Scholarships and Opportunities

RDA Tropical North collates information on relevant scholarships and opportunities from government, corporate and private sectors.

2026 Les Young Scholarship

Applications are now open for the 2026 Les Young Scholarship, offering an emerging professional from the Australian Thoroughbred industry the opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge through an international education experience at The National Stud in the United Kingdom.

Applications Close: Friday 1 May 2026
Scholarship Winner Announced: 25 May 2026

2026 Economic Development National Education and Training Program

EDA’s National Education and Training Program is the premier professional development program for economic developers, designed to empower participants to make a lasting impact in their community, region or organisation. Whether you’re starting your career or looking to enhance your expertise, the EDA Training and Education Program equips you with the knowledge, tools and strategies to succeed.

The program consists of carefully designed modules that cover essential topics for economic development professionals. Each module is a one-day, deep dive into key aspects of economic development, delivered by EDA’s experienced trainers who are experts in their field.

EDA’s Scholarship Program provides recipients with the opportunity to enrol in the full virtual course, including four core and two elective modules, and achieve recognition as an Australian Certified Economic Developer (ACEcD).

With multiple virtual course rounds available in 2026, scholarship recipients will have flexibility to complete the program across the year.

The value for each scholarship represents approximately $3,000.

Scholarship applications are invited in the following categories:
1. Indigenous Economic Development Professional
2. Rural and Remote Professional
3. New and Early Career Professional
Completing an application is simple and takes less than 15 minutes!

Applications Close: 10 May 2026

Women in IT Scholarship

As our world becomes more digital and globalised, the need for IT workers is increasingly important. However, girls and women face challenges and barriers in participating in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).

BizCover seeks to support women in the IT field through this scholarship, which recognises the dedication of university students and encourages them to pursue a career in IT.

Female students that are currently studying in the following degrees (or the equivalence of these degrees)

• Bachelor of Engineering
• Bachelor of Data Science
• Bachelor of Cyber Security
• Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence
• Bachelor of Business Information Systems
• Bachelor of Computer Science and Technology
• Bachelor of Design Computing
• Bachelor of Advanced Computing
• Advanced Diploma of Information Technology (Cyber Security)
• Diploma of Information Technology (Cyber Security)
• Certificate III in Information Technology
• Certificate IV in Cyber Security

The Scholarship will reward the winner with a once off payment of $AUD 5,000.

The winner will have the opportunity to work for BizCover in a 3-month paid work placement program.*

Applications Open: 12:01am, Thursday 1 January 2026
Applications Close: 11:59pm, Sunday 28 February 2027
Scholarship Winner Announced: 10:00am, Tuesday 16 March 2027

The Defence Industry Internship Program (DIIP)

The Defence Industry Internship Program (DIIP) provides Engineering and Technology university students with direct connections to the Defence Industry by facilitating a 12-week (450 hour) paid internship in small to medium defence industry businesses across Australia.

These internships provide students with the opportunity to work with industry leaders on complex projects, using advanced technologies and support the development of valuable employability skills.

Find out more here.

Indigenous Youth Leadership Program

Purpose

The Queensland Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (QIYLP) is a seven-day residential program held in Brisbane with all travel, meals and accommodation provided for the participants and mentors attending.

Overview

QIYLP is the flagship component of the Queensland Indigenous Youth Leadership Strategy. The program provides an exciting opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders, 18–25 years of age, to come together to strengthen their leadership skills and build their capacity to drive change in local communities.

Since 2004, 759 young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have taken part in the program, with many returning in later years as mentors, lead mentors and program facilitators.

QIYLP provides participants with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills along with self-development skills, ensuring they have the essential tools to develop and lead their own community projects and help drive improved outcomes in their communities.

The program provides:

  • intensive leadership workshops—facilitated by Indigenous community leaders and content experts
  • mentoring and networking opportunities—participants can network with high-profile politicians, respected elders and community leaders from Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and representatives of the Queensland Government
  • career development opportunities—providing participants with links to employment opportunities, alumni development program, and access to ongoing mentoring and training.

Eric Deeral Indigenous Youth Parliament-one-day event delivered by Queensland Parliamentary Services, providing young people with an opportunity to improve their understanding of Queensland government parliamentary processes.

 

Learn more here.

Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships

Purpose

The Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships aim to support breakthrough solutions to Australia’s most pressing social and environmental challenges and bring new talent to the social sector.

Overview

A Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for recipients to take 12 months, supported by $180,000, to focus on approaches that have the potential to achieve positive outcomes for society, supporting initiatives that align with one or more of the program themes of inclusion & equality, sustainability & environment including climate change, or human, civil & legal rights.

Learn more here.

Chris Silagy Research Scholarship

Purpose

The Chris Silagy Research Scholarship is designed to support a 12-month research project into an aspect of evidence-based primary health care by a general practitioner researcher.

Overview

The scholarship is to the value of $15,000 (excluding GST) which includes a return economy airfare for the recipient to either attend a meeting of the Cochrane Collaboration, or visit a Cochrane Research Centre during the year of the scholarship.

Find out more here.

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarships scheme funds successful applicants to attain a research based postgraduate degree – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or a Research Masters Degree.

It aims to support these outstanding health and medical graduates early in their career so they can be trained to conduct research that is internationally competitive and develop a capacity for original independent research within Australia.

The intended outcome of the Postgraduate Scholarships scheme is increased research capacity within Australia.

Click here to find out more.

ICDA Scholarships

Hundreds of not-for-profit leaders now have the opportunity to secure a part-scholarship to complete the highly regarded ICDA Diploma of Governance.

While scholarships have previously been offered for Australia’s leading diploma-level governance qualification, the current program expands access to a broader range of individuals across multiple sectors, supporting some of the most under-represented groups in the country.

Scholarships of $1,000 enable eligible applicants to apply for any upcoming intake, with decisions made within 10 business days of submission.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will remain open throughout the year. However, places in diploma courses are strictly limited, and scholarships are subject to specific terms and conditions.

The full cost of the Diploma is $4,500, which includes enrolment, assessment, and administration. Scholarship recipients will be responsible for covering the remaining fee of $3,500.

Find out more here>

 

Gill Owen Scholarship

The Gill Owen Scholarship supports an individual to travel internationally to research innovative ideas and initiatives that will be relevant to improving outcomes for consumers in the Australian energy market.
Energy Consumers Australia sees great potential value in continuing that exchange of ideas and
experience that Gill Owen exemplified.
Applications are invited for a grant of up to $15,000 to research innovation, policies and programs that
will be relevant to achieving improved consumer outcomes in a dynamic and changing Australian
energy market.
Find out more

Kelvin Trimper Scholarship

In honor of Kelvin Trimper AM, a respected horticulturist and consumer advocate, SA Power Networks and Energy Consumers Australia offer a $10,000 scholarship to improve consumer outcomes in Australia’s energy market. The scholarship supports research, pilot programs, training, and innovative projects. Recipients will share insights through webinars, stakeholder meetings, and presentations, continuing Kelvin’s legacy of championing better outcomes for communities.
Ongoing – Find out more