OCTOBER/NOVEMBER Funding Round The final funding round for 2023 was completed following the MPPT Trust Board meeting on the 23rd of November and applicants advised of outcomes the same day. Trustees considered 51 applications and approved 20 grants-in-aid (totaling $204,000). Thirteen of 32 Project and Equipment applications were approved for funding. Overall, the quality of the P&E applications was high and for this funding round the cutoff score was higher than for previous rounds this year, in part due to most applicants requesting the maximum ($25,000) with these requests competing for a limited funding pool imposed by reduced investment income, but also due to a decision by the trustees to increase the amounts of grants-in-aid for the higher scoring applications. The trustees see this as encouraging the best of science where good ideas and approaches increase the likelihood of outcomes that advance understanding.
The trustees also reviewed the decision made in November 2022 to hold three full funding rounds for 2023, thus receiving applications for Projects and Equipment, Travel and Conference Support to the March, June and October rounds. Opening the mid-year funding round to Project and Equipment applications not only increased flexibility for applicants in deciding when best to apply but helped the Trust by spreading the assessment load across the year and helped management of investment flows and budgets. The trustees decided to again hold three full funding rounds for 2024.
The next funding round closes 1 March 2024 for Projects and Equipment (up to $25,000), Travel, and Conference Support. The following round for the same categories closes 1 June 2024.
As previously advised, please note that if you have a previous grant for which a report is outstanding, you will not be able to access the application templates or submit through the portal until the report is submitted. If a report is outstanding, you will see a notification when you log in to your dashboard. Note that submission of a report is sufficient to proceed; approval of the report by your institution is not required for you to continue with your new application.
Applicants are reminded that there is a one-year stand-down period for projects and travel. Further, applications for travel are only considered if the date of travel occurs after the relevant Board meeting. This means that there is no retrospective funding.
Scholarships and Fellowships funded by the Trust can be found under the Scholarships and Fellowships page. Further information, including stipends payable, which were significantly increased for 2023 and will remain the same for 2024, is available from institutional graduate student offices that administer the Trust’s programmes.
The office of the Trust is at 81 Grafton Rd, Auckland, the phone number for the Trust is 09 379 5316 and the email address for all Trust correspondence is mppt@mppt.nz.