The Queensland-based ISAQ Bicentennial Education Foundation has changed its name to the Surveying Education Foundation Australia (SEFA) and is seeking national partners.

The change reflects the organisation’s aim to pivot to a more nationwide remit, rather than be solely identified with Queensland, as it has for a long time.

To that end, SEFA is looking to partner with industry bodies and organisations to replicate its Queensland efforts in other states and territories.

As ISAQ BEF, and now as SEFA, the organisation has long provided tertiary education scholarships and bursaries associated with study at the University of Southern Queensland.

For instance, the Clem Jones and Geoff Wright Scholarship — which came into being as a collaboration between the Clem Jones Foundation, the Springfield City Group and the ISAQ BEF — has already seen its first recipient graduate from the UniSQ Bachelor of Surveying (Technology) to progress to the Honours program.

The Jack de Lange Scholarship took in its first undergraduate student in 2025. It was established with a major gift from the Surveyors Trust in partnership with ISAQ BEF.

There is also an annual Honours year bursary already established at the University of Southern Queensland.

The scholarships and bursary are, and have always been, open to students from anywhere in the country who wished to study at UniSQ, and have been funded in partnership with the University.

But now SEFA wants to further expand the model nationally.

Looking for partners to take its scholarships national

According to SEFA, its directors recognised it was time to position the Foundation nationally and invite active participation from the industry throughout Australia.

They foresee other regions and universities benefitting from similar endeavours and are therefore calling for expressions of interest.

As a registered charity offering tax deductibility to donors and supporters through its Deductible Gift Recipient endorsement with the ATO, SEFA sees itself as an attractive way for large and small stakeholders who rely on the services of the surveying workforce, to contribute via donations, corporate partnerships and bequests.

“This is an exciting milestone for the Foundation. It has jointly established two scholarships with the legacy funds from the Institution of Surveyors Queensland to memorialise the proud work of a century of surveyors whose professional home was the Institution in Queensland,” said Phillip Pozzi, Chair of SEFA.

“But now it’s time to move on and celebrate the potential of the Foundation as a truly national registered charity, giving a hand up to students from all parts of Australia.

“With peppercorn funds and generous support, we have accomplished so much already. With your help we can do so much more!”

For more information: www.surveyingeducationfoundation.org.au or email admin@surveyingeducationfoundation.org.au.