Your PhD is more than your thesis. It’s a chance to build skills, networks, and experiences that will shape your future. An internship can help you apply your research in a real-world setting, discover new career paths, and connect with professionals in your field. Opportunities can be undertaken in any sector - government, NGOs, education, technology, health, creative industries and more. The following information is provided as a guide for any HDR student interested in expanding their research experience through an internship.
It’s important to begin planning early, ideally within the first year of your candidature. Securing an internship opportunity, obtaining University approval, and arranging how to incorporate it into your candidature can take time.
You can find internships through various channels: your supervisor’s network, advertised opportunities, directly approaching organisations, and using APR.Intern - Australia’s leading HDR internship service provider.
Talk to your supervisor early about your interest in industry experience and how it could build your research skills. They may have partnerships with organisations offering projects suited to HDR students. The GRS can work with you and the host organisation to set up the project as an internship, ensuring clear learning outcomes and an agreement covering intellectual property, confidentiality, insurance and funding. See How to set up an internship for more information.
Be proactive in seeking industry experience during your PhD. Check company websites and job boards such as Glassdoor, ResearchGate, Seek, and LinkedIn for internships aimed at PhD candidates - particularly within large companies and research-intensive organisations, where such opportunities are more common. If you’re open to working abroad, many global organisations conduct R&D in the US, Asia and other regions, and may welcome research students or run structured programs.
You can also approach organisations directly with a tailored research proposal - this could include start-ups, businesses, not-for-profits, and government agencies. Networking is another valuable route: talk to peers, attend academic conferences, seminars, and industry events, join professional associations and connect with alumni on LinkedIn.
Some organisations also offer PhD fellowships in targeted industry areas, and the Australian Government funds two programs for PhD projects co-designed with industry - see advertised programs for details.
APR.Intern offers 3–6 month full-time research placements across a variety of sectors, with a $3,300 monthly stipend. Current opportunities are listed on the APR.Intern website, and you can also submit an expression of interest or sign up for their newsletter. Before applying, you’ll need approval from your lead supervisor and the Graduate Research School (GRS) using the Student Approval Form (pdf, 3.6MB).
The Graduate Researh School keeps a list of HDR internship programs and government-funded industry PhD opportunities such as the examples below. You should also regularly check Viva Engage, your faculty newsletter, and faculty Canvas site alerts for updates.
Defence Innovation Network (DIN) Internships
DIN places second- and third-year STEM PhD students into three-month internships with Australian defence-relevant businesses, offering hands-on experience and a $20,000 top-up scholarship.
iPREP Program
iPREP engages multidisciplinary teams of HDR students from across Australia in 12 week industry research projects, supported by mentoring and design thinking training.
SAAFE Research Internship Program
The SAAFE program supports PhD and early‐career researchers in nuclear science and engineering by funding 8–26-week exchanges between Australia, France, and New Zealand in fields such as health, environment, and nuclear technologies. Applicants may receive travel support and weekly stipends.
Sydney Quantum Academy (SQA) Internships
SQA connects students with industry and government partners for quantum-focused internships - ranging from technical roles to non-technical applications across Australia’s growing quantum ecosystem.
Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) Internships
DArT offers funded internships to undergraduate and postgraduate students in disciplines like genetics, AI, bioinformatics, and software development, available Australia-wide.
Dolby Laboratories (through APR.Intern)
Dolby Australia collaborates with APR.Intern to host a cohort of research interns working on immersive technology projects every year.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Internships
The ILO provides 3–6-month internships for graduate or postgraduate students in fields related to labour, employment, and social justice, offering practical exposure to UN agency work.
National Industry PhD Program
A national government initiative supporting 1,800 industry-linked PhDs over 10 years. Current HDR students must be in their first year of candidature to be assigned to a successful PhD project.
CSIRO iPhD and Next Gen programs
Industry-focused, co-supervised PhD projects including a structured industry placement and professional development training. Projects are advertised on the iPhD site and the Next Gen site as they become available, and students apply directly to chief investigator.
GQS PhD Fellowship
The GQS PhD Fellowship looks to advance PhD candidates’ research in mathematics, engineering, technology and science.
Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship
The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship is all about supporting everyday people with big ideas looking to pursue postgraduate research or coursework in areas related to sustainability, technology and innovation, social change or Australia’s relationship with Asia.
Google Careers Student Researcher Program
The Student Researcher Program fosters academic collaborations by hiring students onto research projects aligned to company priorities in scientific advancement. The program offers placements on teams across Google, for research, engineering, and science roles.
Once your internship is organised, use the Milestones and Goals features in the Research Education Candidature System (RECS) to plan your activities. Be sure to also document your professional and research development to support discussions during Progress Evaluation Meetings (PEMs).
Internships may be paid or unpaid, but the University prefers private sector placements of 60 days or more to include financial support. If your internship stipend is more than 75% of your primary scholarship (which would include all APR.Intern placements), your scholarship will be paused.
We recommend internships of at least 60 working days, which can be completed part-time or full-time, either remotely or in person. While internships can be undertaken at any stage of candidature—including during the examination period—completing them within the first 18 months is ideal to enrich your research direction and allow sufficient time to focus on your thesis.
Students must remain enrolled throughout the duration of their internship, but the University offers flexibility in how the internship is integrated into their program of study:
If you hold an RTP scholarship and have completed a DESE-compliant internship recorded by the Graduate Research School (GRS), you may be eligible for additional scholarship payments during the extension period. For more information, please contact grs.internships@sydney.edu.au.
In most cases, students will assign any project and internship IP to the industry partner, while any background research IP will be retained by the student/University.
Students will always be required to sign a Student Deed or similar document outlining the conditions for IP, and they should seek legal advice from the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA) to ensure they understand any potential impact on their primary research.
If the University has a record of your internship, you will be covered by personal accident insurance for the duration of the placement.