The Health Research Council of New Zealand has announced government funding of NZ$74.6 million for its latest annual funding round.
The investment covers many of the country’s most common health issues, including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and the human impact of natural disasters.
The funding, announced on 20 July, also includes over NZ$18m for new, longer-term research.
Of the funding, 36.6 per cent is for research team salaries, 27.3 per cent for research expenses, and 36.1 per cent for the indirect costs of the research to the host institutions.
The funding includes NZ$3.9m to extend the Christchurch Health and Development Study, led by David Fergusson of the University of Otago. The longitudinal study aims to assess the human impact of the Christchurch earthquake.
Health research at Otago receives a total of NZ$27.5m.
Michael Dragunow, of the University of Auckland, will lead a five-year NZ$4.5m research programme to study the underlying causes and treatments for Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease.
Rod Jackson and his research team from the University of Auckland have been awarded NZ$4.9m to develop better tools to identify high-risk cardiovascular disease patients who will benefit from treatment; quantify and map gaps and disparities in appropriate treatment; and model the impact of treatment disparities on the CVD burden in New Zealand.
Paul Reynolds, from the Te Atawhai o te Ao in Whanganui: Independent Maori Institute for Environment and Health, has received funding for a new programme investigating how people recover from sexual abuse, imprisonment and cultural disconnection.
The HRC processed 173 full applications for four different types of awards and is offering a total of 52 contracts.