The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has launched the Australia Awards Fellowship programs which offer a unique opportunity to highlight Australia’s modern diversity and the rich heritage of First Nations people to participating Fellows from the partner countries.
Priority Areas
Fellowship proposals must clearly align with one (only) of the following six priority areas:
Climate change, adaptation, resilience and green energy (including critical mineral mining): Fellowships covering climate change adaptation, resilience, climate science, energy transition and nature-based solutions including (but not limited to); blue carbon and carbon-market, climate resilient and regenerative agriculture, climate smart water, sustainable ocean economy and sustainable mining for critical minerals, as well as transition to low emissions intensive economies, building clean energy supply chains and hydrogen economy.
Health: Fellowships covering health in the areas of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, including mental health; sexual and reproductive health and rights; health system strengthening, including building workforce capacity; health security including pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and One Health approaches.
Gender equality, disability equity and social inclusion: Fellowships targeting gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment, and/or disability equity. These could include proposals for Fellowships in legal and regulatory reform (that eliminates discrimination and advances de jure equality), disability inclusive policy and budgeting; responding to and eliminating sexual and gender- based violence; gender-responsive and/disability inclusive social protection; economic empowerment of women and/or people with disabilities, including access to finance and gender-responsive business enabling environments; leadership of women and/or people with disabilities; equitable access to quality essential services and investing in systems strengthening (education, training, health); equitable access to infrastructure or the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Digital Economy, cyber resilience, and media engagement: Fellowships with a focus on the digital economy and future architecture and environment needed to deliver prosperity, protection, and long- term capability. This could include cyber capacity building or future-proofing critical assets, technologies and industries and technological obsolescence. Fellowships with a focus on enhancing the viability and capability of the media sector and journalism are also welcome. This could include digital resilience and transformation of media organisations, practical use of generative artificial intelligence and digital tools such as social media and other web-based platforms, digital storytelling and innovative audience analysis.
Maritime and the Blue Economy: Fellowships with a focus on maritime cooperation and development – leading to longer term prosperity, protection of environment and maritime cooperation, including in areas such as, environmental management and reduction of plastic pollutants. Applications could also focus on outcomes for future development of the blue economy including in areas such as maritime policy, resource management, maritime law and protection, meteorological surveying, as well logistics, cold supply chain and transition to sustainable green energy maritime supply chain networks.
Infrastructure and connectivity: Fellowships that provide Indo-Pacific countries with skills and relationships that support development and management of quality, resilient and sustainable infrastructure, and connectivity. This could include telecommunications, clean energy, disaster resilience, logistics, public private partnerships (PPPs), procurement, infrastructure pricing and cost estimation, project planning and management, infrastructure standards, aviation, telecommunications, energy, ports, broadcasting, and transport.
Funding Information
Successful applicants will receive funding up to a maximum of $517,500 per Fellowship proposal.
The maximum amount of funding available per individual Fellow is $34,500, inclusive of in- country activities program overhead fee.
Duration
Fellowships must be between a minimum two weeks and maximum 52 weeks duration with a minimum of two weeks of the activities taking place in Australia. Travel time to and from Australia cannot be included in the calculation of the two-week minimum.
AHO must commence a partner country(ies) activity(ies) within four months of completing the Fellowship activities in Australia.
Geographic Focus
Southeast Asia
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam
South Asia and Middle East
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iraq, Jordan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Occupied Palestinian Territories and Sri Lanka
Pacific
Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna
Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname
Europe
Ukraine
Eligibility Criteria
Australian organisations such as government institutions, business and non-government organisations are eligible to apply. Organisations must be legal entities with an Australian Business Number and must be able to demonstrate links with partner organisations in participating countries and provide in-kind or financial contributions to support Fellowships. Individuals cannot apply.
Australian organisations must ensure that all nominated Fellows meet the following general eligibility requirements:
Australia Awards Fellowships target senior officials and mid-career professionals, who, in the short to medium term, will be in a position to advance priority development and foreign affairs issues on their return home.
To be eligible, all Fellows nominated by Australian organisations must:
be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of commencing the Fellowship;
not have Australian permanent resident status or be applying for permanent residency;
be a citizen of and residing in an eligible developing country. The Fellow’s country of citizenship and residency may differ;
not be current serving military personnel;
not be married or engaged to, or be a de facto of a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency.
