Shaping Australia Awards show how universities build our nation

The Shaping Australia Awards were established to show the full scope of universities’ role in building our nation.

Professor David Lloyd, chair of Universities Australia.

Every day, Australia’s universities make vast contributions that shape the future of the country we’re proud to call home. Inquisitive and bright researchers working to solve some of the biggest challenges facing Australia. Passionate and hardworking teachers generating new, innovative ways to ensure students are prepared for fulfilling careers in their chosen fields. Universities, and the staff and students within them, serving their communities in good times and bad.

Our universities are the source of immense public good and also contribute a great deal to our economy – educating around 1.5 million skilled people each year, running a multibillion-dollar export industry and supporting more than 250,000 jobs.

All Australians are better off for the presence and contribution of our universities. This is irrefutable, yet the dots aren’t always connected with the full scale of what universities do.

That’s why we’ve established the Shaping Australia Awards – in partnership with The Australian – to shine a light on the life-changing work our universities and the people within them do each day.

The 18 finalists exemplify the important contribution people within universities make to the Australian community and how their initiatives shape our nation:

The development of fireproof paint to protect homes from bushfires and revolutionary new treatment methods for diabetes.

The delivery of new models of teaching to upskill and train workers in areas affected by skill shortages and programs to give more students the hands-on experience they need to hit the ground running in the workforce.

The transformation of beach accessibility to ensure people with a disability can enjoy the standard of health and wellbeing everyone deserves and free tax clinics to help some of the most vulnerable Australians.

These are just some of the projects short-listed in the Shaping Australia Awards across research, teaching and community service – the areas where our universities excel.

The Problem Solver award recognises an individual or a team’s work or research that has changed or has the potential to change the lives of Australians for the better.

The Future Builder award recognises an individual or a team that has gone above and beyond to equip their students with the knowledge and skills they need to make a positive impact in the world.

The Community Champion recognises an individual, team or university with strong links to its community and the people who call it home, not just those who attend the institution.

A panel of seven eminent Australians who are passionate about the contribution of universities to the country has been brought together to judge the awards. They are:

• Sir Peter Cosgrove AK CVO CNZM MC, former governor-general of Australia.

• Ms Charlene Davison, chief executive of the Go Foundation.

• Mr Kurt Fearnley AO PLY, three-time Paralympic gold medallist.

• Ms Michelle Gunn, editor-in-chief of The Australian.

• Mr Nicholas Moore AO, Special Envoy for Southeast Asia.

• Ms Lisa Paul AO PSM, former secretary of the Department of Education, who is chair of the panel.

• Professor Brian Schmidt AC FAA FRS, Nobel laureate.

We’re thrilled to present these finalists to you and hope you enjoy their outstanding work.

Professor David Lloyd is the chair of Universities Australia.