!mpact awards honour innovation leaders

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Friday, 5 October 2007

South Australian researchers are in the running for $35,000 prize money as part of the inaugural Adelaide Research & Innovation !mpact Awards.

The finalists are leaders in their fields, drawn from all areas of the University of Adelaide's research base, including health, biomedical science, agriculture, physics and computing science.

The winners of the 2007 !mpact Awards will be announced at an Awards Ceremony on Thursday 11 October at the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's Grainger Studio.

As a feature of the event, special guest Professor Tim Flannery, 2007 Australian of the Year, will discuss The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing The Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth.

Run by Adelaide Research & Innovation (ARI), the commercial development company of the University of Adelaide, the !mpact Awards recognise excellence in innovation and successful partnerships between academics and industry.

"Partnerships between industry, research and government across all sectors of the economy are essential to drive innovation in South Australia," says ARI Managing Director Robert Chalmers.

"These finalists are outstanding ambassadors for commercial research. I congratulate them for their ongoing commitment to excellence in their scientific endeavours and their positive impacts on our society. They are the tip of an iceberg of other applicants and a broader base of talent in the University."

South Australian Science Minister the Hon. Paul Caica says the State Government is very pleased to sponsor the awards through the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology.

"I'm continually impressed by the commitment and passion of our science and research and development community. I'm impressed by their belief in what they do and by their unshakeable willingness to work towards a better future for all of us," Minister Caica says.

The 2007 finalists of the Adelaide Research & Innovation !mpact Awards are:

$10,000 Excellence in Innovation & Entrepreneurship

• Professor John Wallace, Molecular & Biomedical Science
  
• Associate Professor Claire Roberts, Obstetrics & Gynaecology
  
• Dr Jason Eglinton, Agriculture - Barley Breeding Program

$10,000 New Generation Excellence in Innovation & Entrepreneurship

• Dr Sam Stacey, Earth & Environmental Science
  
• Dr Briony Forbes, Molecular & Biomedical Science
  
• Dr Anton van den Hengel, Australian Centre for Visual Technologies (ACVT)

$5,000 Most Exciting New Disclosure

• Australian Centre for Visual Technologies (ACVT) - Interactive 3D modelling
  
• The Centre of Expertise in Photonics - Microstructured Optical Fibres for sensing applications
  
• Professor Peter-John Wormald & Dr Theodore Athanasiadis - Anti-adhesion dressing for wound healing

$10,000 Growth in Contract Research

The University of Adelaide is a leader in industry-linked research in South Australia, engaging with business, government and the broader community. That engagement spans all areas of the University, including the Professions and the Humanities as well as the Science, Health and Engineering Faculties. This Award will be announced on the night in recognition of the single largest new contract of 2007.

WHAT: 2007 Adelaide Research & Innovation !mpact Awards, with special guest speaker Professor Tim Flannery, 2007 Australian of the Year
WHERE: Grainger Studio, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, 91 Hindley Street, Adelaide
WHEN: Thursday 11 October 2007
COST: $50 per ticket or $380 for a table of eight

Full details at: www.adelaide.edu.au/aripl/impactawards/

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