2018 New Colombo Plan Mobility Program Consortium Application: Member University Consultation
The guidelines for the 2018 round of the New Colombo Plan (NCP) Mobility Program were released early in the new year. The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region. Applications for the 2018 funding round open on 20 March and close on 19 May 2017.
Since the 2014 NCP Mobility Program pilot round, ACICIS has successfully secured a total of more than $4.5 million of NCP mobility grant funding on behalf of the consortium’s Australian member universities and their students. This funding will eventually support over 1000 undergraduate students from ACICIS member universities to undertake study in Indonesia through ACICIS between 2015 and 2018.
This New Colombo Plan funding has also allowed ACICIS to expand significantly the range of in-country study options available to Australian students in Indonesia, with the addition since 2015 of four new study options offered in disciplines including Business, Agriculture, Creative Arts, and Public Health. A further two study options in intensive Indonesian language and Law will be launched in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
As with last year’s NCP application, ACICIS will consult with the consortium’s membership in two distinct stages as outlined below, to formulate the consortium’s 2018 NCP Mobility Program application.
| # | Timeline | Activity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 1 | 6 – 24 February | Stage 1 ACICIS Member University Consultation: Open call to ACICIS member universities to submit ideas for new program initiatives they would like to see ACICIS develop with NCP support in 2018 and beyond. |
| 24 February | Deadline for Stage 1 member university submissions | ||
| 2 | 27 February – 17 March | ACICIS Secretariat to review member university Stage 1 submissions for new in-country program ideas. ACICIS to synthesise Stage 1 university submissions into shortlist of (approximately) 10-15 possible new ACICIS program initiatives. Shortlisted program initiatives to be worked into one-page new initiative ‘expression of interest’ forms for circulation to member universities during Stage 2 of the member university consultation. | |
| Stage 2 | 3 | 20 March | ACICIS 2018 NCP Mobility Program ‘New Initiatives’ and ‘Existing Programs’ expression of interest forms sent to member university Study Abroad offices. |
| 4 | 20 March – 28 April | Stage 2 ACICIS Member University Consultation: Member university study abroad offices (in consultation with faculty staff) to consider, complete and submit ‘expression of interest’ forms to the ACICIS Secretariat – indicating for which programs – existing and new – they seek NCP funding. For each ACICIS program, member universities will be asked to indicate how many NCP mobility grants they would like the consortium to apply for on their university’s behalf. | |
| 28 April | Deadline for submission of Stage 2 member university ‘expressions of interest’ forms to ACICIS Secretariat | ||
| Application Submission | 5 | 1 – 19 May | ACICIS Secretariat to collate member university Stage 2 ‘expressions of interest’ and synthesise into consortium’s 2018 NCP Mobility Program Application. |
| 19 May | Submission of ACICIS 2018 NCP Mobility Program consortium application to the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training. |
At this initial stage, ACICIS is seeking your suggestions for new in-country program initiatives that your university would like ACICIS to develop in Indonesia with New Colombo Plan support in 2018 and beyond. For a full list of ACICIS’ current program offerings, please refer to our website here.
If you submitted a new program idea in last year’s consultation that was not successfully funded, and would still like to see ACICIS develop the program, please do not hesitate to submit the idea again in this round. Repeat submissions are welcome.
ACICIS is open to suggestions for program development in all academic discipline areas.
Please click through to make your submission via a short online survey here.
If you would prefer to make your submission via email, you can forward it directly to the ACICIS Secretariat at acicis@acicis.edu.au. Please include the words “2018 ACICIS NCP Stage 1 Submission” in the subject line of the email.
In addition to suggestions for completely new study options in Indonesia, ACICIS would be particularly interested to hear of any existing Indonesia-based mobility projects that your university has developed with the assistance of previous Commonwealth mobility funding. If your university has an Indonesia-based project that you would like to see continue, but that may pose an on-going administrative burden to your institution, ACICIS would welcome a conversation regarding the possibility of the consortium taking on the management of these already trialled programs. Specifically, ACICIS would be interested in Indonesia-based programs with scope for expansion to accommodate students from across the consortium membership. Drawing as it does on the consortium’s collective resources, shared in-country infrastructure, and combined pool of eligible member university students, ACICIS could represent a sustainable, long-term, solution to the maintenance of your university’s current Indonesia-based mobility project(s). If your university has any Indonesia-based program initiatives of this sort, ACICIS would be keen to hear from you.
Member university Stage 1 submissions regarding either new programs you would like to see ACICIS develop for the 2018 NCP funding round – or any of your institution’s existing Indonesia-based projects you would be interested in ACICIS administering in the future – should be submitted via the online survey link provided above, or by email, on or before Friday 24 February, 2017.