Propose an Internship Project
Host project proposals are currently invited for Semester 1, 2026
internship placements.
Please note, only project proposals for final year students currently employed with organisations are being accepted for Semester 1 2026.\
Semester dates: 23rd February 2026 - 29th May 2026.
The program is offered to ANU students located in Canberra, and other
locations in Australia and overseas. We invite project submissions
from organisations able to host on-site, remote, or hybrid
(combination of on-site and remote) internship placements. To support a remote-only internship, host
organisations will need to be able to implement “working from home”
arrangements where supervision and project management can be provided
via online tools, such as Zoom or Teamwork, Slack, and other
collaboration platforms.
Please contact ANU Computing with any questions
Propose an Internship Project
Key Dates for Semester 1 2026
| Semester 1 2026 |
Main Round |
| Host project proposals due |
Tues 27th January 2025 |
| Deadline for host organisations to confirm students project acceptances |
Fri 6th February 2026 |
| Placements and agreements finalised |
| Placements begin |
Week beginning 23rd February 2026 |
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## Background
The ANU is committed to the academic and professional development of
its students and ongoing engagement with government and industry.
One way we do this is by facilitating a range of valuable, real-world
professional and practical student internship opportunities in
partnership with local, interstate, and international industry and
government organisations.
The Computing Internship Program provides Masters, as well as
penultimate and final year undergraduate students the opportunity to
undertake an internship in a technology industry environment to apply
technical skills and build professional skills. This work is an
assessable part of the student’s degree.
Students participating in the Computing Internship Program are seeking
an opportunity to work with industry and apply knowledge and skills
learnt in their courses to solve real world challenges. This is
valuable in providing work experience that helps with future job
prospects.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss hosting an ANU
Computing intern, please contact the [ANU Computing Engagement & Impact team.](mailto:comp.engagement@anu.edu.au)
## Internship News
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What are the learning outcomes for the course?
On completion of the internship, students will have:
* delivered a computing project to respond to an industry problem,
which could be a proof of concept or business solution, and
* developed a range of professional skills, demonstrated initiative
and adaptability, and grown communication and networking skills.
The course assessment is based on three components:
* planning and presentation of the project,
* feedback from the host supervisor,
* the student's self-reflection and professional development.
### What sort of projects are considered?
The project outcomes should be of value to the organisation, relevant to computing, and can be in one of more of the following areas:
* research/scope/plan and/or implement/deliver a proof of concept, new
capability, or enhancement, and
* other negotiated projects.
Suitable projects need to meet the following criteria:
* A clearly framed business problem and requirements statement, a
project that is relevant to computing with some degree of complexity
that requires problem solving skills;
* The project is standalone (that is, not on a critical path) and can
reasonably be undertaken by an individual within approximately 180
hours of effort over an elapsed time of 12 weeks; and
* The project can be undertaken offsite from the host organisation in
the case of remote/hybrid placements.
Examples of successful projects include:
* Proof of concepts for chat bots, facial recognition and voice recognition
* New features for existing software products
* Data analytics and visualisation to inform improved compliance
activities; and, provide insights into complex policy problems.
### What does the host organisation need to provide?
Before the Internship:
* A Project Brief detailing a project that is relevant to computing
with some degree of complexity that is not on a critical path and
can be undertaken within 180 hours of effort;
* An Internship Agreement (Host & ANU); and
* A completed Student Placement Risk Assessment form.
When the Internship commences:
* A signed ANU Student Internship Agreement;
* A supervisor to oversee the technical project work and provide on
the job technical guidance and training, and access to business
knowledge when needed;
* Capability, including processes and tools, to support a remote
internship where the student will be “working from home” (if
required). This may include and is not limited to:
* Webex, Zoom or any other suitable AV interaction, and
* Workstation hardware and other technology that is required for the project. For example,
* a powerful workstation will be needed for machine learning projects,
* a second monitor would be useful for software development projects,
* internet access to provide sufficient bandwidth.
* Feedback into student assessment processes, including feedback
report at the end of the semester; and
* Access to the student’s work for assessment processes.
### How many intern projects can a host offer?
Hosts can offer up to 6 intern projects. Subject to demand, the ANU’s
preference is to place at least two students with a host organisation,
provided they can be assigned to separate projects with independent
outcomes.
### What are the requirements for being a supervisor?
Supervisors need to have an understanding of the organisation as well
as relevant software technical skills (and access to other technical
resources as required) to be able to support and guide the intern as
the project evolves.
### How much time is the student expected to work on the project?
The students are available to work on a project (i.e., a defined piece
(or pieces) of work) for 15 hours a week during a 12-week semester
(not including the 2 weeks semester break).
The course requirements for the internship are 15 hours a week
actually working on the project, with access to their
supervisor. Students will also allocate 5 hours a week to lectures,
tutorials, mentoring, and other academic activities.
### What technological skills do the students have?
Students in the Computing Internship Program will have a specialist
interest and technical skills in one or more of the following areas:
* software development
* data science
* artificial intelligence, and
* machine learning.
### How are students selected and matched to host companies?
Internships are available to Masters of Computing, Masters of Machine
Learning and Computer Vision, as well as penultimate and final year
Computing undergraduate students. Students will have completed
technical computing units, including software development as well as
specialist courses such as data science, artificial intelligence, and
machine learning.
Following an expression of interest for the internship placement,
eligible student applications will be sent to host organisations.
Hosts will be invited to conduct an interview with students prior to
commencement of the internship and to make offers of placement
directly to students.
### How is the student project assessed?
The Internship is graded by the ANU. Students are assessed across:
* professional skills development, including communication, team-work,
time management and project management; and
* demonstration of technical skills, including designing technical
solutions, programming, analysing and solving technical problems.
### What feedback is expected from supervisors?
Supervisors are required to submit a feedback report at the end of
semester. Supervisors will receive an email from the ANU asking for
feedback to be submitted online. Supervisors will be asked to provide
feedback and suggestions for improvement on a range of topics,
including:
* project outputs
* decision making
* communication
* teamwork, and
* reflection.
### What professional support is available to students?
Mentoring is provided to students to assist them to adapt to the host
organisation culture they are working in and to successfully complete
the project. The support is delivered through tutorials and direct
one-to-one support from industry mentors.
### What are the legal and payment requirements for the program?
As the internship is part of the student’s academic course, it is
possible to offer unpaid placements, consistent with relevant [Fair
Work advice](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/fact-sheets/unpaid-work/student-placements). Unpaid placements are only suitable for placements that are purely educational (i.e., no value is being created for the organisation). For unpaid placements, students retain their Intellectual Property (IP).
Should a host organisation wish to provide payment, a
non-ongoing/temporary employment contract will need to be negotiated
between the host organisation and the student.[^1]
The host organisation and their interns are required to complete a
Student Placement Risk Assessment Form, and sign the ANU Student
Project Industry Client Agreement which, among other things, deals
with Intellectual Property (IP), confidentiality, insurance and
obligations of all parties. These agreements will be forwarded to new
host organisations as they engage in the Internship Program. Please
note that for unpaid placements, ANU's agreement must be used without
alteration, including students retaining their IP. For other circumstances, a paid placement should be offered.
- - -
[^1]: Where a student is employed for the duration of their placement,
a slightly different ANU Internship Agreement which clarifies the
obligations of all parties in terms of access to Project IP for
the purposes of academic assessment will be required in order to
accurately reflect the student's role within the organisation.