Marsden in 2025: Investing in our future with today’s best and brightest ideas

In 2025 the Marsden Fund is investing $80.3 million in 107 projects that have the potential to provide widespread benefits. The projects are competitive and only the top 10.9% of applications were funded. These include supporting 37 Fast-Start grants for early-career researchers.

This year, two major interdisciplinary projects each received a prestigious Marsden Fund Council Award. The two visionary projects bring together researchers from an array of disciplines including astronomy, statistics, archaeology, spectroscopy, and ancient art. 

Professor Renate Meyer, from the University of Auckland, will lead a large group of specialists to investigate "hidden" components of the universe, such as interstellar asteroids and black holes. The funding will support a national, interdisciplinary collaboration that builds on New Zealand's specific areas of expertise in fundamental physics, astronomy, and statistics. A further goal of the project will connect New Zealand to important global collaborative teams centred on two major instruments – the Vera Rubin Observatory and the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna). Dr Phil Novis, from the Bioeconomy Science Institute, and Amanda Symon, from the Ngāi Tahu Māori Rock Art Trust, will lead a diverse team of national and international experts to investigate Māori rock art, and enable conservation and revitalisation of the oldest art form in Aotearoa New Zealand.

In health, the Marsden Fund is investing across several important topics including the fundamental biology of diseases like Parkinson’s, tuberculosis, and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy; strategies to combat antibacterial resistance; new home-based devices and methods for disease monitoring; and development of treatments for fungal infections and liver cancer.  Each one of these research projects has the potential to save lives and improve the quality of life, both here at home and internationally.

In environmental research, the Marsden Fund is investing in new knowledge on our natural hazards, and better understandings of our land, rivers, flora and fauna, especially in response to climate change. One project looks at how the size of major earthquakes and tsunamis are affected by features of the land and sea, while another aims to tackle ocean pollution through seabird parasites. These and other projects ensure that we will be better equipped in the future to protect our communities from disaster and conserve our environment for future generations. 

Beyond Earth, the Marsden Fund is investing in recreating the chemical building blocks of life found in Saturn’s moon (Titan), and using artificial intelligence to find exploding stars.  At the opposite end of the scale – the quantum level – one project will look for “odd frequency superfluidity”, an elusive phenomenon with potential implications for quantum computing and sensing.

Projects supported by the Marsden Fund have the potential to provide economic, environmental, and health benefits for all New Zealanders through fundamental research discoveries. The vast majority (90%) of the funding this year supports projects with potential for long-term economic benefit. Research topics include how genetics could enhance production of premium fruit, how bacteria could create new eco-friendly dyes for textiles, how to break down plastic waste, and how to enhance tourist experiences through virtual recreations of historical sites. 

The Chair of the Marsden Fund Council, Professor Gill Dobbie FRSNZ said: 

“The Marsden Fund has a reputation for supporting and enabling excellent researchers to tackle the toughest challenges. The 2025 round brings new dimensions to the Marsden Fund, with a greater focus on non-targeted, discovery research that benefits and enhances the quality of life for all New Zealanders. The research community has taken up this challenge and provided a line of sight for how their fundamental research is at the heart of solving problems that lead to a prosperous and thriving society.”

“It’s really pleasing to see the relevance of these research projects to New Zealand, with many relating to our unique environment or leveraging the critical mass of research teams here which have stellar international reputations.”

“This year’s crop of Fast-Start grants sees the return of several young researchers to New Zealand, who, alongside the postgraduate students supported by the Marsden Fund, will be the next generation of our best and brightest researchers.’’ 

“The successful projects are of world-class standard, having made it through a highly rigorous selection process. The vast majority of our external expert reviewers are international, and funded projects have been selected on the basis of both research excellence, and the potential for making New Zealand a better place.”

“The fundamental research the Marsden Fund supports, although targeted at specific problems, may impact entirely unexpected areas.  The research gives us the tools to make more of life and the knowledge to solve our biggest challenges. But no idea or tool matters without the people and systems behind it. The Marsden Fund is proud to have supported New Zealand’s research capability for 30 years! We look forward to seeing the outcomes from this year’s funded projects.”