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ATN and Embassy of France Forge Student Mobility Partnership

31 May 2017

The Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) and the Embassy of France in Australia (the Embassy) have today announced a new collaborative program developed to promote cross-cultural collaboration between Australian and French tertiary institutions.

The Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) and the Embassy of France in Australia (the Embassy) have today announced a new collaborative program developed to promote cross-cultural collaboration between Australian and French tertiary institutions.

The agreement, formally signed today by Ambassador of France to Australia, H. E. Christophe Lecourtier and University of South Australia Vice Chancellor, Professor David Lloyd at an event held as part of this week’s French-Australian Tertiary Education and Research Workshop, aims to encourage student mobility as a means to improve research collaborations between the two countries.

The program will provide the opportunity for students of the ATN to undertake a three to six month internship at a higher education institution in France. Through placement at institutions with strong ties to their local industry, the internship program will not only foster cross-institutional collaboration, but will provide ATN universities with significant international industry linkages.

“Central to the ATN mission is identifying and developing international alliances and collaborations that provide rewarding opportunities for our students and early career researchers,” says ATN Executive Director, Renee Hindmarsh.

“Undertaking an international internship is an invaluable experience that allows students to develop cross-cultural capabilities, forge global networks, and foster a broader industry knowledge, all of which increases a graduate’s employability.”

H. E. Christophe Lecourtier, Ambassador of France to Australia says, “This program will provide ATN students with an exceptional opportunity to build connections with France and benefit from our highly integrated research and industry ecosystem.”

The program’s internship offers will be spread across the five ATN universities, targeting Honours, Masters and PhD students. Selected students will be eligible for a travel grant provided by the French Embassy, as well as a further monetary grant provided by the ATN university within which each student is enrolled.

“We look forward to strengthening our ties with the French Embassy through the facilitation of this student mobility program,” says Ms Hindmarsh.

The ATN is a consortium of five major Australian universities; Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Sydney, RMIT University in Melbourne, University of South Australia (UniSA) in Adelaide and Curtin University in Perth.