NSW Life Sciences Research Awards

The NSW Life Sciences Research Awards (previously known as the NSW BioFirst Awards) are an initiative that supports the NSW Government’s Statement on Innovation and the State Plan. These innovative and prestigious awards are designed to enhance research in the life sciences in NSW by attracting leading life sciences researchers to NSW.

The aims of the NSW Life Sciences Research Awards are to:

• Support excellent, internationally competitive research by individuals.
• Build and sustain internationally competitive research teams.
• Attract leading research workers to key positions in NSW.
• Support research that will translate into economic, health, environmental and social benefits for NSW.
• Expand the knowledge base and research capability in NSW.
• Encourage an outcomes focus to publicly funded research in this State.

Interested researchers should liaise with a NSW public research institution which would act as the host institution for the research program. A joint application form is required from the researcher and host institution.

The first round of the awards closed in February 2007 and the second round closed in September 2007. Awards in the second round were for grants of AU$110,000 per year (incl GST) for four years. The closing date for the next round of the awards has not yet been announced.

Past Winners

LSRA Round 2 – December 2007 (see announcement)

• Dr Graham Hillis – The George Institute for International Health
• Professor Leslie Weston – Centre for Agricultural Innovation at Charles Sturt University
• Dr Ian Anderson – University of Western Sydney

LSRA Round 1 – June 2007 (see announcement)

• Professor Wolfgang Weninger – Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology
• Professor John Hodges – Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute and the University of NSW
• Dr Ian Paulsen – Macquarie University

Round 4 – 2005 (under the BioFirst Awards program)

• Associate Professor Antony Cooper – Garvan Institute of Medical Research
• Professor Jurgen Gotz – University of Sydney
• Associate Professor Paul Haynes – Australian Proteome Analysis Facility/Macquarie University

Round 3 – 2003 (under the BioFirst Awards program)

• Professor Mats Olsson – University of Wollongong
• Professor William Price – University of Western Sydney
• Dr Naomi Rogers – Woolcock Institute of Medical Research
• Dr Andrew Mitchell – Orange Agricultural Institute, NSW Agriculture
• Professor Dalton – Institute for the Biotechnology of Infectious Diseases, University of Technology, Sydney

Rounds 1 and 2 – 2002 (under the BioFirst Awards program)

• Dr Colin Dunstan – Anzac Research Institute
• A/Professor Peter Currie – Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
• Dr Bryce Vissel – Garvan Institute of Medical Research
• Dr Shane Grey – Garvan Institute of Medical Research
• Professor Izuru Matsumoto – University of Sydney