With the bursary designed to help mid-career researchers advance, Dr Chris McMillan from the University of Queensland will receive up to $25,000 to help commercialise his research.
Dr McMillan’s research focusses on pathogens of global health importance, including influenza, COVID-19, flaviviruses, poliovirus and emerging viral threats.
His bursary will support his work with the Queensland biotechnology company, Vaxxas, to create needle free RNA vaccines, with the vaccine to be delivered via high density microarray technology.
“This bursary creates an opportunity to bring together UQ’s vaccine research capability and Vaxxas’ expertise in microarray platform technology,” said Dr McMillan.
“I’m excited to explore what that combination could mean for the future development and delivery of RNA vaccines.”
Vaxxas’ chief corporate affairs officer, Melanie Farris, said high density microarray technology ” has the potential to help bridge the gap between vaccine availability and vaccine access in underserved and hard-to-reach communities around the world”.
Dr McMillan was one of five finalists for the bursary, with the others working on everything from cancer biomarkers to biotechnology start-up leadership and applications of AI to detect Alzheimer’s early and to guide protein biosensors in portable electrochemical diagnostics.
“The quality of applications exceeded our expectations and highlighted the extraordinary talent emerging from Queensland’s research community and represents exactly what this bursary was designed to support, an outstanding researcher with the potential to strengthen industry connections and accelerate the impact of their work,” said Life Sciences Queensland (LSQ) chair Professor Frank Gannon.
The submissions for the bursary were judged by a panel of nine, including scientists and members of BCEC’s Convention Advocates Partnership, who developed the bursary as a legacy program of the convention centre’s 30th anniversary, which began in 2025.
“The quality of the finalists is a reminder that Queensland is home to some of Australia’s most promising researchers and innovators,” said BCEC general manager Kym Guesdon.
“Their expertise, alongside the leadership of our research institutions and industry partners, plays an important role in attracting major conferences to Brisbane and creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, collaboration and investment that benefit the state long after an event concludes.”
