About the AusHealth CureCell Awards

The AusHealth CureCell Awards are annual awards 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.

Award submissions are invited at the beginning of June and applications need to be received by 31 July 2025; winners are usually announced before 30 September.

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).

The inaugural AusHealth CureCell Awards took place in 2024; a total of seven awards went to researchers on a wide range of projects. In 2025, a further seven awards were made.

According to AusHealth CEO Justin Coombs, “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.

“Award recipients are often under the impression the money is tied in some way to their research. But it’s not the case — they really can their $10,000 on anything they like!”

Photo (left to right): Matteo Pitteri, Giáng Tuyết Phạm, Matthew van der Burg, Kelsy Prest, Cate Cheney, Julia Leeflang, Lachlan Staker, Justin Coombs