2026-27 Vacation Study Program Student Application Form

Submissions are now being accepted. Submissions close at 5:00pm 4 September 2026 (AEST).

VACATION STUDY PROGRAM 2026-27 – SMARTYGRANTS

2026-27 ACT Government Vacation Study Program (VSP) - Student Application Form

Welcome to the 2026-27 ACT Government VSP Student Application Form

IMPORTANT: Please read the information below to assist you in completing your submission online.

KEY DATES:

Student Applications opens 9am Monday, 10 August

Student Applications close 5pm Friday, 4 September

Notification of application outcome COB Monday, 21 September

To submit a student application to any of the approved projects listed below, select the “start a submission’ icon at the top of the screen to start your application.  For more details, refer to the Vacation Study Program website Vacation Study Program - ACT Government and review the Research Project Summaries Document. 

No.

Supervisor

Project Title

1

Michelle Bennett

The Journey into Residential Aged Care: Barriers, Enablers and Opportunities for Improvement

2

Lucy Walton

Breaking the boundaries: Evaluating Skill-Sharing in a Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation at Home Service

3

Sarah Hosking

Initiation of pump therapy at diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes mellitus vs standard care: effect on glycaemic targets within the first 12 months

4

Deepti Raina

Effect of brief parental educational regarding ASCIA guidelines for early peanut introduction on feeding practices and allergy development among infants

5

Clare Stephenson

The allied health perspectives on delivering the SPICE exercise program for people with dementia and their care partners

6

Kai Hodgkin

Trauma-related experiences in maternity professionals: A rapid review of risk factors, impacts, and interventions

7

Karyn Cuthbert

A Retrospective Study and Cost Analysis on the number of Canberra Hospital, Hospital in the Home (TCH HITH) patients that could have been prescribed oral probenecid plus intravenous cefazolin injection as an alternative to a continuous cefazolin infusion for the treatment of cellulitis in the 2026 Financial Year

8

Antony Lafferty

Evaluating the effectiveness and acceptability of Screening for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia by opportunistic blood lipid testing in Ambulatory children and adolescents attending ACT Pathology

9

Rachel W. Li

It’s Time to Go to Quantum in Orthopedic Surgery

10

Philip Crispin

Plasma donor remuneration - a review

11

Amy Shorthouse

Palliative Radiotherapy “Near the End of Life”: A Real-World Evaluation of Quality Indicators at CHS

PLEASE NOTE: If you haven’t used this platform before, you will be asked to register.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

To be eligible for the VSP, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. New Applicants Only
    • Students who have previously participated in the ACT Government Vacation Study Program are not eligible for another VSP placement.
      Reason: This ensures new applicants have the opportunity to participate.
  3. Enrolled Student Status
    • Must be currently enrolled in an ACT-based university (second, third- or fourth-year undergraduate degree).
    • Must be able to provide proof of enrolment if requested.
  5. ACT-Based Program
    • This is an ACT-based placement. Successful applicants must attend all face-to-face components in ACT.
  7. Mandatory Workshops & Training
    • Attendance at all scheduled workshops and training sessions is compulsory.
    • These include:
  1. Pre-placement workshop (Friday, 30 October 2026)
  2. Student Workshop 1: Introduction to Data Analytics (Thursday, 12 November 2026)
  • Student Workshop 2: Science Communication (TBC January 2027)
  1. Student Workshop 3: Presentation Skills (TBC January 2027)
  2. Final Student Presentations (Friday, 5 February 2027)
  1. Project Selection
    • Students may apply for up to four projects but can only complete one placement.
  3. Availability
    • Must be available for the full six- or eight-week placement period (dates specified in program guidelines).
  5. Compliance
    • Must agree to ACT Government policies, including confidentiality and workplace conduct requirements.

You may begin anywhere in this application form. Please ensure you save as you go.

If you require any assistance completing this form, please send an email to VSP@act.gov.au.

 NAVIGATING (MOVING THROUGH) THE APPLICATION FORM

On every screen (page of the form) you will find a Form Navigation contents box, this links directly to every page of the application. Click the link to jump directly to the page you want.

You can also click 'next page' or 'previous page' on the top or bottom of each page to move forward or backward through the application.

SAVING YOUR DRAFT APPLICATION

If you wish to leave a partially completed application, press 'save and close' and log out. When you log back in and click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen, you will find a list of any applications you have started or submitted. You can reopen your draft application and start where you left off.

You can also download any application, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. Click on the 'Download PDF' button located at the bottom of the last page of the application form.

SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

You will find a Review and Submit button at the bottom of the Navigation Panel. You need to review your application before you can submit it.

Once you have reviewed your application you can submit it by clicking on 'Submit' at the top or bottom of the screen or on the navigation panel. You will not be able to submit your application until all the compulsory questions are completed and there are no validation errors.

Once you have submitted your application, no further editing or uploading of support materials is possible.

When you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your submitted application attached. This will be sent to the email you used to register.

If you do not receive a confirmation of submission email, then you should presume that your submission has NOT been submitted.

Hint: also check the email hasn't landed in your spam or junk email folder.

SPELL CHECK

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