The initiative provides funding of up to $5,000 for travel to and registration for an international meeting in the recipient’s field of expertise.
The established program is designed to grow Brisbane’s international congress pipeline, with a condition of the grant being that recipients work with city stakeholders on a future bid to bring the international conference they attend to Brisbane.
“The Trailblazer Grant gives our city’s innovators the chance to connect on a global stage and champion Brisbane as the location for their next world-leading conference,” said Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.
The Convention Trailblazers Grant has already helped secure nine conferences, worth an estimated $10 million to Brisbane.
“Receiving a Lord Mayor’s Convention Trailblazer Grant was a career highlight – it gave me the chance to attend an international aviation research conference, grow my networks and take my research to the global stage,” said Dr Bojana Spasojevic, an aviation lecturer at Griffith University.
“I then partnered with BEDA to develop a competitive bid to bring the conference to Brisbane, allowing me to make an impact on the industry by showcasing Griffith University’s leading research and paving the way for new international collaboration.”
Applications for the grant close at midnight on February 24, 2026, with winners expected to be announced in April.
Wellington in New Zealand recently announced a similar program, helping to fund conference attendance and activities with international associations for local academics, with a view to bringing these events to the New Zealand capital in future.
