The AIS-Griffith University Sport Scholarship will provide targeted funding over three years to help athletes win well in sport and in life while undertaking their degree programs.

The scholarship was announced at Griffith University’s Nathan Campus today by the Australian Sports Commission’s (ASC) Matti Clements, Executive General Manager of AIS Performance, and Pat Howard, Executive General Manager of Strategy Insights and Innovation.

Olympian and Bachelor of Business student Jackson Collins was also in attendance, fresh from winning a silver medal in the men's kayak four 500m sprint at the Paris Olympics.

Collins, who balanced his preparation for Paris while continue with his business studies degree, said: “It’s important to create career pathways for yourself while you’re training and while you’re doing your sport and to have Griffith helping facilitate a life after your sport has been enormous."

Clements said the initiative will enhance the student-athlete experience by supporting athletes in the high performance sport environment achieve their academic goals simultaneously.

“We know that the combination of sport and study is a winning mix,” Clements said.

“The AIS is committed to supporting athletes achieve their goals in sport and in life which is critical to the win well ethos at the heart of Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy.”

Howard added: “We are proud to partner with a university like Griffith that has a proven track record of supporting athletes through personalised academic and athletic support.

“Partnerships like this one with Griffith University are incredibly important as it provides athletes with the platform to not only excel in their chosen sport but become well-rounded people for their time after sport.”

The AIS-Griffith University Sport Scholarship will be available to athletes who are nationally recognised by the National Athlete Categorisation Framework and competing in AIS funded high performance sports programs.

Find out more about elite athlete university scholarship opportunities here.