Otago researchers to pursue projects benefiting NZ health

Otago researchers funded to pursue projects benefiting NZ health

Eight of the nine ‘Emerging Researcher First Grants’ awarded nationally in the Health Research Council’s (HRC) 2015 funding round have been won by up-and-coming Otago researchers.

Emerging researcher grants, which this year total more than $1.3M, support the career development of some of New Zealand’s best and brightest health researchers.

Announcing the funding results, HRC Chief Executive Dr Kathryn McPherson said recipients of emerging researcher grants are “outstanding in their respective research fields and with these grants they will be able to conduct research that will benefit the health of all New Zealanders”.

The Otago recipients include researchers from the University’s three main campuses in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington. Their research projects range from studying how being born prematurely may affect later cardiovascular health to investigating the strong antibacterial activity of a unique subset of white blood cells known as MAIT cells.

The HRC also announced nine Feasibility Study recipients, five of whom are Otago researchers. These grants cover a range of topics including diabetes and pre-diabetes in pregnancy, and tart cherry concentrate as a potential treatment for gout flare-ups.

Otago Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise) Professor Richard Blaikie warmly congratulated all the grant recipients on their successes.

“I’m especially pleased by Otago’s exceptionally strong performance in the emerging researcher grants. This stellar showing reflects the large body of highly talented early-career staff at our University who are poised to become the research leaders of tomorrow,” Professor Blaikie says.

Otago researchers received a combined total of around $1.8M of the funding announced today by the HRC.

ENDS

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