Southeast Asia Energy Transition Human Capacity Development Fellowships Program

About the Southeast Asia Human Capacity Development Fellowships Program

The SEA-HCD Fellowships Program offers energy sector professionals from Southeast Asia the opportunity to undertake a placement with CSIRO in Australia, working on real-world energy transition challenges alongside leading researchers and industry experts.

Through hands-on projects, mentoring, and collaboration, Fellows build practical skills and insights that can be applied to support energy transition priorities in their home organisations.

In 2026, the program supports high-performing professionals from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysia, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).

CSIRO support is provided under the Australian Government’s Partnerships for Infrastructure initiative to build government-to-government connections across Southeast Asia.

Research Focus Areas

Research projects under the Fellowship should address key technical challenges related to the energy transition, including:

• Integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) into power systems
• Management of distributed energy resources (DERs)
• Planning and operation of energy systems with higher shares of VRE and DER

Fellowship Experience

Spend up to three months at CSIRO in Australia, partnering with leading researchers and industry experts to address a real-world energy transition challenge with tangible benefits for both the participant's organisation and the broader region.

Throughout the Fellowship, participants will have the opportunity to:

• Lead a high-impact project aligned with organisational priorities and regional energy transition objectives.
• Receive expert mentoring and technical guidance from CSIRO researchers and leading Australian academics.
• Develop practical skills and specialised expertise through applied research, innovation, and real-world problem solving.
• Collaborate with a diverse network of researchers, engineers, policymakers, and industry leaders across Australia and Southeast Asia.
• Gain first-hand insights into Australia's experience in renewable energy integration, grid modernisation, and power system transformation.
• Expand professional networks and leadership capabilities through meaningful cross-sector and international engagement.
• Bring back actionable knowledge and innovative solutions to help advance long-term organisational energy transition goals.
• Access financial support to assist with reasonable costs associated with participation in the Fellowship.

By the end of the program, Fellows return equipped with valuable international experience, stronger professional connections, and practical solutions that can accelerate energy transition outcomes within their organisations and communities.

Example of past Fellowship

Floating Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Site Selection in Indonesia: A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Approach

Challenge: Indonesia has significant potential for floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) deployment, but selecting suitable sites requires balancing technical, economic, environmental, and infrastructure considerations.

Approach: Indra worked with CSIRO’s Energy Systems team to develop a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework to evaluate and rank 92 potential FPV sites across Indonesia. The framework assessed sites using eight key criteria.

Key Outcomes

• Evaluated and ranked 92 candidate FPV sites across Indonesia.
• Tested three weighting approaches and three MCDA ranking methods to improve decision-making robustness.
• Identified CRITIC and Equal Weight methods as the most consistent and reliable approaches for site prioritisation.
• Demonstrated the importance of transparent weighting and sensitivity analysis in renewable energy planning.

Enquiries

Questions about the program can be sent to hcd@csiro.au.

About the Southeast Asia Human Capacity Development Fellowships Program

The SEA-HCD Fellowships Program offers energy sector professionals from Southeast Asia the opportunity to undertake a placement with CSIRO in Australia, working on real-world energy transition challenges alongside leading researchers and industry experts.

Through hands-on projects, mentoring, and collaboration, Fellows build practical skills and insights that can be applied to support energy transition priorities in their home organisations.

In 2026, the program supports high-performing professionals from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysia, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).

CSIRO support is provided under the Australian Government’s Partnerships for Infrastructure initiative to build government-to-government connections across Southeast Asia.

Research Focus Areas

Research projects under the Fellowship should address key technical challenges related to the energy transition, including:

• Integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) into power systems
• Management of distributed energy resources (DERs)
• Planning and operation of energy systems with higher shares of VRE and DER

Fellowship Experience

Spend up to three months at CSIRO in Australia, partnering with leading researchers and industry experts to address a real-world energy transition challenge with tangible benefits for both the participant's organisation and the broader region.

Throughout the Fellowship, participants will have the opportunity to:

• Lead a high-impact project aligned with organisational priorities and regional energy transition objectives.
• Receive expert mentoring and technical guidance from CSIRO researchers and leading Australian academics.
• Develop practical skills and specialised expertise through applied research, innovation, and real-world problem solving.
• Collaborate with a diverse network of researchers, engineers, policymakers, and industry leaders across Australia and Southeast Asia.
• Gain first-hand insights into Australia's experience in renewable energy integration, grid modernisation, and power system transformation.
• Expand professional networks and leadership capabilities through meaningful cross-sector and international engagement.
• Bring back actionable knowledge and innovative solutions to help advance long-term organisational energy transition goals.
• Access financial support to assist with reasonable costs associated with participation in the Fellowship.

By the end of the program, Fellows return equipped with valuable international experience, stronger professional connections, and practical solutions that can accelerate energy transition outcomes within their organisations and communities.

Example of past Fellowship

Floating Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Site Selection in Indonesia: A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Approach

Challenge: Indonesia has significant potential for floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) deployment, but selecting suitable sites requires balancing technical, economic, environmental, and infrastructure considerations.

Approach: Indra worked with CSIRO’s Energy Systems team to develop a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework to evaluate and rank 92 potential FPV sites across Indonesia. The framework assessed sites using eight key criteria.

Key Outcomes

• Evaluated and ranked 92 candidate FPV sites across Indonesia.
• Tested three weighting approaches and three MCDA ranking methods to improve decision-making robustness.
• Identified CRITIC and Equal Weight methods as the most consistent and reliable approaches for site prioritisation.
• Demonstrated the importance of transparent weighting and sensitivity analysis in renewable energy planning.

Enquiries

Questions about the program can be sent to hcd@csiro.au.

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