Swinburne success in New Colombo Plan program

More than 200 Swinburne University of Technology students will benefit from an international study experience in 2019 as part of the Federal Government’s New Colombo Plan Mobility Program.

Swinburne has been awarded $752,400 in new funding to support 202 undergraduate students to study and undertake internships in the Indo-Pacific region next year.

When combined with $217,800 in funding for continuing projects received in previous rounds, Swinburne will share in almost $1million in student mobility funding in 2019.

The New Colombo Plan Mobility Program aims to increase knowledge of the Indo-Pacific region in Australia.

Swinburne students from a range of disciplines will spend time in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste and Vietnam, to enhance their study experience.

Swinburne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Duncan Bentley welcomed the new funding.

“Growing opportunities for international study and work experiences for Swinburne students is a critical component of our International and Transforming Learning strategies, and achieving substantial government funding enables us to prepare students as truly global citizens,” Professor Bentley says.

The new 2019 funding is an increase of more than 70 percent over 2018 new project funding.  Thirteen projects will be funded and for the first time, three projects will be focused on global internships.

Funding highlights for 2019 include: 

• Imagining IT for Social Impact – India
• Indonesian Law, Governance and Culture Study Tour – Indonesia
• Indonesian Law, Governance and Culture Exchange Program – Indonesia
• Australian Lights Aglow internship  – Myanmar
• Social Innovation Project – Myanmar
• International Industry Consulting Project – Sri Lanka
• Absolutely Fabulous Learning (AFL) in Exercise and Sport Science – China
• Sustainable Architecture for Rural and Urban Life in India – India
• International Professional Internship – Vietnam
• Engineering in a Complex Environment – Timor Leste
• Global Perspective of Engineering Management – China
• Global Internship – Vietnam
• Future Leaders Program – India

The New Colombo Plan is an Australian Government initiative launched in 2014. The program is designed to enhance the knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by providing Australian undergraduates the opportunity to study and undertake internships in the region.

The New Colombo Plan Scholarship is open for applications now, for more information and to apply see: New Colombo Plan Scholarship

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