New Colombo Plan (NCP) 2026 Semester Program

Job Description

GO ID: GO7824

Agency: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Duration: The 2026 NCP Semester Program will run from 1 January 2026 to 31 July 2028.

Close Date & Time:23-Sep-2025 11:30 pm (ACT Local Time)

Primary Category: 191002 - Higher Education

Secondary Category: 191006 - Scholarships

Location: ACT, NSW, VIC, SA, WA, QLD, NT, TAS

Selection Process: Open Competitive

The strategic objective of the New Colombo Plan, as described in Program 1.5 of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Portfolio Budget Statement (PBS) is to advance Australia’s interests and bilateral relationships through enduring people-to-people, institutional and business links with the Indo-Pacific region The NCP provides opportunities for Australian undergraduate university students to develop their Indo-Pacific capability and Asia literacy through immersive, structured learning and internships in the Indo-Pacific region.

The intended outcomes of the NCP are: for participants to acquire Indo-Pacific capability and Asia literacy; to foster deeper people-to-people and education relationships between Australia and the Indo-Pacific; and to increase Australia’s economic engagement with the region by supporting NCP participants to build job-ready skills, and supporting NCP alumni to maintain their ties to the Indo-Pacific. In the 2026 round, the NCP includes three programs – Scholarships, Semester and Mobility. The 2026 NCP Semester Program seeks to leverage Australian universities‘ partnership arrangements to support one-to-two semester length experiences for students to develop Indo-Pacific capability, including language learning and internships. The intended outcomes of the NCP Semester Program are: program participants develop their Indo-Pacific knowledge and capability, including language skills, in line with Australia’s strategic and economic interests; Australian universities leverage institutional partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and there is an expansion of engagement with counterpart institutions in priority host locations, languages, and sectors; and alumni maintain and develop their Indo-Pacific capability, including language skills, and engagement with the region.

Through Program 1.5, the NCP contributes to DFAT PBS Outcome 1 – the advancement of Australia’s international strategic security and economic interests including through bilateral, regional and multilateral engagement on Australian Government foreign, trade and international development policy priorities.

The NCP provides opportunities for Australian undergraduate university students to develop their Indo-Pacific capability and Asia literacy through immersive, structured learning and internships in the Indo-Pacific region. The intended outcomes of the NCP are:

• for participants to acquire Indo-Pacific capability and Asia literacy
• to foster deeper people-to-people and education relationships between Australia and the Indo-Pacific, and
• to increase Australia’s economic engagement with the region by supporting NCP participants to build job-ready skills, and supporting NCP alumni to maintain their ties to the Indo-Pacific.

In the 2026 round, the NCP includes three programs:

• Scholarships Program: experiences of up to 19 months for students to strengthen their Indo-Pacific capability and Asia literacy, including through study, language learning and internships.
• Semester Program: leveraging Australian universities’ partnership arrangements to support one-to-two semester length experiences for students to develop Indo-Pacific capability, including language learning and internships.
• Mobility Program: short-term, credit-bearing experiences of four-to-nine weeks to develop Indo-Pacific capability, including structured learning, internships, mentorships, practicums, and/or research.

The NCP also includes NCP alumni engagement, which is open to all NCP scholars, semester and mobility students who have complied with all requirements of the NCP on completion of their award, and supports alumni to maintain a connection to each other, the NCP and the Indo-Pacific as they progress in their lives and careers.

The NCP Semester Program provides funding to Australian universities to leverage their partnership arrangements to support one-to-two semester length experiences for Australian undergraduate students to develop Indo-Pacific capability, including language learning. Credit-bearing internships can also be undertaken.

The 2026 NCP Semester Program will run from 1 January 2026 to 31 July 2028.

Priority areas for selection

To support Australia’s capability in Asian languages, immersive experiences and enduring partnerships in the region, priority in the selection processes for the 2026 NCP Semester Program will be accorded to:

• Projects which are to be undertaken in the priority host locations, languages and sectors outlined in section 6.1. These areas are consistent with Australia’s foreign policy priorities for engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, including as outlined in Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 and A New Roadmap for Australia’s Economic Engagement with India. These priorities will be reviewed annually.
• Projects where the main focus is for the study of an Asian language. In the 2026 round, all NCP programs (including the NCP Semester Program) will have a language target set at 15 per cent.

Grants available

NCP has an annual appropriation of $50.933 million over four years from 2025-26 to 2028-29. A total of $35.343 million is available for NCP grant funding for the 2025-26 financial year. It is anticipated that $23.76 million in funding will be available for the NCP Semester Program in 2025- 26. Expenditure related to the NCP Scholarships Program 2026 round will be expensed over three financial years.

The remaining funding in the NCP’s annual budget appropriation will cover NCP scholars from previous rounds who continue their programs in 2025-26, as well as administrative support expenses for program delivery.

The amount for an NCP Semester grant is up to $15,000 per student for a one-semester project, and up to $24,000 per student for a two-semester project. In addition, program support and administration funding totalling 20 per cent of the awarded student grant value will be provided to universities as outlined in section 5.2.2. The maximum total value of a one-semester grant inclusive of administrative funding will be $18,000 and a two-semester grant will be $28,800. DFAT anticipates supporting up to 1,000 students undertaking one semester-length experiences and 200 students undertaking two semester-length experiences under the Semester Program.

Eligibility: Applications for funding will be accepted from all Australian Universities (defined as a registered higher education provider under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (Cth) in a provider category that permits the use of the word “university”) and consortia of Australian Universities.

You must ensure each student receiving a student grant:

• is an Australian citizen
• is not, while participating in the project, a citizen or permanent resident of the proposed host location/s
• is, while participating in the project, enrolled or receiving credit towards studies in an Australian onshore campus and undertaking an undergraduate course
• will receive credit for completion of the project or have it count towards the completion requirements for the student’s course (as in section 5.1b) at an Australian university
• is at least 18 years of age prior to participating in the project and meets the age requirements set out in section 4.4
• is not an employee of the branch of DFAT that administers the NCP, or the contractor
• does not:
  
• receive more than one NCP student grant for the same project
• receive more than two NCP student grants (Mobility or Semester Program) during the course of their undergraduate study
• participate in another offshore scholarship or project while participating in an NCP project, unless otherwise approved by DFAT.
• agrees to comply with DFAT’s Child Protection Policy and Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy including the reporting obligations under these policies (see section 10.3), and has completed DFAT’s online NCP pre-departure training modules
• has signed an acknowledgement that they have read NCP Student Code of Conduct prior to their departure, and
• takes into account the Guidelines to Counter Foreign Interference in the Australian University Sector.

Total Amount Available (AUD): $23,760,000.00

Instructions for Application Submission: Applications must be lodged in ISEO (International Student Exchange Online) by the closing date/time (11.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on 23 September 2025).

How to apply

Before applying, you must read and understand these guidelines. The guidelines may be found at GrantConnect. GrantConnect is the authoritative source for Australian Government grants information. Any alterations or addenda3 will be published on GrantConnect. By registering on GrantConnect, individuals will be notified automatically of any changes.

To apply you must:

• apply for funding and accept/decline funding through the International Student Exchange Online portal (ISEO). Only the applicant’s nominated NCP International Liaison Officer (ILO) can submit an application in ISEO.
• provide all the information requested
• address all eligibility criteria and assessment criteria
• include all necessary attachments, and
• submit your application/s to ISEO by the closing time.

Application process

You must enter the following details for each project into the application form in ISEO:

• host location and primary city, field of study, whether the project is a new or existing project (and the existing project number if applicable), the length of study and whether the application is a consortium application
• title and description of the project (including whether the project involves travel to a secondary location), project type, qualification level, indicative travel dates, project partner(s), third party providers, and partnership details
• confirmation that the project meets the eligibility criteria
• a contact point for the project (usually the academic or officer leading the project)
• responses to the assessment criteria
• total funding sought for student grants
• the number of students to participate in the project h) declarations that:
  
• the person submitting the application has the authority to do so
• the application complies with the home university’s quality assurance processes
• all funded projects will be implemented, and funding will be expended and reported in accordance with these guidelines and the grant agreement
• financial support received from the Australian Government will be acknowledged in all publications, promotional materials and activities
• you have appropriate strategies and services in place to support student welfare and safety (see section 2.4)
• you can demonstrate an approach to increasing participation by diverse student groups including but not limited to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students, students from a low socio-economic status background, students from regional/remote areas, students who are first in their immediate family to attend university, students across genders, female students studying in non-traditional fields, students with disability, and students from a non-English speaking background
• if any personal details of a student or other third party are included in an application or otherwise provided to the Australian Government as part of the project, the student or other third party has given written consent for the collection, use and disclosure of those details for this purpose, and
• you acknowledge that giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

Attachments to the application: In addition to completing the application form on ISEO, we require you to submit a letter of support from the project partner. with your application. You should only attach requested documents. We will not consider information in attachments that we do not request.

Deadline for Applications: 23-Sep-2025 11:30 pm (ACT Local Time)

“While we try our best to keep our information updated, the closing date of the actual job source may be changed by the recruiter without prior notice. With this, please make sure to check the official job link when submitting your application. Thank you.”

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