DOCUMENT

A landmark new category of grants In a move enthusiastically welcomed by New Zealand’s research community, the Neurological Foundation has introduced two new categories of funding – Programme and Platform Grants – which are major investments of up to five years, designed to take New Zealand neuroscience to the next level. T hese longer-term grants support ambitious, collaborative research that builds infrastructure, strengthens national capability, and helps discoveries move from the lab to real-world impact. Four grants have been awarded, totalling nearly $4 million. This major injection of funding into neuroscience was celebrated at an event at Government House late last month, with New Zealand’s Governor-General, Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro. Congratulations to: • Professor Susan Stott and Dr Gina O’Grady (Starship Children’s Health) and Professor Justin O’Sullivan (University of Auckland) who have been awarded $968,116 for the four-year platform ‘The New Zealand Cerebral Palsy Register: Evolution into a CP Research Platform’. •Professor Lynette Tippett (University of Auckland) and Dr Campbell Le Heron (Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury & University of Otago, Christchurch) who have been awarded $1M for the four-year platform ‘Mate Wareware-Dementia Prevention Research Platform’. • Dr Erin Cawston (University of Auckland), Associate Professor Joanna Williams (University of Otago) and Dr Campbell Le Heron (Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury & University of Otago, Christchurch) who have been awarded $998,646 for a five-year programme ‘Blood Biomarkers: A New Frontier in Alzheimer’s Diagnosis in New Zealand’. • Associate Professor Jack Flanagan, Professor Michael Dragunow, Dr Daniel Conole and Dr Hamid Abbasi from the University of Auckland who have been awarded $999,397 for a three-year programme ‘Ultra-large scale drug discovery for the regulation of neuroinflammation’. In the coming issues of Headlines , we will showcase each of these landmark initiatives in depth. First up, we look at the visionary programme to help bring blood-based testing for Alzheimer’s disease to a diagnostic lab near you. 4 Headlines Professor Susan Stott Professor Lynette Tippett Dr Erin Cawston Associate Professor Jack Flanagan