QUT researchers have attracted the lion's share of National Health and Medical Research Council development grants recently announced by the Australian Government.
A total of 22 grants worth $4.4 million were awarded nationwide to 14 universities and research organisations.
A dressing that aims to reduce the severity of scars, a device that is being developed to distinguish between healthy and damaged tissue and a potential new vaccine for genital chlamydial infection, were among six NHMRC development grants awarded to QUT researchers in the latest round of funding.
The grants, worth $941,773, will provide funding for researchers to translate the results of their research into products that benefit consumers in Australia and overseas.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Commercialisation) Professor Arun Sharma said bluebox, in collaboration with the Office of Research, had played a vital role by working closely with applicants to develop competitive applications with a strong commercial focus.
"This outcome is a very real example of where the expertise and experience of staff within bluebox can provide a significant value-add to QUT's research agenda," Professor Sharma said.
In other NHMRC news, a Chinese postdoctoral health researcher will be given the opportunity to study at QUT under a new grants program to increase collaboration between Australian and Chinese health and medical researchers by supporting exchange between the two countries.
Dr Yufeng Zhang was awarded a $210,000 grant over two years to help the treatment of a number of orthopaedic and dental conditions.
Dr Zhang will work to develop gene-activated scaffolds as bone bioreactor for bone regeneration and osteointegration gene-activated bone substitutes.
He was awarded one of six grants for 2008 totalling almost $1.4 million to support research under the Australia-China Exchange Fellowship Program.
Details of the NHMRC grant recipients and further information on the exchange program can be found at http://www.nhmrc.gov.au
