The Clunies Ross Awards recognise the risk and commitment it takes to make applied science work. From mining engineering to chemistry the awards acknowledge the contribution of scientists who have put in the hard yards to bring their idea to commercialisation, and the resulting economic, social or environmental benefits.

Nominations for the 2015 Awards are open now and close on 29 August 2014.

Past winners include: Professor Ian Frazer, inventor of the cervical cancer vaccine; Nobel laureate, Dr Barry Marshall, who discovered the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers; and Dr Fiona Wood, the inventor of spray-on skin.

This year the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) recognised:

• Dr John Nutt, who helped pioneer the use of computers in engineering and contributed to the design of Sydney landmarks including the Opera House-for his commitment to the advancement of the engineering industry over the past 50 years
• Professor Kevin Galvin, for his machine which revolutionised the effectiveness of mineral processing with a new way of extracting minerals from rock
• Dr Ezio Rizzardo, Dr Graeme Moad and Dr San Thang, for Australia's great polymer banknote technology-also used in everything from solar cells to drug delivery
• Mr Ravi Ravitharan, Mr Peter Mutton and Mr Graham Tew, for their technical innovations in railway engineering which have been keeping Australia's mining industry moving
• Winthrop Professors Eugene Ivanov and Michael Tobar, for their invention of the world's lowest-noise oscillators used in research, meterology, communications and defence.

For more on how to nominate, see the guidelines and visit the website for more information.