RNZ has reported that the Marsden Fund has slashed its 2026 grant allocation by more than $20 million in response to government budgeting.
The Fund is administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand and overseen by a Marsden Fund Council appointed by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.
It was among several research funds cut in Budget 2025, as part of science reforms.
Since then is has lost another $15m, which will be redirected to help set up the new Institute for Advanced Technology.
As a result, the Royal Society, which administers the Marsden Fund, has said fewer grants would be allocated in 2026 from a pool of $55.8m.
Moreover, no Marsden Fund Council Award – a category opened in 2018 to support large interdisciplinary projects – would be offered in 2026.
Overall, its pool for new projects is down by about $24m – a drop from about $80m in available funding this year.
The Royal Society told RNZ it did not yet know how many grants would be awarded in 2026.
“This number will depend on several factors, which still need to be discussed by council.
“These are the major changes envisaged for 2026, subject to any further government direction.”
A government directive in December last year required the fund to abandon support for social sciences and humanities and allocate at least half its funding to research with clear economic potential.
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins said areas such as physics, chemistry, maths, engineering and biomedical sciences made more of an impact on the economy.
“The government has been clear in its mandate to rebuild our economy. We are focused on a system that supports growth, and a science sector that drives high-tech, high-productivity, high-value businesses and jobs.
“I have updated the Marsden Fund Investment Plan and Terms of Reference to ensure that future funding is going to science that helps to meet this goal … The focus of the Fund will shift to core science … Real impact on our economy will come from areas such as physics, chemistry, maths, engineering and biomedical sciences.”
Ms Collins said it was important to note only 50 percent of funding needed to show economic benefit, and the Marsden Fund would continue to support research where the benefit may not be immediately apparent.
The New Zealand Association of Scientists said receiving the announcement was “chilling”.
Last month, Dr Reti – who succeeded Ms Collins as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology – was reported to have given a day’s notice of further funding cuts and told the society to keep quiet about it until the government made it public.
The Marsden Fund was one of three contestable funds to lose millions to help set up the new Institute for Advanced Technology.
Sources: RNZ and the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.
