APR.Intern works with industry to develop placement opportunities for higher degree by research (HDR) candidates. These placement opportunities are accessed via a competitive application process, managed by APR.Intern.
HDR candidates who are successful in obtaining an APR.Intern placement will receive an APR.Intern stipend of approximately $3,000 per month. At UQ, this is awarded as a ‘top-up’ to any existing stipend scholarships already being received. Please note, you must remain enrolled for the entire period of your placement and will continue to consume tuition load whilst on placement. You should, therefore, discuss with your Principal Advisor how you will comfortably manage the workload of a placement within your candidature timeframe.
The APR.Intern program also requires that an Academic Mentor be assigned for the placement project. This is usually (but not necessarily) your thesis Principal Advisor. The Academic Mentor receives a one-off fee of $1,000 for their participation, which is recognised by the Australian Research Council (ARC) as a track record for ARC Linkage Grants.
UQ partners with APR.Intern to facilitate access to the program, with HDR candidates able to apply after first receiving endorsement from their Principal Advisor. A request for Graduate School endorsement must then be sought via my.UQ request.
Please note that approvals from the Graduate School may take a few business days following submission of the request to my.UQ.
Graduate School endorsement for applications from UQ HDR candidates to undertake an APR.Intern placement will only be provided if:
The placement will in no way be included in the HDR candidate’s thesis,
The HDR candidate will be actively enrolled in their HDR program during the entirety of the placement,
The HDR candidate is able to complete the placement before their HDR program is conferred, and
All UQ approvals are in place prior to the placement opportunity commencing.
Placements of more than four months’ duration may not always be approved and this will be considered with regards to the candidate’s current progress in their HDR program.
How to APPLY for an APR.Intern Placement
Step 1:
(not required if you are only submitting a general application)
Access and complete the APR.Intern student approval form student approval form, including Section C, where your Principal Advisor signs and provides their endorsement. Please leave Section E of the form blank for Graduate School endorsement.
Step 2:
Create a separate Microsoft Word document containing the details about the specific opportunity you would like to apply for (i.e., copy and paste the placement opportunity information advertised on the APR.Intern website). The name of the document should be the placement opportunity reference number.
Step 3:
Once both documents are ready, initiate the Principal Advisor approval for HDR placement my.UQ request and upload both documents as part of the request.
After your Principal Advisor endorses this online request it will be routed to the Graduate School for review and approval.
Please note: We strongly recommend that you submit your request in my.UQ at least 2 weeks before the APR.Intern application closing date, as requests submitted after this may not be processed prior to the application closing date.
Step 4:
Once the request has been endorsed by the Dean of the Graduate School, a signed student approval will be forwarded to you. This should be submitted formally with your APR.Intern application using the ‘APPLY NOW’ button located within the placement opportunity description on the APR.Intern website.
Step 5:
APR.Intern will manage a competitive application process, in conjunction with the industry partner. Successful HDR candidates will then enter discussions with APR.Intern, their Principal Advisor, their Research Partnership Manager, and the industry partner, to fine tune the scope of the project. The final agreement must then be signed and endorsed by the Dean of the Graduate School prior to the placement opportunity commencing.