to better assess paddy fields at various stages of growth.
The D4D Fellowship Program is modelled off the Australian Public Service (APS) Data Fellowship Program.
Timeline of the program
The indicative timeline for the application, selection process and fellowship component of the program is as follows:
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
|
1 – 23 Feb 2025 |
Stage 1: Call for applicatons Applicants to submit CV and project proposal |
|
24 – 28 Feb 2025 |
Applications reviewed; applicants to be notified of success |
|
3 – 7 Mar 2025 |
Stage 2: Panel Interview Shortlisted applicants and their supervisors will be invited for online interviews by the joint selection panel. |
|
10 Mar 2025 |
Announcement of successful fellows |
|
10 Mar – 7 Apr 2025 |
Pre-departure preparation
|
|
7 Apr – 30 Jun 2025 |
Fellowship conducted in Australia
|
Questions
Questions about the program or the selection process can be sent to D4DFellowships@csiro.au; cc: Fellya.Zumarnis@csiro.au.
Registration closed
Registration is now CLOSED for the third cohort of the program.
The D4D Fellowships Program is currently underway. Selected Indonesian civil servants are undertaking a three-month fellowship with CSIRO’s data and digital specialist arm, Data61, to collaborate on high-value development challenges using advanced data and digital science tools.
About the D4D Fellowships Program
The D4D Fellowship Program focuses on building capacity in data and design and facilitating locally-led innovation and solutions.
Participants travel from Indonesia to Australia for three months, working with experts at Data61 to solve complex, high-value development, data-related problems.
Data61's capabilities range from cybersecurity, confidential computing, robotics, machine learning and analytics, software and programming, to behavioural sciences and more.
The program aims to:
- provide data specialists from Indonesia with access to high-end professional development opportunities in Australia, advancing their knowledge and skills
- provide technical skills training targeted at helping the fellows to solve complex, high-value development and data-related problems
- build data skills within the fellows’ originating agencies through their participation in the program and ongoing engagement with established networks
- develop long-term institutional links between Australian and Indonesian organisations
- contribute to cyber resilience and sustainable economic development in Indonesia
Fellows are hosted at Data61 locations in Canberra, Sydney, Perth, or Melbourne, with all travel, visa, insurance, and living expenses fully covered.
Priority Project Themes
In alignment with the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, the program prioritises project proposals that address one or more of the following 8 priority themes:
- Combatting the evolving challenges of cybercrime, including ransomware;
- Identifying vulnerabilities and protecting critical infrastructure and government systems from cyber threats;
- Responding to, and managing, cyber incidents;
- Promoting the safe use of emerging technology;
- Supporting the growth of a secure digital economy and/or electronic-based government system;
- Shaping, upholding, and defending international cyber rules, norms, and standards;
- Promoting cyber awareness, including cyber threat awareness training and education;
- Promoting and upholding an open, secure, accessible and peaceful cyberspace.
What you’ll get out of the program
Participating in the D4D Fellowships Program will provide you with:
- opportunities to be mentored by experts in your fields
- networking opportunities with Australian researchers and engineers, seeking and sharing advice and guidance
- the control to oversee the direction of your project in consultation with your agency supervisors
- access to, and participation in, the Australia Awards Indonesia (AAI) alumni network
- additional opportunities to benefit your career, increase your capability and confidence to tackle challenges with data, and to lead organisational change
The D4D Program is managed by CSIRO and funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Requirements to apply for the program
To participate in the program, you must:
- Be a civil servant from a targeted Government of Indonesia ministry or agency
- Have significant cybersecurity capability, preferably with skills in data analytics (AI/ML)
- Have a clearly defined problem and a viable proposal for how to address the issue
- Have full support from their ministry/agency, both during the fellowship and for implementation of outcomes upon their return
- Be in the appropriate position to implement the project upon return from Australia
- Be eligible to travel and stay in Australia for three months
- Be able to participate within the fellowship timetable, including post-fellowship activity
- Be fluent in English*
English language competency
* The applicant’s English language competency is part of the selection process; however, there will be no official language test. The assessment of language competency is based on a phone interview and any additional evidence provided by the applicant (for example: proof of studies or living in an English-speaking country or working in an English-speaking environment; completion of studies in English, or language course or language tests).
What our alumni thought about the D4D Program:
"The flexibility at CSIRO is key to achieving impact. The team at CSIRO also has strong technical and interpersonal skills. We engage in discussions and share information, because involving more people makes finding solutions easier. For my Indonesian colleagues interested in applying to this program, key things to prepare or have in mind is a project you wish to support, and a clear problem statement supported by your organisation. Additionally, you should be confident in your abilities, knowing that the great people in the Data61 team will assist you. Lastly, be prepared in terms of language proficiency."
— Fajar Wijitrisnanto, Cybersecurity Analyst at the National Agency of Cyber and Crypto of Indonesia (BSSN).
"I gained valuable new knowledge and broadened my horizons about data science from CSIRO through this program. They provided me with a lot of advice and insights, not only from the mentors but also from the teams in remote sensing and high-performance computing. What you traditionally can do in one week, you can do in one hour with CSIRO. Mentors, buddies, and project managers—everyone offers advice, guidance, and alternative solution which is a key component to the success of this program. We meet weekly but members of the team are available to talk at any time and always provide the highest degree of professionalism."
— Arif Handoyo, at Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Indonesia.
Examples of past projects
To date, four fellows have successfully completed their fellowship programs in Australia.
Among them are:
Fajar Wijitrisnanto from the National Cyber and Crypto Agency of Indonesia (BSSN) leveraged the program to improve the quality of cybersecurity threat intelligence sharing, with the aim of ensuring organisations part of the Information Sharing & Analysis Center (ISAC) program receive relevant and sector-based threat information with strong predictive capabilities, helping them better prepare for cyber-attacks.
Arif Handoyo from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Indonesia advanced a mixed-method approach (combining field data with satellite imagery) currently being used to estimate paddy production in Indonesia. The enhanced technical capabilities, including remote sensing, are intended to resolve challenges such as pre-processing satellite image and choosing the correct ground truth that affects the accuracy of machine learning models to better assess paddy fields at various stages of growth.
The D4D Fellowship Program is modelled off the Australian Public Service (APS) Data Fellowship Program.
Timeline of the program
The indicative timeline for the application, selection process and fellowship component of the program is as follows:
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
|
1 – 23 Feb 2025 |
Stage 1: Call for applicatons Applicants to submit CV and project proposal |
|
24 – 28 Feb 2025 |
Applications reviewed; applicants to be notified of success |
|
3 – 7 Mar 2025 |
Stage 2: Panel Interview Shortlisted applicants and their supervisors will be invited for online interviews by the joint selection panel. |
|
10 Mar 2025 |
Announcement of successful fellows |
|
10 Mar – 7 Apr 2025 |
Pre-departure preparation
|
|
7 Apr – 30 Jun 2025 |
Fellowship conducted in Australia
|
Questions
Questions about the program or the selection process can be sent to D4DFellowships@csiro.au; cc: Fellya.Zumarnis@csiro.au.
Download our program brochure PDF (429 KB)
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