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$50,000 PRIZE AWARDED TO SCIENTIST OF NOTE
20 October 2006

The inventor of the world's first plastic bank note, Professor David Solomon, has been awarded the prestigious $50,000 Victoria Prize.

In congratulating Professor Solomon, Australian Academy of Science President Professor Kurt Lambeck said, 'David has made outstanding contributions to the economic and social benefit of Australia. Through his work Australia has become a world leader in polymer technology.

'The commercial success of plastic bank notes is a great achievement and shows that Australian science can successfully compete on the international stage.'

Professor Solomon led the CSIRO team that took on the challenge to improve Australia's bank notes following a counterfeiting surge in the 1960s.

The idea to incorporate an optically variable device that changes when the note is moved or held in different light, revolutionised anti-forgery devices in bank notes.

Professor Solomon is also renowned for his pioneering work using free radicals to control the length of polymer chains. This technology is now widely used to manufacture medical devices, paints and computer chips.

Professor Solomon is a Professorial Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne. He is a Member of the Order of Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Further information:

Professor David Solomon (University of Melbourne)

Victoria Prize

Note Printing Australia