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Science, Technology Prize On Offer

Gippsland’s scientific, engineering and technology communities have an opportunity to gain further funding through this year’s Victoria Prize and Fellowships.

By Peter Hall - 1st March 2005 - Back to News

Gippsland MP, Peter Hall, said more than $250,000 is available and added that he believed a number of Gippsland people or organisations would be eligible to enter the awards.

"Our region has many excellent developments and has traditionally been a centre for engineering and scientific achievement," he said. "I would encourage individuals and groups to consider the awards; who knows, we may have a Gippsland winner standing on the podium."

The awards have three categories; the $50,000 Victoria Prize for exceptional achievement in science, engineering or technology; the $100,000 Anne and Eric Smorgon Memorial award for the Jack and Robert Smorgon Families Foundation, awarded to a research institute supporting the work of the Victorian Prize Recipient; and six $18,000 Victoria Fellowships to enable early career researchers to undertake a short-term international study mission.

Recipients of the Victoria Fellowships planning study missions to France will also be eligible for consideration for a supplementary $5,000 AFAS Feast – France Fellowship. These fellowships are an initiative of the Australian French Association for Science and Technology (Victoria) and the Embassy of France.

Mr Hall said some of the past fellows had included people who had developed new controls against phylloxera, an insect with the potential to devastate Australia’s wine industry, development of electro-optic devices that are critical to the future of both the defence and telecommunications industries; and furthering development of a hand-held diagnostic laboratory with applications in environmental monitoring, health, food safety, and manufacturing.

"The Fellowships, in particular, may be attractive to a range of people here, as they help early career researchers and innovators to further their research, expand international networks, develop a commercial idea or undertake specialist training," Mr Hall said.

Application and nomination forms and further information are available from www.innovation.vic.gov.au or by telephoning Shaylene Burkinshaw at the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development on 9651 9038.

Nominations and applications close 7 April 2005.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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