The Ignition Bursary provides funding to support UniSQ students to enhance professional skills and participate in opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial and innovative mindsets. If you are interested in attending a conference, participating in a professional development workshop, or joining a professional association relevant to your field of study, the Ignition Bursary can provide financial support to help you pursue these opportunities.
The Ignition Bursary Fund is an initiative of the Project, supporting UniSQ students to participate in extra-curricular opportunities that contribute to their academic and career development.
Students may seek funding for a range of opportunities, including, but not limited to:
- Attending professional development workshops or conferences
- Joining Professional Association Memberships
- Participating in innovation challenges
- Attending Accelerator programs
There are some activities that cannot be supported through an Ignition Bursary, as UniSQ has requirements to meet under the NPILF Australian Government Funding. Funding cannot be used to:
- support attending Placements that are mandatory for a student’s degree program
- finance a student’s personal business activities
- cover personal expenses while students undertake activities, for example: childcare, rent or mortgage payments
- pay for non-students to attend the activity, for example, children or partners
Please note:
- Events or activities must be within Australia. Travel overseas is not supported under this funding.
- Students are only allowed to submit and receive one Ignition Bursary throughout 2025.
- Only a limited number of bursaries are available and will be awarded to eligible students in the order applications are received, while funding lasts.
Please see below for the full eligibility criteria and selection criteria to apply for an Ignition Bursary.
Value
An Ignition bursary can cover some or all of the cost of a professional development or entrepreneurial activity up to a maximum total value of $750.00 per student.
Eligibility
To be eligible for an Ignition Bursary, students must meet the following core criteria, regardless of the activity they are undertaking.
Students must:
- Be currently enrolled in a UniSQ program
- Be enrolled in at least one course at the time of application
- Be enrolled in at least one course at the time the activity will take place
- Be in satisfactory academic standing, and not be in stage 2 or 3 under the
- Agree to meet the at all times while participating in a supported activity.
- Students who fail to adhere to the General Conduct Policy, may forfeit their bursary payment. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
- Agree to provide feedback on their experience through the approved UniSQ feedback survey.
- This is to inform reporting which is a requirement of the funding provided by the Australian Government. It will also be used to inform future activities and planning.
- Meet any other criteria, unique to and set out by the program/activity which is being applied for.
- Understand that all insurances and other costs outside of the approved bursary activity, must be covered by each student according to their individual needs. This is not the responsibility of UniSQ.
Students will be ineligible if:
- They do not meet all the eligibility criteria set out above
- They are graduating or are deferring their studies for the period the activity is taking place
- The activity takes place after Friday, 31 October 2025
- They do not lodge their reimbursement claim within 14 working days of completion of their event/activity
Outcomes are assessed as equitably as possible and are at the discretion of the Industry Projects Team. All decisions are final.
Payment of Bursary
All activities must first be assessed and endorsed for a bursary amount. Once approved, students will receive a confirmation email. Students are to attend the approved activity and then submit a within 14 working days of completion of their event or activity.
Students may forfeit their Bursary if:
- They do not abide by the throughout the entirety of their approved activity.
- Their activity doesn’t occur before Friday, 31 October. Activities will not be approved outside of this date.
Even after initial activity approval by the Industry Projects team, students may not be eligible for reimbursement of their activity if they:
- Do not provide adequate evidence specifically confirming their attendance at their event
- Do not lodge their within 14 working days of completion of their event