The main objectives of the IPRS program are to:
- attract top quality international postgraduate students to areas of research strength in Australian higher education providers; and
- support Australia's research effort.
The IPRS program enables international students to undertake a postgraduate research qualification in Australia and gain experience with leading Australian researchers.
Scholarships are open to international students of all countries (except New Zealand) and are available for a period of two years for a Masters by research degree or three years for a Doctorate by research degree. The scholarship covers tuition fees and health cover costs for scholarship holders, and health cover costs for their dependants.
Applications for a scholarship need to be made directly to a participating university. Universities are responsible for determining the selection process by which scholarships are allocated to applicants. Contact details for Australian universities may be obtained from the Study in Australia website.
The allocation of IPRS grants to participating universities is based on a formula that is reflective of their overall research performance.
The requirements for the IPRS are in Chapter 3 of the Commonwealth Scholarships Guidelines (Research), which can be downloaded from the Australian Government's Federal Register of Legislative Instruments at:
Evaluation: The Department is currently undertaking an evaluation of the IPRS Program as part of its 2009-2010 work program. The evaluation is expected to be completed in November 2009. Details of the evaluation are available here.
For Applicants: All enquiries regarding IPRS awards need to be directed to the university at which the applicant wishes to conduct their postgraduate research.
For Higher Education Providers: The administering area: Research Policy, Funding and Coordination, Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
Email: RBGrants@innovation.gov.au