Australia has doubled the number of educational scholarships for the Asia-Pacific region over the next five years. The initiatives are expected to benefit more than 19,000 people for study and research in Australia at a cost of A$1.4 billion (HK$8.1 billion). The new Australian Scholarships scheme brings together the existing Australian government scholarships managed by the department of education, science and training, with the Australian Agency for International Development, plus additional funds of A$442.5 million. One of the existing scholarship programmes, the Endeavour Programme, is committed to providing opportunities for high quality scholars, researchers and professionals from the region. In Hong Kong, the Endeavour Cheung Kong Student Exchange Programme enables full-time undergraduates to study in Australia for one to two semesters. The Endeavour Vocational and Technical Education Awards also allow students to take diplomas with vocational and technical institutions in Australia. For details of the Endeavour programmes and others, visit www.endeavour.dest.gov.au or www.australianscholarships.gov.au
