2025 AUSHEALTH CURECELL AWARDS ARE NOW OPEN!
PhD students invited to apply for five $10,000 prizes to be spent on ‘literally, anything they like!’
The 2025 AusHealth CureCell Awards are now open to PhD students doing a cell or biological therapy related project.
Up to five awards of $10,000 are available, which are intended to help ease the cost-of-living pressures on research students.
Entrants are required to submit a one-page outline of their project. Applications need to be received by 31 July 2025; winners will be announced before 30 September 2025.
Projects are judged on:
Innovation – The extent to which the therapy is new or original
Clinical relevance – The potential applicability of the therapy to real-world clinical settings
Feasibility – The practicality of the therapy in terms of production, scalability and accessibility to patients
Communication – Clarity, organisation and professionalism in the application and/or an in-person pitch (if needed).
According to AusHealth CEO Justin Coombs, the inaugural 2024 awards proved a huge success, with a total of seven awards going to researchers working on a range of projects.
“The calibre of research in this country is outstanding but PhD students often have to get by on as little as $30,000 a year. We’re pleased to be able to relieve some of that pressure through the AusHealth CureCell Awards.
“Last year, the winners were delighted to receive their cash, but several couldn’t believe the money wasn’t tied in some way to their research. I had to tell them, ‘No, really – you can literally spend it on anything you like!’
About Curecell: Curecell is an Australian registered charity accelerating the development of cell-based therapies to treat cancer and autoimmune disease by investing in outstanding young scientists. In 2023, Curecell joined forces with AusHealth, a charity that annually invests more than $4.5 million in Australian medical research.
For full details on the 2025 Awards: www.curecell.org
Main picture: L to R Professor Glenn King, 2024 Winners: Max Garwood, Andrew Quattrocchi, Tyra Fraser, Dylan McPeake and Alanah Bradey; AusHealth CEO Justin Coombs; not pictured Kimberley Gunther and Rakshanya Sekar, PhD