The bursary is a legacy initiative of Brisbane’s 30th anniversary and will be delivered through a partnership with Life Sciences Queensland (LSQ). It is designed to help researchers ‘strengthen industry collaboration and research impact’ in the life sciences.
“For three decades, BCEC has partnered with science leaders to showcase Queensland’s innovation to the world,” said BCEC’s general manager, Kym Guesdon.
“This 30th birthday initiative honours that legacy by investing in future talent and strengthening the connections between research and industry that drive global impact.”
While the bursary is not designed to produce immediate conference bids for the city, it is considered a longer-term investment in the health, biomedical and agritech sectors that will ultimately pay off for Brisbane’s conference pipeline.
Queensland’s collective life sciences sector employs 12,400 people and contributes $2.11 billion to the state’s economy in gross value added.
The initiative comes from BCEC’s Convention Advocates Partnership, a collective of selected individuals who act as intellectual and sector ambassadors for the city. Between them, the advocates have secured 163 national and international conferences worth $358 million for the city since 2010.
“BCEC fundamentally understands how research innovation is transferred, and it’s between people, and usually at specific technical conferences,” said LSQ chair, Professor Trent Munro, who is also part of the advocates program.
Incoming chair of LSQ, Professor Frank Gannon, also part of the Convention Advocates Program, echoed Munro’s sentiment.
“We’re proud to collaborate with the centre on an initiative that not only supports individual researchers but strengthens the entire ecosystem for bio innovation in Queensland.
“As a Convention Advocate, I’ve seen firsthand how partnerships and conversations facilitated by BCEC have elevated Queensland’s global profile.
“This bursary is a powerful way to support mid-career researchers at a critical stage in their careers.
“By fostering industry engagement, we’re helping position Queensland as a global leader in life sciences and bio innovation for the long term – that’s about health, longevity and food supply for us, our region and the world.”
Application details for the bursary will be released by Life Sciences Queensland in the coming months.
The bursary sits alongside the Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant from Brisbane’s city leader, which does fund conference attendance for academics, researchers and others with a near-term obligation to support conference bids for Brisbane by grant recipients.
