The Australian Museum has announced the 2025 finalists for the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software, sponsored by the ARDC.
The annual Eureka Prizes honour excellence across research and innovation, leadership, science engagement, and school science in Australia. Created in 2023, the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software is awarded for the development, maintenance or extension of software that has enabled significant new scientific research.
Nick Jenkins, Research Software Specialist, ARDC, said, “The Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software recognises the unsung heroes who build the digital engines which keep Australian research moving. Software is critical to cutting-edge research in so many disciplines and the finalists are flag bearers for this important work.”
For the third year, the ARDC is the proud sponsor of the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software. It is a key part of our work with the research community to strengthen recognition of software as a critical enabler of data-driven research.
The 2024 prize was awarded to Professor Gordon Smyth of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI). Prof Smyth led the development of the open-source statistical bioinformatics software limma, which helps identify and interpret changes in genomic or proteomic material.
dartR, University of CanberraThe dartR team created free, open-source software that helps researchers around the world analyse complex genomic data. By supporting decisions in conservation, agriculture and health, dartR has transformed how genetic data is used – improving breeding programs, protecting endangered species and advancing research across more than 900 peer-reviewed studies.
mixOmics, University of MelbourneReleased in 2009 by Professor Kim-Anh Lê Cao’s team, mixOmics is free, open-source software that integrates multi-omics data – including genes, proteins and microbes – into clear biological insights. Now used by over 25,000 scientists across more than 100 countries, it drives breakthroughs in cancer, infectious disease and environmental science through patents, industry collaborations and global training.
mixOmics was a finalist of the 2023 prize.
naparinapari helps scientists explore, annotate and analyse image data in 2D, 3D and beyond, across diverse fields including cell biology, astronomy, materials science and archaeology. It has been downloaded more than 5 million times and supports image analysis needs through a growing ecosystem of over 500 community-built plug-ins.
Read our 2022 interview with Dr Juan Nunez-Iglesias, who is on the napari team.
We congratulate the finalists for their impressive work and thank all those who entered the award.
The winner will be announced at the Eureka Prize Award Ceremony, hosted at the Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday 3 September. Register to watch the live stream.
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This article is based on the Australian Museum’s announcement.
The ARDC is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.
