MARCH/April Funding Round The first funding round for 2024 was completed following the MPPT Trust Board meeting on the 18th of April and applicants advised of outcomes the same day. Trustees considered 85 applications and approved 41 grants-in-aid (totaling $231,000). Twelve of 27 Project and Equipment applications were approved for funding. Overall, the quality of the P&E applications was high and the cutoff score was similar to the November funding round which was higher than for previous rounds in 2023. This was partly due to most applicants requesting the maximum ($25,000), with these requests competing for a limited funding pool imposed by relatively low, although improving, investment income, and partly due to a decision by the trustees to increase the awards 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 application process and made two changes. The first concerned the review reports requested by and sent to the applicants for inclusion in their applications. Applicants are now asked to instruct their selected reviewers to email reports directly to the Trust. The second is a request to applicants to use a standard format for their CV. The preferred format, in common use, is the RS&T template. The changes have been incorporated in the Document guidelines for applicants.

The next funding round closes 1 June 2024 for Projects and Equipment (up to $25,000), Travel, and Conference Support. The following round for the same categories closes 1 October 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 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.