Research Partnerships

Your business can partner with our research in a range of different ways to suit your goals, time commitments and financial investment. Short-term partnerships can involve modest financial and time investment and offer general benefits to research in your industry. Long-term partnerships offer significant and specific research outcomes that more closely align with your business objectives. 

Some funding sources and options 

• Australian Postgraduate Research (APR)
• Australian Government – potential R&D tax incentives
• Australian Government Cooperative Research Centres Projects
• Australian Research Council – Linkage Program Scheme
• Advance Queensland - Industry Research Fellowships
• Australian Government – Cooperative Research Centres Grants

Our Research Connect team can help you decide which funding source is most applicable to your needs and we can also help navigate the application process. 

Honours-level research projects 

Inject focused skills and knowledge into your business by supporting an employee to undertake honours-level study 

Provides support both at an Undergraduate study level and also introduces staff to working with a research supervisor 

Find an honours course in your area of interest at cqu.edu.au/study 

Internship

Resourcing to help solve a business problem, fresh ideas and knowledge for your business 

Benefit from PhD level expertise plus guidance from an academic mentor 

3-5 months duration 

Potential to access co-funding from Australia Postgraduate Research Internship Program 

Graduate Certificate in Research (GCR)

Sponsor a staff member to complete this pathway course to a Research Higher Degree 

Helps build analytical thinking and research perspectives 

6 months – 1 year 

Post-Doctoral and Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage 

Turn an entrepreneurial idea into a collaborative research project 

Potential to access multiple research candidates or post-doctoral researchers 

Advance your business by partnering with us to invest in research scholarships or project support. The Elevate Research Higher Degree (RHD) Scholarship Scheme offers businesses and other partners the opportunity to access the specialised knowledge, facilities and support of a world-class research university to help solve technical challenges, work on product development and find solutions.

Benefits of investing

• We will co-invest with you to support a dedicated masters or PhD student to work on your business challenge
• Your business will gain a full-time student fully committed to your project for two or three years. Interim deliverables can also be designed into the project, so you benefit from research results earlier
• Fill a skills gap and develop a talent pipeline within your business, with the reassurance of an expert supervisory team with specialist research skills, and access to the University’s research infrastructure including labs and equipment
• We can provide your business with opportunities for promotion within the University network and across various media channels. Additionally, confidentiality and commercialisation clauses can be discussed
• Your business has the opportunity to be involved in the student selection process, ensuring an organisational fit
• The scholarship may also be purposefully targeted to support your own employees if desired

How Elevate scholarships work

Minimum business or partner cash contributions are:

• $36 000 (GST exclusive) over two years if applying for a Masters by Research award
• $54 000 (GST exclusive) over three years if applying for a Doctoral Award

Our university will co-invest in the project with you via cash and in-kind contributions, depending on project requirements. At a minimum, we will offer:

• Contribution to a living allowance (stipend) of at least $28 597 per year
• Cash commitment to support project costs (Masters by Research $4 000 and PhD $6 000) and conference travel by the research student (Masters by Research $3 000 and PhD $4 500)
• Domestic students will be eligible for free tuition. Support may be available for international student tuition fees, by negotiation

Additional scholarship funding may also be negotiated.

Your research student can spend time on your site, or work from one of our campus locations Australia-wide. We can recruit a student to your project, or you may wish to suggest a candidate. You can also undertake project work with confidence, with support available to protect your intellectual property.

Your business may also be eligible for a Research and Development tax incentive for investment in research activity, subject to meeting Australian Government requirements.

Got questions? Contact us or read through the Elevate Scholarship - frequently asked questions.

After identifying a business challenge that may benefit from research, this is the typical pathway between initial contact and project delivery. 

Contact us

Connect with the Research Partnerships Team at CQUniversity to explore options to collaborate. We’ll advise what capability, resources and funding opportunities may be available. 

Project scope

We will work with you to develop a Project Scope. This will outline a project brief, key milestones, timeframes and pricing.  

Meet with a researcher

We will organise an initial conversation between you and our research team to outline the process, align expectations, map resources and begin co-designing a solution.  

Leverage funding

We will investigate and work with you to explore the potential to scaffold the collaboration over time, using government grants and private equity where possible.  

Agreement

The scope and/or proposal is formalised with the key milestones, timeframes, budget and Intellectual Property (IP) agreed.  

Commence work and achieve project milestones

The project starts, and you’ll receive progress updates as agreed in the reporting timeframes to ensure project goals are met and (continuing) work remains on schedule.  

Project closure

Completion of the project occurs with mutually agreed, signed-off milestones and is likely to include a final report and debrief. The research and development outcomes are applied to ensure the impact of our collaboration makes a difference in your business, industry or community.  

Explore new opportunities

The next innovation may be just around the corner. This is the time to discuss the potential for further collaboration in order to sustain innovation in your business. 

Intellectual Property (IP) is broadly regarded as a representation of the property of one’s mind or intellect. IP can take many forms. It could be an invention, trademark, artistic expression, design, brand or even the application of an idea.  

In the context of an Industry Engagement with our university, Intellectual Property will primarily be generated through one source: research outcomes. Applying for an IP right to protect an innovation can be critical if a party wants to gain a competitive edge and establish their presence in a market. IP rights allow innovators the time and opportunity to commercialise their creations. The IP protections established under law serve not only as an incentive to innovate, but also to collaborate. 

We will discuss and agree on IP details before a research partnership project commences. 

We encourage the discovery, sharing and translation of innovation and knowledge. The University recognises the inherent and commercial value of new and improved ideas and technologies and welcomes the opportunity to share in the discovery and dissemination of that new knowledge.

Josh Ariens, Research Partnerships Manager 

Phone: (07) 4970 7330 
Email: research-connect@cqu.edu.au 

Enquiry form