$56m in Marsden funding for top NZ researchers

New Zealand’s top researchers will receive $56 million in Marsden Fund grants over the next three years as a result of funding decisions announced today, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce says.

101 programmes have been approved in this year’s funding round and include projects on robotics as therapy for cerebral palsy, using Google balloons to probe weather systems, why heart failure is common in diabetics, and fine-scale imaging of the Alpine Fault zone.

“Excellence in research is the key to New Zealand becoming a more innovative nation,” Mr Joyce says. “The Marsden Fund invests in high-quality investigator-led research that generates new knowledge that will be of long-term benefit to New Zealand.

“Since National came into Government, support for the Fund has increased by 38 per cent, from $37.9m annually in 2008 to $52.4m annually this year. There has been an average 22 per cent increase in the number of successful projects being funded in the 2013 and 2014 investment rounds compared to the 2012 investment round.”

The Fund has been instrumental in further developing advanced research skills and is helping to attract and retain top research talent, says Mr Joyce.

“Interest in the Marsden Fund has never been higher, with 1222 applications received. The high level of competition and quality of applications highlights the important role of the Fund in our science system.”

This year is the 20th anniversary of the Marsden Fund, which supports research in science, engineering, maths, social sciences and the humanities. It is administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand on behalf of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, with allocations made on the recommendations of the Marsden Fund Council.

To view a full list of successful applications and for more information, visit: http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/programmes/funds/marsden/announcements/marsden-funding-round-2014/