The 25th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases gave small companies and start-ups the chance to discuss new approaches in the global fight against infections. [ + ]

Researchers from the University of Adelaide are developing a portable, highly sensitive method for gold detection that would allow mineral exploration companies to test for gold on-site at the drilling rig. [ + ]

A new $1 million program will give next-generation medical leaders a kick start by boosting their chances of receiving competitive grant funding. [ + ]

UK researchers have successfully tested a technique for distinguishing between the DNA of identical twins - a previously difficult task that has had legal ramifications when it comes to forensic investigation. [ + ]

XENON Systems has won a competitive tender to build a bespoke high-performance computer (HPC) for The University of Queensland (UQ), said to be capable of processing and analysing larger datasets than ever before. [ + ]

Prescient Therapeutics has announced the appointment of Dr Terrence Chew as its chief medical officer, as well as new data from a preclinical trial of its novel compound PTX-100 in multiple myeloma. [ + ]

Entries for the 2015 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes close on Friday, 1 May 2015 at 7 pm AEST. The annual awards recognise outstanding achievements in Australian science and science communication. [ + ]

Entries for the 2015 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes close on Friday, 1 May 2015 at 7 pm AEST. A range of prizes is on offer across the areas of research and innovation, leadership, science communication and journalism, and school science. [ + ]

Research led by the University of Southampton, UK, provides evidence that epigenetic processes influence brain development enough to have an impact on a child's later ability to learn and their cognitive performance. [ + ]

The Australian Government's 2016 Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships round is now open, offering high-achieving Australian postgraduate students and researchers the opportunity of overseas study and research. [ + ]

The Australian Academy of Science has launched the final publication from its Australia 2050 project, which aims to get Australians talking about our long-term economic, social and environmental future. [ + ]

Professor Ian Frazer and Dr Jian Zhou - the creators of the Gardasil HPV vaccine - have been named as finalists in the 2015 European Inventor Awards. [ + ]

DuPont has announced its intention to acquire microbiome discovery company Taxon Biosciences, thus adding to its own seed and crop protection solutions for agriculture customers. [ + ]

Shimadzu's Nexera Unified Chromatography system (Nexera UC) won the Gold award at the 2015 Pittcon Editors' Awards, presented last month at the Pittsburg Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon). [ + ]

Laboratory equipment supplier LabFriend has won the Fastest Growing Startup award at the 2015 StartupSmart Awards. [ + ]