The UTS Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Research Excellence were established in 2010 to recognise the outstanding contribution UTS staff make towards helping shape the world we live in.
UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence
Through its 2027 Strategy, UTS is committed to growing its reputation as a leading public university of technology, with research excellence and innovation as core tenets of its activities.
Through our education, research and engagement we will further enhance our international standing, delivering real benefit to our communities.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awards recognise the efforts of our staff in these endeavours.
The awards acknowledge research excellence across the following categories.
Research medals
Chancellor’s Medal for Research Excellence
This award honours outstanding research at UTS. The nominated research activities should demonstrate sustained research excellence at the highest level over a period of several years. Nominees must include information about the research underpinning the nomination and provide evidence of the breadth of its contribution.
PRIZE: $5,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
UTS Medal for Research Impact
This medal is awarded for research that has achieved considerable impact outside the academic community, including within the creative and/or professional practice(s). The definition of impact for this award is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment, or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research. Nominees must include information about the research underpinning the described impact, the impact itself and a list of corroborating sources.
PRIZE: $5,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
UTS Medal for Excellence in Research and Teaching Integration
This award recognises an academic or a team of academics for their outstanding research and outstanding teaching at UTS. Special consideration will be given to those who demonstrate their ability to successfully integrate research, teaching and learning across a range of research and teaching activities.
PRIZE: $5,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
Research awards
Research Translation Award
This is awarded to a UTS researcher, or team of UTS staff (both academic and professional staff involved in the translation), who have demonstrated the ability to effectively translate their research into use by others outside of academia. This award will recognise excellent research that has been adopted by others in ways that has, or has the potential to, create significant positive change that will ultimately lead to impactful outcomes.
Supervisor of the Year Award
Quality supervision is critical to the success of any research candidature, including timely completion of milestones and the development of appropriate academic and research integrity practices. This award recognises an outstanding research supervisor and the important role they play in supporting the research achievements and development of talented Higher Degree Research candidates.
PRIZE: $3,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
Early Career Research Excellence Award
This award is for an outstanding piece of research conducted by an individual early career researcher (ECR). Nominees are eligible for this award if, at the closing date for nominations, it is five years or less since the date of their PhD conferral. The research entered for consideration should demonstrate research excellence relative to the length of career and to opportunities.
PRIZE: $3,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
Research Leadership and Development Award
This award is to recognize and encourage an individual researcher who is on a path to becoming a research leader. The nominee is likely to be a mid-career researcher (approximately 5–15 years post PhD) who displays evidence of being a research leader and champion of research development.
PRIZE: $3,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
Research Excellence through Collaboration Award
This is awarded to a UTS researcher, or team of UTS researchers, who have developed and sustained a research collaboration (internal to UTS or with researchers from other universities and/or research organisations) that has resulted in the delivery of significant outcomes, including in creative industries or practices. This award will recognise excellent research involving a multi- or trans-disciplinary research team, consisting of collaborators across two or more UTS faculties or units in traditionally unrelated disciplines.
PRIZE: $3,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
Research Excellence through Partnership Award
This is awarded to a UTS researcher, or team of UTS researchers, who have developed and sustained a research partnership that has resulted in the delivery of significant outcomes, including in creative industries or practices. This award category is aimed at recognising excellent research involving external partnerships with industry, community groups, government, councils, NGOs, not-for-profit charity organisations, etc—working with people and organisations that are not identifiable as predominately undertaking research themselves directly.
PRIZE: $3,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
Research Management and Development Award (Professional Staff)
For an outstanding contribution or initiative in support services that has boosted research capability and/or development at either Faculty/School/Discipline/Institute or UTS-level. This award is open to individuals or teams of professional staff across UTS who support research excellence.
PRIZE: $3,000
Eligibility | Selection criteria | How to nominate
UTS Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Research Excellence ceremony
Winners and Finalists will be announced on the night of the event in 2025. Details of the event will be finalised later this year and all nominees will be invited in January 2025 to register for the event.
The Research Awards recognise and celebrate the excellence in research, support and impact happening across our campus and in the wider community.
If you have any questions, please contact researchawards@uts.edu.au.