A research internship is a 3–6 month project where a doctoral student applies their research expertise to a real business challenge. Projects are co-designed to align organisational priorities with the student’s PhD, delivering outcomes for the business while supporting the student’s research and professional development.

Research internships offer a low-cost, low-risk way to accelerate R&D, test ideas or technologies, and generate actionable insights, with potential for valuable IP. They also provide a pipeline to highly skilled research graduates.

We work with organisations committed to collaboration and meaningful student engagement. Partners should be able to provide supervision, mentorship, a safe work environment, appropriate project resources, and, where possible, a scholarship contribution.

The Graduate Research School supports organisations throughout the process, including project design, contracting, student selection, training, and internship administration. We also partner with APR.Intern, the national HDR internship service provider, which can manage full administration for a facilitation fee.

For longer-term research needs, organisations can co-develop a 3–4 year PhD project with a University of Sydney academic, with options for sponsorship and co-supervision. Projects may also be eligible for government initiatives such as the National Industry PhD Program or CSIRO Industry PhD Program. Contact the Graduate Research School to discuss collaboration options.