Nominations for Victoria Prize open

The Victorian Minister for Innovation, John Brumby said the Victoria Prize and Victoria Fellowships, now in their tenth year, were one of Australia's most significant innovation award programs.

"With prize money worth more than $250,000, the awards celebrate scientific discovery and innovation in Victoria and play a major role in rewarding excellence and encouraging research, development and commercialisation," Brumby said.

The $50,000 Victoria Prize recognises a scientist or engineer whose groundbreaking discovery or technological innovation has significantly advanced knowledge or has the clear potential to produce a commercial outcome or other benefit to the community.

The research institute supporting the work of the Victoria Prize recipient will again be recognised with the $100,000 Anne & Eric Smorgon Memorial Award, presented by the Jack and Robert Smorgon Families Foundation.

"The winner of the 2007 Victoria Prize will be following in the footsteps of some of Victoria's greatest scientific leaders," Brumby said.

Past Victoria Prize winners include David Solomon, for his research into polymer technology including the development of the world's first plastic bank note, which was introduced in Australia in 1988 and is now used in 22 countries; David Vaux, for his pioneering efforts in understanding apoptosis, or programmed cell death; Keith Nugent, whose seminal work has changed the way we see and measure images through light; and Eric Reynolds, for his groundbreaking research into oral health and the prevention of tooth decay.

As well as the Victoria Prize, up to six $18,000 Victoria Fellowships are awarded to early career researchers to help them travel overseas and further their research, expand international networks, develop a commercial idea or undertake specialist training. Applications are open to any young researcher working in private enterprise or a research institution.

Past Fellows have been sponsored to further their work in:

Developing new controls against phylloxera, an insect with the potential to devastate Australia's wine industry;

Furthering research into preventing blood clots from forming;

Developing wireless sensor technology so machines can seamlessly talk to one another;

Developing electro-optic and robotic devices that are critical to the future of both the defence, aerospace and telecommunications industries.

Victoria Fellows planning a study mission in France will be eligible to apply for the $5,000 AFAS FEAST-France Fellowships, offered by the Australian French Association for Science and Technology (Victoria) and the Embassy of France. Nominations and applications close on 10 April 2007 with winners publicly announced in August.

Application and nomination forms are available from www.business.vic.gov