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Thursday 8th May 2025

The 2023 Gala was proudly sponsored by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator


The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is Australia's national regulator for heavy vehicles.
NHVR's improve the safety, productivity and efficiency of the heavy vehicle industry.
NHVR logo (no tag)NAVY-01

Pricing

Early Bird

$220
Admits One
Sit-down dinner
Premium beer and wine
CLOSED

Standard

$275
Admits One
Sit-down dinner
Premium beer and wine

Reserve your seat for the transport industry’s night of nights – the NTRO Gala Dinner and National Transport Research Awards.

Celebrating research excellence

The National Transport Research Awards are a spectacular evening where we pay tribute to the stars of our roads and transport industry, and road research excellence on both a national and global platform.

The National Transport Research Organisation’s ambitious mission is to ‘shape our transport future’. Join us as we recognise and celebrate everything that is happening in our industry, today.

The Awards

The National Transport Research Awards and Gala returns in 2025 to celebrate the remarkable achievements within Australia and New Zealand's transport and mobility sector. Building on the success of last year, the 2025 National Transport Research Awards will continue to honour outstanding talent, excellence and innovation across the transport industry.

We are now inviting nominations to shine a spotlight on the individuals and teams making a difference on our transport networks.

1
13 December 2024
Awards Submission Close
2
December - January 2025
Judge Reviews
3
February 2025
Finalists Announced
4
8 May 2025
Awards Night Gala Dinner
(winners announced)

This year’s awards features five categories:

Connecting Communities

Connecting Communities Award

Awarded to: Organisation, or Individual (can be awarded to either)

Recognises an individual, an organisation, or group of organisations working collaboratively, to enhance community connectivity through innovative transport solutions, and interfaces between transport modes and surrounding places or precincts in Australia or New Zealand.

Open to Public, Private and Academic sector entities.

The project or initiative must have had some - albeit minor - implementation beyond theory or design.

Decarbonised Infrastructure

Decarbonised Infrastructure Award

Awarded to: Organisation, or Individual (can be awarded to either)

Recognises an individual, an organisation, or group of organisations working collaboratively to reduce the carbon footprint of road, rail, airport or port transport infrastructure in Australia or New Zealand through innovative design, materials or technologies.

Open to Public, Private and Academic sector entities.

The project or initiative must have had some - albeit minor - implementation beyond theory or design.

Transport Resilience

Transport Resilience Award

Awarded to: Organisation, or Individual (can be awarded to either)

Recognises an individual, an organisation, or group of organisations working collaboratively to improve transport infrastructure or operations resilience, ensuring continuity and safety in operations amidst challenges from natural and other causes.

Open to Public, Private and Academic sector entities.

The project or initiative must have had some - albeit minor - implementation beyond theory or design.

Research Rising Star

Research Rising Star Award

Awarded to: Individual

Training of researchers is essential to ensure sustainability of our problem-solving capabilities. Because transportation has so many touchpoints with society, we need to be training experts in a broad range of disciplines – including but not limited to engineering, science, design, business, economics and the humanities.

This award is made to an Australia or New Zealand-based researcher under 35 years of age, who has made significant progress in tackling a transportation-related problem in the previous 12 months as part of their research activities. Nominees must be able to identify – when they are part of a research team – their specific contribution in the progress made.

Nominees must be under 35 years of age on 31 December 2024. Nominees can self-nominate.

Lifetime Contribution

Lifetime Contribution Award

Awarded to: Individual

This award is presented in recognition of an individual’s outstanding leadership and contribution to the Australian and New Zealand land transportation sector over 25 years or more, based on an enduring track record of research, development and implementation activities.

This award recognises an individual who has:

  • An established history of rigorous first principles and applied research
  • A track record of creating implementable outcomes from their research
  • Undertaken extensive knowledge transfer, training and education activities related to their work
  • A track record of developing and mentoring younger professionals in their field

In doing all of the above this nominee has:

  • Made a lasting and distinguished contribution to industry practice
  • Exhibited leadership and provided inspiration to others in the industry
  • Been a strong ambassador for Australasia in international circles

As such, they are stand-out inspirational figures for current and next generation research and development professionals.

Secure your spot at the National Transport Research Awards & Gala Today

Ticket includes access to the Gala dinner and awards ceremony.

$295

Earlybird discount - limited time only

Gala 2023 Photo Strip
Awards-01
Local Government Innovation Award

 

Local Government is critical to driving innovation in our transport systems.

Councils often exercise the ability to make a real difference to their residents by trialing innovations such as new ways of accommodating active travel, new ways of encouraging micro-mobility, promoting ‘place’ to complement ‘movement’, or simply trialing new materials in transport infrastructure.

This award is made to an Australian or New Zealand Local Government Council (or group of Councils) and their employees who have implemented an innovative practice or design that relates to transportation and in so doing provided benefits to ratepayers and other stakeholders.

Awards-03
Research Industry Partnership Award

 

Partnerships between research entities and industry are strongly promoted by government, private sector and academia as a means of driving innovation in a range of fields.

This prize is awarded to partnerships comprising at least one Australian or New Zealand research entity and at least one Industry Partner whose research, development and implementation support activities have made a significant improvement to operational quality and/or cost of transportation operations or transport infrastructure and in so doing achieved considerable impact for the community. The impact for this award may include social, economic, political, technological, legal or environmental factors.

Awards-04-1
Sustainable Transport Infrastructure Award

 

Transport operations – whether micro-mobility, public transport or freight of any size – require infrastructure. This may be intermodal infrastructure for passengers or freight, bicycle stations/precincts, foot or cycle paths, rail or road links or a precinct encompassing several of these or other transportation elements. This award is made to any organisation or group of organisations that has implemented innovative, science-based practice to improve the sustainability of elements of Australia’s and/or New Zealand’s transportation infrastructure. These organisations can be from any sector – public, private or academic. For the purposes of this award, sustainability can be interpreted in its broadest sense; environmental, economic, social (including safety and security) or any combination thereof.

Awards-05
Research Rising Star Award

 

Training of researchers is essential to ensure sustainability of our problem-solving capabilities. Because transportation has so many touchpoints with society, we need to be training experts in a broad range of disciplines – including but not limited to engineering, science, design, business, economics and the humanities. This award is made to an Australia or New Zealand-based researcher under 35 years of age, who has made significant progress in tackling a transportation-related problem in the previous 12 months as part of their research activities. Nominees must be able to identify – when they are part of a research team – their specific contribution in the progress made. Nominees must be under 35 years of age on 31 December 2022. Nominees can self-nominate

Awards-06-06-1
Lifetime Contribution Award

 

This award is presented in recognition of an individual’s outstanding leadership and contribution to the Australian and New Zealand land transportation sector over 25 years or more, based on an enduring track record of research, development and implementation activities.

This award recognises an individual who has:

• An established history of rigorous first principles and applied research

• A track record of creating implementable outcomes from their research

• Undertaken extensive knowledge transfer, training and education activities related to their work

• A track record of developing and mentoring younger professionals in their field

In doing all of the above this nominee has:

• Made a lasting and distinguished contribution to industry practice

• Exhibited leadership and provided inspiration to others in the industry

• Been a strong ambassador for Australasia in international circles

As such, they are stand-out inspirational figures for current and next generation research and development professionals.

  Want to know more?  
  Contact us.