CSIRO Industry PhD Program: Information for universities

A collaboration agreement is established between CSIRO, the university and industry partner, which highlights the intellectual property (IP) arrangement. Any specific IP considerations should be identified during the scoping of the project and detailed in the EOI application so the parties can discuss further and provide feedback during the contract negotiation stage. Under all circumstances, students will own the copyright to their thesis. Project publications should be encouraged, but some conditions may be imposed to protect Project IP and confidential information of the parties involved.

iPhD program staff assist with project scoping, partner communication, and support the submission of the formal EOI paperwork. If required, iPhD program staff will make best endeavours to locate eligible partners which have complementary and relevant knowledge and experience.

Students must be sought through an open advertising process facilitated by the involved university. Student expressions of interest will need to be lodged via the university website or supervisor and the supervisory panel will shortlist, interview, and nominate the most suitable student to formally apply for the scholarship. If you are approached by a prospective student during the EOI phase who has a project idea, you must drive the application with the other partners, without involvement from the student. The project advertising and student recruitment processes explained above will still need to be followed.

The program’s three-way partnership calls for the appointment of a university supervisor/s, an industry supervisor, and a CSIRO supervisor. Each supervisor will be responsible for certain aspects of the student’s supervision. However, the Primary Supervisor, allocated from the university, is responsible for monitoring and assessing the PhD student progress in accordance with the university’s PhD academic requirements. A tailored project management and communication plan should be created prior to project commencement, detailing supervisor roles, level of commitment and communication methods so the student can access appropriate support.

Projects must be allocated a primary location by the supervisory panel. This location is where the student will be primarily based to undertake the project. The primary location must be in Australia and may be at the host university, at CSIRO or on the industry partner’s premises. The location of the three-month Industry Engagement Component may be different to the project’s primary location.

Funding starting from $13,000 per annum is provided to the supervising organisation where the student is primarily based to cover project operating expenses and development activities. Project expenses may include lab consumables, fieldwork, and other research costs. Travel costs associated with the project and/or approved development activities are also eligible expenses.

Government and not-for-profit entities where an industry relevant experience can be provided to the student are able to participate. However, there is a strong preference for private for-profit industry partners, particularly in the Small to Medium Enterprise sector. 

Although there is a strong preference for funding directly from the industry partner, subject to approval of the Industry PhD program, funding from an alternative source such as a Rural Development Corporation, Industry Association or Cooperative Research Centre will be allowed. If from an alternative source, the iPhD program cannot be used to fund an initiative that the organisation is already funded to deliver (for example, CRC scholarships previously funded or agreed).

iPhD program staff are responsible for the delivery of the CSIRO Industry PhD program and support all project development stages, including expression of interest, contracting and student recruitment processes. As the funding administrator, we distribute the student scholarship and project expenses funds to the appropriate partners. Program staff also develop a tailored student career and professional development training program, which is delivered alongside the PhD program. Program staff actively support students and contributing partners and act as the first point of call should any issues arise.

Students receive a structured professional development package delivered by CSIRO alongside the PhD. This package will help foster the student’s professional skills including leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation. Most training will be delivered online, however there will be some in-person events. The professional development training is mandatory and requires a time commitment of approximately five days per year.

The Industry Engagement component is a requirement of the CSIRO Industry PhD program. It aims to ensure that the needs of industry guide the development, activities, and outcomes of the PhD project. It provides an opportunity for the student to work under the guidance of their industry partner on research and development activities contributing to their PhD project. It is intended to meet the Government requirements of an eligible industry internship, attracting additional weighting under RTP guidelines.

Activities should provide students with relevant tools and experience to better contextualise and apply research in an industry setting. Activities should contribute to the development, research and outcomes of the larger PhD project, and be related to the student’s area of research. Potential activities may include:

• understanding the research needs of the industry partner and/or the broader industry
• undertaking practical research translation activities under the guidance of the industry partner
• testing research assumptions and innovations in an industry setting with end-users.

Generally, any results from these activities can be included in the thesis so long as confidentiality and publication clauses listed in the Collaboration Agreement and Student Agreement are complied with.

The Industry Engagement component must be a minimum of 60 full-time days or three calendar months in duration and should ideally take place at the industry partner’s premises. However, activities can be undertaken remotely, within reason. A mixture of online and in-person engagement is also acceptable.

At the discretion and with the agreement of the supervisory team, alternate locations may be possible, but the university will need to approve any alternate location(s). Examples of locations include:

• CSIRO site
• the university
• a combination of sites
• remote
• a mixture of remote and in-person attendance.

The Industry Engagement component does not need to be completed full-time, however any arrangements must total at least 60 full-time equivalent days of engagement. There is significant flexibility, and the exact format should depend on the needs of the project and support the development of the student. For instance, the component could be completed part-time or in short blocks strategically placed throughout the PhD to encourage on-going engagement between the student and the industry partner.

The Industry Engagement component including activities, location(s) and attendance arrangements should be jointly agreed upon between the student and the supervisory team and should be approved by the university early in the PhD.

The university will have reporting requirements, for instance an internship report may need to be completed by the student and signed off by the industry supervisor. To track the student’s attendance, their university may need to provide an appropriate tracking mechanism (e.g., time sheets).

The student should engage early with their graduate school to identify any university-specific requirements. Although it is recommended that the Industry Engagement project be scoped early in the PhD, there is an expectation that supervisors and the university will make allowance for changes down the track if required, and these changes will need to be consistent with the Collaboration Agreement.

There is no obligation for the industry partner or CSIRO to offer employment to the student during or at completion of the project.