International Education Innovation Fund – ASEAN Research Collaboration Project

Please review the eligibility criteria carefully, as only those who meet the minimum requirements will be considered for the internship.

To be eligible for internship funding, applicants must: 

• Be a citizen and/or permanent resident of an ASEAN member state or Timor Leste
• Not be an Australian citizen and/or permanent resident
• Have completed a PhD degree or equivalent within the eight years prior to applying to participate in this project (i.e., PhD was conferred from July 2017 onwards)
• Be available to commence their proposed program in Australia after 6 October 2025 and complete the internship by 19 December 2025
• Provide a research proposal which falls under one of the eligible research focus areas
• Provide all relevant supporting documentation in English
• Obtain a placement offer from an approved host Australian research organisation (list provided in the IEIF – ASEAN Research Collaboration Project 2025 Guidelines (PDF 688 KB))
• Meet the eligibility requirements to apply for and hold the relevant visa issued by the Department of Home Affairs

• Brunei Darussalam
• Cambodia
• Indonesia
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• The Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Timor Leste 
• Viet Nam

• Agriculture and Food
• Resources and Energy
• Infrastructure
• The Green Economy
• Another priority area that will bolster Australia's competitiveness and drive commercialisation outcomes.

For any questions on eligibility, please contact ieif.asean@rmit.edu.au

We welcome eligible applicants to refer to the below process when applying for the program. 

Please review the International Education Innovation Fund (IEIF) – ASEAN Research Collaboration Project 2025 Guidelines (PDF 688 KB) for more specific instructions, including required application responses, visa information and how to certify documents as valid copies. This must be done for the proof of citizenship or permanent residency documents.

To be eligible, applicants must provide English translations of the required documentation if the original documents are not in English. Applicants will also need certification of documents that have been translated unless they are translated documents for evidence of community service or employment records.

1. Completed 2025 Application form (PDF 2 MB)
2. Completed 2025 Applicant Sponsor Nomination form (PDF 389 KB)
3. Copy of citizenship or permanent residency
4. Certified copy of a PhD Testamur/Conferral Letter/Certificate of Completion
5. Two Referee Reports
6. Evidence of support and language suitability from the host
7. Research CV and list of publications

Before submitting, please make sure to follow the format below when naming your documents.

We are here to help. If you have any questions, please contact our team at ieif.asean@rmit.edu.au

Please review the selection criteria carefully, as only applications that meet the minimum requirements will be considered for the internship.

The following are the selection criteria and their relative weighting:

• A record of high-level academic achievement and research experience in the applicant’s chosen field of study (30%)
• Well-defined research program and statement on how the research internship opportunity will benefit Australia and build the applicant’s potential to foster ongoing collaboration, cooperation and commercialisation opportunities between Australia and the home economy (40%)
• The extent of alignment between the applicant’s chosen field of study/research and priority sectors offering the greatest potential for shared commercial engagement opportunities for both Australia and the ASEAN region (20%)
• Statement on how the research internship opportunity would further the applicant’s academic and/or professional career (10%)

A third round of the IEIF – ASEAN Research Collaboration Project may be hosted in early 2026. Further details will be shared closer to the date.