The federal government has launched a new program that provides funding for engineers pursuing research in Australia’s automotive sector.
The Automotive Engineering Graduate Program provides universities with grants of between $200,000 and $1 million to deliver research support for post graduate students to undertake engineering projects in priority areas for the automotive industry.
The purpose of the program is to provide graduate engineers with the skills and experience which are essential to maintaining the global competitiveness of Australia’s automotive engineering sector.
Federal industry, science and technology minister, Karen Andrews, said that the program would seek out the best and brightest to pursue research projects with automotive businesses.
“Australia has a thriving automotive components sector and is competitive in global vehicle design. We need more of the highly skilled engineers involved in these areas and across the broader automotive industry, including trucks and buses, in order to compete internationally in the rapidly changing space of vehicle design,” Andrews said.
“Engineers, designers and technicians have a key role to play in the transformation of Australian automotive manufacturing to higher value-added products and services.”
The program is part of is part of the $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund, announced in the 2017-2018 Budget.
The grants will provide up to 100 per cent of eligible project costs. The program is limited, with applications to close on 7 December and all funded projects to be completed by 30 June 2021.