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Project & Equipment Grants support research projects in any field relevant to human health, including basic biomedical sciences. These grants normally provide funds for up to one year, although two year grants will be considered where justified.

Am I eligible?

If you’re a qualified research worker in a health science field in New Zealand, yes.

If you’re a qualified research worker in a health science field in New Zealand, yes.

Note that the Trust gives preference to graduates with a proven record of research productivity and access to suitable facilities for their research. Applications are not accepted from PhD or Master students.

If successful with your application, there will be a one-year stand-down period before you can apply again. The stand-down period means that you cannot apply for another grant for the following three Project/Equipment rounds.

For example, if you receive a grant in the March/April round, your next opportunity to apply will be to the June/July round of the following year.
If you receive a grant in the October/November round, your next opportunity to apply will be to the March/April round in 15 months’ time.

A caveat is that if your project grant is extended, or if you receive a two-year grant, you may not apply while you hold an active grant.

During the stand-down period for a Project or Equipment grant you may apply for a travel grant.

Ask the Trust office if you’re not sure whether you or your proposal is eligible.

When can I apply?

Applications for Project & Equipment grants are considered at the Trust Board meetings in April, July, and November each year, and applications can be created and submitted online in the eight weeks or so prior to the closing dates:

  • 1 March for the April meeting of the Trust Board
  • 1 June for the July meeting of the Trust Board
  • 1 October for the November meeting

N.B. University/institutional applicants should advise their Research Office of their intention to apply at least 10 business days before the above deadlines. Remember that institutions will have their own internal guidelines which must be followed.

What are these grants for?

Project Grants provide limited research support for individuals or groups working in any health-related sciences, including the fields of public health and health education. Support is usually sufficient to provide only for running costs of the research and/or some necessary equipment, but limited salary support may also be provided on special justification. Project grants are usually for one year, but exceptionally the Trust may support a project for up to two years.

Equipment Grants assist with the purchase of larger equipment items for shared use within a research institution. Justification depends on the needs of the research field and the institution, as well as on the merits of individual research projects.

The maximum for a Project and Equipment grant is $25,000, although the majority of successful applications receive lesser amounts as grants-in-aid.

Reports

If you receive a Project & Equipment grant, the Trust would like a brief report at the conclusion of the project, primarily to help it better manage future applications. The Trust doesn’t require progress reports during research projects, or where the grant was provided for the purchase of multi-user research equipment.

Please download the following template, complete it, and then upload it through your MPPT user account (once you’ve logged in you can do this through a menu item on your dashboard).

All information supplied will be held in confidence. If you have any questions, please contact the MPPT office.

When will I hear the outcome?

Funding decisions are made by the Trust Board at its next meeting – usually during the month following each funding round closing date (usually about 6-8 weeks after that date). All applicants and their institutions are then notified by email immediately following the Trust Board meeting.

Microbiology

How do I apply?

  1. Create an account
    Your online account lets you create, submit and manage applications. You can also review previous applications, keep your profile and contact details up to date, and upload any reports arising from grants you have received.
  2. Complete the application form
    The online application form will require you to upload one or more documents in support of your application. Please refer to the Document guidelines below.
  3. Provide required approvals
    If you’re based in a university, you should check with the university research office to confirm local requirements before submitting an application. Note also that, if your application is successful, ethical approval must be finalised before funding can be made available.

Document guidelines

  1. Your primary application document should be no more than ten pages, with one-line spacing in paragraphs and a font size of 11pt. These pages should be arranged in the following order:
    • A one page overview of the project in lay language, indicating a timetable for the research and giving its relevance to human health and scientific knowledge.
    • Up to four pages describing the research in scientific terms, with key references.
    • A one page budget that includes justification of requested items in order of priority, and a note of other funding you have obtained or are seeking for the research.
    • Up to four pages with brief biographical details of yourself and up to two principal investigators, including qualifications, relevant experience and publications in the past five years.
  2. You should obtain the opinions of two appropriate referees, scan them and upload them. These referees should ideally be expert in the field of your intended research, but not be your collaborators and preferably not be working at the same institution.
  3. You may attach any other documents you believe are essential to a full understanding of your application.
  4. Note that each application has a limit of 2MB for all attached documents. If you’re unable to compress the necessary information sufficiently, contact the MPPT office.