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Headlines 11 Thanks to our supporters, we were able to invest an incredible $5 million into neurological research in the last financial year. H owever, we receive more requests than we can possibly fund, so we have a very systematic process for determining the highest-quality applications. Our Head of Research, Dr Sarah Schonberger, manages this process with the invaluable support of Audrie McLean-Au, our Research Administrator. Sarah and Audrie also work closely with the committee Chairs and our Medical Advisor, neurologist Dr Neil Anderson. We have two funding rounds each year. In 2022, we received 118 applications for funding and awarded 44. So how do we choose? Here’s a look at how we allocated project funding in our second grant round of 2022. Large and small project grants are one of our biggest funding opportunities, making up about 50% of the money we allocate to research. May 11 Applications are open! Researchers prepare a comprehensive proposal discussing their project’s significance, who is involved, design and methods, as well as a detailed breakdown of costs, and information on the ethical and regulatory approvals required. The projects must be New Zealand-based. September 1 Applications close. Thirty-one requests for project funding totalling around $5.3m are received. A rigorous assessment process begins to whittle them down. The applications are all checked to ensure they are complete and compliant, and the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is organised. The SAC is made up of 11 neuroscientists and clinicians from around New Zealand, selected from a pool of experts to ensure diversity and limit conflicts of interest. If an SAC member is applying for funding, they cannot be a part of the committee. Each application is assigned to a member of the SAC, who prepares a report on the quality and potential significance of the project. Large project applications are also sent to up to four expert referees in New Zealand and overseas who provide written feedback on the aims, methods, team and budget, as well as overall quality. November 17 and 18 The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) meets. The SAC meets to formally discuss all applications that have achieved a minimum score through the referee reviews. Conflicts of interest are always declared, and SAC members will leave the room if a grant applicant is a colleague. The SAC member assigned to an application begins the discussion by presenting a summary of their report. The discussion is robust and thorough. The projects are assessed on the suitability of the aims, design, methods, personnel and budget, as well as any previous work on the topic by the applicants or others around the world. Once discussion is complete, every committee member provides a confidential score. Applications are ranked according to the mean of the scores, and funding is allocated to applications by rank order, until the available funding is exceeded. There is also a separate Personal Awards Committee (PAC) that reviews applications for fellowships, scholarships and summer studentships. In total, the Foundation received 66 applications requesting a total of $8.5M. It’s a huge undertaking and we are fortunate to have incredible volunteers willing to give their time to serve on our committees. Their recommendations go to the Neurological Foundation Council, who make the final decision. In the end a total of $1,191,515 is awarded to new and exciting projects that will investigate Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, glioblastoma, motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and how the brain regulates appetite. The Council has also approved funds for three summer studentships, two doctoral scholarships and three First Fellowships. The prestigious VJ Chapman fellowship, for a New Zealand neurologist to conduct research abroad, was awarded to Dr Cathy Zhong, who will study artificial intelligence in clinical brain research at the University of British Columbia. The funding we have given out in this round is vital. It supports our world- class neurological research community to focus on life-saving research rather than how they might pay for it. A huge thank you to all of our supporters for making our grant rounds possible, ensuring our incredible neurological researchers can continue to make discoveries and develop treatments right here in New Zealand.