Winning research-based ideas blaze a bright trail for the future

New approaches to cancer treatment and improved nickel mining output were the winning ideas from the Grand Final of UniQuest’s annual Trailblazer innovative ideas competition, held at The University of Queensland (UQ) on 4 September 2012.

Trailblazer is run by UniQuest, UQ’s main research commercialisation company. The Grand Final engaged prize winners from university-based finals held in August at UQ, James Cook University, University of Technology, Sydney and University of Tasmania.

A UQ Diamantina Institute team led by Dr Fiona Simpson won the Staff category and plans to use the $25,000 in prize money to develop a new diagnostic tool and drug candidate for Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) - a type of skin cancer affecting more than 80,000 Australians every year.

Patrick Littlejohn, from UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering, won the $25,000 Student prize for his new method to recover valuable metals from mine waste. His idea could possibly add up to 5% to the yearly production of nickel (or $20-40 million) that is presently lost to waste and toxic environmental liability.

UniQuest Managing Director David Henderson said Dr Simpson and Mr Littlejohn were among 14 grand finalists who competed for the prize pool of $50,000 in cash prizes to further their research careers. The competition involved pitching for five minutes to a closed judging panel of commercialisation experts in the morning, then presenting the same idea as a one-minute non-disclosing speech at the awards ceremony.

“This year we introduced a ‘People’s Choice’ segment to the awards ceremony, which meant the audience had the opportunity to hear about 14 exciting innovations emerging from university research, then vote for the pitch they believed conveyed the most brilliant idea,” Henderson explained.

“Our Trailblazer Grand Finalists this year included undergraduate students and internationally renowned academics, so although there was a mix of pitching experience, they all shared a tremendous passion for their research aims, and that came across very clearly in both the panel-judged pitches and the People’s Choice Awards.

“It’s not surprising that we ended up with a tie for the award, with UQ’s Professor Robert Henry and student Thomas Drewett sharing that honour.

“We congratulate the winners from this year’s Trailblazer competition and thank them for sharing their ideas and vision with us.”

Henderson also thanked the event’s guest speaker, Queensland Ballet’s new Artistic Director Li Cunxin, on inspiring the Trailblazer entrants and the general audience with stories from his life’s journey that relate to the perseverance, determination and focus required for successful scientific endeavour.

The 2012 Trailblazer competition was sponsored by patent attorney firms Davies Collison Cave and Fisher Adams Kelly; Campus Travel; corporate training company NRG Solutions; trademark attorneys and IP lawyers Griffith Hack; Redback Conferencing; and law firm DibbsBarker.