Based on the collaboration fostered between Higher Education institutions and Smart Sparrow, the BEST Network was honoured to receive the BHERT 2017 award for Outstanding Collaboration in Higher Education and Training. The Business Higher Education Round Table focuses on relationships between business, industry and the tertiary education sector. It was established on the premise that Australian business and industry benefit from the skills and knowledge held within our tertiary education sector, while our education system gains the expertise and competitiveness of our businesses.

In assessing the BEST Network, the outcomes that have been achieved by our members impressed the judges. BEST was described as a “terrific program of distributing education and skills training across numerous higher education institutions”. BEST received praise for its “broad scope and wide impact” and for creating an “effective platform for sharing expertise in biomedical education”.

“This is a terrific program of distributing education and skills training across numerous higher education institutions and it has had a broad scope and wide impact.” - BHERT

With over five and a half years of collaboration, and continuation beyond the original grant funding, the sustainability of the BEST Network is attributable to the dedication of the partner institutions, in particular, our partnership with Smart Sparrow. Together we have a keen understanding of the needs of academics and students and the website and tools for collaborating, developed by Smart Sparrow, underpin the Network.

BEST would like to congratulate the other winners and thank the Business Higher Education Round Table for their support as well as our institutional, academic and student members who make this collaboration possible.

Professor Nicholas Hawkins receiving the award from Susan Bannigan (Westpac Bicentennial Foundation) in November 2017. Photo taken by Leisa Hunt Photography, courtesy of BHERT.