
Research Support Award
This award is open to individuals, teams, or organizations at any career stage that have demonstrated an outstanding contribution and impact to a team/department/organisation or field of science.
The recipient is given:
- A grant to attend a relevant event or training course
- A trophy
- The opportunity to present at a Society event or webinar
- The opportunity to feature in a ‘day-in-the-life of…’ article
Eligibility Criteria:
- Awarded annually
- Celebrates the skills and experience of support staff within education, research, and industry
- Nominees must demonstrate an outstanding contribution and impact to a team/department/organisation or field of science
- There are no career stage restrictions for this award
- Nominees can be either international or UK based
- This award is open to individuals, teams, or organisations
The Awards Committee will consider the following aspects of all nominations for the Research Support Award as appropriate:
- Contribution and Impact of work on team/department/organisation or field of science
- Collaboration – evidence of collaboration and the role played within this
- Achievements and Development – commitment to inspiring and mentoring others, outstanding skills and proficiency in their role, commitment to continuous development
- Other indicators of esteem demonstrated by the nominator

Nominations for the 2025 Awards are now closed.
Keep an eye out for the winner announcement in April 2024!
Contact us
For further information please get in touch with the Awards department.
Related content
5 itemsRecipients
WEHI Bioservices Team
The 2024 Research Support Award will be presented to the WEHI Bioservices Team. For decades, mouse models have fulfilled one of the most valuable roles in medical research. Mice bred specifically pathogen free, mice transgenic for a researcher’s gene of interest, or have the gene deleted altogether. Mice which are the result of several generations of breeding different knockouts together. A programme of research may involve analysing the immunology of these mice, their organs, their responses to environmental cues, infections or a range of behavioural activities.
The breeding and experimental activities performed to care for and assess these mice are complex and detailed. The work to achieve excellent animal husbandry and welfare while ensuring accurate and well documented results for researchers is vast. A team of almost 90 animal technicians and attendants at the WEHI, perform this work every day of the year.
Our technicians are trained to provide highly regulated animal welfare, to identify a range of phenotypes and illnesses in mice, and to perform complex experimental procedures while ensuring animals are treated with compassion and respect. This team of technicians works collaboratively with researchers in over 50 laboratories to ensure that each experiment provides data to researchers and supports an efficient and effective use of our scientists’ research dollars.
On winning the Research Support Award for 2024, the team said: "The Bioservices Team are delighted to receive the 2024 Research Support Award from the Biochemical Society. We are honoured by the recognition that this award represents and the acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication that the team demonstrates to the animals in their care, providing continuing research support in Australia. We would like to extend our thanks to WEHI director Professor Doug Hilton for nominating the team for this award and Professor Kile and Professor Strasser for their support of the nomination."
Team representatives included in the photo (from left to right):
- Jaclyn Gilbert, Bioservices Supervisor
- Jessica Mansheim, Barrier Co-ordinator
- Dannielle Cooper, Bioservices Supervisor
- Giovanni Siciliano, Assistant Facility Manager, Parkville
- Tracey Ballinger, Bioservices Supervisor
- Julie Merryfull, Facility Manager, Parkville
- Amanda Dickson, Facility Manager, Kew