Research Effectiveness Awards winners announced

400 researchers from around the country gathered in Melbourne over the past two days to mark the most important event in the calendar of one of Australia’s most influential industries.

Good research leads to business and government decisions that enrich the lives of all Australians. It shapes government, informs social trends and dominates media headlines. The Research Industry Council of Australia’s Research Effectiveness Awards provide a platform from which to demonstrate the positive impact good research has on business and social policy planning and the important role that research professionals and companies play in modern Australian society.

Anne Redman, winner of the Public Policy/ Social Research Award said, “We feel privileged to have worked on such a great project tackling the important issue of ear health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In the end, the success boiled down to the willingness and generosity of research participants to share their stories, insights and hopes with us and the fact that the Department of Health and the research team ‘listened hard’ to what the community had to say, and were able to translate this into insights that led to the development of an innovative and successful campaign”.

There are six special categories in the Research Effectiveness Awards including: Communications Strategy Effectiveness, Innovation in Methodology, Public Policy / Social Research, Consumer Insight, Technology Effectiveness and Business to Business.

Winner of the Business to Business award, Sarah Wrigley said; “I am very proud to receive this award for the work we do with National Australia Bank. The NAB’s Quarterly Business Survey has been tracking business conditions and confidence for over 24 years and is regarded as a leading indicator of economic conditions in Australia. I’ve managed this project for pretty much all of this time, and it’s an honour to receive this reward for the second year in a row as recognition of the importance of this piece of research”.

Additionally the awards recognise one of the industry’s up and coming stars with a Young Researcher of Year award and for the very first time, an Employer of the Year Award that pays tribute to industry leaders who demonstrate a strong employer brand and a commitment to people management.

Mark Sundquist, Fiftyfive5 winner of the Best (Large) Employer of the Year Award said, “Our formula from day one has been pretty simple; build the best possible team, support them with a culture that energises and motivates, and deliver brilliant work. Four and a half years in and 42 people strong, the formula is clearly working and this award is testament to that. We have some great momentum in the business going into our next phase of growth and we want to thank all of the team for helping us get there”.

A full list of winners in each category is provided below.