Hon Steve Maharey
Minister of Research, Science and Technology

6 September 2007 Media Statement

Marsden fund to research climate change and more

Exploring the impacts of climate change on Antarctic ice, investigating the speaking habits of the kokako and finding out how going under an anaesthetic affects your body clock are among the research projects in the latest $44 million Marsden Funding round announced today.

Research, Science and Technology Minister Steve Maharey says 93 grants have been awarded for research ranging from climate change and the environment, to the film industry.

“For example, this investment by the Labour-led government will research the collapse of the Ross Ice Shelf in warmer temperatures between one and five million years ago. This could reveal more about the possible effects of climate change on Antarctica in the future.

“Another project will look back 60 million years to the growth of an Antarctic ice sheet over New Zealand and Antarctica, and how it was affected by greenhouse gases. Climate change and sustainability are defining issues for us this century, and these projects will give us more valuable insight into the history and possible future of climate change.

“Projects funded by Marsden are at the forefront of scientific investigation, and the fund is administered by leading practitioners from all disciplines. This years round will help raise the international profile of our science and research even further.

“The Marsden Fund represents 5.6 per cent of the Labour-led government’s investment in research and science, and it is the only fund allowing untargeted research. This means our leading researchers put forward proposals they believe will advance their academic field.

“Twenty eight of the 2007 awards are ‘Fast-Starts’ funding, which is designed to support outstanding researchers starting out in their careers. More than $2 million of new funding in Budget 2007 enabled Marsden to increase its investment in early career researchers this year.”

A full list of the 2007 recipients and more information is available at www.marsden.rsnz.org.

ENDS

About the Marsden Fund

The Marsden Fund is open to all fields of science and has supported research that has opened up new insights in biology, chemistry, mathematics and information sciences, physics, geology, ecology, physics, engineering, humanities and the social sciences.

The Marsden Fund is named after Sir Ernest Marsden in recognition of the major role he played in New Zealand science. After working as a student with Ernest Rutherford he came to New Zealand in 1915 as Professor of Physics at Victoria College (now Victoria University). In 1926, he was named Secretary of the new Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

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