In collaboration with the Raine Medical Research Foundation, the BrightSpark Foundation provides funding for Research Collaboration Awards to encourage medical researchers in Western Australia to establish and develop research collaborations, both nationally and internationally. They aim to facilitate cross-institutional or organisational ties, with increased opportunities for collaborative publications, joint grant submissions, sharing and advancement of research/clinical skills, and industry linkages.
The BrightSpark Research Collaboration Awards are awarded to top candidates in the area of child health research.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Click here to access the Raine Research Collaboration Awards website, which includes more information about the program, key dates, Guidelines and Conditions, and the application process.
Past Recipients
Research Stories
Dr Jessica Mountford
The University of Western Australia
Umea Centre for Molecular Medicine (UCMM)
Comparing genetic variance with environmental risk factors in early-onset myopia
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$30,000
2023
Dr Amanuel Gebremedhin
Curtin University
Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Development of a New DNA Methylation-based Maternal Epigenetic Age Estimator as a Predictor for Perinatal Morbidity
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$29,607
2022
Dr Lisa Stinson
The University of Western Australia
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Short chain fatty acids in human milk: Implications for infant health
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$27,039
2022
Dr Akila Rekima
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institution: Amsterdam University Medical Center
Influence of early life diet on intestinal epithelial cell development and function
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$29,986
2022
Dr Henry Hui
The University of Western Australia
Collaborating Institutions: Macquarie University and Wise Realities Institute for Healthcare Emerging Technologies Research
Improving survival in childhood leukaemia
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$29,864
2022
Dr Jess Reynolds
UWA Centre for Child Health Research, Telethon Kids Institute
Garvan Institute of Medical Research, New South Wales
Challenging the core autism phenotype – investigating motor impairments in children on the autism spectrum using whole genome sequencing
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$30,000
2021
Dr Lieke van den Elsen
School of Molecular Science, The University of Western Australia
South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
Does lack of colostrum feeding in neonates lead to impaired growth and immune development, and enhanced disease susceptibility in later life?
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$29,296
2021
Dr Amy Finlay-Jones
Mental Health and Youth Telethon Kids Institute/CCHR, The University of Western Australia
Brain and Body Lab (BABLab), The University of California (Los Angeles, USA)
Beyond brain and behaviour: Understanding the role of the gut microbiome in infant and child mental health
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$29,433.42
2020
Dr Diana Tan
School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia
The University of Cambridge, UK
Investigating biological markers of autism using longitudinal cohort studies in the UK and Australia
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$7,600
2019
Dr Annette Regan
School of Public Health, Curtin University
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute
An international cohort study measuring child health following maternal immunisation
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$5,000
2018
Dr Nathanael Yates
School of Human Sciences University of Western Australi
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Developing Preterm Infant Nutrition Research Capacity
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
Declined Award
2018
Dr Laurence Cheung
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia
Children’s Cancer Institute, University of NSW
Identification of novel drug combinations to cure high-risk infant leukaemia
BrightSpark Research Collaboration Award
$8,988
2017
