The Australian Government has invested $7.135 million over four years – and $1 million per year ongoing thereafter – to implement the Strong Beginnings Fund. The Strong Beginnings Fund enacts recommendations from the Strong Beginnings: Report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel (TEEP Report).
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The Transition Fund
The Strong Beginnings (Transition) Fund supports higher education providers to embed mandatory core content in their initial teacher education (ITE) courses by the end of 2025 (Recommendation 6 of the TEEP Report).
Applications for the Transition Fund opened on 23 April 2024 and closed on 20 May 2024.
A total of $4.275 million in funding was distributed amongst all 46 eligible (at the time) ITE providers following assessment of applications by the department.
Key Information
Administrative Information for the Strong Beginnings (Transition) Fund applicants.
The Excellence Fund
The Strong Beginnings (Excellence) Fund is providing funding to select ITE providers to share best practice and drive improved performance across the ITE sector through identified priority areas (Recommendation 7 of the TEEP Report).
Round 1 (2025-26)
Eligibility
Australian higher education providers offering accredited ITE courses are eligible to apply. This includes Table A providers or bodies corporate specified in section 67(1) of the Higher Education Support (Other Grants) Amendment (Strong Beginnings) (Excellence) Fund) Guidelines.
Priority Areas
For Round 1, the Priority Areas are:
- Supporting Providers to Deliver Core Content in ITE Programs
- Enhancing Selection and Retention of ITE Students
- Improving the Quality of Practical Experience
- Attracting Mid-Career Professionals through Best Practice Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Application Process
- Opening Date: 19 December 2025
- Closing Date: 6 February 2026 at 5pm (AEDT)
- Total Funding Available: $1.56 million
The following key documents have been developed to support the 2025-26 application round:
Outcomes
Round 1 was highly competitive, with applications exceeding available funding of $1.56 million. Applications were assessed in line with assessment criteria outlined in the Administrative Information for Applicants.
Six projects were selected for funding, involving 21 ITE providers and encompassing a range of innovative projects that address all 4 priority areas above.
The six funded projects cover multiple jurisdictions, a spread of locations (metro/regional), and public and private providers, as detailed in the table below.
Round 1 Grants
| Grantee | Priority Area/s | Project Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Griffith University | 2 & 3 | Indigenous-led initiative designed to improve the selection and retention of Indigenous ITE students during professional experience placements. |
| Melbourne Polytechnic in consortia with: Eastern College Australia; Alphacrucis University College; Avondale University; Australian College of Physical Education; Excelsia University College; and Christian Heritage College. | 1 & 3 | Develop artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled scenarios to rehearse putting core content into practice and support management of challenging classroom behaviours under pressure during professional experience placements. |
| Queensland University of Technology in consortia with: Adelaide University; Australian Catholic University; Charles Darwin University; Charles Sturt University; Edith Cowan University; Monash University; RMIT University; University of New South Wales; University of Southern Queensland; and University of Tasmania. | 4 | Produce a resource to support consistent and effective assessments of Recognition of Prior Learning and Recognition of Practice in ITE. |
| RMIT University in consortia with: Monash University; Queensland University of Technology; and University of Tasmania. | 3 | Develop guidelines and tools to improve student learning and mentor feedback during professional experience placements. |
| University of New England in consortium with Charles Sturt University. | 3 | Develop an Initial Professional Experience Assessment instrument to support best practice assessment of the initial in-classroom professional experience placement. |
| University of Melbourne | 2 & 3 | Develop behaviour escalation scenarios using generative AI to develop trauma-informed practices for classroom management and parent-teacher conferencing and deliver a targeted pilot of early professional experience opportunities. |