The New Zeland Government is investing $84.7 million in innovative research projects including those focussed on health, climate change, astronomy and the impact of Big Data on social equality says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods.

This year’s Marsden Fund will support 134 new projects including explorations of the connection between heart failure and diabetes, the financial risks of climate change.

“Health issues like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease are wide-ranging problems and require innovative thinking. We need to look at these issues from different angles to ensure that we are doing the best we can for the future of our country,” says Megan Woods.

Marsden Fund Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden supports research across a wide range of disciplines from Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry through to Social Sciences including Maori studies, public policy and social linguistics and the humanities.

The Marsden Fund Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden is New Zealand’s premier fund for investigator-led research, which started in 1995. It supports excellence in research across science and the humanities.

This year, one large interdisciplinary project received a Marsden Fund Council Award worth $3 million (excluding GST). The project will investigate the links between asthma in young children in Aotearoa and biodiversity, providing valuable insight into the role biodiversity plays in children’s respiratory health, and whether areas containing native plant species are even more beneficial.