iPhD students

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 your supervision. However, the Primary Supervisor, allocated from the university, is responsible for monitoring and assessing the students’ progress in accordance with the university’s PhD academic requirements. A tailored project management and communication plan should be created at project commencement, detailing supervisor roles, level of commitment and communication methods so that you can access appropriate support. For instance, the Student-Supervisor Expectations is a suggested template for this purpose.

Funding starting from $13,000 per annum is provided to the supervising organisation where you are 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.

Projects must be in Australia. This may be at your 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 location and would usually be with the industry partner.

Are there any tenure conditions I must adhere to?

You must adhere to the host university’s procedures and policies in relation to acceptance, enrolment, standards and review and examination conditions of PhD study. These conditions are covered in the CSIRO Student Agreement which you would have signed as part of the scholarship offer and the university admission process.

Can I go on leave during the project?

Students are entitled to personal and sick leave in line with the Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Research) 2017. Periods of leave longer than those outlined by the Commonwealth Scholarship Guidelines require approval from the host university, CSIRO and the industry partner.

Are there any restrictions on publications?

A party (Industry, CSIRO, University) may restrict disclosure of research related to the project to the extent reasonably required to protect its IP or Confidential Information but must endeavour to limit restrictions and will not prevent or inhibit the student from presenting their thesis for examination purposes.

I have been asked to attend Launch Camp. Will I be reimbursed for travel expenses?

CSIRO offers reimbursement of up to $1,500 (GST exclusive) for travel, accommodation, and ancillary expenses for you to attend Launch Camp. Even if you are attending in your capital city, you can seek reimbursement for land travel costs such as public transport and parking.

This reimbursable payment for travel will be determined and paid to the primary location upon the iPhD program office receiving an itemised travel invoice from the primary location (e.g., the university in most cases) quoting the CSIRO purchase order number. Therefore, it is important for you to keep all your receipts.

What is the purpose of the Industry Engagement component?

Sustained engagement with industry throughout the PhD is a key differentiator underpinning the CSIRO Industry PhD compared to traditional academic offerings. This engagement will allow you to build new skills necessary for working across the industry and research sectors during your PhD, while feeding any new knowledge back into your PhD project. Your sustained involvement with the industry partner over your PhD facilitates the development of nuanced in-depth industry perspectives.

What types of activities are suitable for the Industry Engagement component?

Activities should contribute to the development, research and outcomes of the PhD project, and be related to your area of research. This means the activities should form part of the larger PhD project. Generally, any results from these activities can be included in the thesis so long as confidentiality and publication clauses listed in the Student Agreement are complied with.

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.

What will I be doing during the Industry Engagement component?

The Industry Engagement component provides an opportunity for you to work under the guidance of your industry partner on research and development activities contributing to your PhD project. Activities should provide you with relevant tools and experience to better contextualise and apply research in an industry setting. Please check your Student Agreement (CSIRO letter of offer) for more details.

Where and when will I complete the Industry Engagement component? Can the component be undertaken remotely?

Ideally, the Industry Engagement component should take place at the industry partner’s premises for a minimum of 60 full time days, or three calendar months. The Industry Engagement component should ideally be completed part-time or in short blocks, strategically placed throughout the PhD to encourage your ongoing engagement with your industry partner.

At the discretion and with the agreement of your supervisory team, alternate locations may be possible if there are travel limitations, if the project needs access to specific facilities and equipment, or if the entirety of the Industry Engagement cannot feasibly be undertaken at the industry partner’s location(s).

Examples of locations include:
• CSIRO site
• the university
• combination of sites
• remote
• or a mixture of remote and in-person attendance.

Different universities have different requirements for the conduct of research and other activities at locations outside of the University. These may include approvals to work at alternate locations and additional agreements for time spent with your industry partner. Please check with your graduate school early in your candidature to determine any specific requirements.

What support is available for travel if the Industry Engagement component is in a different location?

It is recommended you speak with your supervisory team early in the PhD to ensure that funding is available if you need to travel for your Industry Engagement component. The project expense and development funds may be used for this purpose.

How will the progress of the Industry Engagement component be tracked? What documentation will need to be submitted at the end of the Industry Engagement component?

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

The university may 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 your attendance, your university may need to provide an appropriate tracking mechanism (e.g., time sheets).

You should engage early with your 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.

Do I need to complete Health & Safety inductions with the industry partner? I have already completed mandatory HSE courses at CSIRO and at the university and this seems like a duplication.

Yes, whichever premises you enter will be governed by the health & safety requirements of that entity. When you attend the industry partner’s premise, you will need to be aware of and comply with the industry partner company’s health & safety requirements which include completing any necessary inductions. This is for you own benefit as well as to safeguard the interests of the other people on-site.

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