This page provides information for students and higher education providers (HEPs) about the Research Training Program (RTP) industry internship weighting, including eligibility requirements set by the Higher Education Support (Commonwealth Scholarships) Guidelines 2025. Information is also provided on Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) reporting requirements.
On this page:
1. What is the RTP internship weighting?
The Guidelines provide for an additional weighting of 2.0 in the RTP funding allocation formula for each research doctorate student reported from 2022 onward as completing an eligible industry internship.
RTP weightings from 2024
| HDR Level | Cost Type | Research Internship | Non-Indigenous Student | Indigenous Student |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Doctorate | High | Yes | 6.70 | 11.40 |
| No | 4.70 | 9.40 | ||
| Low | Yes | 4.00 | 6.00 | |
| No | 2.00 | 4.00 | ||
| Research Masters | High | n/a | 2.35 | 4.70 |
| Low | n/a | 1.00 | 2.00 |
2. What internships are eligible for the RTP internship weighting?
Per section 11 of the Guidelines, an eligible industry internship occurs when a research doctorate student, who completed their higher degree by research on or after 1 January 2022, undertook a research internship that:
- was agreed in written form within 18 months of the student’s course of study commencement(or 36 months for a part-time student),
- was with an individual, group or organisation that was a ‘research end-user' (as defined in the Guidelines) at the time the above agreement is made
- was a minimum of 3 calendar months in duration,
- included at least 60 full-time equivalent (FTE) days of engagement in R&D activities, and
- was related to the student’s research doctorate area of research.
The student can undertake the industry internship at any point throughout their course, provided they satisfy the internship requirements above before they complete their course.
The timeframe for making the written agreement is extended by a period equivalent to any HDR period of suspension within the first 18 months of the student’s enrolment, or any increase to the student’s period of support.
3. What is a research internship?
A research internship is defined in the Guidelines as:
‘an arrangement between a student and an individual, group or organisation, in which the student undertakes R&D related to their HDR, and can form part of the student’s HDR or be undertaken during a HDR period of suspension.'
4. What constitutes an agreement for an eligible industry internship?
An eligible industry internship is agreed when the HEP, research doctorate student and research end-user agree in written form to the R&D activities to be undertaken by the student with the research end-user, and the duration of the internship.
The Department of Education does not specify the method of recording that a RTP industry internship was agreed to by all three parties. Each university has the ability to determine their own method of recording this information. This evidence does not necessarily need to take the form of a formal contract. See also FAQs 22 and 23.
5. What is a research doctorate student?
A research doctorate student is defined in the Guidelines as someone who is completing a Level 10 Doctoral Degree (Research) or Doctoral Degree (Professional) qualification as described in the Australian Qualifications Framework.
6. What is a research end-user?
A research end-user is defined in the Guidelines as:
‘an individual, group or organisation that will directly use or directly benefit from the output, outcome or results of research created in collaboration with a HDR student enrolled at a HEP, and is not a HEP, or a controlled entity, subsidiary or affiliate of the HEP.’
For the purposes of an eligible industry internship, the individual, group or organisation the internship is with must meet the definition of a research end-user at the time the internship agreement was made. See also FAQs 2 and 7.
7. What is an affiliate, as described in the research end-user definition?
For the purposes of the research end-user definition in the Guidelines, an affiliate is defined as meaning:
‘an entity that is formally or functionally integrated into a HEP’s core academic, clinical or research operations, but does not include an entity that is only connected to the HEP through external co-supervisory or co-funding arrangements, or because it has entered into a written agreement with the HEP about research internships undertaken by students of the HEP.’
Examples of an affiliate may include entities that:
- are involved in joint governance or staffing arrangements with a HEP (excluding adjunct or honorary appointments); or
- operate as clinical schools, teaching hospitals, medical or other research institutes specifically integrated with a HEP.
Note to university administrators: for further information on what can be reported as affiliate income for the purposes of the Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC), refer to the HERDC specifications and HERDC FAQs.
8. Are international organisations eligible research end-users?
Yes, provided they meet the Guidelines definition of an eligible research end-user.
9. Are research doctorate students required to undertake industry internships?
No. HEPs and research doctorate students are not required to participate in industry internships. HEPs will continue to receive RTP funding for each research doctorate completion, whether or not the student has undertaken an industry internship.
The additional RTP industry internship weighting of 2.0 will apply only when an eligible industry internship has been completed.
10. Are industry-embedded or industry-sponsored research doctorates eligible for the RTP internship weighting?
Industry-embedded and industry-sponsored research doctorates are eligible for the RTP internship weighting provided they meet the eligibility requirements outlined in FAQ 2.
11. Is current or former employment eligible as an industry internship?
Yes, when the employment meets the eligibility requirements outlined in FAQ 2.
Employment that ended prior to a student commencing their research doctorate cannot be considered an eligible industry internship.
12. Does an industry internship need to be undertaken on-site to be eligible?
No. If a research doctorate student is engaging in R&D activities, these activities can be performed on-site with the end-user, on-campus, and/or online.
13. Do industry internships need to be undertaken on a full-time basis?
No. Industry internships can be undertaken on a part-time or full-time basis. To be eligible for the RTP industry internship weighting, both full-time and part-time internships must be a minimum of 3 calendar months in duration, comprising of at least 60 full-time equivalent (FTE) days of engagement.
14. Can a research doctorate student undertake more than one instance of higher degree by research end-user engagement during their degree?
Multiple instances of higher degree by research (HDR) end-user engagement can be undertaken by a research doctorate student over the course of their degree. However, each research doctorate student is only eligible for one RTP industry internship weighting per HDR completion.
There can be no overlap in the recorded dates of attendance when multiple industry internships are undertaken. If a research doctorate student has undertaken multiple internships concurrently, HEPs should consider reporting the internship that meets the industry internship eligibility criteria set out in FAQ 2.
The minimum 60 full-time equivalent (FTE) days and 3 calendar month duration included in an industry internship must be completed with a single research end-user.
HEPs should continue to report HDR end-user engagement through TCSI element 593, and element 798.
FAQs 24 and 25 contain further information on the timing of reporting.
15. Can research doctorate students still attend internships that do not meet the RTP industry internship weighting eligibility criteria?
Yes. Research doctorate students can continue to attend and complete internships of any type, any length, and with any host. Where an internship host meets the definition of a research end-user in the Guidelines, but the agreement date or length makes the internship ineligible for the RTP internship weighting, HEPs should still report this engagement through TCSI element 593 and element 798.
If a student undertakes multiple internships throughout their course, FAQ 14 contains further information on how this should be reported.
Only those internships that meet the criteria set out in FAQ 2 will be eligible for the RTP industry internship weighting.
16. Can the RTP industry internship weighting apply to industry internships completed prior to the announcement of the RTP internship weighting?
Yes. Industry internships that meet the eligibility criteria set out in FAQ 2, reported for a research doctorate student completing their higher degree by research (HDR) from 2022, will be eligible for the RTP industry internship weighting. This includes industry internships that research doctorate students have completed prior to 2022.
HEPs need to obtain and report HDR end-user engagement data on all research doctorate students completing from 2022 under TCSI reporting requirements, including those who may have reported internships under previous reporting arrangements.
Refer to FAQ 26 for further information regarding ‘re-reporting’ past HDR end-user engagement data.
17. Are industry internships that are unrelated to a student’s area of research eligible for the RTP industry internship weighting?
No. Only internships that are related to a research doctorate student’s area of research are eligible for the RTP industry internship weighting.
18. How do I determine the first and last day of an internship?
The first day of an industry internship is the first day a research doctorate student engages in R&D activities which count towards the full-time equivalent (FTE) days of engagement with a research end-user. The final day is the last day they engage in R&D activities which count towards the FTE days of engagement with the same research end-user.
Days of engagement are to be reported in TCSI under element 798.
19. How is ‘18 months from commencement’ calculated?
18 months from commencement will be calculated in calendar months from the date reported for that research doctorate student under TCSI element 534. For students who are enrolled part-time upon the commencement of their research doctorate, an agreement must be made within 36 months of the date reported for that research doctorate student under element 534.
Refer to FAQ 23 for information on reporting an industry internship agreement.
20. How is a calendar month calculated?
A calendar month begins on a date and finishes immediately before the corresponding date in the next month, or if there is no such day, at the end of the next calendar month. For example:
- a period of 18 months commencing on 22 May 2023 finishes on 21 November 2024.
- a period of 3 months commencing on 30 November 2022 finishes on 28 February 2023.
21. How are 60 full-time equivalent days calculated? What is the part-time equivalent?
A full-time equivalent (FTE) day can be calculated using the standard working day for the research end-user host’s industry. In the absence of an industry standard, Part 2-2 of the Fair Work Act 2009,known as the National Employment Standards, sets out a maximum full-time week as 38 hours, or a standard working day of 7.6 hours.
FTE days of engagement will be reported in TCSI under element 798.
Example
A research doctorate student is undertaking an internship at a place of employment where the standard work week is 37.5-hours per week. One FTE day is equal to 7.5 hours.
A research doctorate student’s engagement in industry internship activities in one week is as follows:
Monday: 2 hours
Tuesday: 2 hours
Wednesday: 2 hours
Thursday: 1.5 hours
Total hours: 7.5
Therefore, the total number of FTE days of engagement the student has completed that week is 1.
22. What evidence or documentation is required to verify industry internships?
In accordance with TCSI reporting requirements, HEPs must report accurate student information to the Department of Education. HEPs need to be positioned to verify all TCSI information, including in relation to higher degree by research end-user engagement, if requested. How HEPs choose to verify this information and ensure accurate reporting is at their discretion. See also FAQ 4.
23. How is an agreement for an eligible industry internship reported in TCSI?
HEPs can report when an industry internship agreement was reached through TCSI element 593.
HEPs need to report when an industry internship was agreed to within 18 months of the course of study commencement date for a full-time research doctorate student, or 36 months for a part-time student, and for when the industry internship was not agreed to within this period, against the relevant allowable value.
To be eligible for the RTP industry internship weighting, an agreement must be made within 18 months of a full-time research doctorate student’s commencement, or 36 months for a part-time student. The timeframe for making the written agreement for an eligible research internship is extended by a period equivalent to any HDR period of suspension within the first 18 months of the student’s enrolment, or any increase to the period of support.
24. When do HEPs need to report end-user engagement in TCSI?
From 1 January 2023, HEPs are expected to report all higher degree by research end-user engagement within 7 days of course completion, as per usual TCSI reporting requirements.
As per the Guidelines, for the purposes of an eligible industry internship, the individual, group or organisation the internship is with must meet the definition of a research end-user at the time the internship agreement was made.
25. How often do HEPs need to report end-user engagement in TCSI?
HEPs are required to report higher degree by research (HDR) end-user engagement once per student on the completion of their HDR. HEPs will be able to enter instances of end-user engagement in the HDR end-user engagement packet throughout a student’s HDR if they prefer.
If a research doctorate student has undertaken multiple internships throughout their HDR, there can be no overlap in the recorded dates of attendance when multiple industry internships are undertaken. FAQ 14 contains more information on TCSI reporting when a HDR student has an overlap in their internship dates.
26. Are HEPs required to re-report end-user engagement information previously reported when industry internships have been completed?
Arrangements for reporting higher degree by research (HDR) end-user engagement data to TCSI for the RTP internship weighting took effect for reporting 2022 data.
Internship data reported previously (throughout the course of their HDR) for research doctorate students who complete from 2022 will need to be re-reported in TCSI under elements 593, 609, 610 and 798.
27. Do industry internships count towards the maximum 4 years of RTP funding for a research doctorate student?
In accordance with section 16 of the Guidelines, if an industry internship is undertaken outside of a period of suspension and the research doctorate student receives RTP scholarship funding during that period, it will count towards the maximum period of support.
28. Where can I find information about intellectual property issues to inform general internship arrangements undertaken with a research end-user?
HEPs and research end-users may wish to draft intellectual property agreements in relation to industry internships. The Department of Education’s Higher Education Research Commercialisation Intellectual Property Framework provides information and resources that may be of assistance.