Available 2025 Scholarships
Five Drought Resilience Scholarships
This program receives funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
The $5 billion Future Drought Fund is an investment by the Australian Government to build drought resilience in Australia’s agriculture sector, landscapes and communities. Each year, $100 million is made available to help Australian farms and communities prepare for the impacts of drought. These scholarships focus on building drought resilience. We encourage applicants to consider study topic ideas relating to this theme. More details here
Grain Industry Scholarships
Research ideas:
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The next agricultural revolution
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Limiting the impacts of price and market volatility
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Managing seasonal variability and production risk
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Crops for energy, feed or fuel
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Acting on climate e.g. where and how farmers can have an impact
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Sustainable and ethical production
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Impact of larger farms e.g. on adopting R&D, increasing working capital and risk, labour and the social fabric of farming communities
Please refer to the GRDC RD&E plan here
Fisheries and Aquaculture Scholarship
Research ideas:
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Alternative technologies for fisheries and aquaculture (catching, production, harvest etc) in an Australian context
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Global scan of leaders in environment, social and governance (ESG) to understand opportunities to position fishing and aquaculture well into the future
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Global investigation of inter-sectoral resource re-allocation to recognise Indigenous interests, identify outcomes and critical decisions that led to achieving outcomes
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Global scan to consider how might fishing and aquaculture re-position to take advantage of natural capital including blue carbon in an Australian context
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Global review of successful, sector supported approaches for gathering and using recreational sector catch and effort information to identify insights able to be applied in Australia
Red Meat Industry Scholarship
Research ideas:
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Increased efficiency of animal production, higher profits for producers and an overall increase in on-farm animal welfare and consumer perceptions of welfare
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Increased productivity of the feed base – better plants, better management and utilisation of forage
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Improvement in reproductive efficiencies for breeder herds / flocks through delivering higher survival rates between conception and weaning
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Improved connectivity options for use of digital technologies and developing digital information products and dashboard decision tools/guidelines to provide informed and predictive management systems
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New products, packaging and business model innovations to transform commodity red meat (and its components) into higher valued solutions
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Improvement in technologies that measure key traits to describe carcase value, such as lean meat yield and eating quality, and health attributes
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GHG emissions avoidance (feed additives, forages and genetics) and carbon storage (pastures and trees, grazing management)
Industry Scholarships from any of the following sectors:
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Chicken meat
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Export fodder
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Thoroughbred horses
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Honeybee and pollination
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Rice
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Pasture seeds
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Ginger
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Tea Tree Oil
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Kangaroo
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Buffalo
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Goat Fibre
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Deer
Please refer to the AgriFutures website for more details here
Four Horticulture Scholarships
Please refer to the five-year Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for each industry:
Avocado Strategic Investment Plan 2022-26
Apple/Pear Strategic Investment Plan 2022-26
Mushroom Strategic Investment Plan 2022-26
Onion Strategic Investment Plan 2022-26
Vegetable Strategic Investment Plan 2022-26
Cotton Industry Scholarship
Research ideas:
Please refer to the CRDC Strategic RD&R plan here
Graincorp scholarship
Research ideas:
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AgTech
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Agri Energy / biofuels and feedstocks
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Animal nutrition
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Automation on farm
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Biotechnology and genomics (broadacre)
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Carbon and regenerative farming
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Data management and capture solutions
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Grain Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC)
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International market access for grains
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On-farm storage
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Plant based protein / alternative protein
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Precision farming and agronomy
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Sustainability and circular economy
PSP Investments Scholarship
Research ideas:
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regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration, carbon neutrality, soil health
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technology and data driven innovations: including biotechnology, biologicals and digital tools
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risk mitigation: including climate risk, yield sustainability and input reduction
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natural capital identification, measuration and valuation
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public policy in agriculture
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diversity and inclusion in agriculture
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impacts of institutional investment in agriculture
CSBP Fertilisers Scholarship (WA-applicants only)
Research ideas:
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Improving nutrient use efficiency
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Improving nutrient use efficiency to reduce the emissions intensity of production
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Novel sources of crop nutrition
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Managing risk in broadacre cropping
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Micronutrients for crop and human nutrition
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Biofertilisers and biostimulants – their role in plant nutrition and potential to reduce emissions from production.
William Buckland Foundation Scholarship (Vic-applicants only)
Advancing agriculture by strengthening resilience in agricultural communities
Please refer to their website for more information here
Royal Agricultural Society Foundation Scholarship (NSW-applicants only)
Created in 2007, the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) Foundation is helping to build strong, vibrant rural and regional communities by providing a range of grants and scholarships for education and community development.
Please refer to their website for more information here
University of Tasmania/JM Roberts Charitable Trust Scholarship (Tas-applicants only)
Research ideas:
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Soil health and regenerative agriculture
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Resilience to climate change in farming systems
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Low emissions feed technologies
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Projects that are of particular interest to the North Midlands area of Tasmania
Northern Pastoral Scholarship (Northern pastoral producers only)
The Northern Pastoral Scholarship was launched in 2018 by the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC), Elders and S. Kidman & Co. Recognising the need to foster the Northern Australian pastoral sector, these four iconic agricultural companies joined forces to create the scholarship with the aim of enabling recipients to become leaders in their field.
Gardiner Dairy Foundation Scholarship (Vic-applicants only)
Gardiner Foundation invests in research and development, people and community development and industry engagement and strategic support to maximise benefit to all sectors of the Victorian dairy industry and dairy communities. Gardiner has contributed over $85m toward Victorian dairy industry projects.
Research ideas:
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Energy transition
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Climate
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Carbon
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Perceptions of industry
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Community expectations
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Intensification
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Innovation & tech
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Skills of the future (needed in industry in 5-10 years)
Please refer to their website for more information here
ANZ Bank Scholarship
ANZ provides banking and financial products and services to over 8.5 million retail and business customers and has 200 agribusiness managers across Australia. They support numerous grants and programs to support regional Australia,
Please refer to their website for more information here
Woolworths Scholarship
Since 1924, Woolworths Group has worked hard to offer the best possible convenience, value, range and quality to the 24 million customers they serve each week across their growing network of businesses. More details here
Natural Resources Conservation Trust Scholarship (VIC-applicants only)
Research ideas:
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Regenerative Agriculture
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Carbon sequestration
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Soil health
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Natural capital indentification, measurement and valuation
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Impacts of water policy in Agriculture
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Seed orchards
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Agroforestry
More details here
GIWA & POP Scholarship (WA-applicants only)
The scholarship will focus on research that benefits WA's milling oat industry
Research ideas:
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Innovative solutions and opportunities in oat agronomy
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Processing
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Industry sustainability
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Breeding
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Marketing
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Oat food and beverage product development
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Oat processing waste
More details here
Rabobank Scholarship
Rabobank Australia is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. In addition to agribusiness finance and business support, Rabobank provides access to a host of specialists whose expertise ranges from succession planning and business management education through to commodity price and foreign exchange risk management, as well as 90 international food and agribusiness analysts and an impressive global network of farming clients in 38 countries.
Please refer to their website for more information here