The Government has announced funding for 71 scientific research projects that seek to address some of our biggest challenges such as climate change, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today.
She said the Endeavour Fund provides investment in projects will help build a productive, sustainable and inclusive economy to improve the wellbeing of all living in New Zealand.
“The Government is focused on building a productive, sustainable and inclusive economy, and the projects we are announcing today play a key role in helping to deliver that,” Dr Verrall said.
“We’re supporting and investing in research which will have future potential economic benefits as well as addressing some of our biggest challenges such as climate change.
“Some of the successful projects include developing new technology to reduce geothermal carbon emissions, forecasting future threats such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes and utilising AI to make future weather and climate projections.
“As well as finding ways to protect Māui dolphins from toxoplasmosis, creating soilless precision farming via ultraclean water production, zero-emissions removal of nitrate from wastewater and using robotic fish to enable effective coastal kaitiakitanga.”
Another priority for the fund is to support Vision Mātauranga, which aims to unlock the science and innovation potential of Māori knowledge.
“Our research priorities include tackling long-standing social issues, transitioning into low emissions and climate resilience, and building a more knowledge-intensive economy,” Dr Verrall said.
“The science and innovation community are coming up with solutions to tackle some of our most important issues, this funding will help them to carry out their important work.”
The Endeavour Fund is New Zealand’s largest contestable funding system to select excellent research proposals that will provide the highest potential impacts across a range of economic, environmental and societal objectives to transform our future. $236.5 million has been allocated in this funding round to 71 projects.
AgScience spotted these successful projects of interest to agricultural and horticultural scientists and researchers:
Successful 2022 Smart Ideas
AgResearch Limited
Machine learning and CRISPR technologies to understand rumen methanogen interactions
3 years
$999,999
Barenburg New Zealand Limited
Preferred intake ryegrass for livestock gain and pasture resilience
3 years
$999,999
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited
Cable bacteria biofilm reactor for low-cost, zero-emissions removal of nitrate from wastewater
3 years
$999,999
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited
Top-down accounting of methane: Protecting farmers from carbon-cost for misattributed wetland methane
3 years
$999,999
New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited
Implanted sensors monitoring tree health and carbon capture efficiency
3 years
$999,999
The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited
Beekeeping outside the box: developing innovative colony handling and hive architecture
2 years
$1,000,000
The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited
Sustainable, intelligent fruit production through novel nozzles for autonomous pollination
3 years
$999,999
University of Auckland
Boosting crop growth and yield by improving nitrogen uptake and use
3 years
$999,999
University of Canterbury
Creating Soilless Precision Farming via Ultraclean Water Production: Invention of Weather-adapting Green-tech
3 years
$999,999
University of Otago
Recovery of high-value, natural flavour compounds from untapped food processing sources
3 years
$999,999
University of Waikato
Lightweight compliant mechanism robotic grippers for fruit harvesting
3 years
$999,999
Victoria University of Wellington
Antibody therapy to control viruses and Varroa parasites in honey bees
3 years
$999,999
Victoria University of Wellington
Plant-based bioactives for protecting our crops and ecosystems
3 years
$999,999
Successful 2022 Research Programmes
Landcare Research
Integrating trees to target zero carbon and add value to rural landscapes
5 years
$12,497,355
Landcare Research
Precision Pest Eradication – pest-selective control tools
5 years
$12,500,000
Lincoln University
Fungal volatile organic compounds for sustainable agriculture in a changing environment
5 years
$10,689,853
Source: Minister of Research, Science and Technology
