Publication: Marsden Fund Update Issue 60
The latest putanga issue of the Marsden Fund Update has been published. It celebrates key milestones and impact stories from 30 years of Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden, alongside research highlights from 2024.
WELCOME TO THE 30-YEAR REVIEW OF THE MARSDEN FUND
Gill Dobbie, Chair of the Marsden Fund Council
In 1994, Rt Hon Simon Upton PC FRSNZ, then Minister of Research, Science and Technology, had a bold vision for fundamental research when he established the Marsden Fund. Its initial objectives were to underpin our scientific knowledge and deepen our research skill-base, with grants awarded on the basis of ingenuity and the likelihood of generating some ‘first-class science’. And what first-class research we have seen in 30 years!
From the outset, receiving a Marsden Fund grant was recognised as a hallmark of excellence – through which excellent researchers would pursue their boldest ideas. The first black hole has been photographed, planets discovered, ancient civilisations unearthed, energy sources explored, technology and medicine advanced, climate knowledge expanded, legal systems challenged, culture revitalised. We know more about our settlement in these lands. Put short, we have increased our knowledge about our world and ourselves, built innovation and capacity, supported careers, and augmented the place of Aotearoa New Zealand research on the world stage.
Of course, first-class research is borne from more than great ideas. Far more often than not, it takes years of collaboration, institutional support, and a mosaic of funding before downstream benefits are delivered. In reflecting on the Marsden Fund within the wider system, we are proud of the many ways it has been a pivotal agent of change.
In this 30-year review, we have selected a few of the many areas of research where Marsden Fund has had, and continues to exert, notable impacts. For example, the first grant received here to pursue Antarctic research was from the Marsden Fund. Its timing was critical, supporting early ice-core drilling expeditions and expediting the establishment of the Antarctic Research Centre. We hope you enjoy reading this and other Marsden Fund stories of innovation and scientific pursuit in this edition.
We are grateful to Simon Upton and those who initiated the Fund. We must also acknowledge those who manage the many applications that flood through the doors every February, and who ensure that the process is fair and identifies the most excellent work available. This includes the many thousands of overseas referees who have provided independent assessments over the years.
Finally, I acknowledge the investigators themselves who have worked to create the most exciting and innovative research projects that one could imagine, in many cases persevering over several years to fine-tune an idea to excellence.
At any significant anniversary we should not only reflect back on our past but also look to the future. In this regard, the Government has set clear priorities for investments generating economic, environmental, or health benefits for New Zealand. Funding for interdisciplinary research that generates new ideas is a smart, strategic investment that lays the foundation for a better, more prosperous future. We have exceptional research talent in this country, across a broad range of disciplines, and our focus continues to be on the key objectives of excellence, connectivity, diversity, and scholarly impact.
Māuri ora!
Professor Gill Dobbie FRSNZ
Marsden Fund Council Chair
Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden: Putanga 60
Marsden Fund Update: Issue 60
View PDF of Marsden Fund Update 2024 or view as a digital publication.