The 2021/22 shortlisted candidates will be invited to submit their second stage nominations by the end of July 2020. Applications for the 2022/23 awards will open in early 2021.

Award background and eligibility

With the generous support of the late Dr Alex Boden AO FAA, the Academy has established a series of small specialist conferences in the biological sciences to enable active research workers in rapidly advancing fields to discuss current advances and problems.

One conference is funded annually. Conferences are usually of about two days duration. A sum of up to $10,000 is provided. The supplementation of this sum is encouraged.

Organisers are asked to make an undertaking on acceptance of an offer of funding from the Academy to call their conference a Boden Research Conference and to advertise it as such.

Guidelines 

Research conference applications are in two stages.

Organisers are invited to submit an online Expression of intent (EOI), which should include:

• proposal (1 page)
  • the aims, value and timelines of the conference, including an indication of support from the local scientific community and the importance for Australian science
  • a tentative program, including expected number of attendee and any known or invited speakers
  • a brief outline of anticipated budget
• provisional dates and venue
• names of the organisers
• how the diversity and inclusion of speakers and attendees will be actively considered and where possible, achieved.

Note that conferences that are one of a continuing series are less likely to gain support unless they specifically address a newly emerging theme or topic within the broader area of the series.

Expressions of Intent are short-listed by the awards committees in June and the organisers of short-listed proposals are asked to provide a detailed application by 1 August. The final decision is announced in early November.

Venue hire of the Shine Dome is complimentary for up to two days where requested. Please note that AV equipment and technician, catering and caretaking are not included in the complimentary Shine Dome venue hire. Shortlisted applicants are requested to contact the Shine Dome Venue Coordinator for a quote as part of their application budgeting.  At this stage, applicants should also check availability of proposed dates, and a tentative hold will be placed on these dates. Please note that this is not secured until the award is granted, but will increase the likelihood that the dates will still be available if/when awarded..

The organisers of approved conferences are responsible for the organisation of the conference, and the sponsoring scientific society(ies) are responsible for the funding allocated to the conference.

(Please submit your application using the Apply button found on the left of this webpage)

For more information about the application process, contact the Awards Officer, at awards@science.org.au or call +61 (0)2 6201 9407.

Topics

• 2020/21: Towards a representation of Eucalypt ecology & physiology in vegetation models: What makes Eucalypts distinct?
• 2019/20: Evolutionary transformations in vertebrate history
• 2018/19: Ecological Surprises and Rapid Collapse of Ecosystems in a Changing World
• 2017/18: Origins and function of the animal metaorganism
• 2016/17: Animal Vegetal Mineral - Emergence and function of complex shapes in self-assembly and biological cells
• 2015/16: Comparative animal genomics
• 2014/15: Heme oxygenases
• 2013/14: Photobiology
• 2012/13: Bacterial biology: new insights on host-pathogen interactions
• 2011/12: Cellular microbiology—new aspects of host-pathogen interactions
• 2010/11: Genome biology of corals and their relatives
• 2009/10: Metals in biological systems

For more details on these and other Boden research conferences, see the event list.