National Industry PhD Program

The Program duration for a full-time Industry Linked PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide will be a minimum of three and a half years (or seven years if enrolled part-time). Their period of support will be increased for any periods of leave approved by the University. The Program duration is calculated from the PhD commencement date.

The Program duration for a full-time Industry Researcher PhD candidate is four years (or eight years if enrolled part-time). PhD Candidates will continue to work and study concurrently with hours to be agreed between the Industry Partner and Participating University.

To be eligible for the Program, the defined PhD Research Project must be suitable for PhD Candidates to undertake with a potential industry application. PhD Research Projects can be either single projects for one PhD Candidate, or multiple projects for more than one PhD Candidate.

To be eligible for the Program, a PhD Candidate must:

• Be undertaking a PhD (defined as Level 10 Doctoral Degree (Research) or Doctoral Degree (Professional) qualification as described in the Australian Qualifications Framework) for which at least two-thirds is required as research work;
• Be a domestic or international PhD Candidate;
• Be supported to participate in the Program by a Participating University;
• Be awarded an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Fees Offset for the duration of their Industry PhD candidature by a Participating University;
• Enrol in the year that they are offered a position in the Program;
• Not have previously completed a PhD program at the time of application.

A PhD Candidate may be enrolled on either a full-time or part-time basis, subject to the agreement between the Participating University and the Industry Partner. Part-time PhD Candidates are those undertaking less than 75 per cent of an equivalent full-time student load.

A PhD Candidate who has commenced their first year of study is eligible to apply to join the Program, subject to the approval of their Participating University and their agreement that all other requirements of this program have been met. To be eligible, a PhD Candidate must be informed by their Participating University that they have been enrolled in the Program within 12 months of their PhD commencement date.

Additional eligibility criteria for Industry Researcher PhD Candidates

An Industry Researcher PhD Candidate must be employed by an industry partner and supported to participate in the Program by that employer. Their employer will be an Industry Partner for the Program duration.

A PhD Candidate will undertake study and work concurrently with time spent on each activity to be agreed between the Industry Partner and the Participating University. It is expected that both the study and work components will contribute to the PhD.

To be eligible for the Program, an Industry Partner must:

• Be a business or organisation with an Australian Business Number (ABN) registered with the Australian Taxation Office or an Australian Company Number (ACN) registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission; and
• Undertake Research and Development (R&D) activities. (R&D is defined as ‘creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge’.

Additional eligibility criteria for partners to the Industry Researcher stream:

• Must be a registered Body Corporate.

Contributions

Partners for the 'Industry Linked' stream will contribute a minimum of $10,000 per annum towards the student's stipend, and will provide in-kind support to them when on the industry site (e.g. by providing suitable supervision and mentorship).

Partners for the 'Industry Researcher' stream will continue to support their employee for the duration of the program (including full salary and benefits).

Alongside their thesis research, the PhD candidate will undertake a 12-week training program to develop their research translation capabilities. This training will equip them to:

• understand the importance of creating positive impact with their research;
• uncover the problems that potential partners want to solve, and tools and methods to identify and engage with potential industry, government, and community partners; and
• enhance their industry engagement and collaboration skills to build connections with their Industry Partners.

This training will be provided by Program partner Cruxes Innovation.

Applications for the National Industry PhD Program are developed collaboratively between a University-based academic and an eligible industry partner. They should outline the project aims, partner contributions, and expected outputs and impact. An application template, for drafting purposes, is available on the Department of Education's website.

Following internal review, eligible applications will be submitted online via the Department of Education's ISEO portal, by the Adelaide Graduate Research School. The competitive selection process is overseen by Program Service Provider Campus Plus, in consultation with an independent assessment advisory committee, and the Department of Education.

Please note that applications for this program must be completed, and submitted to the AGRS by the University supervisor and industry partner. The Department will not accept applications developed solely by students.

Application process

1. Principal supervisors and industry partners are invited to submit an informal expression of interest to HDR Industry Enquiries.
2. Once a project outline has been formulated, the supervisory team will collaborate to develop an application according to the Department’s template. The partner’s financial and in-kind contributions will need to be agreed upon at this stage.
3. Applications will undergo internal review at the University, with feedback returned to the panel prior to submission.
4. Finalised applications are submitted to Campus Plus for evaluation in the competitive Round.

Post-submission

5. Successful applicants will be invited to develop a Collaboration Agreement to manage ownership of Project IP.
6. If no student has been previously identified for the project, recruitment can begin.
7. Successful candidate is enrolled into a PhD Program at the University.

Feedback will be provided to unsuccessful applicants, who are encouraged to reapply in future rounds.