Unlocking student potential, solving real-world challenges
The Industry Exchange team at Curtin University connects industry partners to Curtin’s network of student talent and academia. The team utilises a project-based model to deliver value to industry clients across all sectors. A paid student intern tackles a real-world business challenge by delivering an agreed-upon project outcome, supported by Curtin’s wide network of academic experts.
Industry Exchange is supported by Curtin University’s Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer program. Backed by government and major industry partners, the Trailblazer accelerates innovation and research commercialisation in the resources technology and critical minerals sector, using three pillars: University transformation, technology readiness and commercialisation.
Industry Exchange works with a large variety of industry partners to connect them to our students to deliver on real world projects across every discipline. Hear from our past and current interns to learn more about what we do!
We work with a wide range of industry partners to deliver projects across all sectors, including Mining, Critical Minerals, Technology, Agriculture, Finance, Manufacturing and more.
Over the 2023-24 summer period, Assuro hired a PhD student via the Curtin Industry Exchange program to conduct a research project focused on integrating AI into our operations. The student worked in our Fremantle office throughout the summer, and having him as part of the team was great.
We are excited to integrate the research findings into our business processes and systems moving forward, and are grateful to the Industry Exchange program for facilitating invaluable business insights!
There are two great benefits in partnering with Curtin University; firstly as an industry, we benefit from an independent view of a problem, particularly on this case of metro logistics decarbonisation. Secondly, we can contribute to helping talented post graduate students gain industry experience and networks. Our 2023-24 Summer student intern, Samson Fu, is an incredibly hard working and talented person who we thoroughly enjoyed working with. And thanks hugely to Liz Jackson for her valuable academic oversight on the project.
Pritchard Francis engaged with the Industry Exchange team to solve a problem in our finance team, and the delivered solution delivered exceeded our expectations and has automated a once manual process. The team was amazing from start to finish, including the Industry Exchange team and the expert academics who assisted the talented student to deliver this project. We have now employed our intern while he completes his studies. We look forward to future projects with the Industry Exchange team.
BounceBack has been fortunate to collaborate with Industry Exchange, and work with students Paola Cana and Jet Le. Their contributions have been brilliant, displaying high proactivity and consistently exceeding our expectations. Their technical skills and dedication have significantly advanced the development of our product, helping us push the boundaries of innovation. I’m excited to continue working with Paola and Jet, whose dedication and fresh perspectives are crucial to our success.
Working with the Western Roads Federation could not have been a better learning experience for Samson and me. It was privilege to use my academic skills to liaise with industry and address the urgent and contemporary problem of the transition to alternative fuel vehicles in WA road transport industry. Facilitating the relationship between industry and one of Curtin’s brightest and most dedicated students was extremely rewarding.
My internship through Industry Exchange was a pivotal experience for my professional development. I was fortunate to collaborate with Assuro, and our project proposal that secured a multimillion-dollar investment, resulting in a second internship offer.
I highly recommend this program to PhD candidates. It broadens future career prospects, enhances vital skills, and builds meaningful professional relationships. Not to mention the financial incentive, which is definitely a bonus.
Participating in Industry Exchange has been a pivotal part of my university experience, offering me exposure to a professional working environment and presenting challenges beyond my specific field of study. This experience motivated me to consolidate and apply my knowledge to develop industry-ready solutions. Industry Exchange is an essential opportunity for any university student aiming to elevate their career!
The internship we undertook at AVI through Industry Exchange gave us valuable experience of what it is like to work in the tech industry. Our work culminated in the foundations of a new software solution for employee management and an integrated enterprise solution to increase workflow efficiency.
The academic support team at Industry Exchange was extremely helpful. We recommend this program to undergraduates looking to gain industry experience and want a defined project rather than ad-hoc work.
I secured a research position with the Subsea Innovation Cluster Australia (SICA) through Industry Exchange. I explored how large language models (LLMs) and GPT technology could enhance SICA’s member technologies and capabilities database.
Industry Exchange and SICA provided a supportive environment throughout my internship, fostering creativity and autonomy and allowing me to explore and develop my ideas while expanding my GPT and user interface design expertise.
My Industry Exchange internship with ECG has recently ended, and I have nothing but positive things to say about the experience. Completing my first engineering project has boosted my confidence and given me valuable insight into the industry.
Industry Exchange was amazing at setting up my work placement and was an always available asset to reach out to during my internship. I couldn’t recommend Industry Exchange more for students seeking paid internships.
Assuro and Curtin University’s Industry Exchange celebrate the success of their partnership, which led to the formation of Assuro Digital Services (ADS). Based on our PhD student intern’s research, ADS successfully brought into Australia an innovative global platform to digitalise Bank Guarantees and is now an industry leading technology enterprise.