Laureate Fellowships and bionic eye funding

Seventeen Australian researchers have received funding as part of the ARC’s Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme.

Announced this week by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, the researchers will use the funding to tackle topics ranging from improved child health, language learning, quantum imaging in biology, harvesting energy from seabed soils and bacterial cell biology.

“This scheme is specifically designed to attract world-class researchers and research leaders who can build and strengthen our ability as a nation to make groundbreaking new discoveries,” Senator Carr said.

Two of the Australian Laureate Fellows will undertake a mentoring role encouraging women to take up and continue with a career in research.

“I congratulate Professor Glenda Sluga from the University of Sydney, who will receive the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship, and Professor Tanya Monro from the University of Adelaide, who will be awarded the Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship,” Senator Carr said.

More information on the Fellows and the scheme is available. 

Senator Carr also announced the federal government will provide an additional $10 million in funding to two Australian research teams working on the bionic eye - Bionic Vision Australia (BVA), led by the University of Melbourne, will receive $8 million and Monash Vision Group (MVG), led by Monash University, will receive $1.9 million.

This funding is in addition to the $50 million previously provided and will allow the research program to be extended for another year.

BVA is developing technology that implants a device in the rear of the eye (the retina) to enable vision to blind patients suffering from degenerative retinal conditions. MVG is developing a device to implant on the visual cortex of the brain, providing treatment for progressive blindness.

Both the original funding and the funding extensions were awarded under the ARC’s Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology Initiative, which was developed in response to the Australia 2020 Summit.