Western Australia Recognised in 2021 Aspire Awards

11 exceptional Western Australian researchers, academics and professionals have today been announced as the winners of Business Events Perth’s 2021 Aspire Awards.

The Aspire Awards, now in their 22nd year, provide travel grants of up to $10,000 to outstanding West Australians who are making notable strides in their fields, to support them in attending international conferences where they can showcase their expertise and innovation on a global platform, network with likeminded professionals, and explore new avenues for collaboration, trade, and innovation into Western Australia.

Business Events Perth chief executive Gareth Martin said that the Aspire Awards continued to highlight Western Australia’s brightest minds and were an important program for the organisation and the State.

 “The 2021 Aspire Award winners represent the diversity of Western Australia’s research and entrepreneurial strengths, and really exemplify the innovation that is making WA world-renowned in so many fields,” Mr Martin said.

“The research and developments coming out of Western Australia show that our State is truly an incubator for knowledge, and Business Events Perth’s Aspire Awards provide opportunities each year for our brightest minds to showcase this knowledge on a global platform.”

Mr Martin said that the 2021 Aspire Award winners were an exceptional group, ranging from cancer researchers to a local veterinarian who is changing the future of animal care.

“We’ve got people like Professor Jonas Nilsson, who is looking at cutting edge treatments for advanced melanoma, which as we know is a big issue here in Australia with our sunny climate, to Dr Garnett Hall, who is revolutionising the way veterinary care works through his signature VetChip biosensor, which is in the process of commercialising the world’s first implantable health monitor for dogs,” Mr Martin said.

“We’re incredibly proud to be supporting our 2021 Aspire winners to attend international conferences once overseas travel resumes, where they will meet with other leaders in their fields and potentially bring those conferences back to Western Australia.”

The Aspire Awards have led to a number of large-scale international conferences being confirmed for Western Australia over the years, including the International Congress on Neuromuscular Diseases (ICNMD) 2024, in which 2020 Aspire winner Dr Craig McIntosh played an integral role in Perth’s successful bid.

In 2020, Business Events Perth secured the world’s largest marine mammal conference, the 25th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals 2023, after 2017 Aspire winner Dr Simon Allen travelled to Barcelona in late 2019 alongside BE Perth to pitch Perth as the destination of choice to the deciding committee.

Together, these two conferences are expected to inject upwards of $14 million into the local West Australian economy.

2021 Aspire Award winners

• City of Perth Aspire Award winner: Dr Bayode Ero-Phillips (cover photo)
• Curtin University Aspire Award winner: Dr Leo Ng
• Defence West Aspire Award winner: Adam Bennett
• Edith Cowan University Aspire Award winner: Dr Sanjay Kumar Shukla
• Harry Perkins Institute Aspire Award winner: Professor Jonas Nilsson
• Murdoch University Aspire Award winner: Dr Wei Xu
• Perron Institute Aspire Award winner: Dr Sarah Hellewell
• Telethon Kids Institute Aspire Award winner: Dr Jessica Buck
• The University of Notre Dame Australia Aspire Award winner: Dr Jenny Conlon
• The University of Western Australia Aspire Award winner: Dr Amanda Cleaver
• THIS IS FREMANTLE Aspire Award winner: Dr Garnett Hall