AWARDS
The "Royal Societies of Australia Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Scientific Research" is no longer available due to the high administrative costs involved.
Royal Societies of Australia Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Scientific Research
The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are national science awards for outstanding Australian science and science communication and are aimed at raising the profile of science in the community.
The Royal Societies of Australia Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Scientific Research, introduced in 2003 and valued at $10,000, was sponsored by the Royal Societies of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia. The prize was awarded to a partnership, group, team or organisation for outstanding scientific research which involves the active collaboration and/or cooperation of scientists in two or more disciplines. The research must have been undertaken in Australia by Australian residents.
Judging Criteria: The aim of the state Royal Societies of Australia is to contribute to the advancement of science and, through science, to the good of the community. The Societies seek to carry out this aim inter alia by bridging the communication gap between scientific disciplines. The Royal Societies of Australia Eureka Prize was thus awarded for research that is interdisciplinary in nature, and which involves active collaboration and/or cooperation between scientists in at least two distinct disciplines. The emphasis was on outstanding, innovative research that is relevant and well communicated, and which demonstrates the benefits of practical interdisciplinary scientific cooperation.
Judges considered the following questions in assessing entries.
Innovation: To what extent are the results of the research novel? Has the research developed or extended techniques or methods?
Relevance: Will the research results change the way people act or think? If so, how? What impact will the research results have on the Australian community?
Communication: How was the research communicated to the appropriate audiences/key stakeholders?
Interdisciplinary Cooperation: In what way has the research encouraged, facilitated and/or demonstrated interdisciplinary cooperation and/or communication? (In assessing interdisciplinary cooperation, the judges took into account the extent of divergence or difference in the disciplines involved.)
The initial commitment of the Royal Society of New South Wales was for three years.
| RECIPIENTS | TOPIC | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Prof P A Robinson, Physics, Sydney University, Dr C J Rennie, Medical physicist, Westmead Hospital, Dr E Gordon, Brain Resource Company and Psychological Medicine, Sydney University Prof J J Wright, Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria. |
Understanding Brain Dynamics |
| 2004 | Vision Cooperative Research Centre, Sydney NSW | For revolutionary
research into the development of an implantable contact lens.
|
| 2005 | Astrobiology Research Team from the University of New South
Wales and Macquarie University Assoc. Prof. Brett Neilan (UNSW) Dr Brendon Burns (UNSW) Prof. Malcolm Walter (Macquarie Uni) |
|