New Colombo Plan 2016 mobility applications open
02 Apr 2015
Media release Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop MP and Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne MP today announced that applications are open for the 2016 mobility round of the New Colombo Plan.
“The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region,” Minister Bishop said.
“In 2016 the New Colombo Plan will provide around 4750 mobility grants as the program expands to offer more opportunities for Australian undergraduate students to live, study and work in the Indo-Pacific,” she said.
Under the 2014 and 2015 rounds, the New Colombo Plan is supporting more than 4400 students to undertake short-term and semester-length study, internships and research in the region. A further 109 students have received prestigious New Colombo Plan scholarships.
“The New Colombo Plan is open to Australian undergraduate students across all disciplines and has supported a diverse range of students from law, business and medicine to engineering, information technology and urban planning,” Minister Pyne said.
“A key enhancement in 2016 will be the introduction of multi-year funding for mobility projects to support universities to deliver a long-term and sustainable increase in student mobility.”
“Collaborations between universities and business to extend opportunities for students under the New Colombo Plan will also be further encouraged,” he said.
“Universities will be supported to develop innovative partnerships with business communities in Australia and across the region to create new opportunities for New Colombo Plan students to undertake internships and mentorships during their studies,” Minister Bishop said.
“The significant scale-up of New Colombo Plan scholarships in 2016 reflects the strong demand from universities and students for the program,” she said.
Further information on the mobility program is available at www.dfat.gov.au/new-colombo-plan
Applications for New Colombo Plan scholarships will open later this year.