About
The Government Science Project of the Year award recognises a government science project that has made outstanding contributions in various fields of STEM.
Now in its 25th year, the Premier's Science Awards recognises and celebrates the outstanding scientific research and engagement taking place in Western Australia.
Meet our finalists
In 2026, three finalists have been selected for the Government Science Project of the Year category:
Conservation Biotechnology Program, Kings Park Science
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
The Conservation Biotechnology Program at Kings Park Science is recognised for pioneering the application of advanced biotechnological tools to conserve Australia’s threatened flora. As Australia’s first program dedicated to plant tissue culture and cryopreservation for conservation, it has developed first of their kind propagation protocols, including major advances in difficult taxa from the unique threatened Western Australian flora. The program is a global leader in conservation through cryopreservation and is one of only three facilities in Australia providing long-term cryo-storage for rare and threatened wild plant species.
WA Wastewater Surveillance Program
PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA
The WA Wastewater Surveillance Program, led by PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA with the Western Australian Department of Health, is transforming how community health threats are detected in real time. Operating statewide, a single wastewater sample can reveal COVID 19, influenza, mpox, measles and other infectious diseases across communities of hundreds of thousands of people, without testing thousands of individuals. For the first time, key infections can be identified in the community before clinical cases appear. By combining laboratory science, genomics and public reporting, the program reshapes disease surveillance, delivering early warning, faster response and protection for Western Australians, not just during emergencies.
WA Climate Science Initiative
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
The WA Climate Science Initiative is equipping Western Australia with the most detailed climate projections ever produced. Led by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation in partnership with Murdoch University, the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre and New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water via NARCliM 2.0, the Initiative has downscaled global models to locally relevant projections across the State to 2100. Its first phase of projections show a continuation of the long-observed winter drying trend in the southwest, changes in heat extremes and rainfall patterns. The Initiative is also training a new generation of climate scientists and better preparing the State for climate challenges ahead.
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