New Zealand's most prestigious science grant has just been awarded to 69 new research projects at a cost of $249 million, the Government has announced.
Among the projects given the green light today are a $12.5 million, five-year study into the impact of microplastics and a $13 million, five-year study into protecting our forests from plant diseases like myrtle rust.
"This year the Endeavour Fund is investing in improving our resilience to climate change, our transition to a low-emissions economy, monitoring of natural disasters, and protecting our biodiversity," Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods said in a statement announcing the big expenditure.
The programme is intended to boost research "that makes a vital contribution to New Zealand's future" - including our economy, our environmental sustainability and "the strength of our society".
Other projects included in today's list included a $1 million University of Auckland study into "thermal shielding" while returning small payloads from space, a $6 million supercomputing project out of Victoria University of Wellington, a $1 million look by NIWA into eel spawning sites, and a $2.2 million University of Waikato study into violence prevention and intervention through "Māori cultural frameworks".
The research projects were chosen by the MBIE's seven-member Science Board.
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