Hon Steven Joyce
Minister of Science and Innovation

5 November 2015

$53.5m in Marsden funding for NZ researchers

The Government has awarded New Zealand researchers $53.5 million in new Marsden Fund grants, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The 92 successful proposals will be funded over three years and include a diverse range of topics from exploring causal factors between earthquakes and volcanic eruption, to therapies for motor neuron disease and a research programme that will investigate the implications of prodrugs for many types of illness.

“The Marsden Fund invests in investigator-led research that seeks to generate new knowledge with long-term benefits for New Zealand,” Mr Joyce says.

“The Government recognises that funding for such research can generate substantial returns to society over time. The Marsden Fund has increased by 38 per cent since 2008 and the Government will consider opportunities for further increases as fiscal conditions allow.

“Marsden Fund grants are awarded to some of our most experienced researchers. The Fund continues to play an integral role in a high-performing science system focusing on excellence and impact, promoting New Zealand as a destination for top scientists and R&D investment.”

The recipients include:

• Shaking magma to trigger volcanoes – the University of Canterbury:Volcanoes erupt more frequently following tectonic earthquakes. This research programme will investigate the critical conditions for seismically-triggered volcanic eruptions. The results will provide information about the risk of volcanic hazard.

• Good riddance to bad rubbish: waste disposal in motor neuron disease – the University of Auckland: Motor neuron disease affects approximately 1 in 15,000 New Zealanders. Cell death is caused by a build-up of waste products and defective waste disposal from these motor neuron cells. This research programme aims to investigate how waste disposal should be occurring with a view to designing more effective therapies.

• Targeted, triggered and zero waste prodrug activation – the University of Otago: The best drug to treat a disorder may prove too toxic for particular patients. A prodrug that is targeted and specific to a disease site can convert a normally toxic byproduct into the actual drug. This research will investigate the implications for many types of illness including cancer and infectious disease.

Proposals are evaluated by independent assessment panels and the final recommendations for funding are made by the Marsden Fund Council, which is chaired by Professor Juliet Gerrard.

The grants are split into two categories. The Fast-Start awards are designed to create research momentum for early-career researchers and are worth up to $300,000 over three years. Standard awards apply to all applicants and can be worth as much as $850,000 over a three-year period.

The Marsden Fund is administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand on behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

For more information: http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2015/11/05/set-for-success-researchers-receive-54-million-from-marsden-fund/

ENDS

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