Ballard wins Clunies Ross award

South Australian biotechnologist Dr John Ballard has been awarded an ATSE Clunies Ross Award in recognition of his achievements in biochemical drug development over the course of his career, which has included starting three biotechnology companies, and more recently an investment organisation, BioAngels.

Six Clunies Ross awards, which recognise excellence in the application of science and technology for the economic, social or environmental benefit of Australia, were presented last week in Melbourne to scientists and engineers in fields ranging from biotechnology and medical devices to forestry, defence engineering and mining.

Ballard founded Adelaide-based biotechnology company GroPep in 1988, making the move to industry from CSIRO where he had been studying novel tissue growth factors in milk. He also helped establish the CRC for Tissue Growth and Repair in 1991, which later spun out a second company TGR Biosciences. GroPep also spun out a third business -- PrimeGro -- to look after applications of tissue growth factors for the livestock industry.

Since leaving GroPep in 2002, Ballard has been instrumental in setting up BioAngels, an Adelaide-based network of angel investors which facilitates investment and mentoring to early stage bioscience companies in South Australia. The organisation recently made its first investment into Australian Orthopaedic Innovations.

Accepting the award, Ballard said that Australian bioscience and technology companies, especially the start-ups, really needed technologists with management and board experience.

In addition to Ballard's award, Sydney surgeon and engineer Gregory Roger, managing director of medical devices company Australian Surgical Design & Manufacture, won an award for his orthopaedics inventions. Currently developing a knee joint that could last a lifetime, Rogers holds more than 20 patents and his company turns over about $10 million annually.

CSIRO Forestry's chief research scientist Robert Evans was recognised for the development of SilviScan, a rapid and automated system for analysing wood samples and predicting its characteristics and potential utility for making timber, furniture or paper. The instrument uses x-ray densitometry, x-ray diffractometry and image analysis to analyse wood quality and Evans is now hoping to extend into genetic analysis with his next generation of instruments to allow prediction of wood quality from seedlings.