Medical School Research Excellence Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Medical School Research Excellence Awards. These awards aim to not only recognise the recipients but also to celebrate and highlight the outstanding research achievements of your colleagues.

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Key dates for 2026

Nominations open: Monday, 10 August 2026
Nominations close: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Awards announced: Tuesday, 3 November 2026 at the Medical School Research Showcase, ES Meyers Lecture Theatre, Herston Precinct.

Learn more about the Medical School Research Showcase.

Nomination process

Self-nominations are allowed.

If you are nominating a colleague, you may choose to tell the person that you are nominating them before submitting your nomination. However, all nominees will be advised of their nominations via email once all submissions are received.

The nomination process consists of 2 steps:

The nominator submits a nomination, identifying the nominee and the award category for which they are being proposed.
Once a nomination is received, the nominee will be invited to submit a written response addressing the relevant selection criteria for the award category.
- The response should provide appropriate evidence to support the nomination and may include examples of research achievements, impact, leadership, collaboration, innovation, or other contributions relevant to the award.
- Supporting evidence may include, where appropriate, publications, citations, grants and fellowships awarded, HDR student supervision, or other relevant indicators of achievement.
- Nominees may also choose to include publications to support their application; however, this is not compulsory for HDR applicant categories.

Eligibility

All Medical School research staff and Medical School HDR students active in their program are eligible to be nominated.

This includes academic staff who are continuing and fixed-term appointees as well as conjoint, secondee and academic title holders (excluding adjunct) conducting research under the auspice of the Medical School.

Contractors are not eligible.

The research must have been conducted through the Medical School.

For additional information, please contact Ola Saulicz and Catherine Daly, Medical School Research Support team at medicine.researchadmin@uq.edu.au.

Award categories

EMCA Research Partnership and Impact Award

This award recognises an outstanding early-to-mid career researcher who has made, or is demonstrating, a clear trajectory toward impact on the health of communities through research partnerships, collaboration and innovation. The award recognises emerging research leaders who are building successful multidisciplinary programs, establishing meaningful partnerships, and translating research into benefits for end-users and communities.

The award acknowledges individuals who can demonstrate:

Collaboration with internal and/or external stakeholders
Emerging research leadership and capacity building
Research impact, translation, implementation or clear potential for impact for end-users

The winners of the award will give a plenary talk at the Medical School Research Showcase and receive a cash prize of $7,000.

An early to mid-career researcher is defined as an individual who is between 5 and 10 years of their PhD award date. If the individual holds multiple PhDs, eligibility will be determined using the earliest awarded PhD. Qualifications other than a PhD are not eligible for consideration for this definition.

Senior Career Research Partnership and Impact Award

This award recognises an outstanding senior career researcher that has made a demonstrable impact on the health of communities through research excellence, leadership, partnership and innovation. The award acknowledges an individual who has demonstrated sustained excellence in research leadership, developed significant multidisciplinary and cross-sector partnerships, and delivered measurable benefits to communities, health systems, policy, practice and/or industry. It recognises senior researchers who have championed research excellence, fostered collaboration, built research capability, and made substantial contributions to developing the next generation of researchers through mentorship, supervision and capacity building.

Nominees should be able to demonstrate:

Leadership in establishing and sustaining collaborations within internal and/or external stakeholders
Research leadership and capacity building
Demonstrable impact of research through translation, implementation, policy influence, clinical adoption, commercialisation and/or community benefit

The winners of the award will give a plenary talk at the Medical School Research Showcase and receive a cash prize of $7,000.

Higher Degree Research Student Excellence Award - Clinical

Recognising researchers who have made an exceptional contribution through their research, and translation of research into practice and/or policy into improved health care or education practice. The Higher Degree Research Student Excellence Award will be awarded to a Researcher who has made an exceptional contribution through their research to discover new knowledge aligned to Medical School research strengths, translation of research knowledge into practice and/or integration of research into improved health care and/or education practises across the School and the broader community. Service to the Medical School research community over the last 12 months will also be considered.

An individual who:

Made exceptional research/discovery contribution.
Translated research knowledge into practice or policy and/or education practices.
Demonstrated service to the Medical School research community in the last 12 months.

Cash prize of $2,000 will be awarded. The winner of the award will have an opportunity to present at the Medical School Research Showcase.

HDR student nominees must:

Be enrolled or studying towards a PhD or MPhil Degree within a Medical School organisational unit;
Have successfully passed Confirmation of Candidature (R1); and
Be active in their HDR program at the Medical School prior to application.

Higher Degree Research Student Excellence Award – Non-Clinical

An individual who:

Made exceptional research/discovery contribution.
Translated of research knowledge into practice or policy and/or education practices.
Demonstrated service to the Medical School research community in the last 12 months.

Cash prize of $2,000 will be awarded. The winner of the award will have an opportunity to present at the Medical School Research Showcase.

HDR student nominees must:

Be enrolled or studying towards a PhD or MPhil Degree within a Medical School organisational unit;
Have successfully passed Confirmation of Candidature (R1); and
Be active in their HDR program at the Medical School prior to application.